By Carl Fauver | [email protected] 

Some Taylorsville homes have a fresh look this summer, thanks to a volunteer employee program Zions Bank has been quietly operating for nearly three decades. 

“The 28th annual Zions Bank Paint-a-Thon service project helped clean up more than 40 homes in southern Idaho and throughout Utah, from here in the north to Kanab and St. George down south,” said Zions Public Relations Officer Adam Young. “Homes are selected based on income levels, with priority given to military veterans, the disabled and elderly residents.” 

Seven of the 40 homes this year — including several in the Majestic Meadows Mobile Home Park — are Taylorsville houses, including the one Shirley Burbank, 74, has called home for five years. 

“My daughter and I both signed up for the program last year, but they weren’t able to come,” Burbank said. “Then (Zions Bank Paint-a-Thon coordinators) called this year and told us we were both at the top of their list.” 

Burbank — a widow, who lives alone in her Majestic Meadows home — said about six volunteers came to her home to paint, three nights in a row. That was after someone else came to have her pick the color she wanted and another paint expert reviewed the house to estimate how many gallons of paint would be needed. 

“They did a fantastic job and really seemed to enjoy doing it,” Shirley added. “I could hear them laughing while they worked. But they weren’t goofing around or sloppy. They did my trim and a few extra things to really make it look nice. Some other volunteers did my daughter’s home on a couple of the same nights. Her home was even harder for them, with lots of old paint that needed scrapping. They did a great job on both of them.” 

“We don’t do any work inside the homes; but on the outside we not only paint but also get involved in yard cleanup,” Young said. “Our volunteer teams start with Zions Bank employees and their families. But it’s pretty common for Scouts, church groups and others to help out as well.” 

Young said the new record for volunteers at a home may have been set this year by the Park City High School football team. 

“Between all the players and coaches, there were close to 100 hundred volunteers working on that Park City house,” he said. “They got a lot of work done — finished the whole project, actually — in one day.” 

Another Taylorsville home received assistance, not from a football team but from a few dozen Cub Scouts, along with Mayor Kristie Overson.

“I learned about one of the homes to be painted in our city about the same time I was invited to speak to a Cub Scout pack,” Overson said. “So after talking to the Scouts, we all walked over to the house Zions volunteers were working on. The Scouts didn’t paint, but they did gather up yard debris and put it in a trailer. It was a lot of fun, and the boys seemed to enjoy the work.” 

Amy Seiter’s son Jackson, 10, is a member of Taylorsville Cub Scout Pack 4495, and she was the adult volunteer who invited Overson to talk with the scouts. 

“The boys were working on a project that required them to hear from an elected official,” Seiter said. “I’ve known Mayor Overson for a long time since I live in her area. So I asked her to speak, and then she called back later to ask if the boys could assist at the house. It was close enough to where the Scouts meet that they could walk. Since the pack tries to do at least two service projects a year, it worked out perfectly.” 

“We budget about $500 per home for paint and supplies,” Young said. “We also provide a dinner to the volunteers, which normally runs $300 to $400. Zions Bank does not solicit donations for any of this. We provide the funds through our community development department.” 

The paint-a-thon program began in 1991. This year a total of 2,800 volunteers painted and cleaned the 42 homes. The average age of the assisted homeowners was 74, with an average annual income of $23,000. Since it began, the Zions Bank Paint-a-Thon program has assisted at 1,140 houses, at a cost of more than $1 million. That does not include a dollar value for the volunteer hours. 

To nominate a home to be painted — or to apply for program assistance yourself — go to www.zionsbank.com, hit the search button (magnifying glass, in the top right corner) and type in “Paint-a-Thon.” 

“This is such a nice service project the bank provides, and not that many people know about it,” Overson said. “I was glad to join with them and to also involve the Cub Scouts.”