The program started six years ago with a five-year grant. This Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) grant was funded by Federal Government bonus money passed on to the Utah Work Force Services. TANF funds were enough to run two groups of 12 workers and their support crew with food, fuel transportation and insurance for five years. But this grant has run out and the program has been able to continue only through the coordinated effort of several agencies, dedicated leaders and some scrambling for funds. Mara Shurgot directs the part of the program run by Four Corners Behavioral Health. It is here that the workers gather at 7:15 in the morning to make their lunch from food provided by Four Corners, clean the kitchen afterwards and pile into the van – some joking with and insulting the other kids, some looking for a few minutes of sleep, but all ready to work.
When asked about their job, answers vary from Vanessa saying it’s hard to get up so early, Shondel saying she likes whom she’s working with, Mario saying it’s fun and a way to earn money and Brittany saying it’s hard work but she gets to go different places. Mara is assisted by Four Corners staff member Kristina Bolster whose baby due in August will no doubt be born with a strong work ethic. As much effort as Mara and Kristina put in, they need money and help with the program. Art Schaub of the non-profit group Rim to Rim is one of these helpers. Art coordinates with the BLM on job sites, provides Rim to Rim tools for the work and supervises the young work crews on these jobs. Rim to Rim Restoration was formed with the mission to restore and revegetate damaged lands in and around Moab through involving and educating citizens and youth.
The Four Corners Summer Work Project is a competitive and worthy program. Tired, hard working kids are less likely to get into trouble and are learning valuable job and life skills. They learn to work with responsibility through making their own lunches, cleaning the kitchen and maintaining the tools. Communication skills are improved through teamwork and consensus building to make decisions. These are all local kids who will have an edge in experience and confidence when they most likely enter the local work force. It takes about $10,000 to run one five-week session to cover wages, food, fuel, transport and workman’s compensation insurance. Where did the money come from this year? The Eccles Foundation in SLC donated $3,000. $5,000 was provided by Four Corners from a grant for pregnancy prevention and the Trail Mix group donated $2,000. Colin Maher of Trail Mix worked with the kids on local revegetation efforts and on removal of invasive plant species. Volunteers Drew D’Agnes and Lauren Arnett who are both former Summer Work Program crewmembers provided other supervisory help.
The work crews’ efforts can be seen in many local areas. They worked on Mill Creek by the Main Street bridge, the chip trail by the high school, the bike path by the Gonzo Inn and in Right Hand where they took out Siberian Elm and Russian Olive trees, wrapped the native Cottonwoods to protect them from beaver and helped protect the area from flooding by removing a lot of small growth that traps debris during high water. They have coordinated with the Forest Service to do maintenance work in the La Sal Mountains on Moonlight Meadow, Schuman Gulch and Boren Mesa trails. They worked three days at the Youth Garden Project picking, washing, sorting and labeling produce for the Farmers Market.
It’s not ALL hard work. There is the two hours a day of recreation. The work crew traded one day of weed wrangling at the Bar-M Ranch in return for a night’s entertainment and dinner. Moab City donated four days of swimming at the city pool. Sherrie Griffith and Canyon Voyages donated river trips. Moab Diner and Living Rivers donated ice cream. Arches National Park waived the fees for a tour of Fiery Furnace and the kids toured the one and only Hole N' the Rock home.
If this program is to continue, funding must be found for the coming years. Four Corners staff will continue to pursue multi-year federal grants. Local organizations and businesses are encouraged to make tax-exempt donations to support this much-needed program. Perhaps a coalition of conservation groups could come up with $2,000 to sponsor a week of the program, or a group of restaurants could provide food for the kids’ lunches. If anyone would like to help, please contact Mara Shurgot at Four Corners Behavioral health and help keep this valuable service available for the youth and future work force of Moab.