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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

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

In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting more of what makes Utah great: the state’s Black Owned Businesses and nonprofits. Throughout February, this series will showcase a variety of business owners in a variety of fields from the food industry, the arts, fashion, and a non-profit that prides itself in encouraging children of color. 

This week we meet Jasmine and Angelique Gordon, two sisters who are changing the world of fashion and styling by creating a space for women of all shapes and sizes to feel comfortable in their own skin. A’la Mode is a styling boutique located in Downtown Salt Lake City that offers unique apparel as well as individual styling services.

When visiting the store for a styling appointment you can expect the appointment to be catered directly to you. Clients are asked to fill out a brief questionnaire online so the items can be laid out for you to try on and mix/match.  “We pull everything in your size and styles that you are looking for. Whether you are trying to go for a vacation or event.” Gordon described the unique styling experience, emphasizing that the styling appointments are kept very private and personal for customers. 

Since opening their business they have been met with positive reviews and a sea of happy customers. “When we were doing our online services, we shipped out a box and it was to someone that was having a double mastectomy. When she shipped her return items back there was a nice letter in there about how much we had shaped her future and gave her more confidence coming out of a surgery that really alters her life,” Jasmine Gordon shared when reflecting on one of their most impactful experiences. They stated that they have also been met with tons of repeat customers! Because of the support of the community they were able to stay open despite the pandemic. 

These two sisters prove to young girls anywhere that they can achieve any dream “A lot of times when you see people in these roles of power or these roles in the community, a lot of times its male. So we are able to give girls, all girls able to see someone that looks like them. 

The boutique is open Tuesday through Saturday for shopping and you can book in-person consultation on their website at https://alamodeslc.com/. 

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Celebrating Black Owned Businesses In Utah- A’la Mode

The National Basketball Association has been built by black history.

To help ensure that lesson is learned and never forgotten, Utah Jazz players, head coach Quin Snyder and team governors Ryan and Ashley Smith are joining together to share the global impact of Black history heroes with K-12 students throughout the state of Utah.

The team’s Black History Heroes program is a streaming series on the team’s YouTube channel that will be available for schools to use as part of their curriculum. The team will explore people and events in Black history that have inspired them in their own lives.

Individual sessions will be held with the team for all Utah elementary schools on Feb. 18, for all Utah junior high schools on Feb. 23, and for all Utah high schools on Feb. 25. These “Black History Heroes” discussions will go live at 10 a.m. MT on the respective days and will be available on demand for use as part of school curriculums.

The launch of the series coincides with Black History Month but is part of a larger mission.

“It’s not that we’re going to be anti-racist. We’re going to be actively anti-racist as an organization,” Ryan Smith said recently. “That means we’re going to take our time and energy, and we’re going to use this platform to help make our communities more equitable from education to health care.”

The Smiths have already pledged to fund one four-year scholarship for a student from an underrepresented group for each Jazz victory this season. As of Tuesday, that number stood at 23.

The Jazz have been celebrating Black History Month in other ways, too.

The team is conducting an essay contest for 9th through 12th grade students as part of its Black History Month educational outreach. The theme of this year’s contest is “Investing in the Future.” Student essays are based on the Utah Compact on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The compact is founded on the principles that all people are created equal and that all Utahns must have a truly equal opportunity to prosper.

A judging committee will select three finalists, one of which will be the overall winner. All three finalists will receive a $500 gift card and a Jazz fan pack. In addition, the overall winner will receive a virtual appearance with a Jazz player to their class. Students can visit www.nba.com/jazz/community for official rules and to submit their essay. The entry deadline is Feb. 17.

Meanwhile, Utah Jazz digital reporter and producer Nayo Campbell is featuring one of the state’s Black-owned businesses each week, sharing their stories, community impact and discussing the importance of representation.

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Utah Jazz launch 'Black History Heroes' program for K-12 students

Greenwich Country Day School has some notable names on its list of distinguished alumni.

There is one, though, who seems to be a favorite among the current students and teachers on campus.

“We’ve had one President of the United States,” head of school Adam Rohdie boasts. “And I would put Donovan Mitchell right up there with him as one of our most cherished alums. Everybody here loves him.”

The Utah Jazz guard has become an All-Star on the basketball court and a powerful force for good and change early in his career. Over the past six months, Mitchell has championed social justice and education, using his platform to speak out against racism and inequity. He has also backed his words financially, most recently pledging $12 million to Greenwich Country Day, his alma mater and the school where his mother taught for more than a decade.

For his efforts, Mitchell has received the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente.

“I’m honored,” Mitchell said. “We, as athletes, have a responsibility to do our part to give back to our communities and raise the bar for the next generation. Not too long ago I was one of those kids that looked up to professional athletes, and I recognize how blessed I am to be in this position to give back to the multiple communities that have contributed to my growth not only as an athlete but as a person. My goal is to continue to inspire and encourage youth, from coast to coast with an emphasis on the importance of education.”

The Mitchell family announced their gift to Greenwich Country Day last month after the guard signed a max contract extension with the Utah Jazz. The gift will be used in three different ways:

• Need-based scholarships will be given to students. “We want to take kids from less-fortunate areas who may not have the means to go to a private school,” Mitchell said.

• The Nicole Mitchell Support Fund will start with a $1 million endowment and begin by offering an additional $30,000 to select teachers who show the passion, enthusiasm, love of children and optimism Nicole Mitchell always showed in her classroom.

• A new gymnasium and basketball court, the Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center, will also be built on the Connecticut school’s campus.

“I kind of always knew Donovan was going to do something. That’s the kind of person he is,” Rohdie said of the donation. “Donovan is the kind of man who never forgets where he came from and who helped him along the way. He’s been connected with our school throughout his entire journey.”

But Mitchell’s community contributions don’t stop there.

In March, Mitchell donated to support a student meal program for the Granite School District in Utah.

The guard also donated the proceeds from his adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 sneakers to support the education of students of color at the University of Louisville, teachers at preschools in Connecticut and the Bronx, and the education Jacob Blake’s children. Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by police in Wisconsin in August. Mitchell’s donations totaled more than $300,000 in scholarships and academic assistance.

Mitchell has also been a voice of progress in Utah and the United States. The guard frequently spoke out against police brutality and racial injustice over the past year. He continued that conversation when he joined now-Vice President Kamala Harris for a roundtable discussion with other NBA stars.

Mitchell was given his Community Assist award during a virtual presentation this week. He will also be honored during tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The award will mean an additional donation of $10,000 on Mitchell’s behalf to The Children’s Village in New York.

“He already has an incredible legacy,” Rohdie said. “He’s an amazing basketball player but an even better human being. I think that’s why he’s resonated with fans in Utah and, quite honestly, across the country.”

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Donovan Mitchell wins Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award

The squeaking of sneakers on the hardwood. The buzz in the building. The roar of nineteen thousand fans cheering as one. There is nothing quite like being together at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

But due to the circumstances, that’s just not possible right now. We’re having to play this game a whole new way. Without family, foe or fans surrounding us. It’s different, to say the least.

But even though we are apart, we can still be a part of something bigger.
            That’s why we’re launching these remaining 2020 games with a new message—one that shows our team the support of Jazz Nation from 2,000 miles away. Even though we can’t be together, we are with each other through it all. We Are With You is all about that. Being apart while being a part of something bigger. Please show your love by sending Creative Notes of support 'here'.