Connect with us

Utah

Runners joining forces to raise funds for Salem Hills High mental health programs

Published

on

Runners joining forces to raise funds for Salem Hills High mental health programs


Estimated read time: 2-3
minutes

SALEM, Utah County — On Saturday, runners from around the state will join forces at Salem Hills High School to raise funds to provide mental health programs in local schools.

The event is called “Run for Mental Health,” and according to organizer and local mental health advocate Jorge Garcia, the goal is not only to raise funds, but to also send a message to students that there is help available.

“We did this event in 2019 to bring the community together and help secure resources because many kids just don’t know that there is help,” Garcia said. “Things were put on hold during the pandemic, but we have felt the need to start it up again due to some tragedies in our local community.”

Advertisement

According to Garcia, several local students have died by suicide, including the son of one of his good friends who died this past February. Even though recent statistics now show Utah’s suicide rates decreasing, the rates are still high enough in children and teens for Gov. Spencer Cox to declare May 1 “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.”

And while suicide rates are not available yet for 2022 or 2023, the Utah Department of Heath and Human Services found that in 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10 to 17 and 18 to 24.

Additionally, that same study showed that in 2021, 41.5% of Utah high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless, 22.5% seriously considered attempting suicide, 18% made a suicide plan, 9% attempted suicide one or more times, and 2.7% had a suicide attempt that required medical attention.

It is these statistics and his personal connection to teen suicide loss that has caused Garcia to team up with the city of Salem and many other local organizations for the Run for Mental Health event to put funding into Salem Hills High School specifically.

“The school has created a list of needs, and our goal is to raise $10,000 for mental health programs. Anything above that, we are going to put in a fund in the city to distribute to the rest of the schools in the community,” Garcia explained.

Advertisement

The event will begin at 10 a.m. and go until 2 p.m., and runners are encouraged to complete as many laps as they can during that time. Participants can register as individuals or a team at $10 per person or $25 per three-person team. There is also an option for donations to be made directly to the cause.

More information can be found on the Run For Mental health Instagram page @run.4mh.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

More stories you may be interested in



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Utah

Utah is now completely out of drought status

Published

on

Utah is now completely out of drought status


SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time in five years, the entire state of Utah is out of a drought status.

The latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows no part of the state being in drought status, though about 25% is still considered abnormally dry.

“Portions of the state, mainly along that eastern and southern border, are abnormally dry,” KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said. “But basically, we are completely out of a drought.”

Johnson says this is because Utah’s most recent wet winters have been crucial in restoring the state’s water supply.

Advertisement

“We’ve had two really good winters, one of them record-setting, as far as snow-water equivalent. So this has been huge for getting us on the right path.”

However, Johnson said whether we stay out of drought conditions will be contingent on how hot it gets this summer, and how much rain Utah gets when monsoon season hits. 

“If we’re not in a drought, now we are planning for the next,” Johnson said, quoting a saying from The Utah Department of Natural Resources. “That just kind of comes with the territory…we are one of the top three driest on average so it’s not foreign territory for us to have dry weather.”

Related reading:

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Utah

“Planting parties” at Utah Lake working to rid the lake of invasive phragmites

Published

on

“Planting parties” at Utah Lake working to rid the lake of invasive phragmites


UTAH COUNTY, Utah — The Utah Lake Authority is hosting “planting parties” to put native vegetation in places where invasive plant species had previously been spreading.

Phragmites are a type of reed that have been taking over at Utah Lake and places across the country. Utah Lake Authority’s Deputy Director Sam Braegger said they have been partnering with other agencies to keep the phragmites at bay.

Now Braegger said they’re working toward revegetation with lots of groups who want to help them plant more native species.

“It’s been great to have groups come and help in that way, and I think they find it very fulfilling to spend an hour or two on the shoreline,” he said. “Our staff are all out there with them. They get to learn and ask questions about the lake. And then, help give back in putting plants into the ground.”

Advertisement

Utah Lake Authority has spent more than 15 years dealing with phragmites, according to Braegger.

“Beating back the phragmites has been necessary for some time because phragmites is very aggressive,” he said. “It grows in very thickly, so it’s terrible habitat. There’s not very much of wildlife, birds and fish, that can get in there.”

This is the Utah Lake Authority’s first time doing a “concentrated revegetation” effort.

“We’ve put out some seed before, in recent years, but just seed is all we’ve done,” Braegger said. “This year, for the first time, we’re going out and actually planting 10,00 plugs.”

Braegger said the goal is to plant over 40,000 seed plugs next year.

Advertisement

Heather Peterson is a reporter and producer for KSL NewsRadio. She also produces Utah’s Noon News.

Potentially toxic algal bloom detected at Utah Lake

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Videos show fireworks veer into crowd at Stadium of Fire concert in Utah, injuries reported

Published

on

Videos show fireworks veer into crowd at Stadium of Fire concert in Utah, injuries reported


Multiple videos have surfaced Thursday evening showing a fireworks display at the Stadium of Fire concert in Provo, Utah, with rogue shots straying into the audience. Early reports state that one person was taken to a hospital with serious injuries while others were reportedly injured.

Several firefighters immediately responded to reports of injuries in the crowd, according to Fox 13 in Salt Lake City.

Fireworks at large gatherings in Utah are nothing new, like the ones that lit up the sky above the stadium for the grand finale of the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games at the Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

The incident happened at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the football facility for Brigham Young University. Just as the national anthem is heard ending, and as four fighter jets fly over the stadium, a fireworks display begins behind the stage.

Advertisement

UTAH FAMILY DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS AFTER MAN VANISHES BEFORE LUNCH DATE WITH MOM: ‘HE MATTERS’

Fireworks shot into the sunlit sky vertically, but stray sparks are seen firing horizontally into the crowd near the stage. Crowdgoers were reportedly seen waving their hands in the air for officials to render help.

Freedom Festival, which facilitates Stadium of Fire and other yearly events across the country, tweeted that all fireworks were “thoroughly checked” before Thursday’s show and then checked again after the incident.

“Safety is of the utmost importance to us. All pyrotechnics at Stadium of Fire are thoroughly checked before the show, and were rechecked after tonight’s incident. Our thoughts are with those who were impacted, and we are following up with them to make sure they are okay.”

UTAH FIRE CAPTAIN DIES IN COLORADO RAFTING ACCIDENT AT DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT

Advertisement

After a pause in activities, the concert resumed with Jonas Brothers taking the stage around 9 p.m. and closing out the show with no other reported mishaps.

Provo Police Department spokesperson Janna-Lee Holland told KUTV the incident happened just after the flyover.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The number of injuries and each of their severities is unknown at the time.

Videos like the one seen in this tweet show pyrotechnics not only firing into the stands, but also onto the field where people were either standing or in a seated area.

Advertisement

 



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending