Local News
United Way opens community center in AF
Brynn Carnesecca | Lehi Free Press
Throughout Utah and beyond, the nonprofit United Way provides free classes, a chance to build relationships, and a safe space for families to thrive. In the last few months, the organization has brought a new center to the heart of American Fork.
“It’s the result of a project that has been a goal and dream for United Way. We have been planning for years,” said Laura Barragan, the community center’s director for Utah.
United Way opened its first Utah-based center in south Provo in 2009. Since then, the center has bolstered the community, crime rates have drastically lowered, and the neighborhood has come together to learn priceless skills and education. From this experience, United Way has decided to expand its connection-centered approach and open a community center in AF.
Before opening the center, the team conducted thorough research on the area, enabling them to design the best possible programs and classes for the needs of the community. The assessment provides many ideas for what the center will look like.
“We respond to what’s immediate right now. That’s what is great about these centers: we can react depending on what the need is. A couple of our goals are helping children to thrive, and it’s about building community connections and ensuring a sense of support that will sustain the community,” said Julianne Jones, head of marketing. “Our resources on unitedway.org are funneled through the community centers.”
At the new center, volunteers provide classes free of charge on a variety of topics. Kids and adults alike can learn music, English as a second language, yoga, art therapy, basic computer skills, science, and a variety of other topics. All classes are volunteer-led and are geared toward a need in the community. Other programs include Sub for Santa, a free VITA tax lab, and other projects throughout the year.
“Our focus is to create connections and to have a sense of self-efficacy. We want the kids and the families to thrive,” Barragan shared. “We have free classes, and anyone who lives in Utah County can come.”
One of the basic computer classes is 10 weeks long and is specifically geared toward the elderly and those who may have limited working knowledge of computers. Through the program, students learn how to send emails, create a document and perform other basic functions. At the end of the course, students receive a refurbished computer.
“It’s wonderful to see the eyes and faces when they have accomplished this. All three ladies who graduated were between 75-80, and they were so happy and excited to show what they had created. They did a PowerPoint and were so excited,” said Claudia Hales, coordinator for the center.
Through personalized classes like this, huge changes are made in the lives of the students. The staff are hoping that they can make a world of difference for the AF community. Through their journey with United Way, the goal is that families and individuals can bond with loved ones.
“This is not a place we want kids to come with parents dropping them off. We want the parents to stay,” Barragan said. “At the end of the day, that is what we want. It is very important for parent connection and engagement.”
Parents are also encouraged to bring their kids to story time. After the group story time, each child receives a copy of the book so they can continue to build their at-home library.
In the short few months since opening, the team has already seen incredible benefits of United Way in AF.
“We are really excited because we have seen so many connections. People who travel from far, and people who are next door. It is wonderful,” Barragan said.
Jones added, “The center brings a lot of different people together in one space, including people you might not meet otherwise. If you are a volunteer, donor or someone using the space, you will meet a wide variety of people. Those connections are what really matter.”
United Way works closely with Thanksgiving Point, Revere Health, Texas Instruments, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and other instrumental partners throughout the community. Without them, the staff expressed that they could not provide the services they do.
Students can register for classes online, or those interested may show up to the center and inquire about classes. Volunteers can contact the center online, on Instagram or in-person and meet the team.
The new location will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 10 from 3:30-4 p.m. From 4-6 p.m., the center will host a community fair for the community to see what United Way provides. The event is open to the public and will be a great opportunity to meet the staff and learn about potential classes. For more information, visit unitedway.org or follow @unitedwayuc or @unitedwaycommunitycenters.
