Blog
11 Ways Winter Is Wonderful
[or: 11 Reasons why six more weeks of winter might not be so bad.]
Written by guest blogger Rachel B., a member of our resource development team
Yesterday was Groundhog Day. As he often does, the prophetic rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, informed us that we are facing six more weeks of winter. For those of you who do not particularly love scraping the ice off of your car in the morning, paying a higher utility bill, or sliding around on the ice, here are some ways in which winter can be wonderful:
- When you leave drinks or groceries in the car they stay cold.
- Scarves are a great accessory to any outfit.
- It is perfectly acceptable to burrow under a blanket and watch movies or read all day when it is snowing outside.
- Skiing, snowboarding, sledding, tubing, snowshoeing, etc. can be fun outdoor activities.
- Hot chocolate.
- Watching other people slip on the ice can be very entertaining (until it’s your turn).
- Electric blankets.
- The necessity to layer can inspire great new outfit ideas.
- If your heating vents are on the floor, you can sit by them with a blanket and read or nap in a bubble of warmth.
- Fresh fallen snow makes the world look so clean and peaceful.
- Nobody is too old to build a snowman and they can make for great yard décor.
Comment and let us know what you enjoy about winter!
Free Tax Assistance Available
Written by guest blogger and PR Intern Jani C.
“Taxes” is one of those words that come with a dark cloud like homework or deadline... If you are having a fun, happy conversation and then the word “taxes” is suddenly dropped, it might as well be raining in the room. But, there is a ray of sunshine coming from the taxes arena. VITA is a free tax program for families in our community that have an income less than $50,000 to get their taxes prepared for free.
Not only do they prepare your taxes for free, but they also look for refunds and credits you might qualify for! Remember that tiny ray of sunshine, it is now turning in to a full on sunny day at the beach! Last year, the VITA efforts were so successful that $6,594,029 was brought back into Utah, Summit and Wasatch County families’ pockets. To put that number into perspective, that is equivalent to the population of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This is an incredible opportunity and hopefully this year VITA can bring even more refunds back into our community to families that need it. Go to http://www.unitedwayuc.org to see if you qualify for this opportunity.
Make it a Day On, Not a Day Off
Written by Lisa
Yesterday, I hope you celebrated by serving or at least thought about Martin Luther King Jr.! Many people get the day off of work or school, so the community comes together to provide service. Nearly 1,000 people came out and served on what seemed to be the coldest day we’ve experienced this winter. It was exciting to see people there before registration time, eager to sign up and participate.
I love the feeling that exists during these large service projects. People are just generally happier after giving 3 hours of their sleep or vacation up to make life easier and happier for someone in need. Projects during the day included assembling and making mentoring family packs, art projects with adults with special needs, visiting seniors, organizing and cleaning different facilities including the South Franklin Community Center, Kids on the Move, and the Orem Library, making quilts, writing letters to soldiers, and making toys for HeadStart Preschools. If you weren’t able to make it this year, make sure to come out next year on MLK Day!