Larrabee, the wife of former three-term mayor Jerry Larrabee and now secretary of COP, explained the successes and expansion of the program to the Uniting Neighbors group last week. She was joined by Ruth Payne, who currently chairs the group.
It is now a multi-faceted effort that ranges from an after-school program aimed primarily at latch-key youngsters, to a monthly senior citizen luncheon, to a summer youth literacy program, and more, Larrabee said.
The COP volunteers work closely with city officials, she said. It includes help from the 42-member Youth City Council, which assists with such efforts as the after-school program, she said.
"It was started with grant money, and now the city funds it," Larrabee said. "The YCC helps with reading and homework and Benchmark Regional Hospital provides snacks."
A fledgling beautification program is also multi-facilitated, including community training sessions provided by such businesses as J&L Garden Center and Rockin' E Country Store. There are city-sponsored walks where residents can view front and back yards of various homes, with plaques awarded for outstanding efforts.
"The citizens really enjoy this. Even if someone is just cleaning up their yard they will get recognition," Larrabee said.
The Woods Cross "Senior Lunch Bunch" has grown in popularity, drew 67 in January, she said. "We have outgrown the room" where it is held, in the addition made several years ago to city hall. "People from Bountiful and North Salt Lake also come."
There's also a Welcome Baby Program, which includes play groups and meetings for new mothers.
The city's summer recreation program started as a COP effort and now has city funding support for a recreation director -- and lots of volunteer involvement, Larrabee said. "It is for ages 3-12 and we had more than 400 youth involved last year." It includes soccer, tennis and arts and crafts.
The Memorial Day celebration, started by former Mayor Larrabee, has also grown and routinely attracts Congressman Rob Bishop, who flips pancakes and then sometimes speaks to the group.
Some 225 or so children are also involved in a summer literacy program, that brings kids, mothers and grandmothers. It includes not only sharing of stories, but also teaching arts and crafts, as well as giving books to all participants. The program alternates each week between an east and west side park in an attempt to involve all of the community, she said.
"We want to bring people together. We are one community," Larrabee said.
"We've tried to get people to know each other," Payne said. "We were a small city, now we have 9,000 people, and are growing by 1,200 homes."
Emergency preparedness efforts, meanwhile, also fall under COP, "but is not as successful," Payne said.
Judy and Bruce Kjar pioneered the community's COP program and are currently serving an LDS mission.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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