Tuesday, January 6, 2009

DRB Update Shows Success in 2008

Bob Bramlage, Sergeant-at-Arms and Jack Petersen greeted Rotarians and guests to the 3724th meeting of St. George Rotary Club. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in a song dedicated to "Tootsie, Wootsie." Lee Warren invited members and guests to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance. Lee Sheets asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Don Pendleton conducted a spirited Horseplay with Don Dunham collecting fines on behalf of St. George Musical Theater. A motion by Les Stoker to fine BYU fans only when they win was seconded by Ray Robinson. A vote by members present was unanimous in the affirmative.

Announcements: Nick Lang, a member of SGR’s Nominating Committee, announced the roster of candidates for 2009-10 including Linda Baker and Phil Hall for president. Bill Fowler, Jerry Rasmussen, Kyle Case, Terance White and West Martin are all candidates for service on the board.

Program: President Jeff Morby introduced Richard Isom, assistant director and owner of Bright Ideas Graphic Design, who reported on the success of the recent Dixie Rotary Bowl. Jeff Morby, who chaired the Jr. Rotary Bowl for the past three years, expressed his enthusiasm for his association with young athletes. "This has been a great opportunity and I love being called ‘coach!’"

Richard expressed his appreciation for "our wonderful sponsors" awarding them each with a red t-shirt. According to Richard, "it has been a tough year though we actually had about 750 out-of-state visitors - compared to 500 in 2007. Each spent an average of $151 a day for their 2-3 days in town - "although I think it was much more!" - for a total of $380,000 added to the local economy. And, thanks, too to the Center for Media Innovation at Dixie State College who has created a souvenir DVD, launched a new and improved DRB website which has doubled the number of visits to the website. A weekly e-newsletter was also introduced this year along with the first ever "Big for A Day" event which brought team players together with local kids involved in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. "We collected money and canned goods at the 23rd Army Band Concert and donated funds to local high school band programs," said Richard. "Overall a great time was had by all! We received great comments on outstanding events and we will build on this year to improve on the Dixie Rotary Bowl weekend next year!"

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