LIVE UNITED Utah County

Last Saturday we hosted a large service project.  This day was a huge success and many families came out to volunteer their time.  One of the projects that volunteers participated in was Easter Egg coloring and an Easter Egg Hunt.  Volunteers helped children from a local nonprofit agency color eggs and then filled plastic eggs full of candy and hid them for the children to find.  The children we so excited to participate in the fun Easter activities.

This activity got me thinking.  There are so many other things that we could do to help make Easter just alittle bit more enjoyable for those who have less.

I found a fun and cute craft that would be cheap and easy enough to have children help with.  These bags can be filled with candy or other Easter treats.  The treat bags can be taken to Community Action Services (801) 373-8200 and then given to families who come in needing food and other services.

The project is simple:  You will need paper lunch bag, craft foam (purple and white), wiggly eyes, glue, scissors and a pencil.

1. Begin with a piece of foam, slightly larger than your bag on the sides, but about the same height.
2. Fold the purple foam in half and draw two half circles, as if you were drawing the round parts of a   letter “B”. Be careful not to go completely to the fold for the middle line.
3. Cut along the drawn lines. When you unfold the foam you will have two connecting ovals. (See photo.)
4. Cut a hole in the center of the smaller oval to serve as a door hanger. (See photo.)
5. Cut two long rounded pieces of white foam for the ears. (See photo.)
6. Cut out white pieces of foam for the nose, eyes, whiskers, mouth and teeth.
7. Arrange all the facial pieces until they are positioned where you want them, and then glue them in place. (See photo.)
8. Glue the bunny head to the bag, leaving the ears above the opening of the bag.
9. Now you can hang your bunny bag from a doorknob! (See photo.)

Besides Easter is about more than the Easter bunny and jelly beans.  Donating a little time and effort will make our holiday season a bit more meaningful.

Happy Easter! I would love to hear how you celebrate the holiday.

This post was written by our guest blogger Caitlin McCain.

Come see how Utah County college students LIVE UNITED by attending this year’s Student Charity Ball and Auction! For four years now college students have come together to raise money in support of United Way’s Preparing Children for School Initiative. You can help support the cause, too! The Ball isn’t only for students – community members and their families all across Utah County are welcome and encouraged to attend.

When? Friday, March 26, 2010, 7-11 p.m.

Where? Provo City Library Ballroom

Why? Live music and dancing, desserts, live and silent auctions, and a chance to promote education in Utah County!

How? Tickets are available March 22^nd at the BYU Wilkinson Information Desk for $10 per person or $18 per couple. Please wear formal attire.

Action Items include:

• Date packages with dinner at local restaurants
• A weekend cabin for six people
• Jenkins Cakes gift certificate for a 3-tier butter cream wedding cake
• Clarks Tuxedos rental
• NuSkin sponsored basket of lower bowl Jazz tickets and dinner on March 31^st
• Remedez Hair Spa Salon gift packages
• Sierra West Jewelers pearl necklace and men’s watch
• Six strands of Goldsmith Jewelers pearls
• 5 all-day passes to The Quarry
• 15 discount coupons to Color Me Mine
• $50 off a wedding dress at Sweetheart’s Bridal
• A three hour photo booth session for a wedding reception
• And much more!

Hope to see you there! For more information, visit our blog.

A friend of mine once said,  “You might be taking scouting too seriously if you don’t mind when you lose power to your house for three days or you take a chemistry class to help you develop a better fire starter.” Luckily, I have not reached this extreme… yet. This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a two day training for leaders of Boy Scout Units. As I sat through the training and lectures, I realized that there is a lot that we can learn from the Boy Scouts. When looking for ways to improve our lives and the lives of those around us, we need look no further than a scout. As we search through the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout Motto and the Scout Slogan, we find strong counsel to live by. Such counsel as “Be Prepared”, “Do a Good Turn Daily” and “help other people at all times”. The Boy Scout Law outlines the attributes that each scout should strive for. May we all learn to be more trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Is there any better way to Live United?

post written by our guest blogger Marcee-

A couple of weeks ago, Jenna Innis from AAA Fair Credit Foundation, and I were interviewed by FM 100.3’s Rebecca Cressman to talk about Utah Saves and discuss ways families can get on track financially. I was a little nervous, especially since I’ve had a cold the past few days and had images of sneezing right into the microphone in the middle of answering a question. However, my coughing and sneezing were kept at bay and I was very impressed with the way Rebecca made the interview so natural for Jenna and me.

My involvement with Utah Saves and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program during the past year has helped me discover a passion for family financial wellness. I was grateful for the opportunity to discuss the importance of saving for Utah families as well as free resources, like Utah Saves, that are available to guide families along their path to financial stability.

And to get connected to free resources that can help you and your family start saving and working toward a bright financial future go to www.utahsaves.org.

Looking for a volunteer opportunity?  Cesar Chavez Day is a great opportunity to get involved with the community and to spend a Saturday morning giving back.

Cesar Chavez worked to improve the lives of minority groups in the United States.  One of his main focuses was to better working conditions for migrant workers in California.  His passion and dedication to his community has inspired many.  To honor this man and his great work, a day of service is held every year on the last Saturday of March.

This year we have planned an event full of fun volunteer opportunites and service projects!  Families and anyone who is interested in doing a little to help are invited to come!

Join us on March 27th at Dixon Middle School (750 West 200 North Provo) to kick off the event.  Registration begins at 8 a.m. and service projects end at 12 p.m.

Service projects include anything from planting flowers to decorating Easter eggs for children.  Come dresses for the weather in case you chose an outside service project.

A light breakfast will also be served! For more information on this day of service, contact Sully Bryan at 801-691-5314 or email her at sullyb@unitedwayuc.org.

Hope to see you there!

If you still need to do your taxes, you can come this Saturday to Community Action, 817 South Freedom  Blvd in Provo this Saturday.  From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. the MyFreeTaxes.com Van will be there to help people do their taxes for free! IRS certified volunteers are on hand to answer any questions and assist you in filing your taxes.  For more information, call 2-1-1 and check out this video to learn more about the MyFreeTaxes.com Van!

For the first time since federal poverty guidelines were introduced in 1965, eligibility will NOT be more difficult to attain this year compared to last. Federal legislation recently announced that the 2009 poverty guidelines have been extended until at least March 31, 2010.

Poverty guidelines are based on the annual average Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) which has decreased from last year.  This decrease in CPI-U would have led to a reduction clients who are eligible for programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and child nutrition. Thanks to legislative intervention, these programs can continue to qualify and assist members of our community who benefit from their services.

We have so many great volunteers who do so much to contribute to our community.  We decided that it would be fun to spotlight one of these great volunteers every month.  So we have created the Monthly Volunteer Spotlight.  These spotlights go out in our volunteer newsletter each month.  This month’s spotlight is Cory White.

Cory with one of the girls she helps tutor

As Cory White unlocks the South Franklin Community Center every Tuesday night, she is surrounded by kids trying to hug her. White, a volunteer at the Community Center, has become a big part of their lives as a tutor and a friend.

“Cory has had a huge impact on the Community Center. She is there for the kids every week,” said Rachel Bennion, AmeriCorps VISTA with United Way of Utah County working at the South Franklin Community Center. “All the kids know her and love her. She is a constant in their lives.”

White, a California native, has turned the chore of doing homework into something cool, since she began tutoring more than a year ago. Tutoring night has grown with more than 20 kids coming to the Community Center for tutoring some nights.

While she continues to tutor, White is now in charge of the growing number of volunteers that help tutor each week. As White checks on other volunteers, she is followed by a trail of five boys begging her to read “Frankenstein” to them.

“I have been able to watch the progress of the kids and how they have come to a place in their lives where learning is fun for them,” White said. “They feel successful at what they do and that sense of accomplishment spills over into their daily lives.”

After one-on-one tutoring for a half hour, White spends the rest of the time playing games and developing personal friendships with the kids.

“Sometimes they will just want to chat about life,” White said. “They know that I love them for who they are.”

Volunteers are needed for open hours after school at the South Franklin Community Center. For more information, contact Amy at 801-691-5282 or email sfccboulders@hotmail.com.

The South Franklin Community Center works in the south Provo neighborhood focusing on community development. The center offers a variety of classes including ESL, nutrition classes and youth dance classes, as well as sponsoring a free nonprofit soccer league for kids in the area.

Thanks Cory for doing so much for the community center!

We have some exciting news here at United Way of Utah County. Our AmeriCorps VISTA Project Leader, Brian Wayment, has been awarded Utah VISTA of the Year! We are so grateful for all of Brian’s hard work in the community, and are excited that the state has recognized his efforts.

Brian’s VISTA assignments have focused on volunteer promotion and recruitment for the United Way of Utah County Volunteer Center. He has established a system for volunteers to expand the volunteer center’s capacity, and he promotes community resources for the center through visits around the county. As a VISTA Leader, Brian supports all of his fellow VISTAs by going on annual site visits, coordinating potlucks and sending out a monthly VISTA project newsletter.

In addition to the volunteer center, Brian has organized and coordinated the Utah County Angel Tree program for the past two years. He spent countless hours volunteering during two holiday seasons so that 5,808 children of low-income families in Utah County received Christmas gifts. Brian’s dedication to volunteerism is obvious as he also coordinates the United Way of Utah County’s Meals-on-Wheels volunteer route and also regularly volunteers for the program.

Brian promoting AmeriCorps Week 2009.

Thank you for your work and congratulations Brian!

About 3 months ago, my older brother and his wife had their second little girl.  She is so cute now…smiling and laughing and starting to learn how to roll over. After she was born, I started thinking about when it will be my turn to have a little one of my own.  My husband and I will hit our two year anniversary very soon and starting a family has been a discussion we have had many times.

I can’t help but think about how overwhelming it must be for parents, whether it is child number one or not.  Each child brings a new set of challenges. At least, I am sure my brother would tell you that number 2 is a different experience then number 1. Not only do I have nerves about my own abilities to parent, we hear so many things that we should and shouldn’t do as parents.  How long should you breastfeed?  When should my child start crawling?  When in the world will my child sleep through the night?  Is that toy safe for my child to play with? Can they eat that?  I know I have asked these questions as I think about starting my own family.

Whenever I get overwhelmed about becoming a parent someday, I calm down when I think about all the help there is out there for parents, new and experienced.  My position at the United Way gives me the chance to go out and meet with different resources in the community for families with children 0-5 years.  The service is called Help Me Grow and we are here to help those overwhelmed parents get in touch with the people who will help them the best!

The Help Me Grow infoline has officially began as of yesterday!  We have a wonderful new child development specialist ready to take your questions and concerns.  We have been excited with the response from Community Resources as we work together to make Help Me Grow a reality.

Being a parent is one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have, but it can be overwhelming.  Let Help Me Grow help you! Dial 2-1-1 and ask for Help Me Grow today!