(The entrance of Vivint Smart Home Arena. Credit: Paul Nelson, KSL Newsradio, May 8, 2020)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz are sending some kids to STEM summer camp.
As the Utah Jazz prepare to play the second game in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, kids need to be watching the home team tonight along with their parents.
For every assist the Jazz make during the postseason, Vivint will send one child to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) camp.
Holly Mero, director of Vivint Gives Back, talked to KSLNewsRadio’s Dave Noriega and Debbie Dujanovic about the STEM summer camp campaign.
“What is Vivint Gives Back, and why do kids need to be watching the [Utah] Jazz tonight?” Debbie asked.
“Vivant and the Utah Jazz have partnered up. For every assist that the Jazz make during the playoffs, we are going to send one kid to STEM summer camp this year,” Mero said. “[In] Sunday night’s game, there were 20, assists, so we’ve got 20 kids that are going to summer camp.
“Any chance we have to partner with the Jazz to make an impact for kids who need it most, we want to do that,” Mero said. “I think STEM education, more than ever, is a part of education that opens the doors. Kids just need that opportunity to learn and grow, and so we want to give that to them.”
“More than ever, STEM education is the key that opens the door to successful careers. It also paves the way for innovation at companies like Vivint Smart Home. But high-quality STEM learning is still unevenly distributed, leaving millions of U.S. students without access. We hope that this and other initiatives Vivint and the Utah Jazz are involved in will help turn the tide,” Mero said.
The Jazz average 22 to 25 assists per game, so if the Jazz make it all the way to the finals, they could send up to 700 students to summer camp.
Students do not need to live in Utah to go to the STEM camps. Mero said selection will focus on “underrepresented students” who would not otherwise be able to attend a STEM summer camp.
You can nominate a student from anywhere in the US at www.vivint.com/stem.
Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, a.s well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.