Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation receives Community Impact Award for youth sports – Park Record

Visit Salt Lake honored The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Tuesday with its Community Impact Award in recognition for the foundation’s dedication to and impact on youth sports in Utah.

The distinction was awarded during Visit Salt Lake’s third annual Sports Tourism Summit.

The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation — which includes Utah Olympic Park, Utah Olympic Oval and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center — features youth winter sport programs in skating, skiing, sliding sports and more across Utah. The foundation offers these programs to all ages and ability levels with several scholarship options to reduce the barriers to sport participation, according to the foundation.

“It is an honor to receive the Visit Salt Lake Community Impact award,” Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation CEO Colin Hilton said. “This recognition further validates our daily mission to cultivate champions in sport and in life regardless of challenge or circumstance.”

The foundation cites its Healthy Communities Initiative as a key driver of its impact. Launched in 2018, Healthy Communities aims to celebrate racial, ethnic, gender and economic diversity by providing financial opportunities for children to develop physically, mentally and socially through access to sports participation, according to the foundation.

The program provides a free, five-week Learn to Skate Program to over 750 fourth and fifth grade students in Kearns and includes transportation, instruction and equipment. The initiative has since expanded to provide free lessons, summer camp scholarship opportunities and other ways for low-income, special needs, and youth from diverse communities to participate in sports.

“Through their commitment to youth development and celebrating the spirit of the Olympic Games, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation has a profound impact on our community,” said Kaitlin Eskelson, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake. “By breaking down barriers to participation, they empower young people across Utah to access opportunities for growth, health, and achievement. We are proud to honor their impact, which aligns so closely with our mission to support a vibrant and inclusive visitor economy.”

The foundation said it has funded over $276,000 in subsidized sporting opportunities through the Healthy Communities program, and provided another $177,000 in scholarships, between 2018 and 2022. Healthy Communities and foundation scholarships have benefitted over 3,200 kids, they said.