Ryan Van Wagenen - "Let's Make 2018 the Year of Giving"

My name is Ryan Van Wagenen. I'm originally from this great state and currently reside in Cottonwood Heights. Before early 2017, almost all my daily focus was on myself, family and work. Now that I retired about a year ago and have a lot more free time, I made a conscious decision to focus as much time as possible on helping others. I cannot tell you how much happier I have been since making this great change in my life and focusing on philanthropy. My family constantly tells me that I am a new and improved man. I have always believed in God, but I also feel much more spiritual than ever before. We are so blessed here in SLC to have great people. I often say that this state is one of the best places to live on earth (minus the inversion). I like to share my thoughts in writing and hope that some of you will join me in adopting the motto "Let's Make 2018 the Year of Giving."

You may ask, but how do we give? This is where I would leave it and usually just neglect the opportunities. The word "philanthropy" tends to make us think about famous leaders donating millions of dollars for special global causes. It's important to know that times are changing and we are in a new era where anyone can be known as a philanthropist. Every SLC community member can be a philanthropist by giving of their time, talents or resources to benefit causes that matter most to them. Each of us is in a different stage of our life and so what we give is unique to us as individuals.

I always like to give a few ideas. A great way to find local opportunities is through the UServe Opportunities website. This lays out many opportunities here locally in SLC and I recommend checking this site out periodically for ways to help.

One interesting opportunity is helping with the SLC Marathon (SLCM) in this state on April 20-21, 2018. The iconic event will gather ~1000 volunteers and features a full marathon, half marathon, 5K race, 26-mile bike tour, 10K in-line skate, and a 1K kids’ marathon. The marathon helps the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and its running team, the Huntsman Hometown Heroes, raise over $50,000 annually. These funds go back to the foundation and the hospital for ground breaking cancer research and services. If you have interest, put April 16th at 6:30pm on your calendar for the official volunteer training session at the Huntsman Cancer Foundation's Hospital (2000 Circle of Hope Drive).

Another pretty cool opportunity for ongoing philanthropy is with Bicycle Angels. The one caveat and that makes it so I'm not a good fit is they are looking for someone that ideally is an experienced cyclist who has completed at least one endurance fundraising event and is familiar with the local cycling community. If this is you, I strongly you suggest you check it out. Below is a link and a few more details about the opportunity.

Salt Lake City Area Volunteer - Ongoing Assignment with Bicycle Angels Inc

Location: 1234 Main Street, SLC

When: They're flexible

About the charity: Bicycle Angels is a non-profit charity that loans bicycles to people for free that want to participate and fundraise for an eligible charity cycling or triathlon event. The participants typically don't have a suitable bike to use, and don't have the means to afford one. The bicycles are loaned to motivated and committed individuals who are passionate about charity fundraising but are not financially capable of owning a bike suitable for endurance cycling.

The goal of their philanthropy efforts is to help remove a major barrier to charity fundraising, plus engage new people into cycling. About half the loan recipients later go on to buy their own bike. Since inception in late 2009, Bicycle Angels has loaned bicycles to over 600 participants who have collectively raised over $1.7 million for 17 important causes. Some of the charities include the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (via Team in Training), Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Diabetes Society, AIDS Lifecycle, Arthritis Foundation, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and Barb’s Breast Cancer Fund. The non-profit currently has a fleet of over 180 road bikes for loan. The philanthropy has operations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, SLC, and Las Vegas, with more to come in the future. Bicycle Angles is seeking one or more volunteers for their SLC area operations. This is currently an unpaid opportunity, however the volunteer position may involve pay (stipend or more) in the future as the group's finances grow. If you have interest, definitely contact the group.

This article was written by Ryan Van Wagenen of Cottonwood Heights. Please contact Ryan if you have any questions or ideas on how to further improve the community.