Ogden trampoline park opens facility to poverty-stricken youth for a day to 'just be a kid'

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Hive Trampoline Park opened its doors to underserved youth in Ogden.
• The event partnered with organizations like Youth Futures and United Way of Northern Utah.
• Owners aimed to provide a day of fun and belonging for at-risk children.

OGDEN — The opportunity to "just be a kid" doesn't come around often for children living in poverty or dealing with homelessness. Every day can feel like a constant struggle to secure the basic necessities, such as food, clothing and shelter.

Data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services show roughly 8.5% of children in the state, under the age of 18, live in poverty.

Children in such situations may not have the chance to experience something like a large indoor trampoline and adventure park, but the owners at The Hive wanted to change that. On Wednesday, Russell and Jamey Jackson, the husband-and-wife duo who own The Hive, opened the doors of their Ogden location so dozens of underserved youth could put their worries aside for the day and just have fun.

"The Hive Trampoline Park was built on the belief that it should be a place for everyone," said Russell Jackson in a statement to KSL. "Every young person deserves the chance to simply be a kid, to have fun, make memories, and feel like they belong."

The gesture was in partnership with programs like Youth Futures, Utah Neighborhood Connection, Family Promise and the United Way of Northern Utah.

The day provided an opportunity for kids in the program to have a memorable experience with a brief time to forget about their stressors, said Tiffany Garza, a growth engagement mentor at the Youth Futures Emergency Shelter in Ogden.

"A lot of the kids that come to our shelter are coming from highly traumatized situations. They're coming to our shelter not feeling safe, so when they finally get to reach our safe place, it's nice to bring them to events like this, because it helps heal their inner child," she said.

Youth Futures, an organization aiding homeless Utah youth with shelters in Ogden, Cedar City and St, George, provides comprehensive support, including therapy, education and transitional living.

The nonprofit relies on grants, fundraisers, and donations to ensure youth don't have to sleep on the streets. While the funds are certainly crucial, Garza said it's typically intended for things like shelter expenses and groceries, so when places like The Hive are able to offer something fun and unique, it makes for a special occasion.

"It's an experience for the kids — not just money, it's new memories that they get to make," she said.

Cori Thorne, an after-school tutor and summer program advisor at Utah Neighborhood Connection, shared a similar sentiment regarding their program as they serve young teens who often have responsibilities that limit their time to enjoy being a kid.

"We see a lot of kids in our program who take care of their younger siblings, or they have different challenges at home; and to be here and let them play and just let them be themselves is really important to identify themselves and to continue growing," she said.

Owners at The Hive say they understand that at-risk youth face obstacles in life that can leave them feeling overlooked, and they wanted to create a space where they let loose, laugh and connect with other children.

"If even one young person leaves feeling valued and encouraged about their future, it's all worth it," Russell Jackson said.

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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

Related topics

Utah homelessnessUtahWeber CountyUplifting
Curtis Booker

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Curtis Booker is a reporter for KSL.