Utah Tech University celebrated the 21st annual Fire and Ice Gala March 21, an initiative that brought the community on campus to raise funding for scholarships and resources.
With the sponsorship of companies like Dixie Power, Shae Financial and more, the Fire and Ice Gala was a premier black tie event.
Attendees could choose to become a sponsor at various levels. For example, attendees could join the evening as an individual registrant for $250, or they could register as a title sponsor for the price of $30,000.
In its prestige, the Fire and Ice Gala aimed to raise funding to help students through many auctioning events. Brad Last, vice president of university advancement, said the event featured a live auction, with 10 auction items for bidding.
“Auction items range anywhere from $2,000 or $3,000 and could be as high as $15,000 or $20,000 depending on how many people get involved in bidding,” Last said.
Funding raised through the auction will fund need-based scholarships, like the Marcia Wade and Dorothy Orton Pay it Forward Scholarship, and a paddle raise, which will help fundraise university initiatives like the Student Resource Center and the Struggling Student Funds.
Rochelle Blatter, donor relations event coordinator, said the Marcia Wade and Dorothy Orton Pay it Forward Scholarship benefits all students in need, even students who do not often receive traditional scholarships, such as international students.
“They’ve given out over the past twenty years more than a thousand scholarships, and it’s been $1,700,000 to those thousand students,” Blatter said.
An addition to this year’s gala was the feature of students and their research, which showcased their active learning experiences while highlighting Utah Tech’s polytechnic model.
For example, students presented the Go Baby Go program, where students from Utah Tech’s Physical Therapist Assistant program and the University of Utah’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program created eight customized kid’s vehicles to support children with mobility disabilities.
This year, six-time Emmy winner and Grammy nominee John Tesh joined the gala as the musical guest for the evening. Tesh is known for his eccentric career, from anchor to composer, with the most notable being the NBC Sports’ NBA theme. Joined by his son Sib Gerard as the emcee, Tesh ignited the night with music and stories.
An attendee of the event was Justin Durham, a first-year doctorate occupational therapy student from St. George, who was a recipient of assistance via the Struggling Student Funds.
Durham said: “Without the Struggling Student Fund, I would have dropped out of school. So, it helped me graduate with my bachelor’s degree and ultimately to get into the program that I’m now in.”
Durham shared experiences of homelessness and food insecurity, but through applying for the Struggling Student Funds, he was able to overcome his difficult experiences.
When asked about the application process, Durham said: “I needed to show what my needs were. And then once I was about to do that, Ali Threet basically took care of everything else.”
Durham said he didn’t feel judgment or hesitancy from Threet, assistant vice president and dean of students. Instead, he felt instant relief.
Threet is responsible for working directly with students in need, which are the same students who benefited from the funds raised by the Fire and Ice Gala.
Threet described her feelings toward the paddle-raising portion of the gala and said, “I just can’t help it; I just tear up, and it’s because I know the students it’s going to help.”
