SGR Makes A Difference at SK8 Park

Rotarians Allen Hilton, Dan McArthur, Jim Coleman, Reed Noble, Grant Carter, Sam McArthur, Bill Fowler, Richard Isom, Grant Carter, Jeff Morby and Linda Sappington gave up a portion of their Saturday, October 24 to "Make A Difference" at the St. George skate park, also known as SK8 George Park. When the dust had settled, 23 trees had been positioned along the road and many shrubs had been planted at the entrance around the beautiful new Rotary SK8 Park sign.

Make-A-Difference Day is one of several national service days held annually in communities all over the United States. Held on the last Saturday of October every year since 1990, Make-A-Difference Day is an opportunity for Americans of every age and interest to do good in their community. Other national service days include Martin Luther King / Civil Rights Day (the third Monday in January), Global Youth Service Day (either Saturday during April’s National Volunteer Week), Join Hands Day (in late May or early June), DoGood Day (September 11 since 2001 in memory of those who died in the attack on America) . . . and Family Volunteer Day, the next opportunity to join in a national volunteer initiative (held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving).

Thanks, once again, for your willingness to give "service above self" in the community. Watch for information about National Family Volunteer Day on Saturday, November 21.

SGR Meets More Candidates

OPENING: Sergeant-at-Arms Donald Ira Pendleton greeted Rotarians and guests. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in a gentle rendition of "America, the Beautiful" to open the 3761st meeting of SGR. PDG Doug Quayle invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance and PDG Eldon McArthur asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Greg Basso conducted a lucrative Horseplay with fines, in support of the Dictionary project, collected by Jack Petersen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: President-elect Grant Carter noted district funds for the dictionary project have been received. June McAfee encouraged participation by club members is distributing the books to assigned schools.

Grant also reminded members Fred Berthrong will speak on the subject of the RI Foundation at an All Clubs meeting at the Holiday Inn on Monday, November 2.

Board members are encouraged to attend the District Membership / Foundation Workshop on Saturday, November 7 in Provo. Watch for more details.

Greg Basso showed his framed Paul Harris Fellow certificate and medallion indicating a local framer did the work and is willing to do the same for other interested Rotarians.

PROGRAM: Terance White introduced three of four candidates running for a seat on the St. George City Council. First to speak, incumbent Suzanne Allen commented on SGR’s "dwindling club membership" and expressed her desire to return to membership in the club in the future. Now in her 4th term in office, "I was in my 1st term when plans for the new replacement airport were put into place . . . and I want to see it finished!" She also noted receipt of $70 million in federal dollars for the completion of an overpass from Dixie Drive to the Dixie Center. "We are players now and we have a seat at the table," said Allen of St. George’s place in Utah government. "We received government stimulus money because we were prepared to receive it with ‘shovel ready’ projects, but we (the city council) still has unfinished projects and ideas we’d like to develop."

Gail Bunker has served six years on the city council and considers herself to be "an advocate for the citizens of this community. I have no regrets about the decisions I’ve made . . . the votes I’ve cast, even when I’ve been the lone voice on the council." Bunker indicated she has been involved in the "Art Around the Corner" project in the historic downtown district and in encouraging the city to hire a fulltime curator at the St. George Art Museum, but "the economy continues to be a huge community problem."

Jimmie Hughes, the challenger for a seat on the city council, is a cattle rancher and a lifetime resident of Washington County. "I think we can all appreciate what our local elected officials have been able to accomplish, but it’s OK to vote for a new face who can see things with a new set of eyes and who has new ideas for the future of the city." Referencing Rotary’s 4-Way Test, Hughes indicated "especially 'is it beneficial to all concerned' should be a litmus test for the city council as well as for Rotarians."

SGR Hears from Mayoral Candidates

OPENING: Sergeant-at-Arms Donald Ira Pendleton greeted Rotarians and guests. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in a tender rendition of "My Country, Tis of Thee" to open the 3760th meeting of SGR. Andy Anderson invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance and Linda Sappington asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Bob Bramlage conducted a rousing Horseplay with fines, in support of the Dictionary project, collected by Kurt Johnson.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Ken Sizemore reminded members Fred Berthrong will speak on the subject of the RI Foundation at an All Clubs meeting at the Holiday Inn on Monday, November 2.

Board members are encouraged to attend the District Membership / Foundation Workshop on Saturday, November 7 in Provo. Watch for more details.

PROGRAM: Jeannine Holt introduced St. George City mayoral candidates Dan McArthur and Ed Baca. The challenger, Baca is a former police officer who was named Officer of the Year by a Rotary club in his California community after he arrested members of a local gang. His career in law enforcement began at age 20. He has a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and throughout his career he helped organize such programs as "Community First," "Neighborhood Watch" and a victims assistance program. He says if elected he would probably not change much, but would have a completely different approach in administrative techniques. "I would check and double check, evaluate every department and would be the city manager’s new best friend. And, I have a lot of concern about the city council’s practice of rubber stamping every decision the mayor makes."

Incumbent Dan McArthur, seeking a 4th term as mayor, has deep roots in the community, has learned a great deal as he has watched the city grow up around his family and still has "fire in my belly" for the work of city government. In his 15 years as mayor - and 10 years before that on the city council - McArthur has guided the city’s growth, including the development of a new 1200 acre replacement airport. "Why switch horses in the middle of the stream? Look around you. If you like what you see, I stand on my record. If you have concerns, I’d like to hear about them. Just don’t forget to vote on November 3."

Meet Rotarian Debbie Justice

One of the newest members of SGR is Debbie Justice, the Executive Director and principle grant writer for The Learning Center for Families. A fluent Spanish-speaker - who also speaks a little Japanese -Justice has a great sense of humor and a penchant for fun.

This petite professional woman with a Masters in Family Support Studies is a Paul Harris Fellow and a former secretary of the Red Rock Rotary Club. She was sponsored by Linda Sappington with a classification of Social Services.

Justice, whose hobbies include "volunteering and work," is a transplanted Californian who came to St. George in 1993 to oversee the private, non-profit agency which provides support services through an Early Intervention program to families of children birth to three years of age with signs of developmental delay. Contracted by the Utah Department of Health, The Learning Center for Families works with low-income pregnant women and families who reside in Washington County, Utah, and Colorado City/Centennial Park/Cane Beds, Arizona. She currently serves on the Utah State Interagency Coordinating Council overseeing services for toddlers and the Utah State Head Start Association.

What's Up at Dixie is Program Theme

Donald Ira Pendleton greeted visitors and Rotarians to the 3759th meeting of SGR. After a rousing rendition of "Are You From Dixie" led by Sam McArthur, Paula Bell invited members to follow her in the Pledge of Allegiance. Steve Radmall asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Grant Carter took the podium for an energetic Horseplay while Jack Petersen collected fines on behalf of Operation School Bell.

The program included Christina Schultz,Vice President of Institutional Advancement; George Whitehead, Assoc. VP of Advancement and Cultural Arts; and Janet O’Riley, Director of Community Education who shared the podium for a presentation on “What’s Happening at Dixie.” They reported the following:

ENROLLMENT
DSC has experienced unprecedented enrollment growth.
Total budget-related FTE is currently at 25% ( highest percentage increase in the Utah System of Higher Education).
Upper division FTE (from spring 2008-2009) was up 46%.
DSC has the largest ever freshman class.

DEGREES
President Nadauld and Academic Vice President Donna Dillingham Evans, have developed a comprehensive plan to roll out degrees over the next few years.
Start date of Fall 2009: (1) music (2) respiratory therapy
Anticipated start date of January 2010: (1) physical therapy assistant (2) psychology
Anticipated start date of Fall 2010: (1) theater (2) theater education (3) music education
Spring 2010 (Regent Submission): (1) math/math education (2) CIT redesign
Nursing has been successfully accredited for 8 years.
Operations Management is underway with a $2.1 million grant and being delivered as part of a DSC/DXATC/SWATC partnership.
Green Construction Management which is a tri-county (Washington, Kane, and Iron) initiative and partnership between DSC/DXATC/SWATC is currently seeking funding.

FACILITIES
Renovations to the O.C. Tanner Amphitheater have been completed due to a generous grant from the O.C. Tanner Foundation.
Sculpture Garden is nearing completion.
New testing center renovation has been completed.
Jennings Communication Building ribbon cutting took place on Sept. 24th. Communication is the fastest growing degree at DSC. It now has 260 majors (more than any other Communications program in the state of Utah).
DSC has a new classical music station (KXDS 91.3 FM).
Dick Nourse Center for Media Innovation is a production company run by students under the direction of DSC faculty. It is the only one of its kind in the United States.
CEC has acquired a new mobile TV production truck which is used to broadcast athletic events around the country and to train students in a hands-on way.
The new Centennial Commons will be the “hub” of the DSC campus and be a cornerstone for advancing DSC to university status.

ATHLETICS
Teams are playing well as evidenced by a very close game with Montana State.
The new Red Storm logo was shown.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Hall of Fame will be held on Oct. 10th at the Tabernacle. Corey Dillon and Patricia Holland will be honored.
Homecoming will be held on Oct. 10th (parade, tailgate, football game, alumni banquet). Jeffrey R. Holland will be the banquet speaker.
The “Business of Art” is a one-day FREE seminar to be held in Kanab for artists and aspiring artists. This will help them enhance their business skills. Speakers from Salt Lake City, Cedar City, St. George, and Kanab will be presenting.
DOCUTAH – The Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival – will be held from Sept. 16-25, 2010 in St. George and Kanab. The opening gala will be at Tuacahn. There will be a special screening at the O.C. Tanner Amphitheater.

DSC INVOLVEMENT
There are many involvement opportunities with DSC. Christina invited all those involved in the following to stand up: Rotary Bowl, Athletics, Alumni, Scholarship Associates, NAC, Adjunct Faculty, Dixie College Foundation, and Institute for Business Integrity. DSC has involvement opportunities for everyone in any area of interest.

Rotarians at Play

On the community’s busiest weekend of the year, SGRotarians brought their "best ghoul" (or guy), lots of little ghosts and goblins, and their own "inner child" to enjoy the fall evening of October 2 in "agri-taining" play. At the Staheli Family Farm, there were things to ride, things to pet, and things to eat, including a great dinner by Staheli Catering, but the most fun was getting lost in the darkness of a 20-acre, 3-in-1 Corn MaiZE.

Corn mazes actually began in 17th century Europe as formal garden mazes for the wealthiest castles and palaces to amuse kings and princesses. In 1996, Brett Herbst, a BYU graduate in agribusiness, took the concept to a whole new level when he introduced THE MaIZE, the largest human-size cornfield maze in the western United States. In 13 years, he has designed more than 1200 mazes, including the Dixie Lions Round-up design at Staheli Farm. Each design challenges visitors seeking to find their way through the twists and turns. Thrillseekers fortunate enough to stumble onto the correct pathways have exited the maze in less than 30 minutes, but the more directionally-challenged - including the Sappington and Isom families - have wandered the puzzle for up to 3 hours.

In the cold darkness of Saturday morning, October 3, a few hearty Rotarians also enjoyed the chance to take part in the 23rd Annual St. George Mayor’s Walk, as part of the activities of the St. George Marathon. Though the crowd - including business people, school mates, friends, families and lots of dogs - was much smaller than usual, they were no less enthusiastic as Rotarian and St. George City Mayor Dan McArthur sounded the horn at 7 a.m. at Bluff Street Park and led the walk to the finish line at Vernon Worthen Park - only slightly ahead of the winning wheelchair racer.

Playing together is another benefit of membership in St. George Rotary and a great way to "build goodwill and friendship!"