Leaving a community legacy

Imagine getting up every morning knowing that you are going to help someone today. Knowing that you get to help someone or a lot of someone’s every single day.

How amazing would it be to know that your entire 40-plus hour work week is helping people better themselves and their community?

This is exactly what Kari Ure has done for the last 2 1/2 years. She has been the Utah State University Extension assistant professor over home and community for Sevier County.

Ure’s entire goals and responsibilities have included supporting the community at the county level by extending education to the common person, obtaining grants to assist people with health, wellness, finances, homemaking, food preservation and preparation, and assisting in bettering individuals in their home and family lives.

The possibilities to help others in the valley have been endless. Some of the programs, activities, and events Ure was able to create and assist in have been the escape the vape program for which she was able to go to all four elementary schools in Sevier County to educate fifth graders on the negative effects of vaping and the encouragement to avoid it. She also helped hold a dinner to encourage and equip adults with ways to deal with and overcome trauma in their lives.

Ure helped put on a class to help people with diabetes know what healthy food choices are out there and how to prepare meals accordingly. Tai chi classes were held and a highlight for many at the senior center.

Family fun kits were assembled and given to children to take home in hopes that they would lead an activity for the whole family. Finance classes for all that wished to participate were organized as well, and a county freeze dryer was purchased in efforts to help the community.

Another program that has been near to Ure’s heart is the educational awareness for overdose and helping family members remember and honor their loved ones who have been affected by it. A Night To Remember is a lantern tribute to remember those we have lost to overdose, to recognize those in recovery, and to provide support and resources for all. This special event will be held Thursday, Aug. 31 at the Richfield City Park from 77 to 8:30 p.m.

The community garden will be one of Ure’s most memorable contributions to Sevier County.

“So many people, organizations, groups, and companies came together to help,” said Ure. “The community has been great to help out and I hope it will continue from here.”

This idea of a community garden came by way of Utah’s governor, as intergenerational poverty continues in our state. He has seen the need to curb assistance to multigenerational families who have received assistance for 12 consecutive months or more and help individuals and communities be more self-sufficient.

So, Ure, USU, Central Utah Public Health, Central Utah Food Sharing, Rocky Mountain Power, the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, Richfield High School’s greenhouse department, Larsen’s Ace Hardware, Diamond K, S&S Tree Services, Barbara Jensen, Shalon Hartle, Brent Thorne, the young single adult ward from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and an army of other volunteers went to work. They donated land, wrote and secured grants for funding, built wooden planter boxes, dug holes, planted fruit trees, planted a variety of fruits and vegetables, and continue to maintain and weed the garden on a regular basis.

Ure and her fabulous husband and No. 1 volunteer over the last couple years, Brent, are moving onto helping others in communities across Idaho as family & consumer sciences extension faculty with an addition of more 4-H involvement for Caribou and Bear Lake Counties.

“Thank you to such supportive county commissioners and to so many who have given countless volunteer hours in Extension programming,” said Ure. “I appreciate you allowing me to connect on a personal and individual level. My Sevier County connections will always be very special to me.”