Nine local nonprofits received much-needed assistance from Park City Rotary March 19th. They each received a grant from proceeds raised from a popular local event, the Miner’s Day Running of the Balls.
The Running of the Balls brings thousands of people to Main Street in Historic Old Town. Held every Labor Day before the annual parade, the Running of the Balls is the release of thousands of numbered golf balls at the top of Main Street. The river of balls flows past the post office and the first several balls to make it across the finish line are recorded and matched with the people who bought them in the days and hours before the event. They win prizes donated from the community – everything from ski passes to e-bikes to restaurant gift certificates.
Park City Rotary runs the event, and this year gave $36,000 raised from the Running of the Balls to nine different local nonprofits. The grants range from $1,000 to $5,000.
Recycle Utah received funding to expand its 5th Grade Sustainability Festival.
Park City READS will use its grant to buy a screening system to help families identify reading deficiencies in children.
Summit County Community for Children’s Justice applied for funds to soundproof the rooms where children who are victims of abuse are interviewed by therapists and police. "They speak very quietly about these events and there’s also ambient noise from the outside," explained Beth Armstrong, who is a board member of the Friends of The Children's Justice Center. "So what we’re going to use these funds for is to soundproof the interview rooms to make it easier for these children to feel like they are in a safe space and so that they only have to tell their story once to law enforcement.”
The Echo Community and Historical Organization will use its grant money to create and install new exhibits for the historic Echo Church, featuring Native Americans in the area, fur trappers and explorers.
The Hope Alliance also received a grant, which it will use to buy new equipment for its vision office at the People’s Health Clinic.
Summit County Clubhouse applied for funds to pay for Education and Employment Dinners for its members with mental health challenges who work or study during the day, so they can only go to the clubhouse at night. Executive Director Jen O’Brien said the dinners help members engage with the community and services the clubhouse provides. “Your support is allowing us to stay open," she told the crowd of Rotarians. "It provides the funding we need for both staff and food to open these extended hours and it’s making a big difference. We’ve actually seen a 45% growth in our membership since September."
The Rotary grant to SOS Outreach will pay for scholarships for local youth to participate in outdoor education and mentor programs.
Summit Community Gardens / EATS will use their grant for the Food Farmacy program that provides access to nutritious food.
Mountain Mediation will use its funds from Park City Rotary to provide two free community trainings called “Let’s Talk,” a program designed by Park City Leadership Class 29. Class member Virginia Solomon explained why better communication is important in today’s world. “We see the damage that our inability to communicate across differences of opinion is doing to our communities," said Solomon. "It makes me proud to be in Park City, a place that’s dedicated to trying to ameliorate that through learning how to productively listen and hear each other when we disagree.”
Park City Rotarian Steve Yapp said 42 nonprofits applied for grants, and at first Rotary was only going to award seven organizations, but once the grant committee saw the need, they increased the number to nine.