Raising Hope for Utah Students
On January 25th and 26th 2023, UVU Rotaractors partnered with the Orem-Lindon Rotary
Club to raise money for a local charity called Hope4Orem
On January 25th and 26th 2023, UVU Rotaractors Stephan Atkinson, Tristin Smith, Rusden Scott, Winnie Jada, Alitha Thompson, and McKay Brooks partnered with the Orem-Lindon Rotary Club to raise money for a local charity called Hope4Orem. Rotaract is a student club that works with Rotary International to provide students service opportunities in their community. As a student club Rotaract provides opportunities for students like me to be involved in different activities through a Student Engaged Learning (SEL) model. SEL places focus on providing students hands-on experience in their field of study, and makes my education feel more practical since I can see how I may apply it after graduating. UVU Rotaract is a member of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at UVU which advocates for sustainable mountain development in the State of Utah and globally.
McKay Brooks and Winnie Jada during the event
Hope4Orem is a 501(c)3 non-profit that helps fund Hope Squads in schools around Orem. Hope Squads are student clubs that give students training and resources to raise awareness for mental health issues and suicide prevention. I knew many of the Hope Squad members at the high school I attended, and they are truly an incredible resource. Utah has some of the highest rates of teen suicide in the United States, and every extra resource can save lives. The money Rotaract raised by this fundraiser will go to assist in providing scholarships that support Hope Squad members as they move on to pursue higher education. It was a wonderful experience to support these groups by spreading awareness of what they do, and raise a little money along the way.
McKay Brooks and Winnie Jada explaining how Hope Squads benefit students
This was the first major activity I’ve been able to participate in as the Rotaract vice president, and it was a wonderful way to dip my toes into navigating institutional bureaucracies. I got to coordinate with UVU’s Center for Global and Intercultural Engagement to ensure that Rotaract would have the space and materials to conduct this fundraising event. Thankfully it was much easier to navigate than larger institutions seem to be. Given my previous lack of experience in this area, it was nice to have a short list of people I had to find and coordinate with to ensure that everything was in place. Although I haven’t quite settled on a desired career path after I graduate, my goal to work in international politics all but guarantees that some level of bureaucracy navigation skills will be needed.
Tristin Smith, Alitha Thompson, and McKay Brooks raised funds with Cathy Ambrose, the director of Hope4Orem
The more I do with Rotaract and UIMF, the more I feel like the SEL model is giving me a competitive edge that will help me enter my desired field of work. These opportunities that UVU provides make it impossible to question whether I chose the right university for the direction I want my life to go in.
McKay Brooks, UVU Rotaract Vice President