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Super Neighbors, Everyday Heroes on the Hill
by Michael Young
Not every hero wears a cape. Some wear scrubs, name tags, work boots, or Sunday clothes. Some show up early, stay late, volunteer for decades, and quietly build a life of service that improves their neighbors' lives. In American Fork, many of those everyday heroes can be found on the Hill, as the Utah State Developmental Center is affectionately called.
by Michael Young
Not every hero wears a cape. Some wear scrubs, name tags, work boots, or Sunday clothes. Some show up early, stay late, volunteer for decades, and quietly build a life of service that improves their neighbors' lives. In American Fork, many of those everyday heroes can be found on the Hill, as the Utah State Developmental Center is affectionately called.
The Utah State Developmental Center, or USDC, has been part of the community since 1920, serving people with complex disabilities and becoming one of the city's most meaningful long-term partners. For more than a century, it has been a place where care, compassion, and commitment are not just ideals, but daily work.
American Fork Mayor Brad Frost said the Developmental Center's influence extends far beyond its campus.
"The Developmental Center is part of the fabric of our community, and the residents and caregivers who are there each day help make American Fork a more caring, compassionate, and welcoming city," Frost said.
City Administrator David Bunker says American Fork has "many touchpoints" with USDC, from utilities to public safety services. But the relationship goes far beyond city support. "The main purpose for USDC is to provide specialized services to members of our community with complex disabilities," he said. And while those services are at the heart of USDC's mission, the center has also created something bigger: a network of super neighbors who volunteer, work, and serve with heart.
More than 7,000 volunteer hours are given at USDC each year, helping with dances, church activities, and other events that bring joy and companionship to the people who live there. Volunteers and staff members must pass background checks, but the real qualification for life on the Hill seems to be something less formal and more powerful. It is a willingness to show up for others.
American Fork Mayor Brad Frost said the Developmental Center's influence extends far beyond its campus.
"The Developmental Center is part of the fabric of our community, and the residents and caregivers who are there each day help make American Fork a more caring, compassionate, and welcoming city," Frost said.
City Administrator David Bunker says American Fork has "many touchpoints" with USDC, from utilities to public safety services. But the relationship goes far beyond city support. "The main purpose for USDC is to provide specialized services to members of our community with complex disabilities," he said. And while those services are at the heart of USDC's mission, the center has also created something bigger: a network of super neighbors who volunteer, work, and serve with heart.
More than 7,000 volunteer hours are given at USDC each year, helping with dances, church activities, and other events that bring joy and companionship to the people who live there. Volunteers and staff members must pass background checks, but the real qualification for life on the Hill seems to be something less formal and more powerful. It is a willingness to show up for others.
For those who work there, the reward is found in connection.
For almost 100 years, people from American Fork and surrounding communities have come to work and volunteer there. One story, in particular, feels like something out of a real-life superhero comic. In 1973, a 13-year-old girl was brought by her mother to the USDC to volunteer for a church activity. She continued volunteering until she was hired at 18, and she worked there for 49 years before retiring just last year.
Over those decades, the people she worked with became her family. She cared for two women in the same apartment for more than 30 years and later attended each of their funerals as a member of their family. It is the kind of loyalty and love that does not often make headlines, but it is exactly the kind of heroism that keeps a community strong. Now that's a super neighbor.
Mayor Frost said the residents and caregivers at USDC embody many of the qualities that define the city itself.
"The residents of the Developmental Center and the dedicated caregivers who support them each day reflect the compassion, service, and sense of community that make American Fork special," he said.
Another everyday hero at the center is Tim Matthews, who became USDC's director four years ago. When asked about getting his start there, he said he did not know exactly what to expect when he first arrived on campus. Though he had grown up in Utah County and spent time in American Fork Canyon, he had never visited the campus or learned much about the work being done there. On his first day, while visiting the medically fragile area, he was deeply moved by the care shown to residents who could not always communicate in typical ways.
What struck him most was how well the staff knew each person they served. Through facial expressions, body language, and subtle cues, caregivers could understand what residents needed and respond with patience, love, and remarkable attentiveness. Matthews said that experience made it clear he was in the right place.
Bunker said he has felt that same spirit through his own years of volunteering at USDC. "Every opportunity I have had to serve leaves me with a sense of gratitude and love for the residents and caregivers," he said. "They are truly heroes. It helps me reset my perspective and priorities in life. I 'get' more than I 'give' when I volunteer there."
"We celebrate not only the remarkable individuals who call the Developmental Center home, but also the caregivers whose dedication helps create a place of belonging, dignity, and friendship," Mayor Frost said.
USDC's impact is not only personal, but practical as well. Bunker said the center employs hundreds of caregivers, nurses, administrators, and support personnel, making it an important part of American Fork's economy. It has also given local residents opportunities to learn skills and gain valuable experience that have carried into future careers.
Bunker knows that firsthand. As a teenager, he worked at USDC through an American Fork High School work release program. "While earning money while working at USDC was great ($2.75/hour in 1986), I value the experience I gained from that opportunity even more," he said. "It prepared me in many ways to start a lifelong love of enjoying work with a diverse group of people."
Today, USDC is building on that long legacy with a 15-year strategic plan focused on strengthening services for the people who live there while expanding support for the broader community. A major milestone in that effort came last summer with the opening of the Comprehensive Medical and Therapies Building.
The new building includes a modernized medical wing, a dental wing, therapy services, and behavioral health services for people with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and related conditions. Leaders hope to expand those services even further in the coming year through workshops, direct consultations, training, respite care, crisis evaluations, and other supports. In other words, the hero’s work continues and grows.
Mayor Frost said that growth reflects the commitment of both residents and those who care for them. "Behind every meaningful act of care is a caregiver who quietly gives of their time, talent, and heart," he said. "We are proud to recognize both the residents and caregivers of the Developmental Center as part of our Steel Days celebration."
Bunker said one of the greatest gifts of having USDC in American Fork is the relationship it creates between the center and the people it serves. "Many great individuals live and are taken care of at USDC," he said. "They love, they laugh, they value friendships. And mostly they teach by being who they are." That may be the truest superpower of all.
As USDC celebrates its place in the community, residents and leaders are inviting the public to join the Hill Celebration on June 17th and 18th and the children's parade during Steel Days on July 18th. It is a chance to honor the super neighbors among us, the everyday heroes who serve with steady hands, open hearts, and a lasting commitment to one another.
After more than a century, USDC remains grounded in service, shaped by compassion, and carried forward by people who prove every day that heroes do not always fly. Sometimes, they simply show up on the Hill.
For almost 100 years, people from American Fork and surrounding communities have come to work and volunteer there. One story, in particular, feels like something out of a real-life superhero comic. In 1973, a 13-year-old girl was brought by her mother to the USDC to volunteer for a church activity. She continued volunteering until she was hired at 18, and she worked there for 49 years before retiring just last year.
Over those decades, the people she worked with became her family. She cared for two women in the same apartment for more than 30 years and later attended each of their funerals as a member of their family. It is the kind of loyalty and love that does not often make headlines, but it is exactly the kind of heroism that keeps a community strong. Now that's a super neighbor.
Mayor Frost said the residents and caregivers at USDC embody many of the qualities that define the city itself.
"The residents of the Developmental Center and the dedicated caregivers who support them each day reflect the compassion, service, and sense of community that make American Fork special," he said.
Another everyday hero at the center is Tim Matthews, who became USDC's director four years ago. When asked about getting his start there, he said he did not know exactly what to expect when he first arrived on campus. Though he had grown up in Utah County and spent time in American Fork Canyon, he had never visited the campus or learned much about the work being done there. On his first day, while visiting the medically fragile area, he was deeply moved by the care shown to residents who could not always communicate in typical ways.
What struck him most was how well the staff knew each person they served. Through facial expressions, body language, and subtle cues, caregivers could understand what residents needed and respond with patience, love, and remarkable attentiveness. Matthews said that experience made it clear he was in the right place.
Bunker said he has felt that same spirit through his own years of volunteering at USDC. "Every opportunity I have had to serve leaves me with a sense of gratitude and love for the residents and caregivers," he said. "They are truly heroes. It helps me reset my perspective and priorities in life. I 'get' more than I 'give' when I volunteer there."
"We celebrate not only the remarkable individuals who call the Developmental Center home, but also the caregivers whose dedication helps create a place of belonging, dignity, and friendship," Mayor Frost said.
USDC's impact is not only personal, but practical as well. Bunker said the center employs hundreds of caregivers, nurses, administrators, and support personnel, making it an important part of American Fork's economy. It has also given local residents opportunities to learn skills and gain valuable experience that have carried into future careers.
Bunker knows that firsthand. As a teenager, he worked at USDC through an American Fork High School work release program. "While earning money while working at USDC was great ($2.75/hour in 1986), I value the experience I gained from that opportunity even more," he said. "It prepared me in many ways to start a lifelong love of enjoying work with a diverse group of people."
Today, USDC is building on that long legacy with a 15-year strategic plan focused on strengthening services for the people who live there while expanding support for the broader community. A major milestone in that effort came last summer with the opening of the Comprehensive Medical and Therapies Building.
The new building includes a modernized medical wing, a dental wing, therapy services, and behavioral health services for people with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and related conditions. Leaders hope to expand those services even further in the coming year through workshops, direct consultations, training, respite care, crisis evaluations, and other supports. In other words, the hero’s work continues and grows.
Mayor Frost said that growth reflects the commitment of both residents and those who care for them. "Behind every meaningful act of care is a caregiver who quietly gives of their time, talent, and heart," he said. "We are proud to recognize both the residents and caregivers of the Developmental Center as part of our Steel Days celebration."
Bunker said one of the greatest gifts of having USDC in American Fork is the relationship it creates between the center and the people it serves. "Many great individuals live and are taken care of at USDC," he said. "They love, they laugh, they value friendships. And mostly they teach by being who they are." That may be the truest superpower of all.
As USDC celebrates its place in the community, residents and leaders are inviting the public to join the Hill Celebration on June 17th and 18th and the children's parade during Steel Days on July 18th. It is a chance to honor the super neighbors among us, the everyday heroes who serve with steady hands, open hearts, and a lasting commitment to one another.
After more than a century, USDC remains grounded in service, shaped by compassion, and carried forward by people who prove every day that heroes do not always fly. Sometimes, they simply show up on the Hill.