If you’re thinking of skipping this year’s Live Like Sam annual fundraising gala, think again.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21, at Marquis Park City, 427 Main St., and it will feature live performances by local musician and “American Idol” finalist Wyatt Pike, and Super Diamond, one of the nation’s biggest Neil Diamond tribute bands.

“I am thrilled to bring our communities together on Main Street in the off-season to celebrate the legacy of my son Sam,” said Ron Jackenthal, director of Live Like Sam. “His legacy continues to empower the youth in our community to be resilient and have a healthy sense of self. We are so looking forward to hearing from Wyatt Pike to open the show. Wyatt grew up with my daughter, and we’re excited to have him involved.”

Tickets are now available by visiting livelikesam.org/gala, and all proceeds go toward funding Live Like Sam’s positive-youth, well-being and prevention programming, including Thrive (in partnership with WeBeWell), Jackenthal said.

The fundraiser will also include crafted cocktails, a catered dinner by Done to Your Taste and live and silent auctions, according to Jackenthal. 

Auction items will total more than $300,000, which includes an extravagant $35,000-week stay at a private, fully staffed villa that sits on 900 acres on the ocean in Careyes, Mexico, Jackenthal said. 

This year’s event will elevate overall well-being and resiliency by providing free, skills-based prevention and well-being programming to more than 4,000 local youth.

“Our stronghold is here in the Snyderville Basin and Park City, but we’re pushing very actively into North Summit, South Summit and Wasatch County, specifically Heber City,” said Jackenthal. “We will provide over $500,000 of free youth programming this year. So, this event will represent a healthy chunk of our funding.”

Jackenthal founded Live Like Sam five years ago to honor his son, Sam, a 16-year-old U.S. National Ski Champion who died in 2015 following a ski accident while training in Australia.

“The impetus for me to leave my tech career was learning from parents who have had similar losses, many due to overdose and suicide and recognizing the gaps in services that existed for struggling youth in Park City and throughout Utah,” he said. “I thought Sam could become a role model and inspiration of what it means to be positive, kind and empathetic while living an active life pursuing your passions.”

Jackenthal and his 23-year-old daughter Skylar, the foundation’s co-founder and Park City High School graduate, held the first Live Like Sam celebration five years ago.

“October 1 will be the ninth anniversary of Sam’s passing, and we encourage everyone to celebrate living like Sam, to be kind, positive and empathetic,” Jackenthal said. “Sam is beloved in the community, but there are many new people in the community who are still learning who he is. In fact, there are many ways to celebrate Sam in the community year-round, including hiking up to Sam’s Memorial Bench that features harmonious new metal art installation from local artists Kaylin and Ryan Battersby of Steel Ranch at the top of Rob’s Trail.”

To help reach more kids in the community, Live Like Sam announced a partnership with the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative, Jackenthal said.

“The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative works with schools across Utah to provide mental health services for students in kindergarten through 12th grade,” he said.

Dr. Aaron Fischer started the collaborative in 2021 and works with local and state organizations to ensure students get the best care possible.

“In order to have a positive impact on youth at risk for anxiety or depression, we need group and collaborative interventions that teach resilience, coping skills, and well-being,” said Fischer in a statement. “This partnership does that.” 

Live Like Sam has worked with partnering with leading mental-health providers in the community like the collaborative for about two years, Jackenthal said.

“The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative is the leader in school-based mental health supports in the state,” he said. “The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative is a strategic partnership between the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) and University of Utah College of Education. With Live Like Sam already working with the HMHI team in Summit County, this partnership brings together three outstanding organizations working on student and youth mental health.”

Live Like Sam staff and supporters post at Sam’s Memorial Bench at the top of Rob’s Trail. The group includes the nonprofit’s founder and director Ron Jackenthal, center in the charcoal shirt, and his daughter, Skylar, on the right of the bench in white tank top. Ron Jackenthal established Live Like Sam to honor his son, a 16-year-old U.S. National Ski Champion who died in 2015 after a crash while training in Australia. Credit: Courtesy of Ron Jackenthal

HMHI and Summit County in-school clinicians are Live Like Sam’s most efficient recruiters for its Thrive Program, a state-certified, evidence-based prevention program, developed in conjunction with and overseen by WeBeWell, that teaches local youths critical life skills.

“The initiative teaches students skills from positive and clinical psychology that improve well-being, resilience and mental health,” Jackenthal said. “We have found that a majority of the kids that go through Thrive are often less likely needing to access higher levels of mental health care because they can handle the stress, anxiety and emotion with tools they have on board.”

Thrive is a noted program for students who are at risk for developing anxiety and depression. It  helps provide them a community of support where they can learn how to be resilient with their peers, Jackenthal said.

“Thrive taps into peer support along with a strengths-based approach to facing many of the challenges that come their way,” he said.

The public can learn more about the partnership between the Utah School of Mental Health Collaborative and Live Like Same during a free Youth Well-Being Night event scheduled to run from 6:15-8 p.m. at the Blair Education Center at the Park City Hospital, 900 Round Valley Drive at Quinn’s Junction. 

RSVPs to attend the Youth Well-being Night are now open at livelikesam.org/events.

The event will give community members a chance to hear about school mental health resources and supports available in Summit County, Jackenthal said.

“These programs include mental health screening, school-based and community therapeutic services and psychiatric evaluation and consultation,” he said. “A panel of speakers from the school mental health space will discuss these topics and answer audience questions.” 

Attendees will also have a chance to meet panelists and socialize over ice cream sundaes, Jackenthal said, and there will be well-being activities for youth while interested caregivers attend the panel discussion.

“We hope parents, educators and local health workers will attend,” he said. “It will be a chance for them to learn about and understand the services that HMHI and The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative offer the community, including youth mental health screenings, well-being tools and mental health services. We’re excited about the work we’re going to do with the Utah School Mental Health Coalition. It’s tricky being a kid today, and sometimes mental-health issues are hard to spot.”

“Our partnership with Live Like Sam is exciting on many levels, but most importantly it gives our Utah School mental Health Collaborative team a chance to engage with passionate community members who care deeply about youth well-being,” Fischer said. “Our team is inspired by Live Like Sam’s mission, and (we) are thrilled to partner to help students in Summit and Wasatch counties access timely and effective mental health and well-being supports.”

Live Like Sam Fundraiser and Gala with Super Diamond and Wyatt Pike

  • When: 5:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Sept. 21
  • Where: Marquis Park City, 427 Main St.
  • Registration: livelikesam.org/gala

Also:

Youth Well-Being Night