Expect to see more of the red-shirted volunteer army.
The Park City Ambassadors are responsible for the annual Fourth of July Parade and celebrations in the park. They are an organization of people wanting to serve and be active in the community, organized through the Park City Chamber/Bureau.
Besides seeing their red shirts, jackets and caps in July, not many people are aware of what they do, said Joel Fine, past president.
According to current president Richard Kurzban, they also help to host weekly dinners for international workers with the Christian Center, usher at the Egyptian Theater and help staff the Kimball Arts Center and the Park City Museum. In general, they’ll do anything non-profit organizations need doing, he said.
They’d like more people to know that, said board member Michael Conklin.
Within the last few months the Park City Ambassadors have greatly expanded their board, bringing in community leaders from government, finance, retail, lodging and tourism, arts and culture and more. Board members attended a retreat and refined the group’s mission statement.
They decided to be higher profile in order to make themselves more available to local non-profits that need volunteers.
“Before, no one around Park City knew what the Ambassadors were,” Conklin said. “If they need volunteers, we’re available. We’re open to a lot of different things and willing to work with a lot of different groups.”
Fine said that during his tenure he noticed a growing lack of enthusiasm.
“Some of the members had been in for years and were losing fire in the belly,” he said.
Only about a dozen people were active and doing all the work.
Vice president Stephanie Johnston said it was losing its direction and focus.
The Ambassadors had a public relations problem, which was wrong because it’s a very gratifying group to be a part of, Fine said.
“I made the suggestion that we try to expand the board to include members of the community to reinvigorate and
rejuvenate it,” he explained.
Johnston said the timing has never been better with non-profits struggling in the current economy.
“It’s a great opportunity to be a part of the community and give back,” she said.
Just the Fourth of July celebrations alone are a cool thing to be part of, Kurzban said.
“It’s one of the largest events in town for a single day with 15,000 plus people in the park,” he explained.
Board member Robin Rankin said the day is dear to her because it was while watching the parade some years ago that she fell in love with the town and wanted to be a part of it.
“It’s a major event in the community that takes hundreds of people to pull off,” Fine said.
But even though planning for the event takes nearly all year, the Ambassadors are now going to be in touch with all areas of the community to be active in helping year round.
“We’ll be speaking with them (non-profits) on a regular basis and get the Ambassadors out there in the Park City area,” Johnston said.
City special events coordinator Max Papp is on the board as a sort of liaison with the city and said he’s been impressed by the group’s desire to do more as ambassadors.
They talked about staffing visitor centers and riding the trolleys as docents, providing more on-the-ground information, he said.
Kurzban said they might even just be more of a presence on Main Street helping visitors understand the parking meters.
“There’s some fresh fish in there looking to make being an Ambassador cool,” Papp said.
To join, call Colleen Burke at the Park City Chamber/Bureau (649-6100) or Ambassadors spokesman Joel Fine (901-2171) for more information.