The Utah Department of Health needs help to provide the gift of hearing to children during the holiday season.
They are asking people to donate used hearing aids that they no longer need. If the hearing aids need repairs, they will be made.The donated aids will be given to children in families that cannot afford to buy new ones.
To donate the hearing aids or to qualify for used ones, call Nita Owens, 584-8221, or write to the Bureau of Communicative Disorders, 44 Medical Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84113. People outside Salt Lake City may call 1-800-826-9662 and ask to be transferred to Communicative Disorders. Donors will receive a self-addressed, stamped packing envelope in which to return the hearing aid. Included in the package is a letter from the bureau acknowledging the contribution, which may be considered a charitable contribution for federal tax purposes.
- Students and faculty at Bingham High School will donate more than $7,000 to local families in a Sub for Santa program that has become a tradition in the rural South Jordan community. Student body officers have collected contributions, held auctions and dances and provided other incentives for student contributions. The money will be used to buy gifts to present to families on Christmas Eve.
Everyone at the school has been involved in the fund-raising effort.
To raise money, the officers and faculty members agreed to various rituals. During an assembly Monday, the vice principal ate a live goldfish, the seminary principal ate grasshoppers and another vice principal and student body vice president Blake Lowry had their heads shaved.
Over the past five years, the school has raised more than $25,000 for the Sub for Santa program.
- The Salt Lake County Commissioners visited the Salt Lake Community Shelter and Resource Center Tuesday to take part in a holiday program that featured the Granite Park Junior High Jazz Band, String Quartet and Boys Choir. They performed for homeless families staying in the shelter.
They also presented money they raised to the shelter.
The commissioners visited with families and presented bags of candy and other goodies to the children. They also announced their third annual gift to the shelter, which provides shelter for more than 8,000 individuals a year.
- The Utah Tax Commission Administration Division Christmas Sharing Project joined volunteers from the Utah-Idaho Viet News staff in a commitment to assist a Vietnamese immigrant family of 10 that has been in the United States for only a few months.
They provided gifts and food to the immigrants.
- A Salt Lake-area optometrist and the Eye Correction Clinic of Utah are helping Toys for Tots this Christmas.
On Tuesday through Friday, Dec. 21-24, Dr. David C. Petersen will do a basic $35 eye examination for glasses in exchange for a toy to be donated to the gift program.
Those interested in donating a toy in exchange for the examination must call 572-4040 for an appointment. Appointments Tuesday through Thursday will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The optometrist's office is located in the Southwood Medical Pavilion, 880 E. 9400 South, Suite 110, Sandy.
- Pace Membership Warehouse, 6525 S. State, is raising money for Primary Children's Medical Center Needy Children. A 95-foot tree donated for the kids needs to be all lit by Thursday, Dec. 23.
The public can help by contributing $1, which will light one light on the tree. Donations will be taken through Christmas. The goal is $25,000.
- NEPHI - Local families who are down on their luck and want a Christmas tree this year can thank the local Soil Conservation Service for serving as elves this year.
The department turned over several trees to the local Human Services Department for distribution.
The trees were donated by an anonymous source and employees donated their own time and effort to cut more than 50 trees to be distributed to various locations in Juab, Sevier and Sanpete Counties. SCS employees hope to make this an annual event.