community

Jeremy Rincon

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Utah Jazz X Mark Miller Adopt-A-School – Santa Sacks

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PHOTOS | Cars & Coffee with CounterPoint

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PHOTOS | USANG Nose Art

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Mark Miller Subaru Adopt-A-School – West Lake Jr. High

JP Chunga

The Utah Jazz and America First Credit Union announced today an exclusive, multi-year partnership, naming America First as the Official Credit Union of the Utah Jazz. The largest credit union in Utah, America First has been selected by the Jazz as the only corporate partner in its consumer category.“The Jazz are thrilled to be aligned exclusively with America First Credit Union due to its long-standing presence in our state, its sense of service to the community through countless charitable endeavors, and its desire to help people achieve their dreams,” said Jazz President Jim Olson. “These admirable qualities are what we jointly strive for in our organizations in hopes of making a difference in people’s lives.”“We’re elated to expand our involvement with the Jazz and provide value to our members and enhance our communities through this partnership,” said Thayne Shaffer, America First President and CEO. “We’ll continue to invest in our community and organizations that support and assist those in our community to power forward on their financial journey.”America First Union Credit, which has been affiliated with the Jazz since 1985, will have an expanded relationship with the franchise, including digital and traditional branding at Vivint Arena, activations during Jazz games, affiliations with the NBA G League Salt Lake City Stars and other sporting events.The two organizations will also work together on various community outreach initiatives throughout the state of Utah. America First will continue to welcome guests into the home of the Utah Jazz with signage in the grand entryway, atrium, box office, and porch area overlooking the court. A co-branded debit card will provide member benefits, including discounted tickets, concessions, merchandise, and special access to events. Whether buying tickets for a Jazz game, gear at the Utah Jazz Team Store, or favorite game time food and beverage, this card will be a fast and secure way to make a payment.America First will continue as a presenting sponsor of Junior Jazz, the largest and longest-running youth basketball league in the NBA, featuring more than 60,000 participants as well as supporting the Jazz Youth Camps &amp; Clinics program. America First will also team up with the Jazz to expand its Small Business Showcase with financial and marketing support.--utahjazz.com--About the Utah JazzFounded as the 18th member of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1974, and located in Salt Lake City since 1979, the Utah Jazz are committed to excellence as a team and in the community. On the court, the Jazz are the second-winningest team in the NBA over the last 30 years, having won nine division titles and two Western Conference championships along with 17 seasons of 50-plus wins, and are supported by one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports. The Utah Jazz also operate the Junior Jazz program, the largest and longest-running youth basketball league in the NBA, featuring more than 60,000 players and an additional 13,000 volunteers who take part annually across six states. For more information on the Utah Jazz, visit www.utahjazz.com.About America First Credit UnionProudly celebrating 82 years of servicing members and a long-standing history, America First Credit Union has become one of the largest, most stable and most progressive credits unions in the country, and has remained a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative financial institution. Today, America First has 120 locations, and is the eighth largest credit union in assets in the United States with over $16 billion, and the fifth largest credit union membership in America with more than 1.2 million members. Learn more at www.americafirst.com.Media Contact: Frank Zang, (801) 325-2570, frank.zang@utahjazz.com or Nicole Cypers at (810) 827-8655, ncypers@americafirst.com

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Utah Jazz Select America First Credit Union as Exclusive Corporate Partner

utaafalk

For Donovan Mitchell, it came when the commissioner announced his name on draft night. For Joe Ingles, it came when he found out he was moving to Salt Lake City. Every player knows how it feels to receive a life-changing call.

This time the players on the Utah Jazz got the chance to do the calling, personally delivering transformational good news to the first 30 recipients of the Utah Jazz Scholarship.

“I had to call and let you know,” Mitchell told one stunned student. “I wanted to be the first to congratulate you.”

“I’m proud of you. I’m rooting for you,” point guard Mike Conley said to another deserving student.

For each win this season, the Jazz have pledged to fund a full four-year scholarship for a Utah high school student from an underrepresented group. The first 30 recipients — one for each preseason and regular season victory the team had before the All-Star break — will enroll as freshmen at one of six Utah universities in the fall of 2021.

There is a gap between the number of students from ethnically diverse groups in Utah high schools and the number of those students who go on to post-secondary education, according to the Utah System of Higher Education. The Utah Jazz scholarship program seeks to help close that gap, making the state a more equitable place for all.

Hundreds of students applied for the scholarship. The recipients were chosen by 10,000 Degrees, a nonprofit that has supported students from low-income backgrounds to and through college for over 40 years.

Of the first 30 Utah Jazz Scholarship recipients:

• 100 percent demonstrated financial need

• 90 percent will be first-generation college students

The scholarship awards will cover the full cost of attendance, including tuition, books, fees, and room and board. So there was shock, disbelief — and incredible joy as the Utah Jazz players spoke with the students.

“I’m glad you’re excited. You should be. You deserve it,” Ingles said.

The scholarship recipients have all been accepted by one of six Utah universities:

“The sky is the limit. Keep soaring. Keep being you and keep striving for greatness,” Jazz forward Georges Niang said while delivering the news.

The Jazz have now won 55 preseason and regular-season games to this point, with the NBA playoffs set to begin this weekend. The remaining scholarships, for wins from the All-Star break through the postseason, will be awarded for students enrolling in college for the 2022-23 school year. Applications will open at www.utahjazz.com/scholarships at a later date.

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Utah Jazz award first 30 high school students with life-changing college scholarships — and a surprise phone call

An NBA team, a tech giant and a rock band are teaming up to provide safe places and brighter futures for LGBTQ+ youth in Utah and the West.

Utah Jazz steward Ryan Smith joined Apple CEO Tim Cook and Imagine Dragons front man on Thursday to announce a $4 million donation to build eight new Encircle homes, safe havens for young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people and their families.

“It’s such an important issue where our LGBTQ youth are struggling,” Smith said during an interview on Good Morning America. “Encircle has developed a model that embodies everything I believe in. It’s love. It’s home. It’s unity. It’s safety. And it’s truly innovative.”

Founded in Provo, Utah, home in 2017, Encircle has offered individual and family therapy, support groups, and a safe place for LGBTQ+ youth. But with the announcement of this $4-million donation, the Utah-based group is expanding, building eight new homes across Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Utah.

LGBTQ+ youth face much higher rates of depression and attempted suicide. At least one study has shown that four in 10 LGBTQ+ youths seriously consider suicide.

“I’ve watched throughout my life the difficult path that LGBTQ youth have, especially coming from homes of faith,” Reynolds said.

The future Encircle home in Las Vegas has been purchased and donated by Imagine Dragons singer. It is his childhood home.

“The point that we want to hit home, that every family needs to hear, that every parent needs to hear across the world, is that acceptance is not enough,” he said. “They need to be celebrated. We are losing their lives. They deserve a place, they deserve a home, they deserve to participate in sports. They deserve everything that every other kid has.”

Since it was founded, Encircle has helped some 70,000 youths. Cook, the Apple CEO, said that number could reach a million over the next decade as the organization expands.

He also hopes Thursday’s announcement will inspire others to help.

“Growing up, if I would have seen an announcement from the sports world, from the entertainment world, from the business world, all coming together, it would have meant the world to me,” Cook said. “I hope that even beyond the people we help that are able to go to the homes we are setting up, that people will see this announcement and this coming together really as a key moment for this community.”

“A lot of people talk about how they can help and help our youth,” Smith said. “But when someone comes along like Encircle and a community rallies behind it and brings families and kids together, we’ve got to take it to the world. There’s a place in every arena for everyone.”

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Utah Jazz steward Ryan Smith joins with Apple CEO and Imagine Dragons singer to donate $4M to help LGBTQ+ youth

On the final episode of our four-part series highlighting Black-Owned Businesses in Utah, we take it to the dance studio, where we meet Marc Cameron. Marc is the owner of “The Dance Project SLC” located in the Cottonwood Heights area. Marc is originally from the United Kingdom, where he danced professionally before landing and leaving his mark in Utah. Marc is currently the only Black British Owner of a Dance Studio in all of Utah. 

“It’s amazing how many people have not seen a British Black Guy,” Cameron says.

The studio teaches a variety of styles, but Marc enjoys the honor of teaching hip-hop and educating his students. “Hip-hop is predominately from Black culture, that’s where it came from. I am able to teach that history along with the dance as well,” he says.

Marc uses his real-life experiences to encourage his dance students. One key lesson he teaches is the importance of not letting anything stop you and him leaving the UK and creating a dance studio is the perfect example. “Any kid in my class, regardless of what their background is, I want them to know they can do the same,” he says. Despite the stigmas or people holding you back he reiterates that he is living proof of being “successful regardless”. 

Although Marc has had good and bad experiences, he states that he is truly thankful for the families of his students and those parents that go and beyond to support the Black community. “I was surprised at how I would see mothers, kids in solidarity writing and putting on their social media things that I didn’t even know sometimes. They were doing the work, they were trying to make people aware and share that they were upset with the scenarios going on and they wanted to see change.”

The pandemic did impact the studio by having to shift to mostly online and losing a few students. But from the support of the parents and students, they were able to keep the studio open despite other studios closing in the area. 

In January, they did begin to see a climb and in-person classes have resumed with Covid-19 safety precautions in place. He mentioned the hardest part was being able to reach students because the studio does more than just teach people to dance. It's a space for the next generation to grow and learn. “The idea of human interaction and connection is such an important tool. And when that gets lost it can make it hard to see the growth you want to see. Not just as a dancer but what it does for you internally,” Cameron reflected on the times when the classes were primarily online.

Marc truly does more than just train the next generation of dancers but he creates a safe haven for children to become better people. To find out more about classes or shows you can visit TheDanceProjectSLC.com. The studio is now open with covid-19 precautions practiced.

The entire Black-Owned Businesses series can be found on all of our social media channels. Throughout the series, we explored the arts, fashion, food and highlighting a non-profit organization for kids of color.

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Black Owned Businesses in Utah: The Dance Project SLC

Presented By:

Delta

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