Heber Valley Life

Tag: Foundation

  • A Leap of Faith and a Little Heavy Lifting

    A Leap of Faith and a Little Heavy Lifting

    At the start of a world-wide health pandemic, Justin Fuchs took a leap of faith and opened Iron Backs gym to share his love of health and fitness with the valley. From the beginning, the mission of the gym has been to offer an environment of support and encouragement, where anyone could feel comfortable showing up as they are in the present moment at an affordable cost. Justin expressed, “I wanted less people without dads and granddads because of health issues. That’s something we can control . . . health and fitness we can absolutely control.”

    Simultaneously, the Kole Wright Foundation, a youth mentorship program focused on creating positive mental health through fitness and other avenues, was struggling to stay running due to program restrictions and difficulty finding mentors and volunteers. Founder, Terra Wright, said, “At the end of 2020, our board had disbanded, we were going to shut down the foundation for good. Something kept stopping me saying, ‘No, just wait, just wait’. So we came into early 2021 and I was like, we are done.” However, she could never bring herself to push the button on the computer that would cause the final closeout.

    In May 2021, Terra and her husband Chase, started attending Iron Backs gym and talking with Justin, who was in the process of qualifying for a non-profit to sponsor young athletes who couldn’t afford the monthly gym fee. His goal is to help as many individuals as he can, which is why, from the gym’s opening day, he has offered a discount to first responders and veterans; it is why he and his fellow coaches have offered a free class for special needs youth for nearly a year. Several patrons have been told to just come and use the facility if they can’t afford it. The purpose of the Iron Backs Barbell Club would be to help cover some of the costs of these benefits. However, as Justin and Terra continued talking, Terra realized that she knew why she couldn’t officially close the foundation and thus began the collaboration and combining of the entities, all under the Kole Wright name.

    Chase and Terra Wright with Alec Sargeant, Tactical Games

    @ironbacksfitness  /  ironbacks.com

    Terra reached out to the disbanded board members to determine interest in coming back on with the new charter; two of them joined up again. With Terra, Chase, and Justin on the board it was now full and the foundation immediately began working towards its new mission. Terra shared, “My goal always with the foundation had been to turn it into a CrossFit gym setting. Now we all have the gym space, someone leading the way with the business model, and we can focus on mental health through fitness.” Probably the largest shift in the forward movement of the foundation is the expanded focus from youth only to encompass adults as well. Terra mentioned that this filled a void, allowing her to keep the mission as steadfast as possible.

    Both Justin and Terra appreciate the benefits that exercise has offered them, not only physically but mentally as well and they are excited to share these benefits with anyone that needs it. According to the CDC, physical benefits from exercising can include: decreased risk of heart disease, slowing down of osteoporosis or prevention, help with warding off certain cancers — including breast and colon, regulation of blood sugar and weight to inhibit development of type 2 diabetes, increase agility, and strengthens the muscles and bones1. There are also many mental health benefits from exercising like; reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety; alleviating stress and increasing the body’s ability to adapt to it; boosting self-esteem; improving sleep; and strengthening memory and delaying cognitive disease2.

    Veterans, in particular, are a special focus and the foundation is excited to participate in Tactical Games, which are “obstacle courses paired with shooting challenges; basically a Spartan race with guns.” Terra and Justin are both veterans and hold respect and honor for our country and those that fight for it. They have a passion for helping Veterans who often get released from their service and struggle with PTSD and the loss of being part of a team. Many struggle finding their place outside of Military service; having knowledge and incredible skills that may have less application in the civilian world — hence the Tactical games, which will allow them to use some of their skills in a fun and competitive yet collaborative environment. Not limited to Veterans, the foundation will also largely focus on all First Responders and Special Needs individuals. However, the sponsorship will not be limited to these groups. Anyone can apply to be considered, and the foundation will help as many people as possible. Eventually, they want to expand the services offered to include counseling and other forms of therapy for those that may need it.

    The foundation has been funded, to date, through community fundraisers and businesses; the plan and hope is for that to continue. Terra spoke about the support that the Foundation has received over the last couple of years and how grateful they are for it. They will continue to hold the Spring Clean and other CrossFit competitions as well as an annual dinner and silent auction where they will showcase the accomplishments that the participants have achieved throughout the year. Their 2022 focus and hopes for expansion include, finding recurring sponsorships and a larger gym facility to accommodate the growing numbers of members for both the Kole Wright Foundation and the Iron Backs gym. What a wonderful blessing it is to have people who work hard to create a healthier mental community, who share such a passion for it, right here in the Heber Valley.

     1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, November 1). Benefits of Physical Activity. 

    2Walden University LLC (2022). 5 Mental Benefits of Exercise. 

  • Built to Ride

    Built to Ride

    It’s no secret that one of the greatest, most tangible benefits to living in or visiting Wasatch County is the proximity to high-quality, sustainable trails.

    Whether you consider yourself a hiker, a mountain biker, an equestrian, or just someone looking for great views in Heber Valley — you know our trails are amazing — but have you ever wondered how the trails you use came to be?

    THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL

    In 1992, the Mountain Trails Foundation was established in Park City at a time when all local hand-cut trails were on private land. Their team and board worked with developers and private landowners to advocate for creating more non-motorized trails across Park City.

    The same energy, desire, and opportunity for a hand-cut trail system existed in Heber Valley, but without any formal organization to get it off the ground. A group of dedicated individuals, including Carol Potter, a Heber Valley resident and former Executive Director of the Mountain Trails Foundation, and Don Taylor, took on the challenge by founding the Wasatch Trails Alliance. They began heavily advocating for trails in Wasatch County with a focus on soft surface, single-track style trails. But, due to being largely run by volunteers, the organization eventually paused operations as the founders focused on other initiatives.

    Luckily, the light of the Wasatch Trails Alliance never fully went out. Together, Perry Dickson, the owner of Slim & Knobby’s Bike Shop, Eric Porter, a local professional mountain biker, and other current board members took the Alliance through a rebranding and relaunched a few years ago with a new website, now doing business as Wasatch Trails Foundation.

    “That original group basically came in and breathed new life into the organization. They brought in new donors, new blood, and started looking at new projects,” said current Foundation director, Scott House.

    “This was right about the time that the WOW (Wasatch Over Wasatch) trail was coming out of concept into something that could be a reality. That was really where Wasatch Trails Foundation hit the ground running — working with Wasatch Mountain State Park and Mountain Trails Foundation to get the WOW Trail as we know it today built and in place. That really was the proof that this can be successful. We can do this as a group of volunteers. And that there’s a high demand in our valley for trail work and trail advocacy.”

    BLAZING NEW TRAILS:
    START TO FINISH

    From ideating and designing to funding and building, you might be surprised to learn just how much goes into bringing the trails we know, use, and love, to fruition. Let’s start from the beginning.

    1 IDEATION

    “Everything starts from an idea — whether that’s an idea from a board member, community member, or one of our partner organizations — be it Mountain Trails Foundation, Wasatch Mountain State Park, or another,” said House.

    2 DESIGN

    The next step is to pressure test if an idea can live as a legitimate concept. The Foundation determines if they can move from the idea phase to designing by heavily examining local maps and putting down lines and markers to determine what terrain is available. The Foundation then consults with partners and community members to continue determining the viability of the design.

    3 COST

    Once the initial design is mocked up, the next step down the funnel is going through the costing process — pricing out each step, including rough estimates for using professional trail builders, creating signage, and more.

    4 APPROVALS

    With a solid dollar amount in mind, the Foundation moves to get approvals from their board on where the trail’s going to go in Wasatch County and where it’s going to cross through. Then, they talk with respective landowners, land managers, and state and national environmental agencies for full approval to move forward.

    5 GRANT WRITING

    After design and budget approvals, the real action begins — finding funding for the project in mind.

    House explained, “We start looking for different grant resources, both locally in the state of Utah and nationally. Most of the grants that we have written, or wrote as of late, have been through the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, which is under the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. And those grants can cover up to 50% of the cost of the total project.”

    The other 50% is typically matched by fundraising efforts locally and through partners.

    6 TRAIL BUILDING

    Once the grant is awarded, that’s when the work can really start of building a trail. The Foundation begins by flagging the corridor.

    “That means we’re out in the woods, walking through the hills, tying nylon flagging on trees, shooting grades, avoiding sensitive areas, and all the things we need to do to get that trail alignment,” said House.

    Next comes clearing the corridor of trees and brush with the help of volunteers and paid professionals to prepare for building out the trail. House stated that, “Wasatch Trails Foundation has taken the stance that hiring professional trail builders — who this is their career, this is what they focus on — really produces the best product. They build that trail [from] start to finish and are all polished up. Once it’s in, we take all that information and we report that to our grant: this is what we’ve completed, it’s all done, here are pictures, here’s how everything went. We show them all the money we spent. And then the grant reimburses all that back to our organization.”

    The Foundation currently has two grant-funded trails in the works: one on schedule to be completed by June 15, 2022 and another trail that will break ground this summer with a target completion of fall 2022 or summer 2023.

    Supporting Wasatch Trails Foundation’s mission of creating, supporting, and preserving a sustainable, non-motorized trail system in our community is simple and customizable.

    1 Become a member

    Membership levels include: business/corporate for $200/year; couple for $60/year; household up to 6 people for $110/year; and individual for $35/year. A sustaining member is $15 every month, ongoing.

    2 One-off donations

    Make a donation to Wasatch Trails Foundation in any amount (one-time, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually). You can also choose a campaign (i.e. Winter Grooming) to dedicate that donation to.

    wasatchtrails.org

    A FIRST FOR UTAH STATE PARKS

    When asked what project has been closest to the heart for members of the Foundation, House says the Pike Canyon Bike Park comes to mind first.

    Considered a big feather in their cap, the Pike Canyon Bike Park was not only the first bike park facility in Wasatch County, but it was also the first in a state park in Utah. Generously supported by local donations and a grant supplied by the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, the project set a precedent for using grant funding to build high-quality projects that not only benefit the Heber Valley community, but also help advance Utah state parks into a modern era of supplying the state park’s clientele and visitors with the amenities they’re now looking for.

    “[Pike Canyon] has the mountain biking and hiking experiences and all these things that the modern recreationalist is looking for. That project was extra special for the group.”

    TO INFINITY (SALT LAKE COUNTY) AND BEYOND

    Last year, the Foundation was awarded grants for the BO to WOW Connector: a project with the goal of connecting the upper part of the WOW Trail into the Bonanza Flat Loop, which is in the Bonanza Flat Open Space. It’s a 1200 acre parcel of open space owned by Park City and under conservation easement with Utah Open Lands. Currently, Mountain Trails Foundation is building hiking trails, biking trails, and multi-use trails up there. Wasatch Trails Foundation is building a 3 to 4-mile section of trail that will connect into the Upper Trail System to the top of the WOW Trail.

    “Once that 4 mile piece of trail is in, you have a true single-track route where you can leave from Wasatch County and ride all the way up and over the Wasatch Crest and into Salt Lake County. You’ll pass through Wasatch, Summit, and Salt Lake Counties and you’ll never really have to ride on a road, other than crossing a road to connect into another piece of trail. It’ll be a full single-track connection from valley to valley. It’s really a special piece of trail,” shared House.

    COMMUNITY OUTREACH

    Wasatch Trails Foundation has an incredibly bright future as it continues to work every day to improve and expand on the unmatched outdoor recreation opportunities for everyone that visits and calls Wasatch County home. The Foundation sees the local community as an integral piece of its past, current, and future successes. But, building a strong, passionate trails community requires hearing the voices and desires of all involved.

    House said, “One of our main focuses of 2022 is community engagement . . . and trying to listen to and figure out what our community wants. Where does our community see a need and how can Wasatch Trails Foundation meet that need? We don’t want to sit in our own echo chamber, thinking we’re the only ones with good ideas, assuming we know what everybody wants. We want to hear from our community.”

    The Foundation hopes to expand its donation base to help bring in the additional funding needed to go after bigger grants to expand our trail systems, maintenance programs, and provide better trail connectivity. House states that “As we work through the next 5, 10, 20 years, we have a lot of potential for big projects in Wasatch County. But without the support and engagement of the community, it’s really hard to get those projects off the ground.”

    Next time you’re out enjoying one of our many wonderful trails, take a moment to remember the visionaries, volunteers, and donors behind Wasatch Trails Foundation and the incredible amount of work involved in creating the means for all to get out and explore the beautifully scenic space we call home.

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