Congratulations to recipients of the Lt. Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Certificate in August of 2022. The contributions made by these volunteers make lasting impacts on communities across our state.
Hector Cedillo-Tellez, Nominated by Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah)
Hector has a strong dedication to serving his community. His commitment was evident from the first time he spoke with HEAL. We have been continually impressed by his drive to be an active participant and a genuine advocate for his community. Throughout his time with HEAL, he has helped expand our supporter network and help share our resources and environmental education throughout the Salt Lake Valley. He developed meaningful relationships and partnerships with underrepresented communities of color. He continuously showed up by listening and engaging with individuals, identifying needs, and creating a lasting impact. His hard work and passion for being a community organizer helped HEAL host and participated in several successful events for Latino Conservation Week. Hector spent many hours collaborating with other nonprofits, helping us organize data, training and leading other volunteers, tabling at events, educating the public about various environmental issues, and aiding in different digital educational materials. Hector showed immense maturity and compassion by constantly looking at ways to improve our outreach and engagement at HEAL. His ideas have been instrumental in how HEAL engages with Latinx and LGBTQ members. We have been fortunate to have Hector aid us in our grassroots efforts!
Kayla Sorensen, Nominated by Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah)
Kayla was an essential part of the team for our 2022 legislative session and citizen lobbying program at HEAL Utah. This session was the first year we hosted our citizen lobbying program in-person and virtually. Kayla primarily hosted our virtual lobbying efforts twice a week during the session. She also helped with several other projects, including organizing our bill tracker, tracking bills, assisting with digital efforts, and planning and implementing virtual events. Kayla’s attention to detail and organizational skills significantly contributed to our citizen lobbying program, and we will be using the systems she created in the coming legislative sessions. Volunteering her time remotely while going to school, conducting research, and holding additional positions is no easy task. Still, Kayla excelled and made our legislative program the best yet. By hosting our virtual lobby trainings, Kayla helped create a space for individuals who typically do not have the access or capacity to get involved in the political process. We would not have been so successful without her help and dedication to helping amplify community voices and being a dedicated self-starter.
Kendall Smith-Williams, Nominated by Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah)
Kendall began volunteering with HEAL Utah during the 2021 legislative session and has been a dedicated member of the HEAL community ever since. During the session, she contacted several legislators to use her voice to make a difference in environmental policy. Kendall also created HEAL’s very first educational curriculum. A comprehensive lesson plan on air quality, “What’s Beneath The Clouds,” to educate Utah’s youth and the general public about air quality threats. For the development of the lesson plans, she conducted research and meeting with HEAL staff, educators, and more to make sure the lesson plans were accurate and age-appropriate. In addition, she created two separate lesson plans through her research to accommodate two different age groups. The lesson plans consisted of two different presentations, a toolkit to go along with each, and a link to a short documentary about air quality along the Wasatch front. Along with creating these lesson plans, Kendall helped us host two film screenings of the short documentary “What’s Beneath The Clouds” that she integrated into the lesson plans. Kendall was also instrumental in preparing the landing page for these lesson plans to be user-friendly and allow us to use them for years to come. Her hard work led to the creation of these presentations and the beginning of HEAL’s curriculum-based education programming.
Josie Lozano, Nominated by West Valley Arts
Josie has been a huge asset to us. She brings such a positive atmosphere every time she to comes to volunteer. She is now an exceptional usher for our shows and will go above and beyond when she helps our new volunteers learn how to usher. She has been a huge supporter of our shows and what we represent here.
Organizations in Utah can recognize outstanding volunteers for their contributions by nominating them for the Lt. Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Certificate. Learn more here.