Park City Community Foundation has merged its Solomon Fund and RISE Fund initiatives into a new program aptly branded as Youth United.
While the Solomon Fund, established in 2016 by Beano Solomon, focuses on giving students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade access to local sports, summer camps, art and recreational activities by eliminating barriers such as cost and lack of equipment, the RISE Fund was a similar program established by Molly and Kevin Efrusy for Park City High School students.
So, combining the two was a natural process, said Jose Chacon, Park City Community Foundation equity and access manager.
“Both have basically the same focus, so we had been thinking about doing this for a while,” Chacon said. “And around the end of last year, we started working toward the rebrand.”
Another goal of Youth United is to raise greater awareness about the work the foundation has been doing in building a bridge of inclusion for students in the Park City School District, said Diego Zegarra, vice president of equity and impact.
“It made sense to help increase the number of participants in soccer classes, dance lessons and theater productions that are happening throughout our community,” he said. “This community has a wealth of activities and opportunities, and we recognize not everyone has had access to them for a variety of reasons. But what if they did?”
Reduced cost through scholarships and sliding scales isn’t the only way Youth United will help kids gain access to programs, Chacon said.
“When we talk about access, we are really talking about addressing any barriers that might impede a kid’s participation,” he said. “So another way to go about access is through communications and outreach that informs families, particularly with the Latino community, of what’s out there.”
The Park City Community Foundation has a Facebook page, an Instagram page and a WhatsApp group, where it can communicate youth-program information to families in Spanish, Chacon said.
“In addition, we work closely with partners to host family days and other outreach that is needed to reach those families,” he said.
Family days link up with another access point called “cultural inclusion,” Chacon said.
“By that, it just means having families being a part of the opportunities that are available in Park City,” he said. “Because skiing culture is a huge thing in town, we held a family day in collaboration with Park City Ski and Snowboard a month ago to help provide people the opportunity to participate in local culture.”
The family day wasn’t just for the kids, according to Chacon. “It was also for the parents to come and cross-country ski,” he said. “This was the third year we have done this, and it was a beautiful experience.”
While Youth United relies on collaboration with local nonprofits and organizations to succeed, just choosing the rebranded name was also a collaborative process, Zegarra said.
“We invited families, participants of the programs, stakeholders and other partners to weigh in on ideas for the new name,” he said. “There were more than 100 entries, so we put together a small group to go through the names and revealed it yesterday. We felt the name encompassed what we have been doing for many years, and it will still allow us to chart a path forward.”
Zegarra hopes by providing access to more kids from all backgrounds that they will expand their friendship circles and feel a sense of accomplishment and belonging.
“What does it mean for a child to belong in this community?” he asked. “What does it mean for their families to feel like they are part of the fabric of Park City? We aim to answer those questions with Youth United.”
For more information about the Youth United, visit parkcitycf.org/youthunited.