PRESS RELEASE:

A volunteer from Lindon has been awarded one of two outstanding volunteer awards for the PTA's 2008 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education. The Utah PTA Golden Apple Awards 2008 premieres on KUED-Channel 7 Wednesday, May 28, at 8 p.m. This special program features the awards ceremony, in combination with on-site footage shot at Rocky Mountain Elementary.

The PTA honored Carol Theurer, selected from volunteer nominees from nearly every school in Utah. Theurer was nominated by Marjorie Holt, Rocky Mountain Elementary PTSA (Parent-Teacher-Student Association) president; David Turner, Principal; Terri Whittingham, past PTA president and current community involvement commissioner; and Geneal Wilson.

"The first time I saw Carol Theurer, she was dressed up as Casey Cougar, the school mascot," said PTA President Marjorie Holt, who says Theurer ended up in the costume when a volunteer failed to show up. "Carol immediately put on the costume and wowed those new kindergarteners with her kindness and enthusiasm."

Holt says from that moment on, Theurer has been an active and positive presence at school, filling in wherever needed. "She has been a room mother, a member of the PTA Safety Committee, the Safety commissioner, on the PTA Carnival Committee, as well as the Cultural Arts Week Committee, the Red Ribbon Week Committee and on the Community Council."

Holt said Theurer regularly volunteers on the playground, "making sure everyone feels safe and comfortable while on school grounds." As PTA Safety Commissioner, Theurer is in charge of Safety Week, where the focus was on seatbelt safety, bike and pedestrian safety, internet safety and Halloween safety.

Theurer has been responsible for several school assemblies addressing the importance of not bullying. She also hung "stop bullying" signs throughout the school, reminding students how to make friends and stand up to bullies.

This year's "Campaign for Caring" found Theurer organizing a project for first graders to help them make blankets for the homeless shelter.

Theurer's volunteer activities extend far beyond her children's schools. She organizes Valentine dances and other socials at a local senior citizens center and put together a fundraiser for a neighbor diagnosed with breast cancer. She planned a neighborhood walk, breakfast and auction that raised $13,000 in one morning. When the neighbor passed away, Theurer organized a balloon lift-off to help the family celebrate the woman's life and to help neighborhood children cope with the loss.

She also serves as a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America. As a room mother, Theurer helps with the Spanish Immersion Program and finds time to be a "Math Mom" in her son's first-grade class, working with small groups of children to help them learn math concepts they may be struggling with.

PTA President Marjorie Holt says Theurer truly understands the "P" in PTA and is a strong partner to her children's teachers.

The Golden Apple Awards are funded in part by the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Utah Education Network, Educators Mutual Insurance Association, and the Utah Education Association.

The Utah PTA Golden Apple Awards 2008 premieres on KUED-Channel 7 Wednesday, May 28, at 8 p.m., repeating Sunday, June 1, at 6 p.m. Video clips and interviews with each award recipient can be seen on the KUED web site: http://www.kued.org/goldenapples

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