Park City Rotary 2024 Grants Luncheon. Photo: Park City Rotary // Ari Ioannides

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City Rotary awarded over $36,000 in grants to nine local nonprofits at the annual Grants Luncheon Celebration on March 19.

The funds for the Community Grants are raised each year at the club’s Miner’s Day Running of the Balls and the Miner’s Day Parade. Ember Conley, Park City Rotary president, welcomed the crowd, noting that the grant program is a critical piece to the organization’s service.

“Our club members participate in local and international service projects,” she said. “And being able to support the work of organizations that align with the mission of Rotary International is an extension of the service we do together.”

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She added the grants presented at the event were for local projects in alignment with Rotary International’s Areas of Focus. Those include eradicating polio, promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, saving mothers and children, Supporting education, growing local economies, and protecting the environment.

Grants Chair Steven Yapp noted the club received a record-breaking 42 applications, and the committee appealed to the board for a 10-percent increase in grant funds to make nine awards rather than the seven that met the original budget. “We have incredible organizations in this town that do essential work to support our community’s residents,” Yapp said. “It’s a privilege to be able to participate with funding.”

Bari Nan Rothchild, emcee and a member of the grants committee, noted the luncheon was an opportunity for Rotary members to celebrate the work of area nonprofits and perhaps identify new opportunities to engage with their work.

“There is a ripple effect as each of these projects is completed,” Rothchild said. “We can see the immediate impact—and then imagine a community member who benefits from a program we hear about today, one day creating an initiative of their own.”

2022 Park City Miners' Day presented by Park City Rotary Club. — 2022 Park City Miners’ Day presented by Park City Rotary Club.

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Summit County Community Center for Children’s Justice identified a need for better soundproofing in the Children’s Justice Center’s interview rooms so that ambient noise will not overpower children’s soft voices in forensic interviews with therapists, victim’s advocates, DCFS, and law enforcement to discover facts based on a report of child abuse.

Echo Community & Historical Organization will create and install new exhibits for the historic Echo Church (built in 1876). The church features the history of Echo Canyon and Eastern Summit County – including Native American presence, fur trappers and Euro-American explorers, overland pioneers, western stagecoach, and the Transcontinental Railroad. The project is designed to support historic preservation and education while increasing visitors to the local community.

The Hope Alliance operates a vision clinic on-site at the People’s Health Clinic. It will use the grant funding toward the purchase of an Optical Coherence Tomographer, a tool that uses light to map the shape of the retina and the optic nerve.

Mountain Mediation will provide two free community trainings in Let’s Talk, a skills-based communication training program designed by Park City Leadership Class 29. The program uses proven techniques to improve workplace engagement, community meetings, and home engagement.

Recycle Utah received funding to expand its 5th Grade Sustainability Festival at McPolin Elementary School. Scheduled for May 29th, this year’s program will include students from Parley’s Park and Trailside elementary schools. The event will engage students, industry professionals, and community members in meaningful dialogue and hands-on learning experiences about pressing environmental issues.

Park City READS will use its grant to acquire Tools of Dyslexia, a screening system that the organization’s Certified Dyslexia Advocates will use to help families identify reading deficiencies in children as young as five.

SOS Outreach provides outdoor education and mentoring programs for underserved youth. Participants learn to ski or ride with guides who help them establish a sense of belonging in spaces they may not have otherwise accessed. Additionally, SOS kids learn from mentors how to navigate everything from job interviews to higher education. Their grant funding will provide scholarships to ensure access for all eligible participants.

Summit County Community Gardens/EATS operates a Food Farmacy in partnership with the People’s Health Clinic. They provide access to nutritious foods as a means of disease prevention in underserved communities. Because the growing season is short in the area’s mountain climate, the funds allow SCG/EATS to purchase food for the program when the gardens are dormant.

Summit County Clubhouse holds Education and Employment Dinners for its members working or studying during the day while managing their mental health challenges. The dinners allow members to receive support from other members and Clubhouse staff as they explore educational opportunities, employment, wellness, and friendships.