At last count, 144 nonprofits that serve Summit County will participate in the 15th anniversary of Live PC Give PC, a day of fundraising, facilitated by the Park City Community Foundation. (See story on page A-1.)
Volunteers, staff and administration of two of these organizations — Park City Education Foundation and Park City Film — have been with the fundraiser since the beginning.
Park City Education Foundation
Jennifer Billow, Park City Education Foundation’s vice president of advancement, said it’s always an honor to be part of Live PC Give PC.
“We’re one of the OGs,” she said. “We participated the first year it started, and had no idea what to expect. It sounded a little crazy at the time because we thought, ‘Are people going to do this?’ (Then) I remember being in the office watching these donations tick, tick, tick, tick. It was really quite remarkable and really fun.”
While the Ed Foundation, as many local residents call it, already has participated in two big fundraisers — Build the Foundation and Red Apple Gala — Live PC Give PC gives the greater public, those outside its particular audience — a glimpse of to see how the nonprofit works, according to Billow
“This gives folks who don’t have kids or who are second-home owners a chance to get to know us,” she said. “And that’s exciting.”
Live PC Give PC is actually the largest fundraiser for the Education Foundation’s Bright Futures program, “a comprehensive, multi-year program that equips first-generation students with the full spectrum of ‘college knowledge’ so they can get to — and through — post-high school education,” according to the program mission.
“We fund two positions,” Billow said.
One is a counselor at the high school who works at Park City High School every day and focuses on first-generation students through meetings every week, according to Billow.
The other position funded through Live PC Give PC donations is the Education Foundation’s college program manager.
“She works with all the college students to make sure they have the resources they need to stay on track and are directed to the right scholarships,” Billow said.
Live PC Give PC also funds other Bright Futures needs such as financial and emergency aid.
“Bright Futures’ budget is actually just over $700,000, (and) Live PC Give PC is a critical fundraiser for us,” Billow said.
Park City Education Foundation also uses the Live PC Give PC platform to help raise funds for an array of school-related clubs and activities that aren’t the biggest sport or have their own 501 (c) 3, according to Billow.
“If you go to the Park City Education Foundation page on Live PC Give PC and scroll down, you will see, right now, 21 other projects,” she said. “There’s not a lot of other ways for these clubs to fundraise, other than perhaps selling items like wrapping paper or candy. Live PC Give PC gives them the opportunity to fundraise on a much bigger scale, to a broader audience.”
Park City Education Foundation’s fundraising goal this year is $100,000, Billow said.
“(This is) a program that I think the whole community gets behind, even if they don’t have a child in the school district,” she said. “We have several matches available that will double people’s impact, and the Community Foundation does a great job driving people to those groups who have matches, so you can double your impact.”
To help draw attention to the Park City Education Foundation, the Hablemos Club at Ecker Hill Middle School will be out waving signs on Thursday morning at their school, and the foundation’s board members and staff members will be in front of Park City High School, Billow said.
“Also, Latinos in Action is hosting their Day of the Dead celebration at Park City High School the evening before Live PC Give PC starts,” she said. “There is food, dancing and of course the ofrenda (that) starts at 5:30 p.m. And the Girls Basketball Club is in full fundraising mode. So, they will be out on Friday, and will continue their fundraising with a previously planned car wash on Saturday Nov. 8, from noon-3 p.m. at Ol’ Miners Car Wash.”
For information about Park City Community Foundation, visit pcef4kids.org.
To visit Park City Education Foundation’s Live PC Give PC page, visit livepcgivepc.org/organization/Pcef4kids.
Park City Film
Park City Film, like the Park City Education Foundation, has participated in Live PC Give PC from the beginning, said Executive Director Katharine Wang.
“There were like 60 nonprofits, and the goal was to raise $300,000, which was a huge coup at the end of the day,” she said.
Throughout the past decade and half, Park City Film board of directors and past executive directors have decided to capitalize on how immersive screening independent films is. So instead of heading to the streets and waving signs, the arthouse nonprofit has amped up its programming this week, Wang said.
“Then we highlight what we do and remind folks what Park City Film brings to Summit County,” she said.
The films Park City Film has programmed at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, for Thursday, Nov. 6, the day before Live PC Give PC this year, are “Home River” and “What the River Knows,” which are part of Park City Film’s Made In Utah Film Series.
“The Made in Utah Film Series is a program we started as an offshoot of the Filmmakers Showcase, started by local filmmaker Jill Orschel, which were short films from Park City,” Wang said. “The program has now expanded to the entire state, and we also showcase films that aren’t just made in Utah. We showcase filmmakers who are based in Utah. And we’re seeing short films, medium length films and feature films.”
“Home River” is a 26-minute documentary directed by Scott Thorton and Kati Ericksen, according to Wang.
“Scott is a Utah-based filmmaker and comes from multi-generations of Utahns, and this is a film about the Sámi people in Finland who had fished the Deatnu River,” she said. “They are trying to protect their indigenous rights to fish on this river.”
But the film isn’t just about fishing, Wang said.
“It’s about the spiritual component of sustenance and culture,” she said. “There’s a lot built up around that, and this is about three women who are standing their ground. And Kati Ericksen, who co-directed the film, is one of these women.”
The second film of the evening, “What the River Knows,” runs 34 minutes and is directed by Diego Riley and Will Buckley, Wang said.
“It’s about Glen Canyon,” she said. “It’s about how it was inundated to make Lake Powell and how it is emerging as the Colorado River recedes due to climate change and lower water levels. It’s also about how a magnificent piece of beauty is coming back to life, and what that means when it comes to thinking about water management in the West.”
Park City Film has scheduled a Q and A after the screenings, and following that, attendees are invited to gather in a filmmaker lounge to talk with filmmakers, industry professionals and other attendees, Wang said.
The film scheduled for Nov. 7, the actual date of Live PC Give PC, at the Santy Auditorium, is Matchstick Production’s new ski film, “After the Snowfall.” Friday’s screening will start at 7:30 p.m., and additional screenings will continue at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.
“It’s fun to kick off the winter and get everyone excited with this film,” Wang said.
We’ve been working with Matchstick Productions longer than I have been with Park City Film, and their films are always a great way for people to get together.”
Wang has known about Matchstick Productions since she graduated college.
“They are a small independent film company out of Crested Butte, Colorado,” she said. “I knew of them when I lived in Crested Butte during my ski-bum days.”
“After the Snowfall” shows how skiing is a way of life, Wang said.
“It’s not all about big jumps,” she said. “It’s about how kids are growing up to be professionals in the sport. It’s an adventure tour that reminds us of our love of skiing and independent cinema at the same time.”
Park City Film’s Live PC Give PC fundraising goal this year is $45,000, and that can be reached through matching grants up to $13,000 from the Promontory Foundation, the Cole Family Fund, Lorraine Stuecken and Amy Eskind, Wang said.
“What’s so beautiful about Live PC Give PC is it’s really a celebration of the amazing things all of our nonprofits in our community are doing,” she said. “Park City Film presents something that’s unique. We bring people together in unique ways and we present stories that otherwise would not be told.”
For information about Park City Film, visit parkcityfilm.org.
To visit Park City Film’s Live PC Give PC page, visit livepcgivepc.org/organization/Parkcityfilm.