The Park City Community Foundation announced Thursday that its Youth United program has provided $1,306,427 in scholarships to partner organizations since 2016.
Additionally, the public is invited to attend Youth United’s upcoming Super Sunday on August 25th from 3-5 p.m. at the Legacy Lodge at Park City Mountain Resort. The event supports the program, highlights its impact, and includes partners and participants. Local Latino families will be there, registering their children for fall and winter sports and activities, as well as accessing community resources such as health care, legal assistance, and housing.
Youth United, formerly known as Solomon Fund and RISE Fund, is the unified program that provides access to sports, recreation, clubs, camps and extracurricular activities for school-age children and youth in Park City and Summit County. The goal of Youth United is to foster a sense of belonging among local youth and strengthen connections among community members.
“All children should feel like they belong, and we are now focused on raising the next million for this much-needed cause,” said Diego Zegarra, vice president of equity and impact at the Park City Community Foundation. “We are very proud of the successes we have achieved working with our partner organizations and donors to make Park City and Summit County more equitable, and we expect this program to continue to be needed and grow.”
Youth United partners with over 30 local organizations and businesses, as well as Park City High School teams and clubs. The partner organizations provide the activities to make their programs more accessible and equitable. Youth United kids can participate in everything from soccer, skiing, boxing, cheerleading and mountain biking to dance, theater and debate.
The Youth United program’s community partnership approach provides low-cost extracurricular activities to children regardless of their financial situation or cultural background. Youth United serves Latino children, BIPOC children, and children of all backgrounds who struggle with financial limitations. Participants receive scholarships and equipment.
Youth United improves outcomes for all local students, especially Latino and bilingual students who previously lacked access to the opportunities they want to explore, the group said. To date, Youth United has successfully increased Latino student participation in sports and recreation to as high as 18%, which more accurately reflects the local demographics of Park City, the group said.
