Having a safe space cannot be overstated for a vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth or young adult, especially in a small, conservative town. Since June 2023, Encircle Heber has been there for this community, ensuring there is a community.
Recently, attendees followed the painted rainbow sidewalk to celebrate Encircle Heber’s third annual Pride Carnival and two-year anniversary. The grounds around Encircle’s Collin Russell Home were filled with a hundred people dancing, relaxing and visiting booths under the shade trees. All visitors received complimentary raffle and food tickets from organizations, including the Wasatch County Library, Summit Pride, Peace House, Roonie’s Ice Cream, The Pizza Yard and Locally Twisted balloon artists.
Encircle Heber is the fourth Utah location for the organization that also runs homes in Salt Lake City, Provo and St. George. Encircle provides services and support to help LGBTQ+ youth and young adults ages 12-25 thrive in a welcoming setting. The center offers drop-in hours Monday-Friday from 3-8 p.m. with nightly programming such as art, music and writing nights and family dinners.
Midway resident Austin Warden was socializing among peers and recognized most of the people in attendance.
“Encircle helped me come out,” Warden said. “It’s scary when you think everyone is going to hate you after you come out, but then you realize that there are people who have your back when people do respond badly. I came to the grand opening and I went more than weekly for a year afterward.”
“It’s impossible to not like coming here. The people who facilitate it make sure that everybody is being kind to each other and it’s a super supportive environment. No matter what we’re doing, it’s fun,” Warden said.
Elise Villaroman has been the program director for Encircle Heber since its opening.
“We just want to celebrate Pride and make sure the community has fun,” Villaroman said. “Everything is free, so people can come, celebrate, get food and play games. We have community partners we work with, whose mission aligns with Encircle, that we invite to come and share their resources.”
Wasatch County Library’s booth offered free books and a button-making station.
“This is our way to bring the library to the community,” young adult services librarian Brittnie Hecht said. “We’re out here to represent reading, seeing yourself visible in books and supporting the community in any way we can. Books help us feel less alone, so it’s important to have a story that represents you.”
The library also donated a raffle package with books by LBGTQ+ authors and pronoun pins.
Peace House’s booth featured a spinning wheel that prompted questions about consent and compassionate behavior with prizes including handheld Pride fans and stress balls. Summit Pride was hosting a dice game and passing out LGBTQ+ flags and stickers.
Matt Reschke owns The Pizza Yard in Midway and has donated pizza for all of Encircle’s large events. This time, he brought 70 pies with a variety of toppings served hot and fresh from miniature ovens.
“We’ve always wanted to be a safe space for youth, so from the start we’ve tried to be really supportive of Encircle,” Reshke said. “We want to do everything we can to normalize being who you are and to show Heber kids that we’ve got their back.”
After the raffle winners were announced, participants pitched in to break down the outdoor booths while visitors toured the spacious, well-appointed home filled with art, a music room and information on local luminaries whose struggles and determination paved the way for such a center to exist and thrive.
Encircle Heber lists its weekly programming at https://encircletogether.org/heber. Future events will include a back-to-school event and Halloween party.