“The kids. The kids are hilarious! There’s something about being little and there’s no filter. Sometimes they just say what they’re thinking and it’s hilarious.”

“Just being able to be involved and feel like you’re getting to make a difference and change their lives for the better.”

“I actually really just love spending time with the kids. They’re always fun, they’re always laughing, always having a good time and they’re always willing to involve volunteers in that.”

“The interactions you have with the children. Seeing them learn and interact with each other, and helping them grow a love of learning.”

“Walking in the door and at the beginning now that I know all these kids and they’re all screaming my name and they want to give you a hug and they’re all excited because you showed up.”

“Working with the kids. They’re just huge balls of energy. They want your attention and they love working with the volunteers, probably more than being with their peers, so it’s really fun because they just want to be with you.”

March 30, 2015

March 23-27 will go down in history as the week some 120 volunteers mobilized to make the first-ever Utah STEM Fest a success. Our expectations were exceeded as students, teachers, professionals, parents, and children arrived at UVU’s UCCU Events Center ready to make the event go off without a hitch. Altogether, volunteers logged nearly 900 hours! Because of these volunteers, we know that subsequent STEM Fest’s will continue to reach out to those youth who need us the most.

For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we encourage you to reach out to Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County and give some of your time to our Club members. We wouldn’t be able to serve so many kids without you!

Did you know that some of our sites operate even when school is out? Research shows that all youth experience learning losses over the summer when they are not properly engaged. For youth from low-income families, these losses are especially severe, widening the learning gap between these students and their middle-class peers. (Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 2014)

By spending time with our community’s youth during summer vacation, you will help reduce summer learning loss and provide crucial services to the youth who need us the most.