Youth council raises funds for Make-A-Wish Utah

Members of the St. George Youth City Council pose for a photo at Fiesta Fun Family Fun Center, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2017 | Photo courtesy of Della Lowe, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — For several months, the St. George Youth City Council  planned a large project, through Make-A-Wish Utah, to raise money to grant the wish of a Washington County child with a life-threatening illness.

After doing community outreach for contributions of services and prizes, the youth held a high school competition in laser tag and bowling May 13 at the Fiesta Fun Family Fun Center. Fiesta Fun donated its facilities and the proceeds of the day to Make-A-Wish Utah.

To date, the group has raised over $2,000 toward its goal of $5,000 for Make-A-Wish. Those wishing to donate directly to this fund can do so here.

“We are very grateful for the support we received from our community for this project,” said St. George Youth City Council member, Morgan Wood, who was the project leader. “When we approached Fiesta Fun with our idea several months ago, the immediate response of Brett and Kris was to ask, ‘How can we help?’ That was pretty much the response we received from the businesses and community members we approached. We are very lucky to live in a community, which is always ready to help a neighbor.”

 A wish come true

“Make-A-Wish brings hope, strength and joy to children battling life-threatening medical conditions. A wish, at its very core, reminds sick children that there is a whole world beyond the walls of a hospital and that dreams really do come true,”  CEO of Make-A-Wish Utah, Jared Perry said. “Behind every life-changing wish is a whole community of caring individuals. I’m thankful for the St. George Youth City Council for supporting our mission and for the larger St. George community for raising funds that will help local wishes come true.”

You can make a difference

Mayor Jon Pike and City Manager, Gary Esplin, helped kick off the fundraising by contributing $100 each. Local businesses which contributed goods or services to the effort or money to the fund include:

  • Fiesta Fun
  • Power Image
  • Camping World
  • Fusion Specialty Pharmacy
  • Coral Desert Rehabilitation
  • FiiZ Drinks
  • Lin’s
  • Zeppe’s
  • Chipotle

“This was an enormous project with many moving parts and it required an investment of a great deal of time,” said Della Lowe, adviser to the St. George Youth City Council. “These young citizens devoted themselves to this project, while keeping up with their studies, their extra-curricular activities, their family obligations and, often, outside jobs. It is a privilege to work with these kids.”

Lowe said that while they do not know the name of the individual whose wish will be granted, the money raised will directly benefit a youth from Washington County.

About the St. George Youth City Council

The Youth City Council is chartered by the city government of St. George. The members volunteer their own time every week to engage in community- based service projects, learn how to become leaders, interact with the City Council and plan team building activities for the youth council and the broader youth community.

Every member of the council gets a chance to lead a group of peers to complete service projects and other activities. Each member also shadows someone from the city government in their job for a day. The members perform a variety of community service projects volunteering their time and energy to help others.

More information about the youth council and applications can be found here.

Resources

  • St. George Youth City Council: Webpage.
  • Donate to Make-A-Wish: Online.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

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