SALT LAKE CITY, Utah-The Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 (SLOC) is rolling out a campaign in June urging Utahns to ‘Drive Home The Dream’ by purchasing Olympic license plates. Proceeds are used to purchase Olympic tickets and other Games-related experiences for Utah youth through the SLOC-operated ‘Olympics for Youth and Children Fund.’
About 45,500 Olympic Utah state license plates have been sold through April 2000. The program has generated more than $1.1 million in revenues for the ‘Olympics for Youth and Children Fund.’ The Olympic license plates went on
sale for automobiles on March 1, 1998 and for motorcycles on Oct. 1, 1998.
‘We encourage Utah residents to purchase and renew their Olympic license plates,’ said Mitt Romney, SLOC President and CEO. ‘The more vehicles that display Olympic plates, the more opportunities that will exist for Utah kids–there’s a direct correlation. People will be helping their children and their neighbor’s children as distribution of program resources will be based in part on each county’s license plate sales.’
The top 15 counties to date based on Olympic license plates sales are: Salt Lake (17,085), Utah (4,469), Davis (4,212), Weber (3,608), Summit (1,601), Washington (1,219), Cache (877), Tooele (566), Box Elder (510), Iron (412),
San Juan (346), Wasatch (345), Uintah (257), Sanpete (240) and Carbon (206).
The ‘Drive Home The Dream’ promotional campaign on KSL Television (Channel 5) and KSL Radio (1160 AM) coincides with the summer automobile-buying season. KSL Television, the Salt Lake City-based NBC affiliate, and KSL Radio, an affiliate of Westwood One, are Official Suppliers of the 2002 Games and have become the title sponsors of the ‘Olympics for Youth and Children Fund.’ KSL will support the signature program through commercial
airtime and on-site promotions at KSL and SLOC community events.
‘KSL has a strong desire to enhance the community’s Olympic experience, and we believe the ‘Olympics for Youth and Children Fund’ is the perfect vehicle to provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences for Utah youth,’ said Richard
Mecham, President of the Salt Lake Broadcast Group. ‘KSL has a long history of service to our community, and we want to make Utahns aware of this great program.’
‘The Salt Lake Organizing Committee appreciates the support of KSL in reaching out to the state through this community program,’ Romney said.
‘Residents can turn license plates into tickets and send their kids to the Olympics. Purchasing Olympic license plates is an ideal method of helping Utah youth and supporting the 2002 Games. Everyone across the state can
participate in this program to provide Olympic experiences for our children and memories that will last a lifetime.’
Every Utah public school district as well as private and parochial groups will receive a percentage of the total tickets to the 2002 Games based on district student enrollment and license plate sales in corresponding
counties in the Olympic license plate program. A percentage of youth tickets will also be set aside for agencies that work with at-risk children.
The ‘Olympics for Youth and Children Fund’ will be administered through SLOC’s education program. Criteria for ticket distribution includes: SLOC program participation, student leadership/scholarship/ service, individual
athletic/commitment/sportsmanship, school achievement, individual student improvement, at risk, special needs, drawings, contests and competitions.
‘From Alpine to Weber school districts, the Organizing Committee hopes to offer a breadth of tickets for schoolchildren, but the total number will be determined by license plates sales,’ said Judy Stanfield, SLOC Director of
Education. ‘The distribution formula is still being determined by our 20-member advisory committee, but it will certainly be reflective of each county’s support of the children’s fund.’
When purchasing an Olympic license plate for a $22 annual fee, $7 is the standard State Tax Commission fee while the remaining $15 is donated directly to the ‘Olympics for Youth and Children Fund.’ All proceeds from the renewal of license plates benefit the youth fund.
Olympic plates can be ordered by calling the Division of Motor Vehicles in the metro Salt Lake area at 297-7780 or statewide at 1-800-DMV-UTAH. The Division of Motor Vehicles also has a new website for license plate information at www.dmv-utah.com as well as SLOC’s website at www.saltlake2002.com.
Olympic plates can be requested when owners purchase a new car or renew the registration on a current vehicle. License plate information brochures are available in all 37 Division of Motor Vehicle offices, more than 170
automobile dealer locations, three U.S. Olympic Spirit Stores in Utah and SLOC offices. An insert is also included in the Motor Vehicle Registration packet.
Collector license plates are also available but not authorized for motor vehicle use. SLOC has additional Olympic accessory items such as souvenir plates, license plate frames and replica key chains available for sale at
local retail locations and through the OnLine store at www.saltlake2002.com.
SLOC’s education program is already providing Olympic experiences through its ‘Classroom to Events’ initiative. This past winter, SLOC offered free admission to 58,000 Utah schoolchildren at 14 national or international
sporting events at the Olympic venues. A similar program will be conducted in the winter of 2000-01.