HOMETOWN HEROES PARKITES GIVE BACK  – Park City Supporters

It’s not just our stunning mountain landscape that makes Park City so exceptional—it’s all about the people too. Living in a mountain town, old and new locals are made from hardy stock and filled with compassion for helping their neighbors. It was Friday, the 13th, in March of 2020, that Park City began shutting down in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19. While ski lifts and schools closed, so many Parkites stepped up, stepped in and found new ways to support each other and the community.

Even with the pandemic, every day needs had to be filled. Pets needed care, music needed to be heard, tests needed to be administered, children needed to learn and small acts of kindness were needed more than ever before.

At the Park City Animal Clinic, Dr. Prior and his team masked up, kept their distance and continued to care for our beloved pets in Park City. In fact, they had more patients than ever as people added puppies and kittens to their families.

To keep their clients safe, the veterinarians and technicians set up tables and chairs in the parking lot where they could greet people and carry patients into the clinic for treatment. Pets do not have the gift of language and, therefore, rely on their people to communicate their needs. Clients struggled when they could not be in the room for exams.

But, the team at the Park City Animal Clinic kept clients and patients calm and cared for. They listened to their clients and carried their patients into the clinic treating them like their own.

Summer is Park City’s time for gathering with friends for free concerts, listening to live music outdoors and dancing.

When music venues closed, Brian Richards started a Door-to-Door music series with Mountain Town Music. Fuse ‘N Rock hit the road.

Drummer, Mark Conklin, notes, “I think people were really starved for live music. We loved being able to share some of it with them.”

This new type of venue made a difference. When Fuse ‘N Rock practiced in driveways, people would stop and listen. It made the family walks around the neighborhood even more fun.

To keep the county healthy, Beth Armstrong, the executive director of the People’s Health Clinic made sure the doors stayed open by changing the way care was delivered. In addition, Beth rallied volunteers to test students and staff at schools. At first, testing was a little scary, but seeing Beth’s eyes smile, made everyone feel just a little better.

Providing testing for small businesses and supporting the student “test-to-stay” program was, “the hardest, most wonderful experience of my life,” notes Beth.

Treasure Mountain Junior High School teacher, Emily Gaudet, realized that students who were quarantined did not have all of the materials they needed to keep learning. But, more than that, she noticed that her students were missing the connections to the classroom and their friends. With a grant from The Park City Education Foundation, Emily started delivering customized quarantine bags to students. Those bags made a big difference in connectivity and motivation.

All of these generous Parkites were heroes before, during and after the pandemic. Kennadi Prior took her time, treasure and talent to support local Angels. As a stylist, Kennadi saw a need for some of the most at-risk members of our community to have an opportunity to look and feel better.

Through Kennadi’s Angel Program at Cityscape Salon, locals can nominate angels for complimentary salon treatments. “I have met the most amazing individuals. These are people who give and give and do and do for others, but don’t have the time or the discretionary dollars for themselves.” If you would like to nominate a local Park City angel, or donate to this amazing program honoring local heroes, reach out to Kennadi at Cityscape Salon.

SOURCEJulie Hooker
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