Utah Lake life jacket donation drive

The Utah Lake Commission will be holding a life jacket donation drive to collect life jackets and raise money to support their new life jacket loaner program. 

Utah Lake Commission Outreach Coordinator, Sam Braegger, said, “Statistics show that as much as 80% of boating fatalities could have been prevented by wearing a life jacket.”

Earlier this year, Priscilla Bienkowski and Sophia Hernandez died while swimming in the lake. 

Their families came to Utah County Commission with the idea for a loaner station, and the Commission Office expanded their idea into a donation drive and the construction of several stations. 

The drive begins today, September 30th, and will end October 7th — though monetary donations will continue to be accepted online even after the physical drive has ended. 

People can drop off life jackets at the Saratoga Springs Marina, American Fork Marina, Lindon Marina, Utah Lake State Park, the Orem City Offices, and at the Provo Rec Center. 

Braegger said, “This life jacket drive is really a partnership with these families to create an effort to hopefully prevent or reduce the chances of a family undergoing the tragedy they did as well as increasing water safety at the lake.”

The life jacket loaner program will begin next spring once loaner stations are built at access points around the lake. 

You can go to their website www.Utahlakecommission.Org for more information.