1,000 people. 15 service projects. 1 united force for good.
She was in her Force for Good T-shirt weaving plastic bags through one another on a loom. I watched her small fingers handle the plastic bags, careful and consistent. She couldn’t have been older than twelve. Why are you volunteering, I asked her. “To do things other people don’t want to do to help people you don’t have things other people have.” It was succinct, uncomplicated, and honest. That is what a thousand Nu Skin employees and their families came to Thanksgiving Point to do: give of their time, provide items or services, and complete projects that will help people in their community or around the world that need it.
Every year for the past 19 years, the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation has held a Force for Good Day, partnering with organizations to provide supplies and to perform acts of service. This year, they partnered to serve Thanksgiving Point and ten other nonprofits in fifteen different service projects. These projects were for Thanksgiving Point, multiple of the projects serve communities throughout Utah, and a few of the projects were for organizations that serve places throughout the world.
This group was making sleeping pads for the homeless and for refugees. Each pad takes an average of 350 bags. A finished sleeping pad can increase the temperature by 30 degrees and provide protection from insects and wildlife. Some of the sleeping pads and blankets will go to refugees in Ukraine and other foreign countries through Stitching Hearts Worldwide. Other projects, like the bookshelves being built at one station, will go to libraries in Africa.
“The common theme is that they will help children wherever they go. Our goal is to be a force for good in the world wherever we are.”
Nu Skin Chief Reputation Officer, Ruth Todd
At the Water Tower, volunteers painted fences and repaired frames used to display womens’ fabric arts at the Garden of Quilts. They sanded animal enclosures at Farm Country and made meal kits to help the organization For The Kids. Thanksgiving Point’s CEO, McKay Christensen made his way around the projects. “Witnessing over 1,000 people gather to serve and make the world a better place is an inspiring thing,” he said. “When we are finished today, there will be a brighter welcome for kids visiting Thanksgiving Point, solar lamps for early readers in Africa, and diapers for families in need. We are grateful to be a part of this Force for Good.” Every project for each of the organizations was designed and carried out with the intent of making a difference in the life of a child.
As a nonprofit, Thanksgiving Point was founded on the idea of community gratitude and community service. Service benefits the people being served, but it also enriches the lives of those doing the hard work. It is easy to get caught up in personal adversities and everyday monotony and forget that we are a part of something outside of ourselves. Joining forces with other nonprofits to provide this day of service contributes to a stable community – the structure of which is fortified by those willing to help and those willing to accept help. We are not always one or the other. But today, a thousand people chose to help.
We are grateful to the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation for choosing Thanksgiving Point as a charity partner in its mission, to strengthen communities and improve the lives of children and families around the world. It was a privilege to hold this event at Thanksgiving Point, and connect people with their communities and with humanity. Most of all, we are grateful to each person who showed up to help those in need. We came as individuals and left as one force for good.
Are you looking to hold a community service project? Reach out to Heidi Boyer at hboyer@thanksgivingpoint.org to find out how Thanksgiving Point can help.