This year’s Live PC Give PC day of giving features numerous worthy nonprofits. And while all are worthy of the community’s support, here are three organizations that make great contributions to Park City, from young to older and in between.
Park City Seniors want to keep moving
The mission of Park City Senior Citizens is to allow individuals over 60 to maintain a quality of life consistent with their personal abilities. They do that, according to Board Member Cheryl Soshnik, by providing a variety of creative, physical and social activities, as well as interaction and advocacy with the larger community.
The Park City Seniors have been meeting for more than 60 years, the last 45 of them at their current home at 1361 Woodside Ave. But it’s only the last two years, Soshnik said, that they have been a nonprofit and a participant in Live PC Give PC.
“Last year we raised funds to provide artistic and social programming for our older, wiser, valuable community population,” she said. “(Those who are) over 60 and wanting to stay active.”
Park City Seniors set a goal of $15,000 for this year’s day of giving, and their hope is to maintain the programming they implemented last year and add more “out and about” activities.
“The Senior mantra is, ‘You gotta keep moving if you want to keep moving,'” Soshnik said.
An additional goal is to use Live PC Give PC to raise awareness of senior issues in Park City.
“(We want) to make the community more aware of the seniors and our struggles,” she said. “Inclusion and housing being two important issues for the seniors of Park City nowadays.”
For more information visit Facebook.com/ParkCityUtahSeniors.
Team Utah seeks to open up mountain sports
Team Utah Mountain Sports, established in 2009 as Team Utah Snowboarding, was created out of the recognition that the needs of aspiring athletes are not being fully met. They offer a holistic set of services around athlete development including seasonal coaching programs, cross training, travel services for training, competition and life enrichment, as well as portfolio development for aspiring professionals in the industry.
Jacob Levine, director of Team Utah, said they serve 150 athletes annually.
“Our programs have yielded podiums at all competitive levels,” he said. “Including the Olympics and Paralympics, industry professionals and a network of lifetime mountain sports enthusiasts.”
The mission of Team Utah, Levine said, is to provide access to progression, to promote active healthy lifestyles and to facilitate lifetime participation in mountain sports. Their hope is to raise $5,000 from Live PC Give PC, with 100% of the money going toward the scholarship fund, which is used to assist athletes based on merit and need.
“By contributing to Team Utah Mountain Sports during Live PC Give PC, donors are providing scholarships and helping us to provide access to progression to locally based athletes,” Levine said. “Let’s help the next generation of champions chase their dreams together!”
For more information visit TeamUtah.org.
Cooperative Preschool needs community support
Park City Cooperative Preschool is focused on play-based learning and outdoor education. Parents are heavily involved in the school, spending one day each month in the classroom and volunteering for the board seats. A typical day for the children includes time on their nature-focused playground, playing or sledding in the grassy field at the library or spending time learning through play in the classroom.
Preschools have been hit hard by COVID and PCCP’s Rhielle Widders said their goal this year is to raise $6,000.
“The challenges of the past two years have brought some financial hardships to our school,” she said. “One thing that makes our school unique is that it is affordable to all types of members of the community. It wouldn’t be that way without the help of the community.
“We are so thankful for the support that pours in during events like this so we can continue to provide our students with the play-based program where they can thrive as individuals.”
Widders said PCCP is a pillar for the community in early childhood education.
“With more than 25 years of history in providing support to the families of Park City, we have seen an entire generation grow up with the Park City Cooperative Preschool as their foundation for learning,” she said. “After so many years of giving, we are asking for some extra support from our community this year knowing that this help will afford us to continue to be more than a school — we are a community, for families, for students and for our incredible Park City community.”
For more information visit ParkCityCoop.com.