I have never been in the newspaper. Sadly, I must admit, that I've always sort of wanted to have my shining moment in a local paper. I was in the May 2003 Ensign (I was singing at General Conference with the BYU choirs) but I was in the bottom corner of the photo.
Now my dream has come true! I made it in the Provo newspaper....and now I realize not only is it not that big of a deal to be in the paper but in my case...it's kind of embarassing!
The company I work for has a tradition of spending Martin Luther King Jr Day doing service in the community. (It is one of the things that made me very excited to work for FirstWest.) This year we sorted food at a local center. I remember someone calling my name and telling me to smile as I was heaving a huge basket of canned food out of a bin. I did what I was told and saw the flash of a camera. I didn't think much of it and continued working.
It wasn't until that weekend when I received a text from a fellow coworker that I was the "star of the classifieds" that I guessed what had happened to that picture of me. I can only be greatful that I don't know too many people in Orem/Provo so I didn't have to worry too much about people recognizing my ugly mug as they perused their morning paper. But seeing as it is still fun to be in the paper, regardless of what you look like, I figured I would post it for everyone else to see!
Employees Serve the Community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
PROVO, Utah (Jan. 19, 2009)—Keeping with their annual tradition, the employees of FirstWest Benefit Solutions in Orem and SLC spent their Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering service to the community.
This year, FirstWest worked with Community Action Services and Food Bank to sort donated food. FirstWest employees were given the opportunity to volunteer their services on Monday. Working together, close to 30 employees sorted 69,000 lbs of food for Community Action.
“We are always so excited to see local businesses getting involved and volunteering,” said Erica Hone, communications director of Community Action Services and Food Bank. “It is so great to have partners like FirstWest Benefit Solutions to make our work possible and our community a better place.”
This is the fourth year that FirstWest employees volunteered their service as a way to recognize human rights and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Management at FirstWest encourages its employees to take the opportunity to serve the community. The day of service gives the employees the opportunity to serve the community as well as themselves.
“Our goal is to help the community be a better place,” said Dave Jackson, managing partner at
FirstWest. “Serving not only helps the community, but makes us better employees as we work side‐byside in a setting other than the office. “
FirstWest aspires to reach out to make sure everyone’s basic needs are met. “The groups we search out are those that serve the least fortunate,” Jackson said. “Food is a basic necessity, so helping the Food Bank is a great way to reach out.”
Community Action Services and Food Bank, the second largest food bank in Utah, distributes more than 2.3 million lbs of food annually, helping thousands of families and local organizations. The opportunity to give service is abundant with many hundreds of volunteers needed to help at the food bank warehouse each year.
“We’ll continue to have our day of service each Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” Jackson said. “It is important for organizations to reach out and do what they can to make Utah a better place.”
