Utah
Utah nonprofit creates events, experiences for disadvantaged children
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A simple moment watching a child laugh changed everything for Ivan Gonzalez.
Eight years ago, Gonzalez was working at the Ronald McDonald House when he had an idea to throw a birthday carnival for the kids staying there.
“Let’s do a carnival, birthday carnival for the kids,” he said.
MORE | Pay It Forward
What happened during that event stuck with him.
“There I was watching this kid play whack-a-mole, just having a blast, laughing,” Gonzalez said. “And then I see his mom kind of with happy tears because he’s enjoying himself.”
That moment led to something bigger.
Gonzalez realized the experience shouldn’t stop with just one event or just one group of kids.
“I said, wait, we can do this not just for kids in the hospital,” he said with excitement.
So he started a nonprofit called Best Seat in the House, which creates events and experiences for children who often face difficult circumstances.
“We provide events and experiences for disadvantaged kids,” Gonzalez said.
The organization serves children battling cancer and other medical conditions, refugee children, kids living in poverty, those in foster care and children with special needs.
“These kids grow up too fast,” Gonzalez said.
For Gonzalez, the mission is deeply personal.
“I grew up very poor,” he said.
He remembers the people who stepped in for his family when they needed it most.
“The local church, we weren’t even a part of it,” he described. “My parents couldn’t afford Christmas gifts and I still remember the gifts they gave me. They didn’t even know me.”
Today, he hopes to create that same feeling for other children through his nonprofit.
“Kids live in poverty and they don’t know where the next meal is coming from, let alone going to a play or to a game,” Gonzalez said.
But for Gonzalez, the reward isn’t the events themselves, it’s the joy they create.
“You can give me a billion dollars, all the money in the world,” he says as tears roll down his face. “I won’t trade these opportunitieskids just enjoying life.”
Because of his work giving back, KUTV and Mountain America Credit Union surprised Gonzalez with a Pay it Forward gift to help him continue creating those moments for kids across Utah.
For more information on supporting Best Seat in the House, click here.
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LEHI, Utah (Amazing America) — Featuring over one million blooming flowers, including about 400,000 tulips imported from Holland, the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival is one of the largest, most popular springtime events in the U.S., held each year at Ashton Gardens in Lehi, Utah.
The festival runs for about six weeks, usually from early April until mid-May. This year’s celebration concludes on May 16, so there’s still time to see the beautiful blooms.
Throughout the course of the festival, new flowers are always blossoming — and not just tulips. Visitors can admire daffodils, poppies, hyacinths and more.
Each year, tens of thousands of people flock to the festival from all over. What really sets Thanksgiving Point apart is that every October, the team redesigns bloom patterns and plants new bulbs, making for a completely fresh experience for visitors each year.
The Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival is filled to the brim with the sights, scents and sounds of spring. It’s a must-visit for all flower enthusiasts, but there’s really something for everyone to enjoy, including sweet and savory treats, live music on select days, interactive classes and tours, and plenty of unique photo opportunities.
Timed entry tickets are required, and prices range from $17 to $29. Children two and under enter for free. The festival is typically open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and closed on Sunday. For more information, click here.
We know there are plenty of other stories of unique landmarks and cultural experiences in all corners of the USA, and we’re making it our mission to find and highlight them. If you know of one, we’d love to hear about it. Send a DM to @amazingamericatv on Instagram!
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SALT LAKE CITY — Insurance fraud costs Americans over $300 billion every year — and it’s growing.
In Utah, state investigators said half of their insurance fraud cases involve automobiles. These scams not only slow down legitimate claims, but they also jack up the premiums we pay for insurance.
“We’ve seen a steady increase over the years,” said Armand Glick, who oversees the Utah Insurance Department’s Fraud Division. “Since 2022, we’ve had an 80% increase in our referrals to our division for investigation.”
While staged accidents where criminals crash into unsuspecting drivers to make false claims do happen in Utah, Glick said most of the fraud is staged on paper in the form of false reports.
“They swerved to avoid a deer or an animal and struck a guard rail, or a hit and run in a grocery store parking lot,” Glick said of two common schemes his investigators hear.
But the biggest scheme they see, he says, is “crash and buy.” That’s where uninsured drivers buy a policy just after a crash.
“They’ll file the claim and they’ll represent that they were involved in the accident after they were insured,” said Glick.
Another common scheme involves drivers trying to lower their rates by lying about where the car is located, whether it’s used for ridesharing, or who regularly drives it. And one of the biggest increases they’ve seen lately is windshield fraud. That’s where people get insurance to cover a windshield that was already broken.
“Windshields no longer cost $300,” he said, “but they’re closer to $1,200 to $1,500.”
Whether it’s windshield fraud, a “crash and buy” or a staged collision, gaming the system causes everyone’s rates to go up.
“We pay $700 to $1,000 a year due to insurance fraud,” said Glick.
While staged accidents aren’t as common in Utah as others, it’s still possible to get caught up in one. Glick says if the other driver doesn’t want police called and insists on settling in cash that is a huge red flag.
Call police, take pics of everything. That includes photos of passengers of the car. Fraudsters like to add passengers in their claim.
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