Riverton teens reach out to peers

Having a date auction. Caroling in front of local grocery stores. Sheetrocking someone's basement. Camping out in front of the school soliciting donations all night.

Nothing is beyond the students of Riverton High School when it comes to collecting donations for their annual SilverRush, a schoolwide fund-raiser to benefit a nonprofit community organization.

Last year they raised $60,000 for Odyssey House in Salt Lake City, and although the total isn't the most important thing for them, they hope to do even better this year. Proceeds will go to Youth Support Systems in West Valley City.

The theme for this year's SilverRush is Teens Helping Teens — You're Not Alone. Youth Support Systems is a private non-profit agency providing specialized prevention and drug treatment services to adolescents and their families. Their services are aimed at providing skills to youths and their families that will strengthen family relationships, improve quality of life, increase positive community involvement, and strengthen teens' ability to resist negative influences.

Erica Nelson, student body communications officer, said YSS fit the criteria they wanted to focus SilverRush on.

"We wanted to focus on helping teens," she said. "Every year they kind of had a theme.... This year we wanted to focus more on helping teens. We wanted to focus on an issue and help our high school with that issue."

Nancy Webster, Riverton High School public relations coordinator, said in the seven years since the school opened, students have always chosen a cause to take up at Christmas time. Two years ago they decided to change their direction and do something more community-based.

"They took on (raising money for) a women's shelter and came up with over $53,000 in just over three weeks time," she said. "Last year they chose Odyssey House because they wanted it to be teens helping teens. It was controversial because some kids didn't want to help kids with drug problems, but they pursued it anyway and ended up with over $60,000."

Caitlyn Ellis said both her sophomore and junior years of school before she was a student body officer she always realized the importance of SilverRush, but being involved as the student body officer over finances has changed her perspective. "We know it's got to continue, and it's got to be awesome," she said.

Representatives from YSS are touched by the students' dedication.

"It's pretty amazing what these kids are putting together on their own," said Toni Pegues, a social worker with YSS. Pegues added that it's touching for youths in the center that other teens people in their own peer group are raising money for them.

The funds donated to the center will help pay for school supplies and fees and programs for Spanish-speaking families, among other things. Pegues said they also hope to expand their program to serve more youth. At any given time YSS is working with anywhere from 40-55 clients and has eight to 10 families in the prevention program. The Riverton High School SilverRush will be ongoing through December. For more information or to donate, contact the RHS student body officers at 256-5885. Sheen Beard, Riverton High School student body president, said SilverRush is more than collecting money.

"It's not so much making the money but changing the lives of students," he said.

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E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com