Fit to Fat to Fabulous THE INCREDIBLE WAY FITNESS GURU DREW MANNING GAINED EMPATHY FOR HIS CLIENTS GoodNewsUtah.com + + To Honor, Heal, and Inspire How one Utah man created a patriotic movement that would unite communities across the country + 5 Ways to Live More Fully the Presentin POSITIVELY UTAH Ma G azi N e summer 2021
Whether you’ve done the before or want whole food recipes for your family, this book will inspire you. Learn more and get started at Whole30.com
s ummer 2021 Co N te N ts Feature Storie S
26 A Place to Call Home
18 Fit to Fat to Fabulous:
When Kyle Fox decided to hang a giant U.S. flag in Grove Creek Canyon near his Pleasant Grove home in 2015, he had no idea that he would be creating a movement that would unite communities across the country and change his life forever.
BY CAROLYN CAMPBELL
Drew Manning’s Up-andDown Journey Fitness guru Drew Manning has a deeper understanding of and greater empathy for his overweight clients than ever before. By intentionally gaining weight, and unintentionally developing an emotional dependency on food, Manning knows firsthand that the struggle to lose weight is about much more than just diet and exercise.
The Humane Society of Utah has served the community for more than 60 years. And thanks to its many com prehensive programs and dedicated volunteers, it has helped hundreds of thousands of pets find loving homes.
BY KAREN PAINTER
321826 IN EVERY ISSUE p. The6 Bright Side p. Good58 News by the Numbers p. High59 Note
BY JAMIE ARMSTRONG 32 To Honor, Heal, and Inspire
54 Mary’s Fab 5: Latin Cuisine When I’m in the mood for Latin food, I have some definite places that are my go-to and that I recommend to people all the time depending on where they live and the price point that works for them.
By m ary Cra F t S
56 The Last Word: What Is Patriotism? Patriotism is personal. It promotes a special concern for the well-being of our nation, which changes the slogan “America—love it or leave it” to “Strengthen it or lose it.”
12 20 45
By h olly Wren
By Dan Clar K
One group of Utah women is striving to breathe life back into the pandemic-ravaged restaurant industry by holding monthly dinners at locally owned restaurants and surprising the staff with thousands of dollars in tips.
Perpetually Positive: 4 Ways to Fight Comparison Culture on Social Media How can we silence the voices that make many of us feel not good enough, not thin enough, or not successful enough? Here are four helpful tips.
44 Travel: Hope, Healing, and Connecting Heart to Heart International travel provides us with opportunities to connect with people across the globe in ways that tran scend language and culture.
By Gina h alla D ay 14 Serving Up Kindness
48 Motivation: 5 Ways to Live More Fully in the Present Are we so focused on the future or the past that we are missing the incredible moments that right now has to offer? Here are five tips for living more fully in the present. By t i FF any p eter S on
By Kier S tynn Kin G an D Bry S on Da S hner 39 Navigating Life Through Volleyball Club V uses sports as a means to help young athletes build character and learn important life skills. By r an D y S C ott 42 Helping Others Become Healthy, Strong, and Well A Himalayan salt cave. Energy map ping. Hot Yoga. These are just some of the ways that entrepreneur Holly Draper is helping people to improve their minds and bodies. By m i C hael y oun G C olumn S
By Ju S tin p rin C e
10 A Busy Parent’s Solution for Making and Keeping Meaningful Memories
By t ere S a Collin S
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Do you tend to give more weight to the opinions of people who doubt your ability to succeed? Or do you listen to your greatest supporters who are cheering you on?
52 Taste of Utah: Localz Bistro With an exciting menu and welcoming atmosphere, this family-run bistro offers the perfect way for customers to reconnect with friends and family over a delicious plate of food.
Publisher’s Note: The Power of Empathy When we show compassion and express empathy for someone else, it creates a way to truly connect with other people and makes the world feel less lonely.
utah 2021summer 2 s ummer 2021 Co N te N ts Department S & Column S
With today’s families always on the go, it seems harder than ever to create meaningful photo keepsakes. But now there’s a way to make beautiful memory books with a few simple clicks. By aS hley Smart 12 Building Up Structures, People, and Communities With hard work, perseverance, and his own two hands, Glen Yates has built a successful construction company with several locations across the U.S.
By Jamie a rm S tron G 8
50 Life OtherLessons:People’s Opinions
By m ary Cra F t S
DO EVERYTHING. Or NOTHING. Welcome to Homestead Resort, where you can take it all in or watch it all go by. With the gorgeous Wasatch Mountains as your backdrop, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to explore, and just as many to relax. 700 NORTH HOMESTEAD DR, MIDWAY, UT Book Today H OMESTEAD R ESORT.COM (435) 654-1102
If you’ve been hurt in an accident, it can often be difficult to know what to do or where to turn. We’re here to help! Call us anytime or visit our website for more 801-222-2222informationLearn More at: SiegfriedAndJensen.com • The bigger and more complex your case the better legal representation you need. • Hiring an experienced law firm with a proven track record is critical to the outcome of your case. • Siegfried & Jensen is a team of eighteen attorneys that has resolved dozens of multi-million dollar cases over the past thirty years.
I’ve gotten pretty good at learning from hard experiences and realizing that these struggles are happening for me, not to me, but sometimes it takes me a little longer to get into that frame of mind than I would like to admit. And when I’m wres tling with emotions of sadness, frustration, anger, or disappointment, remembering to have empathy for myself and anyone else involved helps me get through whatever challenge I might be facing.
Kyle Fox, who created the nonprofit organization Follow the Flag, does everything in his power to honor the bravery and sacrifice of U.S. veterans and helps their families feel supported. His efforts have sparked a new wave of patriotism and united communities across the country (“To Honor, Heal, and Inspire,” p. 32).
utah 2021summer 5 P U blisher’s Note P U blisher & C eo Jamie Armstrong e ditors Jannalee MadelineSandauThatcher bU si N ess d evelo PM e N t Val Butcher e ditorial iN ter N Kierstynn King Co N trib U ti NG aU thors Carolyn Campbell Teresa Collins Mary JustinTiffanyGinaBrysonCraftsDashnerHalladayKarenPainterPetersonPrinceRandyScottAshleySmartHollyWrenMichaelYoung d esi GN a N d Prod UC tio N Hales Creative Kelly Nield, Design Director Good News @GoodNews_UtahUtahGoodNewsUtah a dvertisi NG / sP o N sorshi P sales@GoodNewsUtah.com a rti C le Q U eries / write for U s submissions@GoodNewsUtah.com sU bs C ri P tio N s GoodNewsUtah.com or info@GoodNewsUtah.com Good News Utah 61 South 1300 West, Suite A Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
This issue is filled with amazing people who are using the power of empathy to help others. On our cover is fitness guru Drew Manning, who intentionally gained and then lost 75 pounds so he could better understand how to help his overweight clients (“Fit to Fat to Fabulous: Drew Manning’s Up-and-Down Journey,” p. 18).
The Power of Empathy
As Dr. Alfred Adler once said, “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” I can’t think of a better way to help a person feel acknowl edged than seeking to understand what they are experiencing.
All my best, Jamie Armstrong
Like everyone else on the planet, life has thrown some curveballs at me over the years—challenges that I didn’t expect and that I didn’t want to go through.
Empathy makes the world feel less lonely. When we show compas sion and express empathy for someone else, it creates a way to truly connect with other people, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.
Also in this issue is a touching story about a group of Utah women who are bringing a much-needed boost to local restaurant workers (“Serving Up Kindness,” p. 14). Their acts of generosity and kindness have moved these employees to tears after an extremely tough year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fun Fa C t Did you know that tamales have been around for about 8,000 years? The tasty dish can be traced back to the Nahuatl word tamalii spoken by the Aztecs, which means “wrapped food.” Turn to page 60 to learn about five restau rants throughout Utah that serve amazing Latin cuisine.
Utah’s Official Dinosaur D id you know that Utah has an official dinosaur? In 1991, paleontologist Jim Kirkland and his crew unearthed remains of an unknown dinosaur near Moab—a dinosaur that would come to be known as the Utahraptor. Experts estimate that adult Utahraptors measured about 20 feet long and weighed more than 600 pounds—nearly twice the size of the famous Velociraptor. These feather-covered carnivores had 9.5-inch sickle-shaped claws on their hind feet that were used to attack its prey. They are thought to have traveled in packs, allowing them to hunt dinosaurs much larger than themselves.
“Carry out a random act of kindness with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
utah 2021summer 6 Fun Fa C t S , in S pirational quote S , an D other intere S tin G S tu FF The Bright Side
“When you focus on the good, the good gets better.” —abraham hicks
—Princess Diana
After more than a year of battling the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s some good news about some thing else that’s contagious—happiness. According to researchers who studied more than 4,700 residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, when you surround yourself with happy people, that happiness will spread to you! In fact, your likelihood of happiness rises 15.3 percent if a family member or close friend is happy. So, enjoy the happiness of others—some of it is bound to rub off on you!
On March 11, 2021, Utah lawmakers passed a bill to create Utahraptor State Park about 15 miles north of Moab, where several 100-million-year-old skeletons of the creature have been discovered.
Folks interested in seeing the Utahraptor can visit exhibits at the Natural History Museum of Utah, the BYU Museum of Paleontology, and the Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum.
It’s Contagious!
Fun Fa C t Martha Washington is the first and only woman to appear on U.S. paper currency. Her image appears on the $1 Silver Certificate, which was first printed in 1886. Turn to page 16 to explore your emotions around money and learn how they can impact your financial decisions.
It’s so easy to compare when we see others having amazing experiences, success after success, and wonder why we are failing to live up to what we are seeing.
4 Ways to Fight Comparison Culture on Social Media
S ocial media wields a tre mendous amount of power and influence in today’s society, including creating the tendency for us to compare ourselves with the filtered, seemingly perfect images and lifestyles that come through our feeds on a daily basis. For better or worse, social media is here to stay, so unless you plan to completely unplug, you will need to learn to navigate the content that we are constantly bombarded with. I hope to share some powerful insights and practical tips for handling those messages that often make us feel “less than.”
Column: Per P et U ally Positive
2. Be intentional a B out W ho you allo W S pa C e F or in your thou G ht S an D your li F e. Imagine if I gave you a gold button that once you touch it, it says “unsubscribe.” Imagine that I then told you that you have to hit this button for every account you follow that creates feelings within you that are contrary to building your self-esteem and confidence.Likeithas for many other people, social media started to influence my thoughts in ways that made me compare and have the “I wish” syndrome. I made a decision to look at social media as a source of inspiration. I decided to hit that unfollow button. The sad reality is that I have received countless messages from young adults and their parents that are quite alarming. It literally brings me to tears knowing the pain that so many people, especially the younger generation, face because they do not see their worth. They are caught in the web
+ pa G e 8 utah 2021summer
BY TERESA COLLINS
1. i nve S t your time W i S ely. How we spend our time influ ences how we think. So, when we find those rare moments that allow us to pause and take a break from our undoubtedly busy lives, are we going to spend those precious minutes filling our minds with content that makes us feel inadequate or with content that helps us to grow? I made a decision years ago to only use social media to build up who I am. Trust me—there is so much good online inspiration to be found if you only seek it out.
Comparison culture—we all face it daily, especially on social media. So, how can we silence the voices that make many of us feel not good enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough, not smart enough, or not successful enough? Here are four helpful tips.
4. l ive authenti C ally— even online. Most of us would agree that it’s time to put the “real” back into social media, but it’s easier said than done. Being real means being vulnerable. Even so, I have made the commitment to share real life that is perfectly imperfect, messy, full of hard work, and centered on building myself and others every day with positivity and gratitude. I encour age you to do the same. Don’t be afraid to share the real you! I constantly strive to show myself, my company, and my brand as authentically as possible. To be honest, I know that I would have more followers if I posted differently, and I’m okay with that. So many people follow influencers in an attempt to be more like them, but the only person’s story that really deserves the bulk of our atten tion is our own.
utah 2021summer 9 of social comparison. We all know of those lifestyles and photos that imply that perfection is real and attainable. It’s so easy to compare when we see others having amazing experiences, success after success, and wonder why we are failing to live up to what we are seeing. Those toxic compari sons are amplified in our minds as we consume the highlight reel of someone else’s life.
• PowerOfPositivity • YouAreLuminous • TheGoodQuote • Rmdrk • GoodNewsUtah • SteveMaraboli • RecipesForSelfLove • Happsters
3. Create S pe C i F i C C riteria F or all S o C ial me D ia a CC ount S . It’s vital to take control of who and what is on our feed. I decided years ago to only follow accounts that added positivity to my life. We must unfollow the things that make us feel bad and flood our feeds with things that are build ing the foundation of who we are. Seek to follow and subscribe to those accounts that make you feel good, inspired, and motivated. It’s like an invitation to your life. Who are you granting access to? Before making the decision to follow a social media account, I ask myself if it meets three basic 1.criteria:Does it inspire me?
3. Does it empower me and help me work toward my goals? You may want to change or add to this criteria to suit your spe cific needs and circumstances.
2. Does in impact me in a positive way?
For your daily dose of positivity, follow TeresaCollinsStudio. C does Teresa go for her daily dose of positivity and inspiration? Here are her favorite social media accounts to follow:
t ere S a’ S Favorite So
I have made the commitment to share real life that is perfectly imperfect, messy, full of hard work, and centered on building myself and others every day with positivity and gratitude.
What’s important is that you set clear standards for yourself and only follow those accounts that meet those standards.
ial m e D ia aCC ount S Where
BY ASHLEY SMART
I t is no secret that humans like to keep a record of events that have happened in their lives. In recent years, we’ve seen an ever-growing collection of social media apps take those records and make it possible to keep them digitally. It’s easier, doesn’t cost as much, and takes up less space than, say, a scrap book or journal. Unfortunately, one major aspect was lost when everything went digital—the conversations that happen when looking through scrapbooks. In fact, it has been proven that when parents talk about the past and show physical pictures to their children, their children will have stronger autobiographical memory skills. This form of conversation is called elaborative reminiscing. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “My plate is already so full. I don’t have time to make my kids a scrapbook,” or “I can’t handle the stress that comes with it!” Well, that’s fair. It’s a lot to ask from a parent who already does so much. That is what spurred an ingenious idea from Vanessa Quigley, co-founder of Chatbooks.
With today’s families always on the go, it seems harder than ever to create meaningful photo keepsakes. But now there’s an easy way to make beautiful memory books with just a few simple clicks.
So, with the help of her husband, Nate, who had previously created a photo sharing enterprise software for family and friends, they started figuring out a way to take Vanessa’s Instagram posts and turn them into a photobook. Their experiment was a great success, and they were able to turn that success into their company,ChatbooksChatbooks.isanapp and web site that can easily and efficiently take your photos, print them, and turn them into a photobook that gets delivered right to your “I’ve been able to show my daughters that mothers can have a career and still be great mothers.”
From p hone to p hoto B oo K Vanessa Quigley is a mother of seven, and while raising her kids she worked part time as a singer and actress. On top of all that, she loved creating picture books for all of her kids. But in 2014, Quigley found that she didn’t have time to make scrapbooks or print photos anymore. “I was failing in this job that I took so painfully serious, and the mom guilt was too much,” she recalls.
bU si N ess Profile + pa G e 10 utah 2021summer
A Busy Parent’s Solution for Making and Keeping Meaningful Memories
“Everything we would need to keep our family healthy is what we offer and provide to our team,” shares Quigley. You couldn’t ask for better standards from a company whose mission is to provide a way to keep your memories everlasting. If you are interested in getting started with using Chatbooks, you can download the mobile app (both Android and iOS), visit chatbooks.com, find tips on Instagram at either @chatbooks or @vanessaquigley, or join their vibrant Facebook community, MomForce.
n the Bu S ine SS o F Family
utah 2021summer 11 door. Already sound too good to be true? Well, it gets better. Chatbooks offers many great options to get your pictures off of your phone and into your hands, including the Instagram series (which takes your posts from your account and puts them in a book), the Monthbooks (a monthly subscription that can cost as low as $8 where you upload 30 pictures straight from your camera roll to be included in your book), and the Standard Photo Book (which can go up to 366 pages and only costs $15 per book). Though it may not be made by hand, these books are cute and just as meaningful. Most importantly, your kids will now have a way to look back on their memories, and making memories is at the heart of it all. m a K in G m eanin GF ul m emorie S When asked about how import ant it is to create opportunities and experiences to make mean ingful memories for her family, Quigley replied, “I wanted to create a sense of history for our family. So, we created Family Fandango, which is a way to try new experiences, and it helps us keepTraditionstraditions.”are a great way to make memories—think holidays, birthdays, family nights, etc., but don’t forget to also document everyday life! There will be those moments that may happen every day, whether it’s your child hold ing your hand, your kids playing together with blocks, or your family sitting down for a meal. You may not think twice about it, but someday it will be the last time that happens. “When living in the moment, if you think, ‘I want to hold on to this,’ then take a picture,” says Quigley. “There is no picture I regret taking, only missed “WewhenbutremainSometimesopportunities.”certainmemoriesmorevividthanothers,havingpicturesofthosemomentscanhelp.“MyearliestmemoryiswhenIwas3yearsold.Itismeandmydadhavingateaparty,”Quigleyrecalls.“Idon’treallyknowifitisfrommerememberingorbecausethereisapicture,buthavingthepicturecementsitinmymemory.”Quigleyhasdoneagreatjobitcomestocementingthosememoriesforherfamily.haveafamilyseries,whichismineandmyhusband’sInstagrams.Wedoyearlybooksforthekids,booksfortrips,Christmasbooks,andaChatbookseriesformyandNate’sparents.Ourkidsevenmakethemasgifts!”
i
It seems that the Quigley family has benefited incredibly from creating this business. “I’ve learned that you can chase your dreams and work hard for something you care about,” says Quigley. “I’ve been able to show my daughters that mothers can have a career and still be great mothers. And I have really enjoyed working with my hus band. It has helped strengthen ourWithrelationship.”howimportant family is to Quigley, it is no surprise that much of their company is family oriented. Chatbooks was built with a deliberate culture that is family friendly. They ask each employee to give just eight amazing hours every workday and require that once a quarter they take a week off (called mandatory time off). They offer maternity leave and unlimited paid time off whenever needed.
BY GINA HALLADAY
Building Up Structures, People, and Communities
Born and educated in Canada, Yates received a construction engineering diploma during the ’90s when Canada’s economy was horrible. “I couldn’t get a good construction job and ended up working in some guy’s basement for $7 an hour,” he recalls. “I couldn’t even put gas in my car.”
“M ondays are really no dif ferent than a Saturday or Sunday,” says Glen Yates, president and CEO at Colt Builders, a wood-frame construc tion and development company headquartered in Murray. “At my job, I am always working—and I am never working. I don’t feel that what I do is work at all, and that’s a good feeling.”
From Framer to C eo Frustrated, Yates decided to “wait out” the Canadian economy, and driven by the need for adventure, he traveled to Australia and lived there for a year. “I then heard about a company, Colt Builders, that needed wood framers to work in the United States to build retirement homes all over the U.S. I was 21, and I began working for them doing the most menial tasks, including putting in anchor bolts in basements— which is really the worst job on a framing site,” he says. “The foreman on the job told me the only way I could get out of doing basement work was to work for free on Saturdays. I started showing up on Saturdays. I worked my way up from laboring in the basement to eventually running sites and project manag ing.” Yates earned opportunities to travel to job sites in Hawaii, Georgia, Iowa, and Florida and ended up settling in New England.“In2007, I was given the opportunity to open up a framing division in the Washington, D.C., area,” he says. But soon, the 2008 recession hit. “The timing was not so great, but we pulled it off somehow.” “This was a chance of a lifetime, so I mortgaged the farm, bought out three of the shareholders, and became the majority owner of Colt Builders in 2011.”
bU si N ess Profile + pa G e 12 utah 2021summer
With hard work, perseverance, and his own two hands, Glen Yates has built a successful construction company with several locations across the United States. But his vision is about much more than physical structures—it’s about building up people and improving communities.
utah 2021summer 13
The foundation for Yates’s strong work ethic and vision for Colt Builders started, ironically, in the many basement foundations where he worked during the early days of his construction career. Since then, he has built around himself a company of integrity and excellence where he contin ues to develop and inspire his team of professionals. “I love what I do—just surrounding myself with great people,” he says. “I love seeing them mature and become better and grow into greater positions and do great things. And when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work at all.”
Unbeknownst to Yates, Colt Builders had its own journey over the years, and the four owners were greatly dissatisfied with where they were at. Yates had the opportunity to buy out some of the shareholders at Colt Builders. “This was a chance of a lifetime, so I mortgaged the farm, bought out three of the shareholders, and became the majority owner of Colt Builders in 2011,” he says.
Colt Builders specializes in build ing large wood-frame buildings, which includes senior living, apartments, townhouses, and student housing. “We believe in building up structures, people, and communities,” Yates says. As president of Colt Builders, Yates seized the opportunity to grow the business and brought in additional construction contracts. “In 2011, we had about 10 employees and did $1.7 million in business. Today, we have 450 employees and work with over 1,000 subcontractors, generating $250 million in revenue,” he says. Besides framing, Yates and the Colt Builders team are also involved in developing projects in Utah and around the country. Colt has locations in Austin, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Sacramento, California; Frederick, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Warwick, Rhode Island. With Colt’s business expand ing throughout the U.S., Yates admits that he decided to keep the corporate headquarters in Utah for a couple reasons. One, because one of the original shareholders and the accounting office were already based in Utah, and two, because Yates loves Utah. In 2017, Yates moved with his wife and two children from Frederick, Maryland, to Sandy. “I love everything Utah has and the lifestyle it has to offer. I grew up skiing, and this place is so beautiful,” he says. Yates enjoys anything outdoors, whether it’s out in the ocean kiteboarding, riding his Harley, hiking, water skiing, or running marathons.
For more information, visit coltbuilders.com.
Savorin G Su CC e SS
Another big challenge that has come from the pandemic is the availability and pricing of wood. “Wood prices have gone up two and a half to three times what they were a year ago,” says Yates. “It is 100 percent a supply and demand issue. The wood mills shut down because of the pandemic.”Therewere no people cutting wood or shipping wood. Plus, Yates explains, every do-it-your selfer homeowner who had free time on their hands started working on projects like building a deck or finishing a basement. As a result, retail stores like Home Depot could not keep wood in stock either. “We can see the supply and demand of wood start to come back into balance. Hopefully, later in 2021 we can get back to normal,” he says. a Stron G Foun D ation
Of course, everybody was a bit scared of the uncertainty, but we kept working.”
o ver C omin G p an D emi C Challen G e S According to Yates, the business has faced new challenges due to the pandemic, including daily management and staying open while protecting employees’ health. “We were a business that was deemed essential, and we follow all of the new protocols that have been set to keep our employees healthy,” he says. “We have had to figure out ways to keep everyone safe and working during the challenging and ever-evolving guidelines.
The wave of that recession did create another business opportu nity that was unforseen and was only made possible by the great recession.
One group of Utah women is striving to breathe life back into the pandemic-ravaged restaurant industry by holding monthly dinners at locally owned restaurants and surprising the staff with thousands of dollars in tips.
A t one time or another, we’ve all seen the effect of a pebble thrown into a pond, its ripples expanding outward in concentric circles, traveling as far as the watery surface will allow. Similarly, a small movement in Salt Lake City, known as the $100 Dinner Club, has already begun to experience a ripple effect in their efforts to show appreciation for restaurant workers throughout Utah and across the country. t he i n S piration
BY KIERSTYNN KING AND BRYSON DASHNER
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2021summer pa G e 14
This spring, Kate Strong asked her friend Mary Crafts, founder of Culinary Crafts, to join her in starting the club as a way to help an industry
Serving Up Kindness
Crafts knows all too well how badly the pan demic can devastate a company in the hospitality industry. She founded Culinary Crafts more than 35 years ago and had just retired and handed off the business to her children when the pandemic struck. She painfully watched as the company she’d founded through blood, sweat, and tears lost nearly 80 percent of its business. That’s why she jumped at the chance to help support locally owned restaurants in such a unique and inspiring way. In March, Strong and Crafts held their first $100 Dinner Club at Saffron Valley, an Indian restaurant in Riverton.
“What these ladies have done is boost morale and help restaurant workers feel seen and appreciated. We thank them for their kindness, and I encourage all of us to take inspiration from them to find our
utah 15 2021summer devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic—hospitality and restaurants. In particular, the goal was to show gratitude and support for restaurant staff who work so hard to create an enjoyable space and a good meal for those who need an escape from the hustle of everyday life. Here’s how it works: Every month, Crafts chooses a locally owned restaurant in need of a financial boost that can also accommodate a sizable crowd. Things are worked out with the owner or manager, and a date is chosen. Strong and Crafts announce the opportunity on social media, and the spots fill up within a few hours. The commitment is simple—eat good food, enjoy yourself, and tip $100 before you go. How that money is divided amongst the servers and other restaurant staff is left to the discretion of management.
What started out as a simple invitation on social media turned into more than 18 straight weeks of large groups gathering at restaurants—where accommo dations and safety protocols were possible—where each person committed to leaving at least a $100 tip. Rex says that anywhere from 20 to 100 people showed up, and seeing the joy brought to the servers and other restaurant staff is something that he’ll never forget.
Brin G in G Cheer to a C ovi D- r ava G e D S try
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Strong’s club was actually inspired by her friend Jimmy Rex, a Utah real estate agent. Rex came up with the idea after watching a video posted by his friend that showed him and a few others each giving their server a $100 tip. The server was brought to tears by their generosity, and Rex decided at that moment to do something similar.
“After seeing that video, I thought it was the perfect way to help servers in the restau rant business,” he says.
Out of all the industries that have been affected by COVID-19, the National Restaurant Association reports that the restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit. In fact, as of December 2020, more than 110,000 eating and drinking establishments have either closed temporarily or for good.
“Like most other restaurants, we had to cut back on shifts and hours. We had to recreate our menu to offer fewer options because no one was coming in,” says Lavanya Mahate, the restaurant’s owner.
“In my 18 years in the restaurant industry, this is the first time that I’ve ever seen anything like this. I think it’s a great uplifter for the staff to know that there are people out there still thinking about them and who have always been thinking about them.”
“So many people who are open took out loans to stay open,” says Crafts. “Can they pay it back? Are they going to be able to come back? Are they still going to declare bankruptcy?”
“Even more than the money, people are like, ‘Oh my gosh! Somebody cares about me.’ And that has been one of the coolest parts about it,” he says.
utah 16 2021summer own ways to show kindness and generosity to others.”
“Restaurant workers and hospi tality workers are risking their health and safety to serve the public,” she says. “They don’t get to work from home like so many others have been able to during the pandemic. Please treat them with kindness and compassion. Be patient. Be generous.”
Roy Alvaro was one of four servers who the $100 Dinner Club surprised with a $3,000 tip to split amongst themselves. “That night was one of the best experiences of my life,” he says. “It has also helped me to become more generous toward others. I want to pay it forward.”
The night of the $100 Dinner Club, Prospero and two other servers were each presented with a $700 tip. In addition, cooks, dishwashers, and other back-ofhouse staff received $100 tips. “Receiving that tip was such a generous surprise,” she says. “I feel very grateful. Money doesn’t create happiness, but it can sure get you out of a lot of jams.”
Thankfully, Prospero was able to come back to work less than two months later. “I’ve been grateful that I’ve been able to come back to work, but I’ve seen so many restaurants close and people lose their jobs,” she says. “I feel like if we can get through this, then we can get through anything.”
Alvaro says that he will use the money to catch up on child support. “All that money will be for my threeThekids.”next month, the $100 Dinner Club dined at Stoneground Italian Kitchen in Salt Lake City. Hannah Prospero, who has worked as a server at the restaurant for five years, vividly remembers when the restaurant shut down last March due to the pandemic. “We had served only two people that day, and then we shut down,” she recalls.
Mahate is also quick to point out the sacrifices that people in service industries have made over the past year.
The servers shared what each of them intended to do with the money, and their answers show just how important the extra income was to help them “That night was one of the best experiences of my life. It has also helped me to become more generous toward others. I want to pay it forward.”
Tiffany Peterson, a dedicated club member, agrees. “Gathering with like-minded women focused on building one another up while giving back to our small business community is a beautiful example of a true win for everyone involved,” she says. “It’s one of those positive actions that multiplies itself into a great ripple throwingKindeffect.”oflikeapebble in a pond. And as Crafts says, “If enough of us keep dropping pebbles, the whole world can be changed.”
t he r ipple eFF e C t
utah 17 2021summer meet basic needs. Prospero says that she is going to put the money toward earning her real estate license. Another server is going to buy desperately needed new tires, and the third is using the money to pay rent. In addition to the welcome economic relief, the servers were touched by how the $100 Dinner Club attendees treated them throughout the evening. “They were so polite. Always share and always be kind. That’s what these ladies showed us,” says Prospero. “I hope that I can tip my server $100 one“Inday.”my 18 years in the restaurant industry, this is the first time that I’ve ever seen anything like this,” says Justin Shifflett, head chef at Stoneground Italian Kitchen. “I think it’s a great uplifter for the staff to know that there are people out there still thinking about them and who have always been thinking about them. It’s a great thing that’s going on.”
Perhaps the best part about the $100 Dollar Dinner Club is not unlike the virus that sparked the impetus for its creation in the first place: It spreads. It’s contagious. People who take part want to experience it again and often start their own clubs. “We’ve been sharing it on social media because I wanted it to be more than just us going to dinner— I wanted it to spread and become a movement,” says Rex. “And because of that, there’s been more than 50 different $100 Dinner Clubs that have happened all over the country. Hopefully it’s going to keepStronggoing.”saysthat the club is not just about helping those working in the restaurants. She cares just as deeply about the women who come to her club’s dinners and how the experience can positively affect their lives, and then the lives of their families and friends as the spirit of generosity spreads to more and more people. “Instead of impacting 2 servers or 25 or 30 women, it’s impacting hundreds of people in one night,” she says.
By Carolyn Campbell
Fit to Fatto Fab-ulous
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Fitness guru Drew Manning has a deeper understanding of and greater empathy for his overweight clients than ever before. By intentionally gaining weight, and unintentionally developing an emotional dependency on food, Manning knows firsthand that the struggle to lose weight is about much more than just diet and exercise.
Drew Up-and-DownManning’sJourney
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“I learned that I was more than my body,” he recalls. He understood that rather than being merely a matter of exercise and eating, achieving weight loss is “a lifestyle change that takes place ulous From Fit to Fat Once he committed to his idea, “I felt excited and courageous—like I was called to do it,” he says. Growing up in a family of 11 kids, he didn’t get exposed to much junk food. “My mom made everything,” he recalls. “But I knew all the foods my clients ate when they messed up.” When he ventured into junk food himself, “There was a sense of freedom and excitement,” he says. “It felt exhilarating, like being a kid in a candy store. I could totally skip the produce section.”
Gaining 13 pounds the first week, Manning thought that he might acquire 50 pounds total in the half-year that followed. But he gained 75. rew Manning saw a disconnect between himself and his clients. He often couldn’t relate when they struggled with meal plans and workouts. “It’s always easy for you to stay fit,” his brother-in-law told him. Manning had to agree. As a former wrestler and football player, he was never overweight. He claimed every workout opportunity. “I had been in shape my whole life,” he admits. And junk food didn’t tempt him. “People said I didn’t know what it was like to crave fatty, sugary foods,” he says. “And I really didn’t know.” But, suddenly, he wondered: Could he achieve greater empathy for his clients if he lived as they did? Suppose he abandoned exercise and gave in to the lures of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Mountain Dew?
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The then-31-year-old fitness expert set a goal to do something trainers never did—for six months, he would stop exercising and eat whatever he wanted. After a quick Google search, Manning saw that his idea appeared to be unique. The only people he found who gained weight on purpose were celebri ties who plumped up for movie roles.
“I freaked out when I became overweight,” he says. “My identity was Drew, the fit guy. Body image was my self-image. I wanted to go up to strangers and explain that this was just an experiment.”
He thought of others—parents and grandpar ents—who aren’t up to playing with children. “I thought of how it must hurt them inside,” he says. It was one of many moments when he realized his fit-to-fat-to-fit transformation was a mental and emotional endeavor even more than it was physical.
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His stamina also shifted with the added weight. One day, his 2-year-old daughter wanted him to play with her by chasing her around the house. “I was out of shape and couldn’t keep up—not because of my weight, but because of my health.” He sat on the couch. “She said, ‘Daddy, come play with me.’ It broke my heart,” he recalls.
utah 21 2021summer more in the brain than in the gym or the kitchen.”
“There was a meme of me going around for a while,” he says. Thousands of people from all over the world sent him their own transformation sto ries. Today, Manning is one of the most recognized people in fitness. “When I first went on shows like Dr. Oz, I was starstruck,” he recalls. “Before, I was a trainer in good shape, but I wasn’t well known. I wasn’t doing this for fame, but I must have struck a chord.”He’s since published two books—the New York Times best-selling Fit2Fat2Fit and Complete Keto. Cable networks A&E and Lifetime featured Manning’s show, Fit to Fat to Fit. He also started a supplement company, Complete Wellness, featur ing a line of keto-friendly supplements and other wellness products. “This whole crazy experiment was much more than he ever anticipated,” says Ashtyn Blanchard, director of operations at Fit2Fat2Fit and Complete Wellness. She describes Manning as “a very driven person.” She says, “When he sets his mind to something, he does it—from attempting to run 100 miles in 24 hours to bringing awareness to the health and wellness industry.”
Along with the lifestyle changes came publicity— appearances on national TV shows such as Good Morning America, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, MSNBC, and The View—in addition to his hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers.
Celebrity fitness trainers Chris and Heidi Powell attest to Manning’s genuine passion for helping others. “His authenticity, never-ending quest for solutions, love, and compassion for others, and ability to take complex issues and make them fun make him a powerful teacher for us all.”
Blanchard recalls a day when she was Manning’s training client. While pushing her to sprint longer on a treadmill, he also understood when she felt the need to stop. “I felt like I couldn’t make + “I freaked out when I became overweight. My identity was Drew, the fit guy. Body image was my self-image.”
Before Manning gained weight himself, “I would think, ‘Put down the junk food, stop drinking the soda, and go to the gym every day. How hard can that be?’” He began to understand more about the struggle to exercise once he stopped gaining weight and began to work toward returning to fitness. “The first week or two, I was so sore. My body was stiff after sitting for months straight. My hamstrings were tight. Movements I used to do with ease were challenging.” He adds, “It was a humbling journey.” Manning was reminded of his overweight status when he shopped at New York City stores for the solid-colored shirt required to make an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show. “I couldn’t find anything in an XXL,” he says. Until he lived it, Manning didn’t realize that losing weight was “way harder than I thought it would be.” He explains, “Even though my body was still young and responded well to exercise and diet, really intense food cravings affected me. Although I wasn’t an addict, my body went through withdrawal symptoms.”
The Power of Empathy
He now feels that making such a lifestyle change is 10 percent physical and 90 percent mental or emotional. Before, if someone struggled with their transformation, he would suggest changing up their macros or calories or workouts. But after his experiment, “My eyes were opened,” he says. “I realized how powerful the emotional connection to food is.”
Manning lost weight with all four diets.Ten weeks into Fit2Fat2Forty, he was already ahead of the game as far as dropping pounds. Yet there were emotional challenges this time, too, such as a breakup with his girlfriend of two years. “It happened during the holidays. I felt sad, and there is something about Ben and Jerry’s and chocolate cake that provide temporary dopamine hits. Food can become a numbing mechanism,” he says. Tempted though he was, “I stayed pretty strict.” His experience brought him an understanding of food addiction. “Anytime someone has an addiction, it’s to cover up some pain. Emotional eating became real for me. Food is a hard addiction to stop because food is legal, convenient, affordable, and part of our society.”
The Parent Trap At the time of his first experiment, Manning’s two daughters, Kiki and Kalea, were babies. They’re now 9 and 11. “They loved having junk food in the house, but with cereal and ice cream and cake all available, it’s hard to find a balance,” says Manning. He advised his daughters to choose one treat rather than three. He and his former wife usually alter nated childcare weekly. They revised their schedule for January 2021 so that she had the girls for the entire month. When Manning took over their “Let’s be honest. . when you have kids, it’s not about your priorities it’s about priorities.”their +
utah 22 2021summer it,” Blanchard recalls. “I stepped on the sides of the treadmill. Drew told me it was all right. He explained that I had already gone farther than I usually would on my own.” On his first fit-to-fat-tofit journey, Manning discovered that a trainer might have all the scientific knowledge and expertise in the world to help clients, “but none of the physical stuff matters unless you know how to relate to the people you are trying to help.”
Along with keeping track of his food choices, Manning monitored his bloodwork at the end of each week. “When I ate keto junk food, my triglycerides went from 46 to 76,” he recalls. A dirty paleo with increased sugar brought the triglycerides to 130, and a dirty vegan landed him at 450. A dirty vegetarian brought that number to 540. Manning documented his “wrong way diets” on YouTube, including recaps of how they affected his hormones and cholesterol. Then, once he reached the losing phase of his journey, he revisited the proper way to comply with each diet.
While Manning’s first undertaking involved only him and his now-ex-wife, a camera crew and marketing team were part of the mix the second time. During his Fit2Fat2Forty venture, he gained 64 pounds in four months, culminating on December 27, 2020—his 40th birthday. While gaining weight, he demonstrated the wrong way to follow America’s four favorite diets— keto, paleo, vegan, and vegetarian. He ate keto junk food one week, then added Oreos, bread, and pasta during his seven “dirty vegan” days. His “dirty vegetarian” diet included mac ’n’ cheese, cheese pizza, and bean and cheese burritos.
From Fit to Fat Again
Manning swore that he would never purposely gain weight again, but he changed his mind in 2020. “I started to see how divisive the world was becoming because of the pandemic,” he says. Understanding that both the world and the fitness industry still needed more empathy, he decided to pursue his fit-to-fat-to-fit regime a second time. “I wanted to do it at 40 because I kept hearing that getting fit then is incredibly hard,” he says. “I wanted to show people over 40 that it’s never too late to live healthy lives, even as our metabolisms slow down.”
care for February, his “Let’sParentsIthishimadjustmentschedulinghelpedidentifywithclients’lives.wassomethinglikethebalancingactparentsattemptafterkidsstartsummervacation.“Itwasatoughtransition.outtherewillrelate,”hesays.behonest.Whenyouareasinglepersonwithnokids,it’seasiertogetyourprioritiesdonefirst.Butwhenyouhave + “My eyes were opened. I realized how powerful the foodconnectionemotionaltois.”
3. Make a gratitude list. “A daily gratitude list helps to rewire your brain to look for things to be grateful for,” he explains, “which in turn can help reduce stress when we want to reach for those unhealthy foods.” +
3 Ways to Overcome
Emotional dependency on food is a common barrier for people who want to improve their health and fitness. Here are Drew Manning’s top tips for breaking the habit of reaching for those potato chips or that bowl of ice cream when life gets hard.
2. Hold yourself accountable. Manning advises, “Find a coach, friend, family member, or online community to help keep yourself account able so that you’re not doing this journey alone and to remind you that you can do hard things.”
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Emotional Eating
kids, it’s not about your priorities—it’s about their priorities.”Whilehis girls were away, “I took my time at gym workouts, but now that they are back, I go to the gym while they sleep and come home before they wake up,” he says. “Then, it’s ‘go time.’ It’s like, ‘You guys gotta get ready for school.’ I make them breakfast and make sure they do all their chores. Then they go to school, and when they come back, I stay on top of it so they’re not just on their iPads for the rest of the day.” Manning says that he has less time for meal prep “because I have to make double the meals now. I make their breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with my food, too.” His girls go to bed a bit later than he does, “so I’m trying to get them into bed, which doesn’t always happen on time.”
Manning found himself going to bed later and getting up half an hour later, at 5:30 a.m. “I sleep later to be sure that I have enough time to sleep and recover.” He explains that sleeping and recovery are essential aspects of a weight-loss journey “so that
1. Learn how to meditate. “Meditation helps you to be more present in the moment and aware of your emotional habits,” Manning says. “Being able to be present in those stressful moments can help you thoughtfully respond instead of react.”
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“I want to show people that I can understand why someone would just quit or say that they don’t have time for meal prep. So, when they’re tired, and nothing is ready, they order out or bake a frozen pizza.”
utah 25 2021summer you can burn that fat efficiently.” Today, he says that managing a healthy lifestyle and being a single dad with kids “is challenging—but definitely still possible.”Theparenting challenge helped him empathize with his clients’ obstacles. “I want to show people that I can understand why someone would just quit or say that they don’t have time for meal prep. So, when they’re tired, and nothing is ready, they order out or bake a frozen pizza.” He says that the secret to staying on a healthy food track is advance preparation. “When you have something healthy ready to go, it makes the healthy lifestyle more convenient.”
Back to Fit Manning completed his “back to fit” phase of Fit2Fat2Forty this May. “He plans to continue his journey by doing more physically,” says Blanchard.Today,Manning works with clients through large social media groups, such as his Back2Fit program. Rather than one-on-one, in-person training, he “creates safe spaces where everybody helps each other out.” He adds, “My team and I give people all the tools they need to transform physically: fitness, nutrition, and sup port for any nutrition and workout questions that may come up.”
Along with physical success, he desires to help people find internal fulfillment. “I want to share what I have learned and hopefully build a commu nity of people who accept and love who they are, who support each other in their journeys to live healthy lives,” he says. In his own life, “I would like to be the best dad to my two girls—to teach them that they are loved and worthy of love.” +
A HtoPlaceCallme THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF UTAH HAS SERVED THE COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS. AND THANKS TO ITS COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMS AND DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS, IT HAS HELPED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PETS FIND LOVING HOMES.
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HSU also offers a private pet rehoming service that helps keep animals out of the shelter. “We can provide resources so that the animal can stay in their home and then go directly to someone else’s home,” Shepherd explains. “That reduces the stress on the animal because they aren’t coming into a shelter.” But if surrendering the pet becomes necessary, HSU will assist pet owners through that process as well.
HSU is also dedicated to working with pet owners who are experiencing hardship. “It’s heartbreaking to see people leaving our admissions office crying because they just had to part with their beloved family member,” says Deann Shepherd, director of marketing and communications at HSU. “If we can keep pets with their families, then that’s what we want to do. We can provide resources to help people find pet-friendly housing. We can help them with a pet deposit if that’s a hurdle that they’re facing. We can help them with pet food and supplies. If it’s a medical situation and the owner can’t afford to treat their pet, we’ll help with a lower-cost payment plan and work with them to get the animal treated so they can keep their pet and not have to surrender it.”
“A lot of the animals that come to us are owner surrendered,” says Shepherd. “The owners have allergies, they’re moving, or they just don’t have the means to care for their animal. And we do not villainize these people, because they’re thinking about their pet’s needs first and turning to us for help as opposed to just abandoning the animal. We want to work with these people and not make them feel guilty for what they’re doing.”
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF UTAH (HSU) WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1960. ORIGINALLY A BRANCH OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES, HSU WAS INCORPORATED AS A PRIVATE NONPROFIT IN 1972. THIS MEANS THAT HSU IS AN INDEPENDENT, LOCAL, PRIVATE NONPROFIT THAT DOES NOT RECEIVE ANY ONGOING SUPPORT FROM ANY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION. INSTEAD, THEY WORK HARD TO RAISE EVERY DOLLAR THEY REQUIRE THROUGH GENEROUS DONATIONS— DONATIONS THAT ALLOW THEM TO CARE FOR THE NEEDS OF COUNTLESS ANIMALS.
HSU has two spay/neuter and vaccine clinics, located in Murray and St. George.
PET RETENTION, REHOMING, AND SURRENDER
ur main goal has always been to get animals into homes, keep animals in homes, and prevent the unnecessary destruction of animals,” says Vaughn Maurice, executive director of HSU. And while most people think of HSU as an animal shelter, the organization goes far beyond rescuing animals, implementing programs that help prevent the need for animals to come to a shelter in the first place.
“Our main focus is to act as what we like to call a pet resource center,” Maurice explains. “This includes helping people keep their pets healthy, helping people keep their pets in their homes, and helping people rehome or surrender their pets if the need arises.”
More Than a Shelter
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SPAYING, NEUTERING, AND VACCINATING
A big part of HSU’s mission is to offer low-cost spay or neuter surgeries. “We are able to do between 7,000 to 10,000 surgeries a year,” says Maurice. “We also provide low-cost vaccinations to the public that we can subsidize through donations, and we do about 130,000 vaccinations each year. This keeps pets healthy and out of the veterinarian’s office.”
Shepherd also emphasizes, “We do not eutha nize any healthy or treatable animal. An animal can stay with us as long as it takes to find a home.”
PARTNERING WITH OTHER SHELTERS
At the heart of HSU’s operations are its dedicated volunteers—those who do everything from greeting visitors to walking dogs to transferring animals from other shelters. HSU receives approximately 22,000 volunteer hours annually, with the number of recurring volunteers ranging from 150 to 200.
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All dogs, cats, and rabbits adopted from HSU spayed/neutered,arevaccinated,andmicrochipped.
Fast Fact
Volunteering
HSU’s animal shelter provides top quality care and has an outstanding adoption rate. In fact, on average, dogs are adopted within four days, and cats are adopted within seven days. That’s why HSU partners with municipal shelters throughout Utah as well as in neighboring states including Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Texas.“It’s so important for us to help these municipal shelters,” Shepherd says. “We’re a nonprofit and depend on donations to help these animals, but municipal shelters are even funded more poorly. They have space and time limitations. That’s why we transfer animals at risk of being euthanized from those shelters to our facility. It’s very import ant to us to work together as a community with the other municipal shelters to save more animals than we could just by ourselves.”
“We do not euthanize any healthy or treatable animal. An animal can stay with us as long as it takes to find a home.”
Colleen Fons is a foster volunteer who has been working with HSU for the past year. She chooses to foster dogs with severe behavioral issues—some thing that many people aren’t willing to do.
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FOSTERING HSU also depends on volunteers who are willing to temporarily care for animals in their homes. Foster homes are needed to provide a quiet, loving space for animals as they recover from a surgery or an illness. Orphaned kittens and puppies that need to be bottle fed also need foster homes where they can be cared for until they are old enough to be adopted. And animals that need extra socialization need fostering as well.
“I knew that I could really help with the dogs that have behavioral issues that a lot of people find difficult to handle and don’t feel safe doing so,” she says. “That’s really where my niche is—where I can make a real impact.”
30 Barbara Rattle is one such volun teer. She has been dedicated to serving at HSU since her retirement in 2013. “I absolutely love animals, and I decided that’s where I could spend my time helping,” she says. Rattle performs a range of tasks such as doing laundry and washing dishes. “There’s never nothing to do,” she says, “but working with the shy cats is my absolute favorite.”
She continues, “To watch something broken heal is quite amazing. Sometimes you can tell that an animal has been abused. So, to watch them want so desperately to just be loved and to be willing to trust you and respond to your affection—you can just see the gratitude. And then to be able to put that dog in a situation where you know that they’re never going to be abused again is honestly the most rewarding and fulfilling thing that I’ve ever done.”
“To watch something broken heal is quite amazing.”
In fact, Shepherd says that an important part of volunteering is interacting with the animals at the shelter—everything from dogs, cats, and rabbits to guinea pigs, hamsters, and mice. “We want to get the dogs out of their kennels throughout the day for potty breaks as well as to have enrichment time spent with people. And we want to make sure that all animals here have enrichment time,” she explains. “Their mental well-being is just as important as their physical well-being.”
To date, Fons has fostered 25 dogs. But how does she foster so many dogs without wanting to keep them all? “I know that if I keep them then I can’t save the next one,” she says. “There are so many fantastic dogs that just need a little time and patience and direction. I wish more people would give them a chance.”
“There are some animals that we can’t provide everything they need in the shelter environment here at our facility,” says Shepherd.
Fast Fact About 25 percent of animals at HSU are purebreds.
“Sometimes they’re just so scared that being here in the shelter is too stressful for them. They need to go into a home where they can have a quiet place to stay until they’re adopted.”
“These
Fast Fact Rabbits are the third-most adopted pet at HSU.
BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING
Get Involved
“When we can train dogs and cats to follow basic commands like ‘sit’ and ‘stay,’ they become more appealing to an adopter,” Shepherd says.
The Humane Society of Utah’s volunteer program is open to people ages 12 years and older, though it requires volunteers ages 12 to 15 to be accompa nied by an adult. Volunteer opportunities include: Dog, cat, and small animal care learn more are great pets that just need a second chance.”
To adopt, volunteer, donate, or get help, visit utahhumane.org.
Jet Goodson has worked as part of HSU’s behavior team for the past few years. “I moved to Salt Lake City in 2017, and when I came here, it was much easier to find housing that didn’t allow pets,” he says. “I decided that I wanted more dog in my life, so I figured that I’d volunteer at the Humane Society to hang out with some dogs, get a little more exercise, and maybe get better at working withGoodsondogs.”
At HSU, some volunteers help the shelter animals with behavior and training. They work closely with the behavior manager to learn how to clicker-train dogs and cats to improve obedience and to teach them some tricks as well. And all training is based on positive reinforcement.
• Greeters • Transfer volunteers • Fostering • Housekeeping • Special events Visit utahhumane.org/get-involved to
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Goodson says that some animals need a bit more attention or have more energy, “but with a little bit of training, we can help them find the good life.”
Adopt, Don’t Shop HSU has dozens of loving pets in need of a forever home. And Shepherd wants people to understand that the vast majority of animals there have not been abused. “They are not damaged goods,” she says. “They are here through no fault of their own, which is why we want to spread the message to adopt, don’t shop. We don’t need to produce any more puppies or kittens to sell. You can find plenty of them in a shelter, including purebreds, so think adoption first.”
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shadowed HSU’s behavior manager for a while and then did some one-on-one training. Then he was able to work with the shelter animals by himself.“Alotof my successes have been with dogs that are afraid of men,” he says. “I just sit with them for a while, toss them treats, and get them comfortable with me. Eventually, we get to the point where we’reOncebuddies.”Goodson has gained an animal’s trust, then the training begins. “The first thing we try to do is teach them what the clicker means. Then I’ll start working on behaviors like ‘loose leash’ and ‘four on the floor,’ he says. “If the dogs have been here longer, we will teach them ‘doggy parkour,’ where they learn to go up ramps and jump on benches.”
She adds, “When you come to us, you’re going to find a dog that’s already housetrained and has had obedience training. It’s already been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped—it’s actually a better deal when you compare the adoption fee to buying a pet and having to pay all that on your own. Most of all, these are great pets that just need a second chance.”
Kyle Fox decided to hang a giant U.S. flag in Grove
u tah summer 2021 pa G e 32
When nitiesCanyonCreeknearhisPleasantGrovehomein2015,hehadnoideathathewouldbecreatingamovementthatwouldunitecommu-acrossthecountryandchangehislifeforever.
yHeal,Honor, a InspireByKarenPainter
In an effort to expand Follow the Flag’s mission to honor, heal, and inspire, Fox and Nix decided to take things to the next level by creating the world’s largest free-flying U.S. flag. Through donations and the help of dozens of volunteers, the new flag, affectionately called Big Betsy, was sewn to comple tion and made a breathtaking debut on July 4, 2017, to the delight of 5,000 spectators. Big Betsy has since been displayed throughout Utah, and each
A Life-Changing Mission
“It was a hobby, an addiction, a sport—whatever you want to call it. My best pumpkin I grew was nearly 1,200 pounds,” he says. The Fox family grew these pumpkins but then didn’t know what to do with them.
“I looked around at these events and noticed that the people there were smiling. There was just happiness and joy. It triggered something for me, and I fell in love with that idea of making people happy,” he says.
In 2017, Fox and Nix started a nonprofit called Follow the Flag. And it has become Fox’s life mission.
F ox’s idea to hang a giant U.S. flag came from his hobby of raising giant pumpkins.
But Fox soon discovered that hanging the flag did much more than make people happy. He met a veteran, who could barely walk, standing there in the parking lot at the base of the canyon, looking up at the flag with his hand on his heart and tears streaming down his face. He told Fox that the giant flag was the best “thank you” that he had ever felt.
“I had no intention for anything other than a few smiles, but then I realized the magnitude and the magic of what was taking place,” Fox says.
Yes, giant pumpkins. At the time, Fox and his wife, Carrie, had been growing giant pumpkins for a decade.
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“I got the idea of having a pumpkin regatta. We carved them out, put them in a pond, and paddled around in them,” he laughs. But sailing giant pumpkins wasn’t enough. Next, Fox hired a crane and dropped giant pumpkins from 14 stories in the air where they would smash into thousands of pieces.
“We wanted to do something to surprise people and make them happy because the Fourth of July was coming up.”
A July Surprise In 2015, Fox and his friend, Ron Nix, came up with the idea of hanging a giant U.S. flag in Grove Creek Canyon above Pleasant Grove.
“It was a complete stunt, a prank,” Fox laughs.
“It’s something that has completely consumed me,” he says. “I know it was something that landed in my lap from the heavens above. I had a dream of wanting to be able to reach people, and I feel that this is what God has given me to do.”
Big Betsy: Fascinating Facts Just how big is Big Betsy, the world’s largest free-flying U.S. flag? Check out these impressive •numbers!11,800 square feet—size of Big Betsy (150’ x 78’) • 400 pounds—weight of Big Betsy • 6 feet—width of each stripe of the flag • 55 inches—width of each star on the flag
“We hope to find a vehicle that communities can come together on, restore it, and change someone’s life. It will be reoccurring,” Fox says. “If we can bring some good to someone’s life because they see a story about a kid getting his dad’s car or a flag flying above a canyon, then it’s worth it. There are a million and one ways you can be doing good in the world. Whenever I can give back, I will.”
utah 2021summer 35 July, the flag is hung in Grove Creek Canyon for a week in conjunction with a flag ceremony to honor veterans and members of the military and their families.“Thefamilies are just as much heroes as the person in uniform,” Fox says. He also believes that every American can be a hero. “I don’t wear a uniform, but I am a patriot. I hope I act like I am an American hero in the things I am doing and in what I am saying,” he says. “We can all be heroes when we have courage, and courage is built by doing your best.”
In 2018, Fox gave back to the friends of fallen Major Brent Taylor—who had been serving as the mayor of North Ogden—when they asked Fox if they could borrow his flag.
“I told them absolutely. I had the flag and the rigging, but they’d have to be the manpower on this one,” he recalls. The friends worked throughout the night to hang the flag in Coldwater Canyon above Brent Taylor’s home. It was November 11, 2018—Veterans Day. They wanted to surprise Brent’s widow, Jennie. Jennie Taylor was in a fog that morning. It had only been a week since she learned that her hus band had been killed by a member of the Afghan military. Her husband’s killer was someone he was training.
Honoring and Healing
The Soldier Car Project Fox was doing his best in 2017 when he helped the son of a fallen soldier in south Texas. Justin Rozier was only 9 months old when his father, Lt. Jonathan Rozier, died in Iraq in 2003. Justin’s mother, Jessica, always wanted him to have something that belonged to his father. She found a vehicle registration from 2002 with the VIN to Jonathan’s 1999 Toyota Celica convertible. She thought it would be amazing if she could find the car, buy it, and give it to Justin. Through Carfax, she traced the car to the Pleasant Grove area, so she posted a message on a Pleasant Grove Facebook page. People shared her post, and soon the car was located.Assoon as Fox heard that the car was only miles away, he set up a GoFundMe account and shared it with the Follow the Flag community. Fox then asked the owner if he would sell the car to Justin. The owner agreed, and Fox was able to pay for the car through the donations. He then found volunteers to donate more than $30,000 in time and in labor to redo the car from the inside out. The car looked brand new. Fox made sure to include American flags on the leather seats to honor Rozier. When the car was ready, Fox and his friend Art Maxwell took their boys and drove the car to Texas to surprise Justin for his 15th birthday. Justin was in shock. Jessica said it was “one of the biggest moments” of her life. Fox agreed. “It’s a moment I will never forget.”
When people heard about this story, many people began contacting Fox, asking him to fix up their cars and other things. But the timing hasn’t been right—until this year. Now, Follow the Flag is launching what they call the Soldier Car Project.
“I had no intention for anything other than a few smiles, but then I realized the magnitude and the magic of what was taking place.”
“My sister came to pick me up. She said, ‘I need to take you to see something.’ She took me over to the park to see the flag for the first time.”
She continues, “I didn’t know the story for prob ably six or eight months, and even still I don’t know how they did it. I talked to Kyle. I talked to Brent’s friends. It takes weeks and months of planning to hang a flag, with the logistics, the permits, and the anchor points, yet they showed up on a Sunday morning and just did it,” says Taylor.
“If we can bring some good to someone’s life because they see a story about a kid getting his dad’s car or a flag flying above a canyon, then it’s worth it. There are a million and one ways you can be doing good in the world. Whenever I can give back, I will.”
Didknow?you WW II hero Colonel Gail Halvorsen, a.k.a. the Candy Bomber, sewed the first star onto Big Betsy.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is going to be public.’ I wished I could just keep it to myself. I knew everyone would want to know how our kids [all seven of them] were doing after their dad just got shot in the head. That’s a lot,” Taylor recalls. She was supposed to have 24 hours of privacy before they released her husband’s name to the news via army protocol, but by 2:00 in the after noon, half the city was on her front porch. She was still trying to deal with the shock.
For Taylor, the flag in the canyon wasn’t about Brent or herself but about America.
“There is something about hanging a large flag in a canyon that just grabs every American,” she says. “It wasn’t for Brent or for me—it’s for hundreds of years’ worth of people who have died or buried someone for America.”
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Kyle Fox and his wife, Carrie, in Grove Creek Canyon.
utah 2021summer 37 Mini Missions
“These are missions that just pop up,” he explains. “We show up with flags and do flag lines. We do this for military homecomings, funerals, and sometimes sporting events. At mini mission funer als, volunteers show up and set up American flags all around the cemetery and burial site. Sometimes it can take a while to set up, but when you watch the families come through with tears coming down their faces, it’s worth it.”
“Being a part of this group has been a healing process for me and my family,” he says. “I’ve been a part of many flag lines for our fallen warriors. I’ve helped display [the flag] at parades, ball games, and hockey games. This has been the most humbling experience of my life, and I am honored to be a part of this team.”
Another way that Follow the Flag is inspiring patrio tism is through what Fox calls “mini missions.”
James Hammon experienced a mini mission by Follow the Flag when his son, Chief Petty Officer Jared Reaves, died of leukemia in 2019 while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. “Follow the Flag was there to escort his remains from Chicago, where he passed away,” Hammon recalls. “This group was there when I arrived from saying goodbye to my son in Chicago, filling my yard with flags and the front of my restaurant with as many flags as they could fit in that small area. [They] surrounded my family with respect and gratitude and honored our son in the way that we felt was fitting for an active service member.”
“That flag ignited patriotism in my hometown.”
In fact, Hammon was so touched by Follow the Flag’s mission that he has become a dedicated volunteer with the organization.
The Major After friends hung the flag for the Taylors, the North Ogden community raised money and bought their own giant flag that they named The Major in Brent’s honor. They followed Fox’s example and started doing their own mini missions. In 2020, they hung a large flag for fallen Ogden Police Officer Nathan Lyday. They also placed flags to honor former Brigham City resident Lt. Kenneth Kage Allen when his F-15C went down in a training exercise.
“What Kyle started as a total stunt has grown into a wonderful way to engage in service,” says Taylor. “That flag ignited patriotism in my home town. I don’t think people were not patriotic before, but patriotism was kind of dormant.”
Taylor has started her own foundation named after her husband and is working with her local county and city governments and first responders to plan an event to celebrate the patriotism created 20 years ago when America was attacked on September 11, 2001.
A Legacy of Patriotism
Before Follow the Flag, Fox says his only experi ence with the U.S. flag was what he saw in movies or learned in school.
Fox encourages everyone to build their relation ship with the flag and find what patriotism means to them.“Patriotism to me is faith, family, and freedom,” he explains. “It’s speaking out about those things. It’s showing outward action about the love that you have for those things. It comes in many shapes and forms, and it doesn’t require someone to wear a uniform—it requires someone to do positive things and take action within their sphere.”
“Every time I’m involved with this group of people, my sense of patriotism and love for my country grows,” he says. “It’s very humbling to be a small part of a group of people like these whose mission has no agenda other than honoring America and her warriors.”
“Open your mouth, speak up, get up, and do things,” he encourages. “I can’t do the things that you can do, and you can’t necessarily do the things that I can do, but all of us together—doing our individual best—makes us unstoppable. Coming together and being unified with the people that are completely in our sphere—within our reach, our community, our family, and our home—is a great place to start.”
A Nationwide Effort Follow the Flag continues to inspire people across the country, most recently hanging flags in Arizona andInColorado.2019,the organization deployed a flag to Tucson, Arizona, to honor victims of the La Mora massacre, during which three women and six children were killed in a drug cartel ambush. And in March of this year, Follow the Flag hung a flag in a canyon near Boulder, Colorado, to honor the 10 people who were killed in the King Soopers grocery store mass shooting. Ironically, in 2019, Fox went on a road trip to identify other canyons that could logistically allow for flags to be flown. “After more than two days and hundreds of miles, I only found one. It turns out that it was 10 minutes from the King Soopers,” he says.Sowhen news broke of the mass shooting, Fox knew exactly what he could do to show support for the grieving community. He and other volunteers drove to Boulder and hung a flag across the same canyon that he had identified a couple of years earlier.“Everyone was very appreciative and respectful of what we were doing,” he says. When it came time to lower the flag, Fox was especially touched when park rangers, police officers, and other rescue workers joined in. “It was inspiring to see people from different backgrounds and experiences brought together for a single purpose,” he says. “One of the officers had been on the scene of the shooting. If the entire effort to fly the flag reached only this one person, this officer, then it was worth it. Just to reach one.”
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1.same:What part will I write in the next chapter of American history?
Fox and Follow the Flag also have big plans for the 20th anniversary. “This September 11, Follow the Flag plans to not only honor the brave men and women who went into a burning building and the innocent lives lost, but also how the people came together much closer on September 12,” he says. They will hang their newest giant flag, Lady Liberty, in Provo’s Rock Canyon for a week. They will also hang a large flag on Lavell Edwards Stadium and be a part of the ceremonies for the BYU vs. Utah football game scheduled for that night.
“Now, there is so much deeper meaning from all these experiences that have sewn themselves into the American flag in my heart,” he says.
Fox says that he asks himself the following two questions and encourages everyone else to do the
2. What will my legacy be?
As a gold star dad, Hammon already had a strong sense of patriotism, and his patriotism continues to increase through his service with Follow the Flag.
BY RANDY SCOTT
At first glance, Club V appears to be a top-notch organization where teens can play volleyball or basketball. But its purpose goes much deeper. Club V uses sports as a means to help young athletes build character and learn important life skills.
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Good News Utah asked me to interview brothers Reed and Matt Carlson at Club V, I wasn’t super excited at first. I mean, they coach female teen athletes how to play volleyball. How exciting could that be? I was wrong. I learned a lot from them. To Reed and Matt, volleyball is the vehicle that teaches the attributes of character development. Their mission is to awaken humanity to rise against ordinary performance through youth sports. They are teaching life skills, disguised as volleyball.
Navigating Life Through Volleyball
G rowing up, I was never big into team sports. I moved around a lot, got into trouble a bit, and learned a lot of my lessons through hardWhenexperiences.
“It made the athletes tough,” MattToday,jokes.they have 2 facilities, with 12 courts in Salt Lake City and 6 courts in Lindon. They also have a “satellite” location in the Sandy/Draper area. They are the top-ranked club in Utah and 38th in the nation. They have also extended their offering to include basketball for young boys. This is their second year providing boys’ basketball, and they currently have 18 teams.
Club V is also focused on family and relationships. For Matt, one of the biggest les sons he’s learned with Club V is that connection trumps communication. “The value of a coach’s impact on a player’s life is way bigger than we had imagined,” he says.This sentiment was also echoed by Kate Strong, a parent whose daughter Savanna has been with Club V for the past two years.
“An athlete’s mindset determines the results they get,” he continues. “We spend a lot of time helping athletes recognize where their focus is best spent. Teens tend to compare their identity against their performance and outcomes. How you perform has nothing to do with who you are as a person. Helping them be more disciplined in their thinking patterns helps them gain control of them selves. This also helps them get control of school, get control of relationships, and get con trol of everything else. When we help them understand the rules of thinking, then they will win at the rules of life.”
a l i F elon G p a SS ion Reed and Matt Carlson grew up in Chicago playing sports, with a lot of focus on volleyball. In fact, they both ended up playing volleyball for the University of Utah.After college, Reed’s career consisted of per sonal training, while Matt worked with financial services companies. In 2008, after about a year of persuasion, Reed agreed to coach high school teen girls at Club V, which consisted of teammates from Viewmont High School. Club V was started by Yvette Jones, whose daughter Fiona played volley ball at Viewmont. After the first year of coaching, Reed was hooked, so he recruited Matt to assist in coaching.In2009, they expanded to players in the area outside of Viewmont. They had five teams, includ ing a U18 (under age 18) team where five of the girls went on to play collegiate volleyball. Also in 2009, after Fiona graduated high school, Yvette decided to sell Club V to Reed and Matt. By 2011, they had their first facility with 2 courts and 14 teams. Their first facility was a cold warehouse that was part of Choice Foods. There was no heat, and it smelled like Rice Krispies Treats, so the athletes were cold and hungry. Many times, they were dressed in winter gear to play volleyball.
“Helping them be more disciplined in their thinking patterns helps them gain control of themselves. This also helps them get control of school, get control of relationships, and get control of everything else.”
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m ore t han a Sport Club V is focused on taking athletes, parents, and coaches to the next level. “They should become a level 2.0 of themselves,” Reed says.
Strong has seen how Club V and volleyball has helped Savanna learn to perform at her best, not only in volleyball but in life. Savanna previously only competed in individual sports, where she could have more control, so Strong has enjoyed watching her blossom in a team environment.
When asked about some of their big wins, Matt mentioned that they have a Club V athlete that plays professional volleyball in Europe and was the MVP of her professional league. In addition, he shares, “I recently received an email from a mother of one of our athletes. She said that her daughter was suicidal and even had her date picked. Because of her teammates and coaches, her daughter decided not to [take her own life]. That’s a bigger win.”
When Matt asks past Club V members what the most valuable part of their Club V experience was, it’s never about how well they learned to play volleyball. Instead, it’s about the life lessons that they learned on the court. For more information, visit clubvsports.com.
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Reed adds, “What I’ve learned as a parent is that there is no manual for not messing your kid up. We’ve spent more than a decade focusing on the inner workings of the mind. We put emphasis on making sure that the athletes, the parents, and the coaches are working together to have a consistent message. This is how we’re leveling up. You can tell a Club V member by the way they talk and the words they use. We’re now starting to hear the same language from the parents, and it’s amazing.”
To date, Club V has sent close to 300 volleyball players off to college. They are also sending about 30 students to college on scholarships.full-ride
Bi G Win S Club V expects their athletes to perform at their best, and the proof is in the results. To date, Club V has sent close to 300 volleyball players off to college. They are also sending about 30 students to college on full-ride scholarships.
“Savanna spends as much or more time with her coach and team than she does with me, so I want to make sure that her time is spent with the right people,” she says. “What I like about Club V is that they call it the Club V family. They send motivational videos and content to help with mindset because they know it is also a head game. They are taking a sports experience and teaching these kids how to apply it to life. Club V has a reputation of being the best and helping the athletes be their best.”
For Mia, the biggest benefits of Club V are the friendships she’s developed, the skills of the coaches, and the opportunity that she has to earn a volleyball scholarship based on the elite training they receive. It has also taught her to be more indepen dent, take more responsibility, and be more confident.
Melissa Lee-Henkel’s daughter Mia has played with Club V for four years. She says of her experience with Club “The athletes and the coaches are like extended family.” Lee-Henkel became a team mom during Mia’s first year because she wanted to learn more about the girls that her daughter was spending so much time with. “I became another mom for the girls. If they need food, a pair of socks, or a hair tie, I get to be there for them.”
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A Himalayan salt cave. Energy mapping. Magnetic therapy. Yoga. Hot Yoga. These are just some of the ways that entrepreneur Holly Draper is helping people to improve their minds and bodies at Purify Wellness in Pleasant Grove.
BY MICHAEL YOUNG
Draper grew up in Utah County. She got into alternative therapies soon after diving into preparedness.Sheaskedherself, “What if a huge disaster or pandemic comes? I want to be able to take care of my own family’s health if they are sick or hurt.” This line of thinking caused her to begin learning about herbs and essen tial oils. She is now the highest accredited aromatherapist in Utah, with a master’s degree in aromatherapy and a certification from the National Aromatherapy Registration Council. Then, about 10 years ago, Draper started her own essential oils company, Purify Skin Therapy, because no competitor here in Utah offered USDA organic essential oils. With her education, she knew she only wanted to use the higher quality certified organic essential oils that don’t have pesticides. Her company was Utah’s first allorganic and wildcrafted essential oil Thiscompany.successful journey led her to earning a second master’s degree in health and wellness, where she studied all kinds of therapies from magnetic therapies to salt therapies. This sparked a new dream in her mind.“Wouldn’t it be so cool to have one place with all these amazing therapies?” she thought. “This idea just kept getting bigger in my mind. I dreamt about it for eightDraperyears.”eventually opened
Purify Wellness in Pleasant Grove—a full-service wellness center that also has the largest yoga studio in Utah. They provide an incredible variety of services to help the mind and body.One of the main attractions of the center is its yoga classes, including hot yoga, which uses a state-of-the-art infrared lighting system to create a giant infrared sauna room. They also have a full massage studio and facilities
Helping Others Become Healthy, Strong, and Well
I
“More than anything, I wish everyone knew that yoga is the best exercise, and it is for everyone.”
n a time marked with health concerns, Holly Draper wants to help people of all ages be their healthiest selves. But that’s no easy task. Speaking about being this kind of entrepreneur, Draper says, “It has been more work than I ever expected, but I’m very happy because I do get to live my dream. I have four kids and two businesses, but I don’t have any social life.”
In the center of the studio sits a room constructed completely out of blocks of salt mined from the Himalayas and shipped to Utah. Weighing in at more than 16 tons, this “salt cave” is made without mortar between the blocks to provide the purest, most therapeutic experience possible. While sitting in this room, a person’s body is bom barded with negative ions while a halo generator pumps medical-grade salt into the air. This therapy creates a powerful anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect that is especially helpful for those with respiratory issues, even asthma and allergies. The salt also cleans out bacteria in the ears, nose, throat, and lungs to help promote general health and protect against infection. It also cleanses the skin and can be used to help clear up acne and other skin conditions. With so many options that might be unfamiliar, Draper hopes that people will come with an open mind. “I was hoping that the community was ready for a wellness space with alternative therapy,” she says. Unfortunately, they were only open for about three months before the COVID19 pandemic shut them down for about two months. They reopened as soon as they could and have invited their clients to come back as soon as they feel comfortable. Business is good again, and Draper is looking toward the future with her sights set on opening a second location. According to Draper, during the pandemic, it has been more vital than ever to take care of our bodies. And to those who feel apprehensive about yoga, she invites them to come in and give it a try. She believes people will quickly see how beneficial and health-promoting yoga and other alternative therapies can be.
“More than anything, I wish everyone knew that yoga is the best exercise, and it is for every one,” she says. “We have more gentle and beginner classes than other studios because we want people to come and try it.
utah 2021summer 43 for foot zone therapy, magnetic therapy, and energy mapping.
Yoga is the best exercise we can do, especially as we get older. It can help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s, and it can keep us strong, flexible, and balanced well into our older years. It’s even anti-aging! If we learned anything over the last year, it’s that we need to realize that our health is our greatest asset, and we must take time now for health and wellness in our lives.”
Weighing in at more than 16 tons, this “salt cave” is made without mortar between the blocks to provide the purest, most therapeutic experience possible.
BY HOLLY WREN, WREN INTERNATIONAL Column: t ravel
t ran SC en D in G l an G ua G e an D Culture When I reminisce about my travels, those that stand out as the most meaningful and mem orable without a doubt are the ones that involved connecting with people. A favorite that I recall was not in an exotic land at all but on an airplane. Years ago, on a flight to the Middle East to meet my husband, my fellow passengers were growing tired and antsy on the long and very full flight. While waiting outside the lavatory, a Pakistani woman, traveling alone with her 3-yearold and infant, waited with me. Her daughter was having a meltdown, and the baby would not stop crying. The woman looked at me as if she had given up and wanted to cry herself. As we caught each other’s eye in that moment, the verbal language barrier between us did not exist. I gestured to take her infant while she took care of
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International travel is about much more than sightseeing. It provides us with opportunities to connect with people across the globe in ways that transcend language and culture.
“Don’t call us, we’ll call you upon approval” was ultimately the response I received from the gov ernment’s passport processing center. I’m certainly aware that there aren’t many of us traveling too many places requiring a passport as of late, but for a girl who has filled four passports in 27 years (83 countries visited!), not having a ticket to the world in hand felt taxing. I couldn’t go anywhere internationally if I’d wanted to. My passports are more than a simple check mark next to each country I’ve traveled to. In a sense, they are my version of a diary telling the story of my life. They also tell stories of lives around the globe that I’ve been fortunate to observe. They tell stories of learning and under standing, experiencing new cultures and connection. Some pages taught me that I need very few “things” in life. Rather, they showed me that I need to gain experiences and to create relationships from them. And countless pages proved how little I am in this world.
When reminisceI about my travels, those that stand out as the most meaningful and memorable without a doubt are the ones that involved connecting with people.
I received the best delivery today—my renewed passport! Weeks ago, I completed and sent a long and tedious application along with photos and supporting documentation to what felt like a black hole.
Hope, Healing, and Connecting Heart to Heart
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A favorite story, in both mine and my daughters’ passports, tells of the time when we visited a school in South Africa. They were able to spend the day teach ing the children songs, singing and dancing together. They played kickball together, served lunch, and shared trinkets from America that they were wearing or had brought with them. What I witnessed and learned this particular day was that there was no hesitation between these children from America and Africa. They were simply children, laughing and playing together, one and the same.
Column: t ravel h ope, h ealin G , an D Conne C tin G h eart to h eart her daughter. It did not matter where either of us were from or what we believed politically or religiously. We were simply two women who understood each other perfectly. It was in that moment that I learned how similar we are with our friends across the globe. There is something special about children. They have a way of opening doors and hearts that adults cannot open on their own.
t he Kin D ne SS o F Stran G er S Some stamps represent moments when I learned to rely on and accept help from people who were strangers to me. My ancestors are from the Piedmont Valley in Northern Italy. In celebration of my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, my mom and dad decided to go to Italy for the first time. Three days into their trip, I would find my mother lying in a hospital bed, having had a heart attack in a small town near Tuscany. My dad, who has traveled very little internationally, was alone and was only allowed to see my mom two hours each day. I determined that I would fly to Italy the next morning to be with and help him. After three flights, two trains, I remain in awe of this woman’s kindness and generosity to complete strangers, and I remain in gratitude for an experience that allowed a daughter her turn to guide and care for her dad.
utah 2021summer 47 and a taxi ride, I found my dad at a small inn called Il Cascinale. Unlike Italian cities I previ ously traveled to, English was not heard as frequently, and there were no fancy hotels or restaurants. We learned that the hospital my mother was in is one of the best hospitals in the region for cardiology and heart surgery, and Europeans travel here seeking the best care. With few options for lodging, the Italian woman who owned the inn provided rooms for families of patients who would be in the hospital long term. Before my arrival, she took my distraught father in, not asking for ID or a credit card as guaranteed payment. He was alone and full of worry for my mom, and this kind woman made certain that he had food and necessities to put him at ease. She showed him how to get the hospital and contact them to receive updates. (Did I mention that this was all done via Google Translate?)
Twenty-one days later, we were cleared to bring my mom home. We checked out of the inn that day owing a mere $1,500. I remain in awe of this woman’s kindness and generosity to complete strangers, and I remain in gratitude for an experience that allowed a daughter her turn to guide and care for her dad. I could write volumes about travel experiences. What excites me most are stories of those still to come—experiences that will soon take space on the nowblank passport pages. My empty passport represents connection and unity, understanding and appreciation for each other. Above all, it represents hope. I believe as we travel again, we will begin to heal our world.
ello, Summer. This new season. Another new beginning. The opportu nity to savor it. Embrace it. Being present to it. In the now. How often are we missing our life—our real and rich life— happening in the now because we are thinking of what’s next, where we want to go, what we hope for in the future? I find that all of us humans are experiencing this on a regular basis—the temptation to live in the past or the future versus the practice of being here in theWhenpresent.Ithink of summer, it has a vibe all to its own. It’s playful, vibrant, and full of hope, possibility, and patio dining. (Yes, please.) It’s hiking and wakeboarding, campfires and s’mores, summer nights, and lying in the hammock watching the hummingbirds flirt with their sugar water while the big, puffy white clouds rest in a blue sky. Yet, if we’re not aware, we miss the magic of all the simple things that life is presenting to us. So, let us practice presence, shall we? I invite you to ask yourself, “What do I want to savor more of in this season of my life? And what helps me do so?” How can you practice being more present in your life that is unfolding now? Here are a few
5 Ways to Live More Fully in the Present
BY TIFFANY PETERSON
“Most humans are never fully present in the now
H
Column: Motivatio N
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Are we so focused on the future or the past that we are missing the incredible moments that right now has to offer? Here are five tips for living more fully in the present.
Butbelieveunconsciouslybecausetheythatthenextmomentmustbemoreimportantthanthisone.thenyoumissyourwholelife,whichisnevernotnow.”—EckhartTolle
2. Spend time in nature. Nature is present to the season that it is in, and time in nature helps us come back to being more grounded and centered in the present moment.
1. suggestions:Bemindful of time on your technology. From the mindless scroll to constant text interruptions, technology can distract. Find and honor tech-free time that works with your lifestyle.
3. Meditate. Meditation is like fresh air for the mind, body, and spirit. Cultivate the quiet within and find the moment that is right with you now. I love the free meditation app Insight Timer.
5. Get in the gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful habit for fostering present-time living. We are acknowledging the good in the now, seeing the blessings and the life present to us today. Gratitude fosters more gratitude and with it, presence. I invite you to see these sugges tions as practices—something that you come back to again and again. When your focus shifts and you find yourself distracted and out of the zone, you can gently guide yourself back to the present moment that is before youI’mtoday.wishing you an amazing summer season. Savor it. Soak it in. Allow it to be fully immersed in you. Your real life is happening right now. If we’re not aware, we miss the magic of all the simple things that life is presenting to us.
4. Get off the grid. Whether it’s gardening or a backpacking trip, more time invested in the spaces where the noise is muted and the quiet expands allows our presence in the now to grow.
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Other People’s Opinions
Do you tend to give more weight to the opinions of people who doubt your ability to succeed? Or do you listen to your greatest supporters who are cheering you on?
+ pa G e 50 utah 2021summer Column: l ife l esso N s
There’s an old Asian proverb that says, “The nail that sticks out shall be ham mered down.” In Australia, there is a phenomenon known as “tall poppy syndrome,” which hap pens when people are resented and “cut down” for their talents and achievements that distin guish them from their peers. And in the United States, we talk about how crabs in a bucket will pull each other down rather than allow any one crab to escape. Be Ware o F Dream Cru S her S It seems to be human nature to criticize people who are improving and growing and achieving their goals—to cast negativity and doubt on those who are exceeding expectations. For example, you set a goal to get in shape. To run the race. To write the book. And when you do, certain people try to hammer you down, cut you down, or pull you down. Why? Maybe they feel small. Maybe they’re worried that you’ll outgrow them. Whatever the reason, we’ve all experienced it at one time or another. I remember one particular instance when I allowed other people’s opinions to cause me to doubt myself to the point that I nearly abandoned my plans for starting a new business. It was a Sunday morning. I was 25 years old and had just decided to go all in on a network marketing opportunity. At church that day, I was making some small talk with a couple of acquaintances in the hallway.“Hey, what’s going on with you?” they asked. “Oh, I just started a little business,” I replied. But as I told them more about my plans, instead of saying “good for you” or “good luck,” these two men started making fun of me. They were actually laughing at me. “You think you’re going to be successful? You think you’re going to be a millionaire?” one quipped. “No one makes money at that.”Istood there like a deer in the headlights. I wanted to grab all the words that I had just spoken, put them back in my mouth, and pretend that I never said anything. When I got home, it
It seems to be human nature to criticize people who are improving and growing and achieving their goals—to cast negativity and doubt on those who are expectations.exceeding
BY JUSTIN PRINCE
l i S ten to t ho S e Who Believe in y ou No one pays attention when you’re playing small. It’s safe, it’s comfortable, and no one makes fun of you. But as Nelson Mandela stated, “There is no passion in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than you are capable of living.” A friend of mine once sat next to former U.S. president Ronald Reagan at a charity dinner in Washington, D.C. After mus tering some courage, he asked, “President Reagan, how did you become a two-term president of the United States?” “You know,” he replied, “I listened to those who believed in me.”Let’s follow the example of this great leader and listen to those who believe in us—those who encourage and support us. Likewise, let’s limit the power we give to the words of those who don’t. Fail y our Way to Su CC e SS We’ve been taught our whole lives that failure is the worst thing that can happen. But when you start toward a goal, you’re going to literally fail your way to success. You will stumble, but even if you’re stumbling, you’re still moving forward. As New York Times best-selling author John C. Maxwell stated, “You either win or you learn.” And guess what? If you are learning, then you are winning! If you’re learning, you’re adapting and growing and improving.So,don’t let other people’s opinions hold you back from your goal. It will probably be harder than you thought. It will probably take longer than you thought. But it will also probably be even more worth it than you thought. We’ve been taught our whole lives that failure is the worst thing that can happen. But when you start toward a goal, you’re going to literally fail your way to success.
utah 2021summer 51 felt like a dark cloud was hanging over me. Maybe I shouldn’t do this. Maybe I’m not going to be good at this. Maybe I should quit. What am I doing? Feeling defeated, I slumped into my recliner and took out my phone, only to discover that I had a text from the man who had brought me into the new business.“Youwere born for this,” he said. “You’re going to be amazing.” And it was almost like he breathed life into my dreams.
One of the things that really helped with dining traffic was their huge outdoor patio dining area. I’m excited for it to open again in June with the addition of live music. What better way to create a community gathering spot? Add the scrumptious food creations of Kenny and Chris and I know it’s where I’ll be hanging out! I asked Chris for the customerfavorite menu items, and she reported the following: ceviche (oh yeah, a must!), shrimp and grits (total yum), and truffle fries (I ate the whole plate!). However, I have also discovered that it’s the best place for affordable Ahi tuna, whether in a luncheon salad or a dinner entree. If you’re looking for a reward for sticking to your eating plan all week, then the poutine is made for you. (It’s the best I’ve had outside of Canada!) The gumbo is amazing, and the orange tomato bisque delightful. I’ve insideeatenatLocalz Bistro four times, and each time I’m thrilled with my food and the service.
Column: taste of Utah Taste of
BY MARY CRAFTS
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With an exciting menu and welcoming atmosphere, this family-run bistro offers the perfect way for customers to reconnect with friends and family over a delicious plate of food.
Localz BistroUtah:
Meet Dad, Kenny Lovette; Mom, Chris; son, Kai; the twins; and of course, Nana, who comes in every day to make sure every thing’s up to snuff! I love this family and their close-knit bond that has seen them through all the challenges of the past year. Localz Bistro opened shortly after the pandemic changed the face of the hospitality industry in Utah forever. Tragically, many of our local restaurants did not survive, but this restaurant made it through and is now poised to be booming this summer!
he name says it all: Localz Bistro! It’s a restaurant that was created for locals with a casual neighborhood feel. And it’s a bistro because the food is nicer than a café, with a nod to all things popular and healthy. The main reason I chose this restaurant to feature, however, is because of the family behind it.
If your tastes lean to the classics, look no further for a fabulous burger, creamy mac and cheese, a Chicago dog, or perhaps something more substantial like beef stroganoff. Can you see that there is some thing for everyone? I’ve eaten inside at Localz Bistro four times, and each time I’m thrilled with my food and the service. They are located in Sandy, so be sure to say hi to me this summer while dining under the stars on the patio!
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Mary’s Fab 5: Latin Cuisine
2. Chili- t epin
Mary’s Fab 5 is the most favorite column I’ve ever done. It’s not about trying to decide who’s best but rather about where I love to go again and again not only for extraordinary food but also for the cool vibe of the location and the people. When I’m in the mood for Latin food, I have some definite places that are my go-to and that I recommend to people all the time depending on where they live and the price point that works for them.
BY MARY CRAFTS
Column: Mary’s fab 5
This restaurant is located in downtown Salt Lake City and just a block from the Culinary Crafts offices, so I go here a lot! Chili-Tepin serves traditional Mexican dishes created from family recipes that have been handed down for generations. Menu items include carnitas, carne asada, fajitas, moles, and much more. (Their namesake, the chili-tepin pepper, is used in many of their dishes.) They offer quality ingredients and extra attention to great service at a middle price point.
Located in Farmington, this is fast becoming the hot spot of the community! The menu, designed by my good friend Marco Niccoli, is super creative and features many delightful options beyond the classic rice and beans dinner, including a wide variety of seafood dishes such as charred octopus salad, lobster tacos, and salmon tostadas. The vibe is hip chic with not only scrumptious food but an incredible bar menu. Remember that quality in food, service, and atmosphere always costs a little more.
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A little farther south, you will discover a locals’ favorite just off Fort Union. Lone Star Taqueria is super casual and currently only offers curbside pickup, but by the time you read this, their outdoor patio will be open, and the place is always packed. They may even be opening dine-in service this summer as well. Aside from their lively decor and authentic cuisine—including a variety of tacos, burritos, nachos, tamales, and quesadillas—their claim to fame is their appearance on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
What started out as a food truck has now become one of the hottest restaurants around! Sol Agave is located in American Fork, and it has been one of my favorites since my first visit. Reservations are currently about two weeks out, but it’s certainly worth the wait for their tantalizing Latin flavors. They offer great service, and you must try the filet mignon enchiladas served with creamy sherry wine sauce and two jumbo wild Mexican prawns (called Mar Y Tierra on the menu). And don’t leave without sharing a butter cake with your date. Served with vanilla Haägan-Dazs ice cream and chocolate abuelita mousse, it’s to die for!
3. l one Star t aqueria
4. o teo Located in Lindon, this place is worth the drive from anywhere in the state! Mosi Oteo and his entire family work hard every day to bring you the true Mexican cuisine of his heritage. The menu is modern and focused on local ingredients and fresh, healthy cooking. You’ll love their empanadas, sopes (grilled corn cakes), and molotes (fried masa dumplings), and their tacos are a work of art! Since I live in Utah County, this is one of my favorite places to hang out for lunch or dinner.
5. Sol aG ave
h o W i l earne D aB out p atrioti S m In 2005, I made my first of several trips “down range” to motivate, entertain, and thank our combat troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, where for the first time in my life I caught a glimpse of the practical application of our U.S. Declaration of Independence and deep meaning of our beloved Constitution.Myteacher was Colonel Blair Hansen (now Major General USAF), a commander at Balad Air Base in Iraq. After I landed in the Blackhawk helicopter, our conversation quickly turned to a small pocketbook copy of the U.S. Constitution that he carried with him 24/7 to remind him of why he was in harm’s way—away from his family and fighting bad guys who didn’t comprehend the guaranteed God-given inalien able rights of every human being. He explained that our American troops were not fighting for a U.S. president, or for any elected official, but only as defend ers of the Constitution, fighting against anyone who threatens our ability to be governed by it. Within minutes, tears filled my eyes as I realized that in the corporate world, we give bonuses to those who willingly sacrifice others so that they may survive, but in the military, we give medals to those who willingly sacrifice themselves so that others may live. This was the first time that I actually understood patriotism and realized that it is the respon sibility of every American to live our lives in a way that we are worth fighting for.
W ebster’s Dictionary defines patriotism as “love for or devotion to one’sTocountry.”me,patriotism is the deepest possible affection for and attachment to a homeland and an alliance with other citizens who share the same sentiment. Patriotism means robustly supporting and loving one’s nation, even when it’s going through rough or difficult times—even when things are not as you desire them to be—and not complaining about it unless you are willing to do your part to help fix what is broken.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists did not try to invade our nation
What Is Patriotism?
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Patriotism is personal. It promotes a special concern for the well-being of our nation, which changes the slogan “America—love it or leave it” to “Strengthen it or lose it.”
BY DAN CLARK
Topatriotismme, is the deepest possible affection for and attachment to a homeland and an alliance with other citizens who share the same sentiment.
thetaketax-paying,hardworking,positive-contributingcitizenwhohasearnedtherighttoadvantageofprerogativesand blessings that are offered to those who live its ideals, rules, and core values.
America is more than a landmass full of natural resources. America is an experiment in self-government, founded on specific ideals and preserved through obedience to a set of morality-based core values couched in an incentivemotivated social and economic system of free enterprise. America is a land of opportunity, not entitlement, which is clearly spelled out by our inspired Founding Fathers who wrote the U.S.
BeingConstitution.anAmerican means you are a hardworking, taxpaying, positive-contributing citizen who has earned the right to take advantage of the prerogatives and blessings that are offered to those who live its ideals, rules, and core values. And with those rights come responsibilities. Otherwise, we will suffer the ominous consequences referred to in the prophetic words of President Abraham Lincoln: From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe and Asia . . . could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live forever or die by suicide. t rue p atrioti S m
utah 2021summer 57 or overthrow our government. Instead, they attacked what we believe in and what we stand for.
In the words of one of our greatest Americans, President RonaldAmericaReagan:was founded on a dream, and now it’s your turn to keep that dream moving. We’ve always reached for a new spirit and aimed at a higher goal. We’ve always been courageous, determined, unafraid, and bold. Who among us ever wants to say we no longer have those qualities? We look to you to meet the great challenge, to reach beyond the commonplace and not fall short for lack of cre ativity and courage. And to do this? All you need to begin with is a dream to do better than ever before. All you need is to have faith and that dream will come true. All you need to do is act, and the time for action is now! If we decide that this America is “our” country and claim it in terms of “my” America, then don’t you think we should start acting like it and do our individ ual part to make our country the best country in the world?
+ Dan Clark is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame and author of The Art of Significance.
Being an American means you are a
Estimated number of animals that the Humane Society of Utah has rescued To learn about the many ways that the Humane Society of Utah is serving our community, turn to page 26 78 million indogsnumberEstimatedofownedtheUnitedStates
+ utah 2021summer pa G e 58 Good News by the N UM bers Pets
Pets can bring joy to our lives in many different ways and even improve our physical and mental health! Check out these fun facts about our furry friends.
15 minutes Time to spend petting a dog in order to lower blood pressure by 10% 85.8 million numberEstimatedofcatsownedintheUnitedStates
7 Dogs who have held the office of mayor in a U.S. town 20 Years that Stubbs, an orange tabby cat, served as mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska 100 Facial expressions dogs can make 100 Vocal sounds that cats can make 300 minutes
Average time dog owners spend walking each week— 3 times more than people who don’t own a dog 94% Pet owners who say that their pet makes them smile at least once a day 80% Pet owners who say that their pet makes them feel less lonely 90% Pet owners who said that their pet helped them cope with the COVID-19 lockdown 100,000+ 1954 Year that the Humane Society of the United States was founded 1960 Year that the Humane Society of Utah was initially established as a branch of the national organization 1972 Year that the Humane Society of Utah was incorporated as an independent, private nonprofit
Oh, the summer night has a smile of light, and she sits on a sapphire throne. —Bryan Procter utah h i G h Note Photo by Drew Armstrong | @tr AvelsfromutA h +
