American Fork People

2 Questions

What are the 3 things you like best about American Fork?

• "The number of strong music programs and musicians including the high school marching band, The Music School, and VocalWorks.
• "The central location, convenient to BYU and Salt Lake City.
• "The Alpine Tabernacle."

What is one thing you think ordinary people could do to make this an even better community?

• "I think it's important for us to get to know our neighbors better -- not the neighbors in our immediate neighborhoods and wards; we do a great job of that -- but to create stronger community ties by participating in community programs, using the parks, the fitness center, and the library, volunteering service, joining the PTA, and so on."

Isn't it great when someone amazes you? One person that amazes me is Heidi Rodeback. There are a good many reasons I decided to feature her first on this site. Foremost, she's demonstrated the civic/community-mindedness I hope that this site will eventually inspire in other people.

Heidi goes beyond being just plain nice (you could say that about many people); she's committed to this community and has done something more than talk about it. This wife/mother/councilwoman/musician has done many things that make American Fork a better place. She has . . .

• . . . donated incredible amounts of time to this city as a councilwoman. A mostly thankless volunteer job that most people (including myself) know very little about. My acquaintance with her has helped me to see politics in a new light.
• . . . spearheaded and rallied support for several important community projects, including improving parks and sidewalks.
• . . . researched and written new bylaws for the American Fork Arts Council.
• . . . offered her skills as an accompanist to many community concerts and been a general advocate for the arts in our community.

If that weren't enough for you to smile and say thank you to her as she passes by, she juggles this all while being a dedicated wife and mother. Heidi is the kind of person that inspires sonnets.

If there is something to be learned from watching her, it is that one person can make a difference in this community. Not everyone is going to offer the same gifts, but everyone has gifts that they can offer. I think her advice to be involved in the community beyond ones immediate neighbors is a good first step. There are so many ways to do this. The AF Arts Council offers many programs you can read about when your water bill comes.

The first step is always the hardest, but once you get a momentum going you'll be rewarded with a richer, healthier life and connection with the larger world around you.

~ M. Ryan Taylor, YourAmericanFork.com

Know of someone else doing good in American Fork? Use the contact form to send the details to YourAmericanFork.com.