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MURRAY — When Corey Fairholm's first daughter started kindergarten, it only seemed logical for Fairholm to follow her there.
"I'm like, 'Oh, I've got to follow her to kindergarten, I've got to be with her, right?'" Fairholm recalled.
That decision was the first domino to fall in what eventually led Fairholm to 22 years of service in various PTA groups from elementary, junior high and high school levels.
Fairholm served on district-level PTA groups before moving to the statewide Utah PTA and in July, she took over the role of president for the largest child advocacy group in the state, with over 77,000 volunteer members during the 2022-23 school year.
Right before her eyes, Fairholm watched what was once the idea to serve her first child grow to serve all four of her children and eventually, every child in the state.
"We're serving each child," Fairholm said. "That's why I continue to do it because all my children are grown ... but it is to help every single child."
Despite her new role, Fairholm said that her end goal remains the same: Build an army of advocates and volunteers to make sure that every child's potential becomes a reality.
Beyond building her army of child advocates, Fairholm said another core function of the Utah PTA is to work with legislators to make sure that some of the bills being proposed and passed have to do with education funding.
"I think that we dealt with some things last year that were like, 'Oh my gosh, is education important?'" Fairholm said. "Let's make sure it is ... because we're building these children's futures."
The funding that the Utah PTA advocates for, she said, extends beyond the per-pupil funding for each student and includes funding that ensures teachers are receiving adequate pay — an area where she sees room for progress.
"I think the state could be doing more ... I really do," Fairholm said. "Teachers are so valuable. As a 50-year-old woman, I'm still talking about the impact that one teacher made in my life."
