Recently the Utah chapter of AARP reached out seeking nominees for outstanding volunteers in the state of Utah.
Recycle Utah and the National Ability Center, two local organizations joined forces to submit a joint nomination for this recognition.Together, they selected James Vanderwest, a person well-known in Park City and the Intermountain West for his accurate and legible large print scoreboard-keeping in support of alpine sports and ski competition at all age levels. His efforts over the years have justifiably earned him the moniker “The Scoreboard Guy”.
At NAC, Jim has supported the Paralympic qualifying alpine competition, The Huntsman Cup, for many winters and works with adaptive events in the summer. His talents with insightful and informative signage to promote events and knowledge of Western history and heritage make him an extremely interesting persona to staff members, participants and families at all events. (He was very noticeable at the Summit Challenge—see photo of Mr. Peanut).
“Mr. Peanut” with Amanda Baseler, National Ability Center’s Recreation Program Senior Manager at the 2018 Summit Challenge.
For Recycle Utah, Jim readily assists with recycling programs and participates at special projects such as “dumpster days” and hazmat collection. He is a strong believer in “reuse, repurpose and rethink” and will always take the time to orient newcomers to our Bonanza park facility. He readily provides gentle guidance that “glass goes here, paper and cardboard go there, and plastic is processed out there.”
When asked about his motivation for helping others settle into Park City and become involved in the community, Jim will tell you “Life is a series of moments. In those moments are opportunities to help others of all abilities and allow them to do their best in their lives.”
Jim, a retired U.S. Navy Veteran, is a credit to Park City and indeed a valuable volunteer. While he did not win the highest AARP award this year, he honorably represented this effort.
