by Stephanie Rokich
Community Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
Each summer, more than 100 high school students, mostly incoming juniors and seniors, head up to Logan for Utah Business Week (UBW). UBW is run by the Foundation for Private Enterprise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing Utah’s high school students for the business world.
According to UBW’s website: UBW is a week-long program held at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Students learn from top business professionals about the key aspects of business. They compete against other teams in a business simulation, create a product, radio commercial and logo. UBW isn’t all about business however. There are dances, live entertainment, games, skits and much more.
This year, United Way of Salt Lake joined UBW to teach students about giving back. About 130 students learned about nonprofits, ways to give back to their communities now and in their careers, and the work that UWSL does to help every student succeed. They also did an exercise to brainstorm a cause they care about, a plan of action to work on that cause, and a timeline to execute their plan.
After the presentation, the students joined UWSL’s annual Stuff the Bus program by packing 1,000 backpacks full of new school supplies for Granger Elementary students. Granger Elementary is a UWSL Community School with 80 percent of students living in poverty. By providing each student with a new backpack and school supplies, they with arrive at school this year with the tools they need to be successful.
Thank you Utah Business Week, and Peggy Larsen from Workers Compensation Fund, for LIVING UNITED!
If you would like to participate in Stuff the Bus, we need volunteers to count and sort school supplies for 8,000 students August 31 – September 4. Please contact Stephanie at volunteercenter@uw.org or 801-746-2566.
