Park City Rotary Club celebrates Summit County vaccination effort

The Park City Rotary Club in a special celebration honored those who have helped Summit County become the vaccination leader in Utah. Photo: Park City Rotary Club

PARK CITY, Utah — This week, the Park City Rotary Club honored members of the community that have helped Summit County lead the state in vaccination rates.

Those honored at the celebration included Gary and Debbie Crandall of the Utah Film Studio, many Summit County Health Department leaders including Derek Moss and Chris Crowley, and the entirety of the Summit County Mass Vaccination Volunteer Force.

“As Rotarians, we are proud to be a part of a community that is so focused on volunteerism to help others,” said Park City Rotary Club President Ryan Dickey. “Over the last 18 months, our community has continually come together to help each other.”

“There are some in our community that played a very special role and Rotary is proud to honor and thank them for all they did to keep their neighbors safe.”

Summit County is currently the vaccination leader in Utah. In the entire state of Utah, 61.6 percent of those 18 and older are fully vaccinated. In Summit County, that number is 86 percent.

The county used a volunteer force of 450 people, made up entirely of residents giving their time freely. Over 15,000 volunteer hours were contributed by community members.

What made the effort possible was the donation of the Utah Film Studio by owners Gary and Debbie Crandall. The Crandalls offered their facility to the county free of charge for five months. A typical day at the Utah Film Studio Clinic involved 90 volunteers.

By June 1, 99 percent of county residents 50 and older had received one vaccine dose. 89 percent of that population was fully vaccinated by that date. Summit County was one of the top three counties in the country in terms of vaccinations per capita.

Other health department officials recognized include Public Health Director Dr. Phil Bondurant, new Deputy Health Director Shelley Worley, and former public health employee Katie Mullaly.

“Our community has a great story to tell about how we banded together to help each other,” said Dickey.

“We’re proud to recognize these members of our community, especially the hundreds of volunteers who helped us stay safe.”

The awards were presented on Tuesday, August 24 at Rotary Park.

Award recipients will be embossed onto the Citizens of the Year plaques that are on permanent display at the Park City Library.