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Nonprofits see opportunity in Live PC Give PC

Park City is again gearing up for Live PC Give PC, its annual day of giving. Here are four of the more than 100 nonprofits to which Parkites can donate in celebration of the event.

PC ALL aims for awareness breakthrough

As the new nonprofit Park City Adult Lifelong Learning (PC ALL) has gotten off the ground in the last year, it’s run up against one barrier.

Many people in Park City and Summit County are unaware how large the need is for an organization that supports teens and young adults with disabilities, particularly after they age out of the Park City School District’s programming. But Nancy Delacenserie, one of PC ALL’s founders, said that is starting to change.

Participating in Live PC Give PC is a big reason why. Several people have reached out to the organization in recent weeks, asking how they can get involved.

“We’re still so new, and the whole concept might be new to a lot of people,” Delacenserie said. “But I think it’s starting to catch on. And people are starting to get excited that they might be a part of it.”

Leigh Beem, PC ALL’s president, said Friday, Oct. 28, that the group had already raised $3,000 through its involvement in Live PC Give PC, making the event the largest source of donations in the nonprofit’s short history. PC ALL is aiming to ultimately double that amount, in order to fund a dance course for special needs children with the University of Utah’s Tanner Dance program, as well as a cooking and life skills course.

“We suddenly have a lot of people who now understand we exist and they understand what we’re trying to do,” Beem said. “There has been a lot of word getting out through people talking. They’re planning to donate on Nov. 4.”

For more information about PC ALL, visit its website at parkcitylifelonglearning.org.

Planned Parenthood makes impact in Park City

The Planned Parenthood Association of Utah hasn’t had a health care facility in Park City since 2014. But that doesn’t mean the organization isn’t active in Summit County.

That’s the message Planned Parenthood is hoping to push during Live PC Give PC, said Katrina Barker, PPAU’s communication and marketing manager.

“I think a lot of people in the community at large don’t always know the part that Planned Parenthood does more than just health services,” she said. “Our education department is a huge part of what we do and does so much good. I love the fact that this event allows people to become aware of what we’re doing in Park City.”

Live PC Give PC is a big part of why the education services offered in Summit County are flourishing. Barker said all the money raised during the event will stay in the community, going to a variety of initiatives, such as working with the Park City Film Series to provide panelists for screenings and a program that helps parents and teens talk about sex.

Perhaps the most important Planned Parenthood program Live PC Give PC supports, though, is the Summit County Teen Council, Barker said. Students on the teen council go through hours of sex education training, then serve as a resource for their peers. Park City High School, in particular, has many students active in the program.

“I think it’s vital, to be honest,” she said. “In Utah, being a state where we don’t have comprehensive sex education, this type of program really fills that gap. It helps not only the kids who are part of the teen council, but helps their entire peer group. It gives teens a safe place to go.”

More information about PPAU is available at plannedparenthood.org.

Park City Cooperative Preschool hopes to make a splash

The Park City Cooperative Preschool doesn’t have sky-high ambitions for the amount of money it will raise during Live PC Give PC.

Last year, the school was delighted to bring in a best-ever $2,200. A successful haul this year would be topping that mark by $200 or $300, said Linda Perkins, the school’s lead teacher.

The dollar amount itself is not huge, but the impact Live PC Give PC makes on the school is.

“We’re a very small nonprofit, and we rely on fundraising for a lot our budget,” Perkins said. “Most of our fundraisers target our current families, like buying car wash cards or helping out with our garage sale, but this one is different because it’s a way for us to extend our reach. Every little bit helps us.”

This year, the money the preschool raises will go toward creating a garden in the playground area and will help offset the cost of sending two teachers to the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference.

Perkins said being able to attend the conference, held in Los Angeles, is a boon for the preschool and the children it serves.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to go and keep abreast of current educational philosophies and best practices,” he said. “That’s vital for our program, and it’s not cheap by any means. For us to be able to every couple of years is really helpful.”

Additional information about the school can be found at parkcitycoop.com.

Connect puts spotlight on mental health

Not long after forming, Connect, an organization that advocates for better mental health care in Summit County, put on a series of events in May for Mental Health Awareness Month.

Though Connect was new, it organized more than 20 talks, panel discussions and movie screenings in partnership with dozens of local groups.

“This was right after we started our nonprofit, but we had almost 1,000 people attend, which was huge for Summit County,” said Shauna Wiest, Connect’s vice president.

The nonprofit is hoping to build on the success of that initiative with the help of Live PC Give PC. Wiest said money raised will go toward putting a similar event next year, as well as additional programming, such as a discussion about grief and depression during the holidays scheduled for December.

“It’s absolutely critical,” Wiest said of the group’s participation in Live PC Give PC.

The issue of mental health services has become heightened in Summit County in recent months. Wiest said that personal experience taught her than the community is not doing enough to provide support for people afflicted with a mental illness.

Connect is hoping to change that, and Live PC Give PC can help.

“When my son became ill, we quickly realized how inadequate the mental health services were in Summit County. There was virtually nothing to help him, and we had to take him outside of Utah. I just don’t want that to happen to another family. That’s what drew me to Connect.”

Residents can find more information about Connect, as well as a directory of mental health services within Summit County, at connectsummitcounty.org.

Live PC Give PC is scheduled from midnight Nov. 3 to midnight Nov. 4. To donate to nonprofits, go to livepcgivepc.razoo.com.


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