A lot of big names gathered in the Silicon Slopes Summit in Utah, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, NBA legend Dwayne Wade, Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith and Imagine Dragon frontman Dan Reynolds, to support Encircle, a local LGBTQ+ organization. Encircle builds homes that provide therapy, programming and services for LGBTQ+ youth. There are houses currently in Provo, Salt Lake and St. George and the group just announced new locations in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Utah. Construction has already started in Heber, Logan and Ogden.
Governor Spencer Cox also acknowledged the impact of Encircle’s efforts. He says Encircle is providing a piece of acceptance for LGBTQ+ youth by giving them a place they can go to feel loved.
Encircle says it's launching a new fundraising goal so they are able to sustain the newly announced houses. As part of that, the company also announced the launching of an Encircle Cafe at its Salt Lake location as a source of income, but also as a place of employment and training for the youth staying at the homes.
