Donors and volunteers thanked at Dream Builder's Luncheon for CCS of Northern Utah

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, shown seated next to CCS Executive Director Brad Drake, was the keynote speaker at the May 24 Dream Builder's Breakfast.

OGDEN — About 500 people from the greater Ogden community gathered May 24 at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center for the Dream Builder’s Luncheon, the sole fundraiser for Catholic Community Services of Northern Utah.

CCS of Northern Utah runs the largest food bank in that part of the state, and also provides other services to those in need. In 2016, the organization helped 65,068 individuals by giving out 3 million pounds of groceries, hygiene items and pet food through Joyce Hansen Hall food bank; increased their case management appointments by 323 percent; donated 733 layettes to low-income mothers taking their newborn children home from the hospital; and served 23,782 elementary school students through the Bridging the Gap program, which gave them 180,850 meals for the weekend, said Maresha G. Bosgieter, director of CCS of Northern Utah.

New this year, a spring break distribution was undertaken “after one of the principals confided in me the level of anxiety that some of his kids have about being away from school for an entire week because they didn’t know what they were going to eat,” she told those at the luncheon.

“We have here today a mix of people who come together without religious borders to support the project in this community that helps those who need help most,” said Bob Hunter, who was the master of ceremonies for the event, as he thanked those present for their service.

The keynote speaker for the event was Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who said that when he meets with business leaders from other states that want to move to Utah, he tells them, “We have expectations when you do business here,” he said. “We expect you to give back, and we expect you to make the community a better place, and you do. … That’s what makes us great. That’s what makes us better than anywhere else, and that’s the lesson that we have to the rest of the nation and the world.”

In the United States people have been given freedom and liberty, “and it’s incredible, but what we don’t talk about is the duty that comes with that freedom and liberty,” Cox said. “The only way we keep that freedom and liberty – the only way – is if we care more about our neighbors, if we care more about our communities, if we give back. That’s the spirit of freedom. That’s the spirit that makes America great and that’s the spirit of Utah.”

Bishop Oscar A. Solis also spoke at the luncheon.

“As believers in God, we care for our brothers and sisters, especially those in need,” the bishop said. “We dream and hope for a different purpose and reason – we dream for a better and more compassionate humanity. We dream for harmony and peace, we dream for a better world. Thank you all for dreaming, but I commend you for not just being dreamers, because everything that you have dreamed about has become a reality.”

As he has learned about CCS’ mission, he has come to realize that those who donate to and volunteer with the organization “are not only dreamers, you are people who make dreams a reality,” he said. “We are partners in a common mission of helping each other build a better world. May God help us all to realize our dream. … in the midst of obstacles and challenges, let us keep on dreaming together.”

The dream of building a better world may seem to be an impossible dream, but “with God on our side, and with love in our hearts, there is no dream beyond our reach, there is no such thing as an impossible dream,” the bishop said. “And so my dear friends, thank you for dreaming big.”

 Dream Builder’s

 Luncheon Awards

2017 Community Advocate Award

Marcella Martinez, who has been the community liaison for the Ogden School District for 22 years. Martinez “has the strength of a giant in her soul,” said Maresha Bosgieter, director of CCS Northern Utah, adding that Martinez knows the challenges that students face, such as poverty, health issues and language barriers, so “she makes sure she takes care of the whole family,” Bosgieter said.

2017 Community Partner Award

Knights of Columbus, which for the past six years has partnered with CCS Northern Utah to distribute winter coats and other items to children through the annual Coats for Kids drive. In those six years, they have collected over $12,000, purchased almost 3,000 coats, and encouraged other people to donate so that “we’ve actually been able to give away almost 700 brand-new coats every single year” as well as items such as gloves and scarves, Bosgieter said.

2017 Corporate Partner Award:

Associated Food Stores, which donates fresh produce for the Bridging the Gap program. In the past three years, the number of students served by the Bridging a Gap program has increased from 1,300 to 2,900 students, and Associated Food Stores has met that growth, Bosgieter said. “Over the past three years, they’ve given us fresh produce for 61,952 hungry elementary students.”