2012 Youthlinc
Service Fiesta
Cinco de
Mayo Celebration of Youth Service
More than 330 guests, Board members, Benefit Committee members, Youthlinc staff, and volunteers assembled Saturday, May 5 for our Annual Benefit, held at the new Natural History Museum of Utah.
The venue is
beautiful - perched above Salt Lake City, near Red Butte Canyon – but what is
truly awe-inspiring is the generosity of our donors. In one evening, we raised
sufficient sponsorship dollars to support two 2012-2013 Service Year teams of
25-30 students each.
Such
successful fundraising efforts put us on firm ground to launch six Service Year teams in November
2012. Adding one more team is a response to the increasing demand for
Youthlinc. In October 2011, we had to turn away as almost as many applicants as
we accepted. We filled our five teams with 150 Utah secondary, college, and
graduate students – and 50 adult professional mentors—a record number. Our Friends & Family Team to Cambodia this summer is also at a record size (36). On this team, local service is not a requirement. Many students who could not be sponsored into the Service Year are on this team, and the international service done will be equal to that accomplished on our Service Year teams.
While our
generous guests are a major reason for the success of the event, we must thank
our sponsors for completely covering the costs of the evening, so 100% of
donations made can directly support Youthlinc programs such as our Service
Year. US Bank, Heritage Bank, and Nate Wade Subaru have sponsored our Benefit
for multiple years. This year, Sundance Catalog added their support. We could
not be more grateful.
We must also
thank the dozens of volunteers. Benefit Committee members - alum or current
parents of Youthlinc students – worked tirelessly for months to organize the
party. So much thanks goes to Margareta
Vlasic and Maria Moynihan (Auction Chairs), Lenora Barber and Lori Hogue
(Catering Chairs) Julia Houser (AV & Program Chair), Tracy Lyon
(Entertainment Chair), Debby DeGennaro and Shannon Johns for helping with
displays, centerpieces, event design, anything needed. Youthlinc alum, DeeAnna Phelps, designed this
year’s beautiful invitation, Program, and many other promotional materials www.thoughtsmadevisible.com
Dozens of
Youthlinc students spent their Saturday afternoon- and late into the evening -setting
up, serving our guests, and cleaning up the event. Youthlinc staffers, Julia
Wee and Miriam Kramer (Check-in/Check-out and Volunteers Chairs respectively)
dedicated months of preparation and provided outstanding service to our guests.
Each year at
our Benefit, we honor a Utah Lifetime Humanitarian – an individual in the
extended Youthlinc family who has been critical to our Organization, and who
has been extraordinarily involved in local and international service over the
course of a lifetime. The recipient of the 2012 Youthlinc Utah Lifetime Humanitarian Award is Michael Wells, D.D.S. Mike, who hails from Tooele, is the Utah Rotary Youth Service Chair. Each year, he organizes Utah Interactors (high school Rotarians) for a service trip to Mexico, building houses for impoverished people. Mike has participated in a Youthlinc Service Year to Peru. He is a role model of his profession for our students, providing dental care to Amazon villagers who have no access to this service. For years, Mike has also recruited graduating dental students to accompany our teams in the same capacity. Mike has established a free dental clinic in Tooele, and was the driving force behind a similar project in Russia.
Another
highlight of the evening is the announcement of the 2012 Youthlinc Utah Young
Humanitarian. Since the inception of this Award in 2005, the service records of
the young volunteers who enter this competition are always mind-boggling. Each
year, we have between 60-90 applicants statewide. A panel of independent
community leaders – representing secondary and college leadership, Foundation
and Corporate representatives who support our mission of creating lifetime
humanitarians – reads, ranks, and interviews finalists.
University
of Utah senior Lisa Moynihan is this year’s recipient, awarded $5,000 to
further her education. Her service is primarily with Utah’s refugee population.
She has also traveled with Youthlinc to Kenya, and will be traveling to Peru in
a student leadership position with our team this summer. To read more about
Lisa, visit her blog entry.
Much thanks to the George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation for their remarkable support for this Award, the purpose of which is to recognize and reward young people who excel at giving back to their communities.
Britnie Powell –a Youthlinc ‘First Year’ Alum (participating in the first ever Youthlinc Service Year in 1999-2000), recipient of the first Youthlinc Utah Young Humanitarian Award in 2005, and a five time Team Leader for our Organization – was the evening’s emcee, providing inspiring insight into the impact of the program.
Of course,
as always, our silent auction is a unique experience. This year we offered more
than 250 exotic crafts and art from Cambodia, Mexico, Kenya, Peru, Thailand and
India – all purchased in-country by our team mentors. Judy Zone,
Youthlinc Executive Director, assisted by 18 current and alum students, led our
traditional ‘Sponsorship Appeal.’ Instead of a live auction, we ask our guests
to contribute directly to Youthlinc sponsorships that make our Service Year
possible. No student can be accepted without a sponsor. The sponsorship of
$600, $800, or $1,000 is each student’s ‘final payment,’ received only after
60, 80, or 100 hours of local service is contributed and all monthly planning
meetings attended. Regardless of family income, the Youthlinc experience is not
something a parent can buy for the student – it must be earned. 
Some event
goers contributed full sponsorships. Many contributed $50, $100, or $200
contributions toward the cause. Each contribution is an investment in a
lifetime humanitarian. This year, we had a very impactful donation from Good
Shepherd Hospice: $8,000 to support 8 volunteers next Service Year. Good Shepherd
will be their main service site. This past school year, four Youthlinc
volunteers were sponsored by the senior care center, and the partnership went
so well, the company wants to invest more in the sincere, hardworking
volunteers who participate in Youthlinc. 
Also to be
thanked is Bill Child, former owner of R.C. Willey. This year, Bill donated a 7
night stay in a 2 bedroom family suite at La Costa Resort, outside San Diego.
He also threw in $200 of spa or golf. With a Youthlinc donation of round trip
airfare for two from Salt Lake to San Diego, this limited opportunity drawing
item is $4,200+ value. If you have not made a $100 contribution that
automatically enters you into the drawing, do so as quickly as possible by
clicking here. Only 100 tickets are offered, and fewer than 20 remain!
Our Benefit
season concludes, as usual, with our on-line auction of gift certificates
donated to Youthlinc. Anticipate this email coming into your inbox before the
end of this month, and get ready to bid on services all over the state: hotel
stays, restaurant gift certificates, spa services, Saturday’s Voyeur tickets,
rounds of golf. Our signature online auction is a great way to shop AND invest
in the lifetime humanitarian service ethic of Utah’s youth.
Thank you for your generosity, your participation, your commitment to our mission! We can do so much – because of you!
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