Jack Petersen and Don Pendleton greeted Rotarians and guests to the 3315th meeting of St. George Rotary Club on Monday, October 20. Ray Robinson conducted the SGR choir in a spirited version of “God Bless America.” Our “Flag Man” Lee Warren invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ken Seefeld asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Ken Sizemore conducted an energetic Horseplay while Paula Bell collected fines on behalf of Polio Plus!
President Jeff reminded members invoices for the immediate past quarter were sent by e-mail. A hard copy invoice will also be distributed to members who prefer notification by that method. Any questions relating to invoices or amounts due may be referred to Mark Armstrong or Ken Seefeld.
President Jeff also offered the congratulations of the club to St. George City Mayor Dan McArthur on the recent groundbreaking for the city’s new airport. Club members broke into a spontaneous round of the “Dixie Song.”
June McAffee gave a brief report on SGR’s dictionary project which she says is “going well thanks to the efforts of Rotary volunteers, including Rotaract students.” This year 2100 Washington County 3rd graders will receive their very own dictionary.
Richard Isom announced the first-ever Rotary Bowl Souvenir Pin, available at a cost of $5 each.
Greg Basso reminded members time is running out to order wheelchairs in time for Christmas. Please call Greg as soon as possible to make a contribution of support.
George Whitehead announced the celebration of cultural arts month at Dixie State College. He invited Rotarians to a variety of events associated with the celebration including a Gala Ball on Friday, October 24 at the St. George Community Arts Center. On Saturday, October 25 there will be a Concert at the Burns Arena.
Program: Jeannine Holt introduced guests Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith; St. George Police Chief Marlon Stratton; Washington County Commissioner Denny Drake; Mike Stewart, Supervisor for the St. George Field Office of Homeland Security; and Steve Branch, Director of the Salt Lake City Field Office of Homeland Security with responsibility for Utah, Nevada, Montana and Idaho.
Director Branch reported Homeland Security’s mission is to keep the country safe which is challenging because of scarce resources. The staff has recently doubled at the St. George office as a result of major recent changes in the approach for dealing with immigration issues through partnering with state and local municipalities. Director Branch noted, "If you enter this country illegally - it is a crime. We work to take these people off the streets, prosecute and deport them." Utah deports about 200 non-citizens a month from as many as 38 different countries. The largest share of deportations are to Mexico.
No comments:
Post a Comment