Solomon and RISE Funds combine to form Youth United

Newly renamed Youth United is the result of a merge by the Park City Community Foundation of its RISE and Solomon Fund programs. Photo: Youth United

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Community Foundation announced on Sunday that its Solomon Fund and RISE Fund programs have merged, and are now named Youth United.

The unified program offers local children and teens (Pre-K-12 grade) reduced-cost access to sports, recreation, clubs, camps, and extracurricular activities. Youth United makes belonging and community connections possible for school-aged kids, regardless of their financial circumstances or cultural background.

Youth United is for BIPOC kids, as well as kids of any background who are navigating any financial constraints. Participants receive scholarships and equipment, dramatically reducing the cost of access. Through these experiences, kids from all backgrounds become friends and feel a sense of accomplishment and belonging. Youth United improves outcomes for every local student, particularly students of color and bilingual students who have not had access to opportunities they want to try.

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Solomon Fund was the brainchild of Beano Solomon. “Our goal is to see children of different backgrounds sitting together in the lunchroom,” Solomon said. “All children should feel like they belong. We are a very privileged community and together we can ensure that all children are included in all activities.”

In partnership with Park City Community Foundation, Solomon Fund was created in 2016 and focused on younger students at the Pre-K-8^th grade levels. It has successfully grown Latino student participation in sports and recreation up to 18%, which more accurately reflects local Park City demographics. Inspired by Solomon Fund, Molly and Kevin Efrusy also partnered with the Community Foundation in 2020 to found RISE Fund, a very similar program, but for Park City High School students.

The new name, Youth United, was selected by surveying supportive donors, participants, and partners. Nearly 200 names were submitted and then narrowed down to a shortlist which participants ranked in order of preference. Youth United was the top choice.

“It made sense to merge these similar programs and change the name to Youth United so that kids, as they age, can participate in one program,” Diego Zegarra, vice president of equity and impact at Park City Community Foundation, said in a statement. “We are very proud of the achievements we’ve made in partnership with our donors and other organizations to build a more equitable Park City and Summit County and we expect continued need and growth for this program.”

Youth United is a program of Park City Community Foundation and now serves local kids of all ages to access in-school and out-of-school activities. Youth United kids can participate in everything from soccer, skiing, boxing, cheerleading, and mountain biking to dance, theater, and debate with over 30 partner organizations, such as Youth Sports Alliance, Park City High School, and others.

Community Foundation staff convenes partners and families through Spanish communications, community outreach events, and registration for activities. The families of participants are also connected to important community resources, like healthcare, legal support, and housing. Over 100 donors fund the program and the Community Foundation distributes grants to partners who in turn provide scholarships to youth.

“I’m excited that we now have a unified program that serves all students from kindergarten through 12th grade,” Molly Efrusy, founder of RISE Fund (now Youth United), said in the statement. “Merging the two programs allows us to think about creating a pipeline for sports and extracurriculars at the high school level, which is especially important for competitive sports that require several years of experience.”

This announcement of the new name was made at the spring registration event for Youth United which took place at the Blair Education Center. Over 200 people were in attendance to register their kids for sports, activities, and camps with the Youth United partners. Other providers were also on-site offering access to healthcare services and childcare scholarships. Park City Community Foundation thanks Orthopedic Partners for sponsoring Youth United. Event sponsors were Intermountain Health and U of U Health Plans.