We were excited to present this year’s awards in person at our Nurture & Grow Annual Luncheon. Each recipient has made unparalleled contributions to Root for Kids and the kids we serve. 

Outstanding Community Partner: Dixie State University

We have developed a strong relationship with Dixie State University, and they have become one of our greatest community partners.  The students, athletes, coaches, professors, and administrators have volunteered with us in many capacities including: making bottle shakers, lacing kits, activity kits, painting our logo on puzzle blocks for our little ones, re-bundling diapers, cleaning/sanitizing our childcare toys and helping to maintain our yard. Many have also shadowed our home visitors, therapists, teachers, and staff. 

DSU has invited us to be a part of their career fairs to promote our organization where we have recruited interns and even found students we have hired as employees. We are fortunate to have many student interns that come through our doors and leave more equipped for the challenges they will face in their future business or nonprofit careers.  We also love that we can share the world of child development and the nonprofit sector with them.

Outstanding Business: Nothing Bundt Cakes

Nearly 10 years ago, Nothing Bundt Cakes St. George was a simple dream for Kelly and Claudia Clayton. After their first Bite of Joy at a Thanksgiving Dinner, they just knew they had to share it with all their friends and family! Though they never imagined their dream would become a reality, in November 2019, it did just that as they opened the doors of their family-owned bakery.

Partnering with Root for Kids has been the perfect match since the bakery opened! They will never forget the first time they brought bundtinis over to the Root for Kids staff! Everyone was kind and welcoming and best of all, they loved the cake! Since then, our friendship and partnership has blossomed as Nothing Bundt Cakes has chosen Root for Kids for their Annual Charity Day and offered sponsorships, including desserts for the 2021 Charity Gala and sweet treats for the entire Root for Kids community! With the help of their daughter Kelsey and son-in-law Benetton, and all 5 of their children and spouses, they find nothing more rewarding, than Spreading the Joy to their local community through delicious cake!

Outstanding Health Partner: Southwest Utah Public Health Department

The Southwest Utah Public Health Department serves the residents of Washington, Iron, Kane, Beaver, and Garfield counties with the mission of protecting the community’s health through the promotion of wellness and the prevention of disease. From our agency’s inception, Root for Kids has had a rich and collaborative partnership. Together we share referrals back and forth for each other programs that benefit our enrolled families and children.

Prior to early childhood education staff being approved to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, our Health Department were aware of our needs and knew we serve a vulnerable population and made sure we had access to the vaccine as soon as possible. Much of the work they do is preventive and behind-the-scenes. They have been at the forefront of our region’s disease investigation and vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and have appreciated working with all community residents and community partners during this challenging time.

Outstanding Volunteer: Fred Walker

Fred Walker has volunteered with Root for Kids in many capacities, along with his team from Infowest and with groups of college students. During different volunteer projects Fred made sure his groups were engaged and enjoying their time- including keeping them well fed! He has helped us prepare for our annual radiothons by putting together needed supplies. Fred and his team have been great to assist us with re-bundling diapers for the families we serve.

Fred is known for his phrase: “But wait….there’s more!” And boy is there so much more to Fred’s relationship with our organization. He attended the ribbon cutting of our Kindermusik Studio grand opening and loved trying out the children’s new musical instruments. There is never a dull moment with Fred!

Fred’s affinity to our organization is most impressive. The fact that at the last minute he stepped up to tag team our virtual gala in 2020 as the Emcee, speaks to his willingness to support and engage in the community and with our agency. We are very grateful for his support and his advocacy for children!

Outstanding Donor: Nancy Hubler

Over the years at Root for Kids we have noticed a theme: most of our board members just can’t quit us. We have several board members who continue to serve because we love this organization, and we believe so strongly in the mission.

Nancy Hubler is a perfect example of this. Nancy originally joined the board back in March 2014 and shortly thereafter became the Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee. She left in 2016 to work for the Ohio Department of Insurance and upon her return in 2018, we were fortunate enough to have her rejoin the board and the Finance Committee. She has helped to secure sponsorships for our fundraising events in the past and goes above and beyond with her own generous donations to Root for Kids.

To say that 2020 was a challenging year is an understatement. Just like most people and businesses, here at Root for Kids we had to get creative (and very virtual/remote) to keep going! We continued to serve hundreds of families during the pandemic and thankfully had the support of amazing people in the community. Check out our top 10 moments of 2020!

Drive-Thru Radiothon

Every December, Mix 103.1, Coyote Country 102.9, Kool 98.9 and Zion 104.1 come to Root for Kids and broadcast live from our lobby during the annual Radiothon, volunteers join us for special projects, donors come in to take pictures with their donations and tour the building… except in 2020. With social distancing and safety concerns in mind, the traditional Radiothon turned into a drive-thru! The radio stations broadcasted from their studio and people from all over town drove by to drop off donations and their change. Online and Venmo donations were extremely popular too, and we were able to raise over $20,000 in one day!

The Secret Garden Gala: Home Edition

The annual gala quickly became a favorite event at Root for Kids. We were excited to make The Secret Garden Gala bigger and better in 2020, but again we had to adapt. The Secret Garden Gala: Home Edition took place on Saturday, September 12, 2020 with the support of 18 sponsors and 132 guests who joined us online from Washington County, Salt Lake City and Idaho. Between sponsorships, ticket sales, auction and monetary donations the unprecedented virtual event raised $68,128, exceeding our $60,000 goal! We broadcasted live from Root for Kids and guests joined us via Zoom. All guests received gift cards to purchase dinner and party hosts also received a centerpiece to bring the magic of the gala into their home.

Virtual Home Visits

All families enrolled in Early Head Start, Early Intervention and Parents as Teachers receive weekly, bi-weekly or monthly home visits, depending on the child’s needs. Starting in March 2020, the visits moved online in order to keep the families and our staff safe. It was definitely challenging to get the ball rolling, but it was so important to keep providing services. We even did Speech Therapy sessions online!

Food and Diaper Deliveries

More than ever the families we serve benefited from receiving diaper bundles and food boxes from the Utah Food Bank. Typically, the families would come to the center once a month to pick up their food box but in the interest of avoiding crowds, the home visitors delivered the boxes every month at their door step.

Donors

It’s humbling to think about how many people and businesses were willing to give and support young kids in our community in 2020. When COVID-19 hit, we weren’t sure what to expect but our donors showed up and helped us keep providing services. We are so lucky to be part of such a giving community!

Volunteers

It’s always inspiring when people donate their time to our organization. Our volunteers didn’t hesitate about the changes and were happy to take projects with them when needed! They helped put together the block puzzles our little graduates receive, doing activity kits for the children and bundling diapers.

Graduation

It’s so fun to celebrate the little kids aging out and graduating from Root for Kids programs! We usually invite them with their families to celebrate with dinner and a graduation ceremony. Last year, the home visitors delivered a “graduation kit” for each child with a graduation hat, their diploma, block puzzle and other donated gifts.

One Utah Child Care

The Caterpillar Clubhouse was one of the few childcare centers that remained open in our area. We realized it was an essential service to provide for the parents who weren’t able to work remotely. In addition to the regular 0-5 classrooms, we partnered up with One Utah Child Care program to provide free childcare for first responders families.

Benefit Concert

It seems like forever ago that we all could get together in an indoor venue for a concert. But before quarantine, we had the pleasure to welcome Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night at the Cox Auditorium for an amazing concert! The event was generously presented by The American Dream Foundation and all ticket sales proceeds benefited Root for Kids.

Health Day

With a lot of coordination and creativity, our Health Services team was able to resume free health clinics for clients in July 2020. Families were assigned time slots with plenty of time between appointments for proper sanitizing. Services provided included vision and hearing screenings, blood lead and hematocrit tests, and fluoride.

We are grateful for everyone that made 2020 a little lighter and brighter at Root for Kids! Thank you for your support. To keep helping young kids have the best start in life, donate here.

When COVID-19 hit earlier in the spring, we had to quickly adapt to continue to provide services for hundreds of children in Washington County and the Arizona strip. The same adjustments (and experiments) extended to our signature events such as graduation and annual gala.

The Secret Garden Gala: Home Edition took place on Saturday, September 12, 2020 with the support of 18 sponsors and 132 guests who joined us online from Washington County, Salt Lake City and Idaho. Between sponsorships, ticket sales, auction and monetary donations we are excited to announce that the unprecedented virtual event raised $68,128, exceeding our $60,000 goal. See how The Secret Garden Gala: Home Edition came to life.

Root for Kids Main Stage

With a little help from our friends Fred Walker and Tyler Hunsaker (“The Lounge Lizards”), Brother’s Keeper Sound Production and our wonderful staff , we broadcasted the Gala program live from the Conference Room at Root for Kids. We would also like to thank Haylee Cazarin from Southern Pop Designs for doing the beautiful tree for the background!

Home Parties

We had 26 parties spread across Washington County, Salt Lake City and Idaho, from individuals and couples to parties. Guests were invited to join the Gala remotely however they felt more comfortable. A few parties decided to combine tables at their place of business, while other hosted guests at home. They all connected to the Gala program via Zoom and participated in the auction through an online platform. On the days leading up to the event, all guests received a printed program and a Root for Kids coaster made locally by 2112 Memories with a handprinted Thank You card from the kids at the Caterpillar Clubhouse. Party hosts also received a Secret Garden centerpiece by Botanicals.

Supporting Local Businesses

Another fun fact about The Secret Garden Gala: Home Edition is that on top of benefitting hundreds of families served by Root for Kids with the money raised, we as an organization were able to involve many local businesses in the process and support them as well. Guests had the option to select a local or locally-owned restaurant to purchase their meals from for the event. For dessert, our friends at Nothing Bundt Cakes donated their amazing White Chocolate Raspberry cake and delivered them to all guests!

Local businesses involved:

• Katering Koncepts (donated tables, chairs and linens to larger parties)
• Nothing Bundt Cakes (donated desserts)
• Botanicals (donated a large portion of our centerpieces)
• 2112 Memories (purchased Root for Kids coasters from)
• Steamroller Copies (printed programs and table tents)
• Adrian’s (donated tuxes for emcees)
• All Seasons Garden & Floral (purchased centerpiece for Idaho party)
• Native Flower Company (purchased centerpiece for Salt Lake City party)
• Southern Pop Designs (balloon tree for stage)
• Brother’s Keeper (sound production)

Local restaurants supported by purchasing dining gift cards:

• Cliffside Restaurant
• Benja Thai & Sushi
• Anasazi Steakhouse
• Rib & Chop House
• Magelby’s
• Sakura Japanese Steakhouse
• Red Fort Cuisine of India
• Royal Thai Cuisine
• Riggati’s Wood Fire Pizza
• Paula’s Mexican Food
• Morty’s Café
• Café Rio
• Main Street Café in Hurricane

We are grateful to everyone who helped make this special night happen. Check out more event photos on our Facebook page! Thank you to our wonderful sponsors and guests who believe in our work and want the best for the kids in our community. We hope to see you again soon at our Drive-Thru Radiothon on December 14, 2020.

With most of our services being home-based, Root for Kids had to quickly adapt to a new reality when the social-distancing and quarantine guidelines hit mid-March. Since then we have moved our home visits online to ensure our staff and clients stay safe and healthy. But how does that work? Emily Sonzogni, M.S., CCC-SLP, shared a few insights of what a virtual speech therapy session looks like.

Pretend Birthday Party

Elmo has had lots of birthday parties the last few months! We get to build a cake for him, sing to him, blow out his candles, blow up balloons for him, wear party hats, and open presents to practice naming objects. I just had a family today say, “Ever since Elmo’s birthday party, he’s been talking about Elmo all the time!” Memorable activity that allows the family to carryover celebrating Elmo’s birthday all day!

Building Tower

A child will help me build a tower by saying “up… up… up!” and then when they say “wham!” I knock it over. They love hearing a big crash! It’s great to use simple toys to show families ways to practice language with toys they have at home.

Know Your Animals

We have been practicing lots of animal names and sounds the last few months. Kids will tell me to “open” this clear container, tell me which animal to get out, give me directions to put the animals “in” or “on” or “under” the container, and sing “Old McDonald had a Farm.”

BOOKS! 

I can’t get enough of reading books to young children! I love reading books to children virtually to model some simple reading strategies and give parents tips on how to engage their children in book reading more often. Teaching families about the value of reading to their children and problem solving ways to increase their child’s attention span is probably one of my biggest passions as a speech-language pathologist.

Learning Routine

Today I used my daughter’s dollhouse for a session for the first time. The child got to tell me which figures he wanted to play with, open and close the garage doors, help me feed the family, tell them to walk “up” and “down” stairs, take a bath, and go “night night.” Great way to model simple language strategies for families, and fun interactive way to engage with the child.

We are grateful for Emily and all of our wonderful staff for rising up to the challenge during these uncertain times. To support the work that we are doing, join us on September 12 for The Secret Garden Gala – Home Edition!

Root for Kids serves pregnant women and children from birth to age five in Washington County, Utah and the Arizona Strip. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, fill out our referral form.