SALT LAKE CITY — When the Salt Lake City School District ended its longtime community education program, Teresa Anderson-Meyers and Heather Santos were sitting in one of its watercolor classes.
Anderson-Meyers said the news quickly took over the room.
“Everyone was devastated,” she said. “Heather and I were just like, we can do something.”
So they did.
The two friends launched Pursuit Co., a nonprofit aimed at keeping many of the same low-cost community classes alive after the district ended the program following 54 years. The women brought back about 80% of the former instructors, kept many of the same types of classes, and arranged to use Salt Lake City schools for some of them.
Now, just days before the first classes begin Sept. 14, about 425 people have enrolled. But Santos said getting there has taken more work than expected.
“We had to work really hard to get here,” she said. “I would say what was surprising was how much marketing has been required to reach people.”
Salt Lake City community program lives on thanks to former students:
That has become one of the biggest challenges facing the new organization: Many residents heard that the school district’s community education program had been canceled, but never heard that Pursuit Co. had stepped in to offer a new version.
“The vast majority of people, that’s what they know — is that it’s been canceled,” Santos said. “And they don’t know there’s a part two of the story and that Pursuit Co. now exists as a home for these classes.”
A recent fitness sampler was part of the organization’s effort to change that. The event gave people a chance to try some of the offerings while also introducing them to Pursuit Co.
Santos said she and Anderson-Meyers closely watch every new registration.
“Teresa and I refresh that enrollment dashboard about 20 times a day,” she said. “Every time we see a new enrollment, there’s like a dopamine hit.”
For Jordan Herman, learning about Pursuit Co. came through a friend.
Herman said she had been looking for affordable arts, crafts, and fitness classes and was excited to find several options in one place.
“I love the idea of having classes that are available for our community at a really affordable price. There are a ton of different offerings, and there’s something for everybody,” Herman said.
Anderson-Meyers said preserving that accessibility and sense of community was a major reason she and Santos took on the project while both continue working full-time jobs.
She said the original classes were beginner-friendly and often taught by people who lived in the same communities as their students.
“It’s just a way to get to know people in your community,” Anderson-Meyers said.
The first Pursuit Co. classes begin Monday. Organizers say their focus now is not only keeping the program going, but making sure Salt Lake City residents know where to find it.
