Herriman Journal | March 2023

HERRIMAN RESIDENT’S GOWNS FEATURED AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

By Peri Kinder |

Ever since she was little, Sarah Navarre loved to play dress-up. She was constantly getting into her mom’s closet, trying on her high heels and loved the feel of different fabrics. Now, all that practice is paying off.

Navarre, a resident of Herriman, just returned from New York Fashion Week after having her gowns on the runway at New York City’s Gotham Hall. The local designer, photographer and owner of VanderRose was featured in a two-day show with 55 designers and 1,000 models. The show was organized by hiTechMODA, a top production company in New York.

“New York Fashion Week was incredible,” Navarre said. “I’m thinking, ‘Did that just happen for real?’ The venue was this incredible old bank converted into an events venue called Gotham Hall. The whole ceiling is this round stained glass with a massive chandelier. It was spectacular.”

As a photographer, Navarre couldn’t find gowns to fit what she was imagining in her photo shoots, so she began creating her own. Her photography is whimsical, playful and features her custom-made gowns that caught the attention of organizers at New York Fashion Week. Her show was a tribute to Persephone, Greek goddess of spring and queen of the underworld.

People who talked to her after the show said it was different compared to other shows because Navarre gave her models permission to walk in a way that was beautiful, strong and powerful, instead of the usual robotic runway walk. She told her models to own the moment and that

Continued page 4

Herriman photographer and designer, Sarah Navarre (center) participated in New York Fashion Week where her gowns were featured at New York City’s Gotham Hall. Her nephew and design assistant, Tiernan Palmer (left), and her partner and logistical manager, Mike Wolf (right), joined her at the event. (Photo courtesy of VanderRose)

“Dozens of doctors told me that there was nothing more that they could do to expect to be in a wheel chair. I went from the top 1% in the army Special Forces to being in so much pain that I could not tie my shoe or hold my new daughter. I did physical therapy and pain killers for years, but nothing worked. Finally, I went to Dr. Smith and I improved exactly as he told me I would. I couldn’t believe it! My wife cried, “I have my husband back.”

—Steve M., Army Special Forces

D.C. CSCS Chiropractic Physician

Continued from front page

guidance dramatically resonated with people in the audience.

“It’s all really focused on empowering,” she said. “In photography, what I like to do is tap into the emotion and the beauty and the strength inside of someone. I focus on that and later, when you’re not feeling so powerful or so beautiful, you can look at that photo and think that’s who I am on the inside. It’s confidence building and helps people see themselves in a new way.”

Her business, VanderRose, is inspired by beauty, magic and strength. Whether she’s creating custom wedding or gala gowns, or holding photo shoots for individuals or events, Navarre tries to capture the inner light of each person she works with.

She also has gowns for sale, in sizes ranging from 0-24, and each person who books a photo shoot gets to use one of her gowns and choose from a massive collection of accessories that include wings, headpieces, crowns, jewelry and more.

“I shoot outside because I love that connection with nature, with the gown blowing, the hair blowing, feeling free, feeling powerful and connecting with that authenticity that is hidden so often with all the expectations of the weight of the world we carry around with us.”

Navarre never studied fashion, although she has a degree from BYU-Hawaii in international culture studies and peace building. She also earned an MBA and master’s in public health at Westminster University.

This summer, Navarre will participate in Utah State Fashion Week starting July 8 and she’ll use footage from New York Fashion Week to create a portfolio she hopes will open new doors and opportunities. But, for now, she’s reveling in her success in New York, and still pinching herself.

“I came out after the show and took a bow and all the models came out with me,” she said. “There were so many cameras, I don’t even know how many. Getty Images was there and on the Getty website, there were my photos. It still seems surreal.” l

Jou r nals

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Sentinel lacrosse back to defend its state title crown

Photos by Justin Adams

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Above: Emmery Clark led the team in assists (37) and was second in goals (71) last season as a sophomore. Clark was also first-team all-state and named the 6A playoff MVP. Mountain Ridge also returns two other first-teamers in defenders Lily Masina and Analise Anderson.

Left: The Mountain Ridge High girls lacrosse team won the 6A state tournament in 2022 going 18-2 and undefeated in region. Its two losses came against perennial lacrosse power Park City and a close loss to Skyridge in preseason, which the Sentinels then avenged by beating the Falcons 11-9 in the championship game at nearby Zions Bank Stadium. The Sentinels schedule features home and away fixtures with 5A powers Park City and Olympus as well as a trip to San Diego for two California opponents.

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From doctor and academic to manufacturing plant: Family Engagement Center helping refugees improve English-speaking skills

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

Ender Gonzalez is a doctor and his wife Amarilis is a college professor. At least, those were their professions when they lived in Venezuela. Now they are refugees living in Herriman and working in a manufacturing plant, scanning documents and folding boxes.

“I feel limited,” Ender Gonzalez said. His job doesn’t utilize any of the knowledge or experience he gained working as a doctor for so many years. However, because of their limited English skills, Ender and Amarilis are unable to work in their professional careers in this country.

Underemployment is the reality for most refugees, said SilviAnnie Silveira, who teaches English classes for adult refugees. She said many people who were professionals in their home country end up working at fast food restaurants when they relocate to the United States.

“So next time you’re going to get a burger, you might be getting one made by a doctor or a business owner or a professor or a nurse, because that’s who they are,” Silveira said. “It hurts them, not just financially, but their sense of self-worth. Their self-esteem is really bruised right now, but you know what? They keep going. They have this unshakable faith and they just keep going. I think this is a golden opportunity for the Herriman community to learn resilience with and from them. They teach me every day how you can restart your life and recreate and reinvent yourselves because that’s what they’re doing and that takes an immense amount of humility, of good attitude and faith.”

Ender and Amarilis are students in Silveira’s English class offered through Jordan District’s Family Engagement Center. Ender Gonzalez said learning English has been difficult but he remembers all the long days of studying and hard work it took to become a doctor.

“I have a background as a hard worker, so I think about that, and so I will learn,” he said.

The Gonzalez family fled Venezuela where they were being persecuted and oppressed.

“The situation became very tense for us,” Ender Gonzalez said. “The pressure grew to the point that I received death threats.”

Starting over in Utah has required a lot of sacrifice, but the Gonzalezes express gratitude for their situation.

“The peace and tranquility we have here is priceless,” Ender Gonzalez said. “It was a huge frustration that I couldn’t give a nice life to my kids, but now, here, they have all the opportunities to develop themselves and to grow.”

Amarilis Gonzalez said working in manufacturing is very different from her job at the

university training school teachers—she has traded her professional fashion shoes for steeltoed safety shoes—but she is not complaining.

“I learn, and I do it with all my heart, because this helps me to help my family and to move forward,” she said.

Ender and Amarilis would like to return to working as a doctor and a professor, if they can. But like many refugees, they have to first master a new language and a new culture.

The Family Engagement Center, housed at Copper Mountain Middle School, offers many resources to refugee families. It first opened in 2020 as part of Jordan District’s Language and Culture Department. Parents receive help navigating school registration, applying for the free lunch program, connecting with free dental and health clinics, accessing food and clothing and other necessities for settling into their new culture.

Silveira said when parents don’t have English skills and are unaware of how to be involved in their child’s education, their child is more likely to drop out of school or get involved in gangs.

At the Family Engagement Center, Silveira teaches English as well as other classes to help adults transfer their skills into their new culture. She walks them through the process of how to replace their driver’s license with a valid Utah license. Another class familiarizes computer-savvy adults with English computer keyboard commands.

Through the Department of Language and

Culture Services, families can access community resources, interpretation services and bilingual psychologists and teacher specialists.

“We have an amazing team, but the problem is just the volume of people that we have to serve,” Silveira said. “We are all trying our best here.”

In November 2022, Jordan District reported it had 62 refugees, 740 newcomers and 4,778 English Language Learners representing over 63 different languages.

Many schools are in desperate need of bilingual teachers, assistants and secretaries because their bilingual employees are getting burned out because they have so much they are asked to do, Silveira said.

Silveira believes every school needs a Family Engagement Center. She encourages community members to ask their school principals and local legislators to provide this resource in their neighborhoods to prepare for the continued influx of families. She said doing nothing is not an option.

“Whatever the community puts on these people who are now part of the community, that will come back, in a much better way or in a much more challenging way, it depends on what the community decides to do right now,” Silveira said. “The most intelligent thing to do is to help them to be absorbed by the Herriman community. Otherwise, what’s going to happen is, if it’s a problem that you don’t take care of, it will become your problem sooner or later. So, I think it’s

everyone’s opportunity to keep helping.”

Silveira said the Family Engagement Center would be more effective with support from volunteer community members. Volunteers can listen to students read, help them practice interview skills or explain cultural norms. She is also looking for people to share their expertise on topics such as job skills, taxes, computer skills, healthcare, immigration, legal issues or other topics her students need support in.

Amarilis Gonzalez said it would be helpful if there was someone who knew the equivalency and diploma validation process for a specific industry to assist those who want to resume their professions here in Utah.

“That’s our next big challenge,” Silveira said. “To help them with this equivalency of the professional careers they had [in their country] and how they can serve the community and live better.”

Silveira said she can’t do it alone and asks for more support. She is overworked and emotionally strained by the stories her students share, but ultimately, she loves her job.

“There hasn’t been one single day that I haven’t left the classroom richer or more humble or with a deeper desire to offer more, to make myself someone better so I can teach them better,” she said. “They’re amazing people.” l

Amarilis and Ender Gonzalez (at center) with their son Ender Jr (left) and daughter-in-law

Maria Jose Barboza (second from the right) with their English teacher, SilviAnnie Silveira (at far right). (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

After historic season a year ago, Mustang soccer returns

Photos by Justin Adams

Above: Herriman capped a Cinderella story last season to win the state championship. After going 3-7 in region, which included a seven-game losing streak (five of which went to overtime), the Mustangs entered the 6A state tournament as the No. 18 seed where it would defeat Westlake, Corner Canyon, West and Farmington before it’s last second victory over Davis in the championship. This year’s preseason schedule features Cedar Valley, Weber and Westlake before starting region play in April.

Left: Trevor Walk (left) scored the game winner in the state championship a year ago to help Herriman claim its first state championship in program history. Walk returns for his senior year along with keeper Tyler Napier, both were first-team all-state last year.

By Rachel Aubrey | r.aubrey@mycityjournals.com

They say it takes a village to raise a child.

The team at Parent Playbook say, take the village with you in your pocket. Parent Playbook is an app that allows parents and caregivers a chance to extend their villages. Users ask questions and obtain knowledge from other parents, caregivers and even professionals, about a variety of topics from bed wetting, to nutrition, to emotional health and more, all without intrusion to privacy or fear of judgement.

Not just another social media platform where opinions and advertisements run rampant, the “newsfeed” on Parent Playbook allows users to scroll through to find information put forth by counselors, therapists, psychologists, doctors, and of course, other parents, thus building a virtual community. Anyone can use Parent Playbook.

Launched in January by Daybreak resident and CEO Phil Anderson, co-founder Bruce Hymas and a team of very dedicated developers, the app is considered a smart Q&A platform that utilizes the newest advancement of artificial intelligence technology through Chat GPT. The app is free to use and free to download, with no fees.

“We want to make the journey for parents more enjoyable,” Anderson said.

The team at Parent Playbook launched Sophie in early February, the digital parenting assistant that will connect parents and caregivers to the most relevant and tailored information. Users of the app can type a question and Sophie will send back information that is most appropriate. The name Sophie means “wisdom.”

“We are a… platform that connects parents to artificial intelligence, in a digital assistant capacity, as well as with other parents in a community of parents and professionals to solve just about any parenting challenge you may encounter,” Anderson said

Anderson asserts that unlike a search engine that will grab information from all over the world wide web and display the top results based on an algorithmic formula, Sophie has been trained to be empathetic, non-judgmental, kind and inquisitive. In essence, Sophie is a mom.

“This is not Google,” Anderson said. “It’s themed for your child, there are playbooks inside the technology [for each child].”

No private information is needed to be able to use the app, allowing users to generate profiles for each child and customize the content based on relevant tags.

A founding team member, Sumita Sharma is a full-stack developer for Parent Playbook. Not only an integral part of the team, she is also a mom. Sharma admitted that sometimes it can be hard to open up to other parents in-person about topics that may be sensitive.

“Sophie is just another friend to talk with about parenting,” Sharma said.

Originally from Northern India, Sharma resides in the bay area of California. The app has been a way for her and her husband to share ideas and advice from professionals about how they collectively want to ap-

proach parenting their teenage son.

“This app is bringing everyone together,” Sharma said. “You can collaborate with others in your circle of trust.”

Mother of five, Stephanie Edwards has

been impressed with the app, its functionality and its knowledge base. Edwards said that she doesn’t have a child psychologist within her “village” but with Parent Playbook, she can seek professional advice to help her positively parent each of her five children.

“I don’t need another Instagram,” Edwards said. “I want legit advice.”

Edwards said that the curated knowledge that Parent Playbook has brought has empowered her and given her specific tools to become a better parent.

Anderson, a native of New Zealand, came to the United States more than 30 years ago. He has been an entrepreneur most of his adult life. He is also a parent and said that he would have used Sophie to help him look beyond when his children were small to realize their future potential and not get caught up in the setbacks of those early moments.

He believes that Parent Playbook can impact not only parents of today, but parents of tomorrow and beyond.

“This is my crowning achievement as an entrepreneur,” Anderson said. “This is bigger than anything I’ve ever done before.”

Parent Playbook is currently only available to U.S. residents. For more information, visit their website www.parentplaybook.com. l

Phil Anderson of Daybreak is the co-founder and CEO of Parent Playbook, an app that curates information and solutions for parents. (Photo courtesy of Phil Anderson)

School custodian job a stepping stone for various careers

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

Mark

Nelson started his career at age 15 when he began working as a school sweeper. He transitioned to full time custodian in college and became a head custodian of an elementary school at age 22. He continued to work his way up and has been Jordan School District Office Head Custodian since 1999.

Nelson said his job as a custodian is fulfilling and challenging.

“I know everyone thinks a custodian just vacuums and dumps trash, but our jobs involve everything from heating and ventilating and control systems that run them all,” he said. “You almost have to have a computer licensing degree to run some of this stuff nowadays—it’s all computerized. You’ve got to know formulas and how things work. It’s good because you learn a lot of skills with this—everything from plumbing and electrical—these jobs require you to continue to learn. Some people don’t like that—they thought it was gonna be a mindless job—and it can be, I guess, but if you put your mind to it, you can learn so much.”

Jordan School District Head Custodian Steve Peart said custodial work is a good entry job for anyone planning to work in a trade or in an education career.

“A lot of our maintenance workers—

Accepting New Patients & Same-Day Appointments

the carpenters, electricians—they have been custodians to start out with,” Peart said. “So it’s a good stepping stone in several ways. You can either get promoted through custodial or you can get promoted through ed-

ucation or you can get promoted through a trade.”

Peart said people who like physical labor or are social do well as a custodian. Future teachers get an education in how a

ANGELO PULGIANO, MD

Dr. Pulgiano joins Granger Internal Medicine – Riverton from the University of Utah. He graduated with a Doctorate of Medicine degree from Saba University School of Medicine in the Caribbean Netherlands in 2002. He then completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in 2005.

Dr. Pulgiano is passionate about being a strong patient advocate and gives his best efforts to educate, support, and encourage each patient throughout all aspects of their care. He is a strong believer in preventative medicine, utilizing annual routine exams and age-appropriate screenings, combined with a healthy lifestyle.

COMMON

• Diabetes control

• Dietary advice/exercise/ weight management

• Hypertension

•

• Joint injections – knees/ burse/tendons/plantar fasciitis

• Wound care

• Drug management

Lone Peak | Jordan Valley Medical Center | Riverton

school runs while working as a school custodian during college.

“At the elementary level, it’s almost like you’re part of a family,” Peart said. There is currently a shortage of

• Aetna/Altius/First Health

• BCBS

• Cigna/Greatwest

• DMBA

• Educators

• Health Choice Utah

• Health Utah

• Humana

• Medicare

• Medicaid

• Molina

• Multiplan

• PEHP

• Select Health

• Tricare West/ HealthNet

• United

• UUHP

• WISE

Custodian Mark Nelson maintains the Jordan School District Administration Building from top to bottom. (Photo courtesy of Sandy Riesgraf)

school custodians and sweepers in Jordan District that is putting a strain on current resources. A variety of positions are open. Full-time custodial positions begin at $14.93 per hour with full health and retirement benefits. School sweepers (age 14 and up) start at $10.30 per hour.

School sweepers work one and a half to three hours a day, Monday through Friday, with holidays off, which makes it an ideal job for middle and high school students wanting to learn good job skills, Peart said.

“It’s a good part time job for going to school and still doing homework and still being involved in after school activities,” he said.

Another perk of beginning a career with Jordan District at a young age is that state retirement benefits start accruing with the first full-time position.

“A person that starts off as the assistant

custodian, works through college, and then later on becomes a teacher and then administrator, or becomes a civil engineer for a state agency, or a district attorney, all of that time counts toward their retirement at their highest salary,” Peart said.

Because he started at such a young age, Nelson could have retired at age 50 with full retirement benefits. His story is not unusual. Many of his coworkers have more than 40 years with the district. They remain in their job because they enjoy the work, the people, the environment and the purpose.

“Being a custodian is not the most glamorous job but it is a job that needs to be done,” Nelson said. “I care about people’s work environment. I know we’re supporting kids’ education. Even down to the sweepers, we’re all part of that process and part of that system that educates people.” l

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

Your teenager has no friends and clams up when you ask what’s wrong. Your child cries every morning before school. Your child’s friend tells you that your child has been talking about suicide.

Many parents don’t know what to do in these situations to help their child. They may not realize that their child’s school has free resources that can help.

“If you have a child that is struggling, I would recommend that you work with your school counselor,” Jordan School District Counselor Consultant Stacee Worthen said. “Schedule an appointment, talk about your concerns.”

Jordan District has prioritized reducing the workload of school counselors to better serve students and their families. Secondary schools have between 250 and 305 students assigned to one counselor, well below the state average of 350:1. Every Jordan District school has a full-time psychologist and either a licensed social worker or mental health professional. Most secondary schools have all three.

Students can meet regularly with school mental health professionals with parental permission.

“Our goal really is to work with the parents and the students together to really see what’s going on,” Worthen said. “We always want parents to understand our job is to support the parents so that we can support the students. We’re never going to do something without looping in that parent and making sure that this is something that they feel is in the best interest of their child, because parents are that first safety net, and then we’re just trying to provide additional safety nets to help and support so that child can be successful.”

One parent said she received help from the school counselor who worked with her high school-aged child to address some anxiety.

“She worked with my child and then had me come in at the end and tell me what I could do to support my child,” she said.

If it is determined that a child would benefit from regular therapy, the school mental health team works with the family to develop a Mental Health Access Plan. The district will cover the costs of the first eight visits with a private practice therapist. A member of the school’s mental health team will assist with finding a therapist that meets the family’s needs and even help coordinate the insurance.

Jordan District’s wellness webpage is a rich resource for parents and students, providing crisis support talk or text numbers as well as helpful tips and informative articles. A link to a local community mental health provider spreadsheet is provided to help par-

ents easily find a private practice therapist for their child or themselves.

JSD has a partnership with the Cook Center for Human Connection which provides many mental health resources, and parents of JSD students can access free parent coaching, parenting classes and support through Parentguidance.org.

Another resource for families is Jordan District’s Family Education Center, located in South Jordan, which offers free classes for students and parents. Classes address topics such as anger management, parenting skills, divorce, anxiety, addiction and social skills. Families can also access free counseling and a lending library of over 1,000 helpful books. For more information visit guidance.jordandistrict. org/jfec/ or call 801-565-7442.

In addition to district resources, some passionate staff members from Herriman High School, which experienced a rash of student suicide deaths in 2017, have developed their own programs which support parents with struggling children.

Herriman High School psychologist Casey Pehrson Ed.S., NCSP developed a presentation and children’s book that addresses self-care habits. Her S.E.L.F.I.E. method, which is backed by research, provides simple and practical daily habits of self-care that improve energy and mood.

“The practical takeaway when they walk out of here is that they’ll feel, ‘I can do this, I can actually take this to go and it will help me,’” Pehrson said.

Pehrson has taught the S.E.L.F.I.E. method at various professional conferences and community events. The next free presentation will be held Mar. 23 6:30 to7:30 p.m. at Elk Ridge Middle School. Attendance is open to everyone.

“We came because we have a child who is struggling with some emotions and stuff,” said a mother who attended Pehrson’s presentation at Copper Hills High in January. “And so we thought we’d try to pick up some tips to help this child. It was helpful. I really liked it a lot.”

Earlier this year, Herriman High counselor Cindy Watkins M.Ed., CMHC taught a Proactive Parenting series of classes to empower parents with skills to help them improve their children’s emotional health.

“So much of the time we as adults are reactive rather than proactive with our children and their emotional health,” Watkins said. “The Proactive Parenting workshops were to teach the parents skills that they could implement to navigate away from reactive parenting towards proactive parenting by modeling and teaching their children effective skills and habits to manage their day-to-day emotional health.”

Jordan District has prioritized reducing the workload of school counselors to better serve students and their families. (Stock

Sentinel soccer ready to improve upon its semifinal finish a year ago

Photos by Justin Adams

B R E N T G O R D O N

AT TO R N E Y

Far left: Brody Laga is back for the Mountain Ridge High boys soccer team along with all-state representatives from a year ago in forward Eli Welch, defender Cole McIntyre and keeper Ben Maw. A year ago, the Sentinels went 6-4 in region finishing third taking the No. 8 seed in the 6A state tournament. Mountain Ridge would defeat Clearfield and reigning 6A champs Weber en route to the semifinals falling short to Davis.

Left: Second-team all-state keeper Ben Maw is back for the Mountain Ridge Sentinels as the boys soccer season starts in March. The squad’s preseason schedule features games against Layton Christian and Salt Lake Academy before region gets underway in April.

Mustang lacrosse aiming higher this year

Photos by Justin Adams and Travis Barton

Left: Ava Moore spins away from her Riverton defender. The Herriman High girls lacrosse team returns a year after going 10-8 and finishing third in region and earning the No. 12 seed in the state tournament. This year ’s squad returns all-state players Atiana Lucero, Madi Rogers, Kelsie Lambert and Morgan Eldredge. The Mustangs open the year at Olympus on March 6, their home opener comes March 14 against Waterford.

Above: Parker Mortensen is back for his senior year for the Herriman High boys lacrosse team. The boys went 8-8 taking third in region in 2022, entering the state tournament as the No. 11 seed where it fell to Fremont in the second round. Herriman’s season opens at home against Maple Mountain on March 10 with senior night coming May 9 against Copper Hills.

Women’s Day with Mary Kay

By Holly Curby | hello@hollycurby.com

This year’s International Women’s Day theme, Embrace Equity, challenges women and allies in using their sphere of influence to create a fair and equal world. Such equity is important for social, economic, cultural and political advancement of women.

The first fight for women’s rights is said to date back to 1908, where 15,000 women took to the streets in New York City to protest for better pay, shorter working hours, as well as the right to vote. The following year, the Socialist Party of America declared the last Sunday in February the first National Women’s Day in honor of the strike. In 1910, in the midst of an international conference, it was proposed and unanimously voted among more than 100 in attendance from 17 different countries to officially create International Women’s Day around the world. In 1914, the globally recognized holiday marked March 8 as the official day to celebrate women going forward.

Since then we have seen strides made in efforts of women’s equality, including the first woman referee of a big game in February, first woman attorney general for Israel, first woman director of Major League operations for the New York Mets major league baseball team, and the first woman Vice President of the United States. We are also seeing more and more Fortune 500 companies that are run by female leaders such as General Motors, The Hershey Company, Nasdaq, Inc., and Mary Kay.

Mary Kay is a company that has embraced both equality and equity for women while providing jobs for hundreds of women right here in Utah. In honor of the 100year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in America, Mary Kay was recently named as one of the USA Today’s women of

the century, an honor recognizing those who have significantly impacted their community and their country. For more than 50 years, Mary Kay Incorporated has empowered women while changing the world of business. After experiencing inequality in the workplace herself, Mary Kay Ash knew she had to make a change not only for herself, but for all women. In 1963, Mary Kay Ash launched her business and disrupted the idea of business as usual, turning the male dominated workplace on its head in the process of change champion and groundbreaking businesswomen. Mary Kay Ash dedicated her life to empowering women and putting them in control of their own futures, and as result implemented a mission to enrich the lives of women and their families around the world.

Local Independent Sales Director Christy Flater has put herself in the driver’s seat of one of the best in class car incentive programs by earning the use of nine Mary Kay career cars. All of this is done through her hard work, applying the skills taught and the valuable resources and education offered

by Mary Kay. “I’ve been enriched by my independent business with Mary Kay. I am blessed to be offered the opportunity to travel with the most positive people, engage in a daily growth environment, and coach women to work with their divine strengths, recognize their positive influence within their homes and their communities,” Flater said. “Our culture is the foundation of Mary Kay, and it is only as strong as the next generation that upholds it.”

According to Flater, Mary Kay created a culture in the salesforce to share ideas and build each other up. It is a place where Flater said, “I can fail forward to success, while having cheerleaders tell me I can do it, all while they lead by example.” That is exactly the goal of this year’s International Women’s Day as www.internationalwomensday.com claims that “together we can work collectively to impact positive change.”

International Women’s Day invites you to show the world your embrace by striking a self-hug pose to show solidarity. Share your #EmbraceEquity image across social media using #IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity.

Want to learn more about the culture, mission and benefits Mary Kay offers?

Check out Holly’s Highlights podcast season two episode five. Join us as Flater, our special guest, shares with us about the impact of Mary Kay in her life, her goal in helping serve and encourage other women, and how we can get involved with such supportive endeavors such as the Mary Kay Ash Foundation. Holly’s Highlights podcast is available at www.hollycurby.com and wherever you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora and even “Alexa, play Holly’s Highlights podcast season two episode five.” l

Women from Risen Life gather for a women’s retreat to encourage and build one another up. (Photo courtesy Addie Knudsen)

All-Star readers meet all-star mascots at Salt Lake County library event

The NBA All-Star events in Salt Lake were the perfect backdrop to celebrate All-Star readers in February. A winter reading event sponsored by the Salt Lake County Library kicked off Jan. 3. Readers who stayed engaged during the program were invited to meet the Jazz Bear and other NBA mascots Feb. 15 at the Viridian Center in West Jordan.

“We’re very fortunate to host the NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake County and to be able to offer such a unique prize to our readers,” said County Library Program Manager Nyssa Fleig. “We hope offering a once-in-a-lifetime event like this will help create readers for life.”

The party kicked off just after 6 p.m. when the mascots came in, turned up the music and shot off their confetti cannons. All attendees got to enter through a balloon arch and then made their way to a decorated event room. Two big screen TVs showed NBA All-Star footage. Kids could play cornhole, or life-size chess and connect four while they waited to meet mascots.

The event brought out families from all over the valley, like Salt Lake City’s Aimee Broadbent and her 9-year-old son Deklan.

Q & A

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

“I like to read…just a bit,” Deklan said, with a joking twinkle in his eye.

“He loves it!” Broadbent said.

His favorite books? “I like scary stories.”

The All-Star Winter Reading wasn’t just about reading—it challenged kids to stay engaged during the winter with different activities and report their progress online.

“I did all the activities. I read, I played basketball, and I colored in every activity,” Deklan said.

Broadbent said they’d participated in and attended the event before. But with the All-Star game happening this weekend, there’s some added excitement.

People had their choice of several mascots to meet, greet and get photos with, starting with Owlexander the library’s owl. Unified Police and the Salt Lake County Sheriff brought their mascots—a dog named Sgt. Siren and a horse named Sgt. Lightning.

Three NBA teams sent their mascots: the Miami Heat’s fireball Burnie, Clutch the bear of the Houston Rockets, and Blaze the Trail Cat of the Portland Trail Blazers. And from the NBA G League (minor league basketball), the SLC Stars were rep-

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resented by the Jazz Bear’s cousin, Buster Bear.

But for loyal Utahns like the Waltons of Taylorsville who had played Jr. Jazz and seen lots of Jazz games, meeting the Jazz Bear for the first time was the most exciting thing about the night.

“We participate in the library reading events all the time because the girls love to read,” said Melena Walton of her daughters Ella and Lila. “We did the library’s preschool class when they were younger and came to reading time and puppet shows.”

The girls, now 14 and 10, kept busy during the winter with skiing and Jr. Jazz basketball. They stayed engaged with the other winter challenge activities like being creative, getting outdoors and trying new things.

But they definitely made time to read—Ella in the Star Wars novels, and Lila the Half Upon a Time series. Of course they’ve made their way through the Harry Potter and Fablehaven series. And when it comes to how they read, they’re traditionalists.

“I like the feel of a book in my hands, not an e-reader. I like turning pages in a real book, it’s just different,” Lila said, and Ella agreed. l

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Aimee Broadbent of Salt Lake brought her son Deklan to meet the mascots Feb. 15 as a reward for completing the winter reading challenge. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

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Breaking the ice at Daybreak’s Winter Freeze Festival

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Daybreak’s

Winter Freeze Festival continues to grow, even as the temperatures on the event day, Jan. 21, hovered in the low 30s. Organizers said the number of attendees doubled from the previous year’s event.

Austin Perez, LiveDAYBREAK Recreation Manager, said the winter festival is gaining momentum and new attractions were added to this year’s festival, including a cardboard sled contest.

“The public loved it. People had opportunities to learn and see art and get to know winter athletes and winter sports,” he said. “We had two ice sculptors from the area carving ice sculptures. They also brought four pre-made sculptures where people could go and look at the finished product and take pictures with it.”

Held at SoDa Row (11274 Kestrel Rise Road), the Winter Freeze Festival featured bobsledder Jeremy Holm, Olympic speedskater Aaron Tran, Grizzbee from the Utah Grizzlies and Arctic Rescue, a nonprofit that fosters and adopts Huskies and Malamutes.

“Kids were able to learn about the dogs and how the dog sleds work,” Perez said. “At the same time, Arctic Rescue was able to talk about its organization, talk about adoption and hopefully get some business.”

A local Special Olympics snowshoe team brought snowshoes so the public could try out the sport. There was also a DJ on-site, a train going down Soda Row and campfires where families could enjoy s’mores.

Perez wanted to incorporate an activity in this year’s event to help kids learn about design and engineering. The cardboard sled contest encouraged families to create a ride-

able sled that was creative and functional. Kids could enter in one of two categories (12 and under or 13 and over) and the contest was such a success, Perez hopes to bring it back next year.

“One of our things in Daybreak is about lifelong learning. We have something called Explorer’s Club where kids learn STEAM-related skills,” Perez said. “Kids built cardboard sleds and some of them were phenomenal. There was an airplane made into a cardboard sled, someone made a fighter jet, a UFO, and the Mystery Machine. They were spectacular. I was impressed. They were so creative.”

Seven-year-old Rory Hundertmark took top prize for his model bi-plane sled, with help from his parents, Jason and Andrea, and his 4-year-old brother Aiden. His grandfather owns a radiator shop and donated big cardboard boxes for the project.

“I think the highlight for the kids was playing in the boxes before they even made the plane,” Andrea said. “It took 10 days to construct. He was so excited by the fact he actually won. It was a cute family activity.”

To warm up the event, fire dancers performed while attendees enjoyed hot chocolate, took photos with the ice sculptures and spent time with friends and neighbors.

“We’re really happy with how it turned out. From residents, we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, so overall, it was a great time,” Perez said. “I think in Utah we often think the only thing to do in the winter is ski or snowboard. To be able to talk about more winter sports and educate them was nice. We saw an opportunity to have something in January and build upon it.” l

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Seven-year-old Rory Hundertmark (in front) took top prize in the cardboard sled contest for his model bi-plane sled, with help from his father Jason and his 4-year-old brother Aiden. (Photo courtesy of the Hundertmark family)

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Intermountain Health performed a record-breaking number of organ transplants in 2022

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Kristine

Fogarty didn’t even hesitate. When she learned her friend and coworker Carrie Riggs needed a life-saving liver transplant, Fogarty went online to register as a living organ donor. No one in Riggs’ family could donate, but Fogarty’s bloodwork came back as a potential match.

“I told her, if you need someone to match you, I’ll do this because it’s important and it will save your life,” she said.

Fogarty was one of only 13 living liver donation transplants performed at Intermountain Health during 2022, a year when the facility performed a record-breaking 300 adult transplants, thanks to the generosity of organ donors, their families and a team of transplant caregivers.

The Intermountain Transplant Program performed a total of 104 liver, 159 kidney, 29 heart, and eight kidney/pancreas adult transplants last year, the fourth consecutive record-breaking year for the program.

“Living donors are incredible people,” said Diane Alonso, MD, transplant surgeon and former medical director of Intermountain Health’s abdominal transplant program. “They are often undergoing major surgery to give new life to their aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, neighbors—and sometimes to someone they don’t even know. They truly are giving the gift of life and we do our best to be great stewards of that gift.”

The uptick in transplants is due to generous donors, an increase in donor organ availability and advancements in technology and medicine. Liver transplants at Intermountain Health exceed the national average because they are able to match a wider range of donor organs to recipients.

Live transplantation saw the largest increase, with 32 living kidney transplants and 13 living liver transplants.

“Intermountain has created the environment and provided us the necessary tools and medical team to be successful,” said Jean Botha, MD, transplant surgeon and medical director of Intermountain Health’s abdominal transplant program. “I couldn’t be prouder and more honored to be working sideby-side with these caregivers who are changing lives in our communities.”

Within a couple of months, Fogarty passed all the screening tests and was approved to be a living liver donor for Riggs. The transplant was performed in October 2022 and both women are doing well. Riggs said she doesn’t know how to adequately thank Fogarty for saving her life.

“I thought I had to wait for someone to die and that scared me,” Riggs said. “Kristine was my lifeline. She saved my life. We are now closer than ever.”

The success of Intermountain’s transplant program, which serves patients throughout the nation, is the result of caregiver teams across the Intermountain system and community partners working together. The addition of an Intermountain Life Flight long-range medical jet in 2022 enhances organ transplantation by retrieving donor organs from across the United States.

Intermountain also launched a new platform called iReferral with InVita Healthcare Technologies and DonorConnect, the organ procurement agency for the Intermountain West. iReferral streamlines the organ donor referral process and automates the identification of potential donors.

To learn more about organ donation or register to become an organ donor, go to intermountainhealthcare.org/donatelife.

Fogarty said although her experience was scary, she’d do

it again if she could. She challenges others to look into becoming a living donor to give another person the opportunity to live.

“Do it. Save a life. Get this feeling of purpose in life that you helped be part of a miracle. There are so many people out there waiting,” she said. “Living donors are very rare. There were only 13 living donors for livers last year. There’s more people dying than 13. That’s why that number needs to change.”l

Kristine Fogarty (left) donated a portion of her liver to her friend and coworker Carrie Riggs as part of Intermountain Health’s living organ donation program. (Photo courtesy of Kristine Fogarty)

WHOLives brings water to villages and safety to young girls

Evennow, more than 2 billion people around the world do not have access to clean water for drinking, cooking or bathing. But since 2011, a nonprofit in South Jordan has provided nearly 140 water drills to 37 countries, drilling 12,000 wells and bringing clean water to 12 million people.

WHOLives has a business model that is effective and sustainable. Although many donated drills end up broken and unusable, the WHOLives Village Drill concept finds viable drilling sites and families who commit to raising a portion of the cost to purchase the drill.

“We are against the idea of just giving things to people to get them out of poverty,” John Renouard said, WHOLives founder and executive director. “It just builds pride in what they have. It builds responsibility and self-reliance that we know are important when we’re trying to lift people up.”

Teams are trained in the operations, upkeep, repair and maintenance of the drills so the wells can provide clean water for generations. Before having access to water, women and girls spent hours each day walking to water holes where the water is contaminated and unsafe to drink.

Now, with easy access to clean water, girls have the opportunity to pursue education with improved health and families can hold down jobs or create their own business to further economic growth.

“We wanted to do more than just give them water. We want them to try to solve the problem,” Renouard said. “I have immense appreciation for what we’ve done, but I also know it’s only the tip of the iceberg.”

In November 2022, Renouard and his team were installing a well at a rescue center in Kenya when they stumbled upon a

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

terrible situation. He learned December was “cutting season” in the area, when young girls are taken from their homes to undergo female genital mutilation.

Although the practice is illegal, the mutilation happens outside the control of local authorities. Renouard was heartsick and knew he had to do something to help these young girls and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“A few areas in Kenya still practice this horrible tradition of FGM, female genital mutilation,” he said. “They literally sell these children to older men as a fifth wife or 10th wife or 15th wife, although they’re certainly not wives, they’re indentured servants.

“We did something that no one’s ever done before. We went to the police, we went to what we would call child protective services, we went to the magistrates and had conversations with them all. We asked them what they need to fight this. The answers were mind boggling. The number one thing they needed was funds for fuel for their cars so they could go out and investigate and arrest.”

As government officials, they were only allotted a small amount of fuel, not nearly enough to travel to the remote places these mutilations were taking place. WHOLives made a deal to provide money for fuel as long as the police shared their reports with local officials to make sure they were doing the job.

Since the practice was made illegal 10 years ago, only a handful of people have been arrested for FGM. Over the last few months, officials have made more than 40 arrests with 10 people already convicted and sentenced to time in prison.

“This becomes a big deterrent for following through with this awful tradition when there’s a high chance of getting arrest-

ed,” he said. “We anticipated we’d rescue about 400 girls. At last count, it was just over 1,700 girls we were able to rescue through our state houses. So, the number of girls that got cut just plummeted.”

WHOLives coordinated safe houses for the girls at police stations and other locations and will be ready for the next cutting season in August. For more information about WHOLives, visit WHOLives.org.

“I’ve been told I should change the WHO from Water, Health and Opportunity to Women, Health and Opportunity.”

When communities invest in the Village Drill, it brings clean water to the area along with opportunities for education and economic growth. (Photo courtesy of WHOLives)

Local poet and activist sits vigil with the Great Salt Lake

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Local activist, poet and storyteller Nan Seymour, is bearing witness to the Great Salt Lake. From Jan. 18 through March 4, corresponding with the Utah State Legislative session, Seymour and her writing community held a vigil for the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.

In a small camper on Antelope Island, Seymour and other nature lovers lived by the lake, recording breathtaking sunsets, the heartbreaking loss of more than 400 aquatic diving birds, the majesty of bison roaming the island and the beauty of a lake fighting to survive.

“I’m not a scientist, not an expert, but someone who’s loved birds for a long time,” Seymour said. “I wasn’t aware of the genuine state of peril and now it’s accurate to call this an active collapse of the ecosystem…I was late to pay attention but when it caught my attention, it caught my full attention. The lake is the heart of this bioregion and hemispherically essential.”

This is the second year Seymour has held vigil at the Great Salt Lake. In 2022, she felt it was necessary to be physically present with the lake and respect it as a sentient ancestor, neighbor and even a mother. She said it helps to hold the lake in a relational way, not just thinking of it as a water resource.

Scientists think there still might be time to save the lake and its ecosystem but it will take a concerted effort from legislators, farmers, homeowners and stakeholders to ensure the lake’s survival.

At 4,189 feet, the Great Salt Lake is at its lowest point in recorded history. Lawmakers had the opportunity to adopt a resolution, setting a goal of raising the lake to 4,198 feet, but

it seems the resolution will fail.

“We have to change our ways and it’s not comfortable,” Seymour said. “We will have to think in ways we haven’t thought before and take levels of responsibility we haven’t been willing to take. We have to live within our means with water. Just like if someone you love is dying, you move in a different way.”

The Great Salt Lake is a migratory stop for 10 million birds and is a center of life in the region. As the lake’s level continues to drop, due to drought and human interference like water diversion and outdated water policies, essential aspects of the ecosystem will continue to die off.

Microbialites, essentially living rocks, live in the shallow water of the lake and metabolize life, creating a home for brine flies and brine shrimp that feeds the birds. As microbialites are exposed due to receding water, they die.

Increased salinity in the lake is killing keystone species. Toxic dust in the dried lakebed is dangerous to humans, birds and animals living near the area. Seymour will continue calling attention to the perilous situation and asked that others raise their voices by talking to their representatives, writing op-eds and walking along the lake shore to keep the conversation going.

“Speak up, even when it feels hopeless and helpless,” she said. “It’s always against the odds, always against the powers that be. The people who make it happen are instigators, just ordinary, broken-hearted people who persist. They are outside the realm of power and influence. They are just people with hearts that keep showing up. That’s how change happens.” l

Bison, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, are just one species that depends on the lake’s ecosystem. Local poet Nan Seymour held vigil for the lake for 47 days by living on the island to draw awareness to the lake’s perilous situation. (Photo courtesy of Nan Seymour)

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When I was a kid, I worried about four things: my Halloween candy being stolen by siblings, missing a spelling word on a test, accidentally eating mayonnaise and nuclear war. In that order.

While those four things were the main cause of concern, I also worried about rainy days because stupid boys would throw earthworms down my shirt. I worried about wearing dresses to school because stupid boys would look up my skirt.

I worried about running out of books to read because I couldn’t imagine that apocalyptic scenario. I worried about earthquakes because we were constantly told The Big One would happen when we least suspected.

I guess I worried a lot, but I’m pretty sure our state legislators at the time didn’t give a rat’s behind about my mental health. In fact, children in the 1970s weren’t really considered people until they had a job and started paying taxes.

But now, our illustrious leaders say they are really concerned about the mental health of Utah’s youth, but only in select situations. There is talk to ban social media for kids under 16 because of the harmful impact it has on their mental wellness.

However, representatives don’t seem

A Mental Health Day

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

society. Even though teens with access to these treatments have demonstrated better mental health.

This is a “problem” our leaders don’t have to “solve” because, hear me out, it isn’t a “problem.”

On a related note, I found it interesting Utah will still permit cisgender female teens to get breast implants. Because Utah.

Do you know what else affects a child’s mental health? The fear they’ll be shot at school. The fear that climate change will eliminate elephants and polar bears. The fear their overworked teachers will quit because public money has been siphoned off to private and home schools.

I won’t clump all our elected officials into this bunch of wackadoodles because there are many people working to help trans youth, create sensible gun laws and reduce the load of our poor public school teachers who get beat up each year during the legislative session.

milla introduced a bill that would legalize psilocybin in Utah under strict controls. Because this is Utah, this mushroom therapy bill will probably go down in hallucinogenic flames, but hopefully it gets the conversation started.

Another way to help our youth develop better mental health? Stop passing harmful bills. Start passing bills that help our children and grandchildren deal with the everyday pressures of living in this world that feels like it’s gone bananas.

I agree social media causes great harm to our teens through cyberbullying, shaming and creating a comparison mindset. But there are additional issues we could tackle to help our children sleep better at night.

concerned about the mental health of transgender youth since our state leaders banned gender-affirming care for minors. Even though suicide rates skyrocket for trans youth who often feel stigmatized in

I vote that each educator be given a 10-day trip to Hawaii, paid for by the record-breaking state liquor sales. Of which they’ve heartily contributed, I’m sure.

Speaking of addressing mental health, Senate Minority Leader Luz Esca -

I never had to worry about cyberbullying as a kid, although actual physical bullying was definitely a thing. I worried about being pushed off the monkey bars onto the hard concrete. I worried about kids laughing at my homemade polyester pantsuits.

What I worry about now is how to create an inclusive and safe environment for our youth. I also still worry about accidentally eating mayonnaise, and nuclear war. In that order. l

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