Sizemore Is SGR's 79th President

OPENING: Terance White is beginning to put names and faces together in his new assignment on SGR’s board. To accomplish his goal of getting to know everyone, he took attendance and greeted Rotarians and visitors to the 3749th meeting of SGR. Ray Robinson conducted the SGR choir in a particularly harmonious rendition of “America the Beautiful.” Shar Heitkotter invited members to follow her in the Pledge of Allegiance. Phil Hall lead members in a recitation of the 4-Way Test. Lee Sheets asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. President Jeff called for a 1099 vote in the amount of $3 per member in lieu of Horseplay.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Jeff announced an increase in monthly dues from $50 to $60 since the club has been losing money monthly due to the increase in RI fees and voluntary contributions for Polio Plus, EREY and other Rotary costs. Greg Basso voted against the action, but all other members voted in favor.

PROGRAM: President Jeff shared a retrospective of his year in the form of a power point presentation, reminding members of the fun and service provided to the club and the community since July 2008. “It wasn’t all good news. We lost 17 – but gained 8 new members - bringing our total membership to 82. On the other hand, we met our commitment to Polio Plus, improved the Rotary Bowl in numerous ways; held an orientation for new members and reactivated a few others; and had 75% of our members fulfill their commitment to EREY.” According to Jeff, “this year we strengthened our Interact clubs, purchased another 22 wheelchairs, contributed $30,000 to the purchase and installation of stoves in Guatemala and distributed 2100 dictionaries to 3rd graders in 74 Washington County classrooms.”

Perfect attendance awards were distributed to Eldon McArthur (34 years), Don Pendleton (19 years), Jim Coleman (9 years), Gary Benson, Andy Anderson, Linda Sappington, Shar Heitkotter, and (the complete list will have to wait until I get home from Denver).

“Service above self” awards were given to Gary Benson for his efforts to organize the Washington City Cotton Days parade and for his service as the Rotary chauffer; Shar Heitkotter and Greg Basso for being Santa's elves. Shar was also recognized for her service as chair of the DRB committee and Greg was recognized for his efforts to promote the wheelchair program. Linda Sappington was recognized as the club's Super Blogger. Gil Trujillo received an award as southern Utah's Rotary ambassador (and the rest of the list will have to wait until I get home from Denver).

Special recognition was given to Ken Sizemore, Grant Carter, Linda Baker, Linda Sappington, Ken Seefeld, Kris Neal, Mark Armstrong, Terance White, Kerry Hepworth, Bob Bramlage, Reed Noble and Allen Hilton were given special thanks for their support of Jeff Morby during his year as president in 2008-09. Linda Sappington was named 2009 Rotarian of the Year.

Ken Sizemore was inducted as 2009-2010 president. Board members who will help him meet his goals include Ken Seefeld as treasurer, Kris Neal as assistant treasurer, Linda Sappington as secretary, Linda Baker with responsibilities for club administration. Terance White and Grant Carter will oversee recruiting and retaining members; with Phil Hall with responsibilities for the programs of the Rotary Foundation; Jerry Rasmussen coordinating service in the community and the world; and Bill Fowler managing duties relating to public information.

What's Black and White and Read All Over?

OPENING: Jack Petersen assumed responsibilities as SGR’s Sergeant-at-Arms greeting Rotarians and other visitors to the 3748th regular weekly meeting of St. George Rotary. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in "Let Me Call You Sweetheart. Stan Gubler invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance and June McAfee asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Dan Strobell conducted a high energy Horseplay with fines collected by West Martin on behalf of the Guatemalan stove project.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Gil Trujillo was welcomed back from the Rotary International Convention in Birmingham, England where he was impressed by talks by Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall and other outstanding world and Rotarians leaders.

There will be no meeting on Monday, July 6, but members and spouses are invited to attend the installation of officers on Monday, July 13.

PROGRAM: Donny Welch, publisher of The Spectrum and Daily News, gave an impressive power point presentation relating to readership and new features being planned for his newspapers. He noted the current adult readership of the local papers is up 3.5% - higher than it has ever been in their entire history; and, 75% of the 18-34 year old demographic are regular readers - outpacing all other Gannett publications in most categories. In addition to the print products of the paper, http://www.spectrum.com/ sees 135,000 unique visitors every month and there is a substantial increase in Sunday readership, "probably due to coupon clippers in a bad economy!" His staff of 117 full time equivalents is working hard to develop quality products to attract and meet the need of new businesses as far north as Beaver. Welch also indicated they are working on a program to "giveaway $150,000-$200,000 in advertising over the next few months."

Update on Dixie State College Sports

OPENING: On Monday, June 22, Bob Bramlage, SGR’s Sergeant-at-Arms, greeted Rotarians and other visitors to the 3747th regular weekly meeting of St. George Rotary. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in a rousing version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Phil Hall invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance and West Martin asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Shar Heitkotter conducted a high energy Horseplay with fines collected by Richard Brown on behalf of the Guatemalan stove project.

PROGRAM: President Jeff expressed his appreciation to Dixie State College for their willingness to partner with SGR and the Dixie Rotary Bowl foundation. Coach Ron Hahn, head coach for DSC Football Team expressed appreciation to Ali Threet and Vasu Mudliar, new President of the Dixie Athletic Booster Club and elaborated enthusiastically on the upcoming football season with six away and five home games. There is great spirit, great tailgating party, loud support for the students, and the fans are great. This should be an exciting season with 12 local players and 20 transfers though donations have dipped and each away game costs $40,000. Brochures and schedules were distributed to Rotarians with an invitation to join Dixie Spirit with a package including dinner at the Golden Corral and football tickets. Dixie Spirit involves the community in support of DSC students and student athletes. The college representatives also noted the success of other athletic programs including men and women’s basketball with 60 local kids on teams and women’s soccer which team placed 2nd in All American Conference.

Waste Not, Want Not!

OPENING: Terance White, the new Club Service chair, tried his hand at Sargeant-at-Arms duties including taking attendance and meeting and greeting Rotarians and guests to the 3746th meeting of St. George Rotary while SA’s Bob Bramlage and Jack Petersen looked on and applauded his efforts. Ray Robinson lead the SGR choir in an usually solemn version of "My Country, Tis of Thee." Don Pendleton, finally back among his Rotary friends after open heart surgery, lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Eldon McArthur asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Greg Basso lead a spirited Horseplay with Shar Heitkotter collecting fines on behalf of the Guatemalan stove project.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Jeff Morby announced that Ken Sizemore, president-elect and Gil Trujillo, District Governor-elect are winging their way to Birmingham, England for the Rotary International Convention on June 22-24.

PROGRAM: Lindsey Hirst, a student at Dixie State College who oversees the KidSpace after-school program shared information about her program which sees an average of 30 boys and girls at five school sites around the county. From 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. each day, students get help with math, reading and other homework and do crafts at Coral Cliffs, Red Mountain, Riverside and Sunset Elementary schools.

Jennifer Harris, recycling coordinator for Washington County Solid Waste shared information on the first recycling initiative in the history of southern Utah. Part of the "Don’t Waste Dixie" program, recycling paper, plastics, metal and glass is designed to reduce the county’s 122 million pounds of landfilled materials - an average of 2700 pounds per household - while raising funds for special community programs such as parks and recreation and Hurricane’s Peach Days. Harris reminded Rotarians of the difference between garbage and trash. Garbage is a term for food waste, while trash is a term for all other unwanted items - and is actually a resource which can be recycled and reused. The WCSW has already recycled over a million pounds of trash and raised more than $15,000 in the process. The receptacles - called Binnies - are located at numerous highly visible and easily accessible sites around the county. "We have a good start on getting local residents to recycle. There are many people who have an emotional connection to the process or who have come from other communities where recycling is ‘the norm’," states Harris. "But there are those who think it’s a lot of effort for nothing. We still have lots of work to do to convince everyone of the value of recycling to our community and its future."

Conserving our Most Fixed, Finite and Fickle Resource

OPENING: Jack Petersen assumed responsibilities as SGR’s Sergeant-at-Arms greeting Rotarians and other visitors to the 3745th regular weekly meeting of St. George Rotary. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in "I’m Looking Over A 4-Leafed Clover" accompanied by Marva Condie. Dan McArthur invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance and Bob Bramlage asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Shar Heitkotter conducted an energetic Horseplay with fines collected by Mark Peterson on behalf of the Guatemalan stove project.

PROGRAM: Julie Breckenridge, conservation coordinator for the Washington County Water Conservancy District, reminded those in attendance that water is "fixed, finite and fickle . . . fixed because we have the same amount today as we had thousands of years ago . . . finite because as the population increases each person gets a smaller portion . . . and fickle because you never know when you will get more and how much it will be." With the increased frequency, length and severity of droughts and high population growth in the area, water has become even less predictable and a challenge to manage efficiently. Water conservation, defined as activities which reduce the demand, improve efficiency of its use and reduce loss and waste, is vital in meeting these challenges sine individual small savings can add up to large savings. Although water conservation does not eliminate the need for future water projects based on population growth projections, it is crucial in meeting current demands. For more information on ways to save water in everyday usage or to schedule a soils test, call Julie Breckenridge at 673-3617.

Is There Enough Evidence?

At the recent Utah Rotary District Conference in Park City, RI Representative Bill Sturgeon (Phoenix, Arizona) asked, "If you were arrested on charges of being a good Rotarian . . . would there be enough evidence to convict you? What is a Rotarian?

A Rotarian is a person who . . .
* Digs wells from which he will never drink,
* Vaccinates children he will never meet,
* Restores eyesight to those he will never see,
* Builds houses he will never live in,
* Plants trees he will never sit under,
* Feeds hungry people regardless of race or politics or religion,
* And makes crawlers into walkers, halfway around the world.
A Rotarian is a person who knows real happiness, as Albert Einstein said, "Can only be found by helping others."

Learn more about what transforms a Rotary member into a Rotarian by attending the Utah District Conference in St. George, May 13-15, 2010 (see www.utahrotaryconference.blogspot.com for more information).

"And That's What I Call Bowling the Jack"

OPENING: Jack Petersen served as SGR’s Sergeant-at-Arms greeting Rotarians and others visitors to the 3744th regular weekly meeting of St. George Rotary. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in "In the Good Old Summertime." Andy Anderson invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance and Dan Strobell asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal and Grant Carter lead members in a recitation of the 4-Way Test. Gil Trujillo conducted an energetic Horseplay with fines collected on behalf of the Guatemalan stove project, by Jack Petersen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Jeff shared his enthusiasm for the recent Utah Rotary District Conference and encouraged support of the 2010 conference in St. George. Linda Sappington will chair the event which will include a golf tournament, a service project, great presenters and a "Rotary’s Got Talent" show. Watch on the special blog created to promote the conference at http://www.utahrotaryconference.blogspot.com/ which will have a post every Thursday morning about some aspect of the conference.

President Jeff asked for an update on members Don Pendleton, Don Dunham and Dean Terry, whose wife Carol fell and broke her arm.

Board members are reminded of the Tuesday, June 9 meeting at Ken Sizemore’s office beginning at 7:15 a.m.

Greg Basso announced the most recent count of wheelchairs donated and distributed to date is 756,407, thanks to the efforts of Rotarians around the world.

DRGE Gil Trujillo reported on the symbolic "passing of the torch" at the conference in Park City noting he now proudly wears the DRG pin worn originally by Richard L. Evans (who went on to serve as RI President in 1966-67), and passed on to other Utah district governors including Eldon McArthur, Doug Quayle, Sterling Spafford and Jim Coleman. According to Governor Gil, "SGR has more PDG’s than any other Utah club!"

PROGRAM: Grant Carter introduced Dr. Wayne Pace, an enthusiastic advocate of the sport of lawnbowling who is working with St. George City Leisure Services to find the necessary resources - including funding in the amount of $450,000 - to create a bowling green!

According to Dr. Pace, lawnbowling is a sport with a goal to roll slightly asymmetric balls, called bowls, closest to a smaller—normally white—bowl called the "jack". Lawnbowling is usually played outdoors on a large, rectangular, precisely leveled and manicured grass or synthetic surface which is divided into parallel playing strips called rinks (an indoor variation on carpet is also played). In singles competition, one of two opponents flip a coin to see who wins the "mat" and begins a segment of the competition (in bowling parlance, an "end"), by placing the mat and rolling the jack to the other end of the green to serve as a target. Once it has come to rest, the jack is aligned to the center of the rink and the players take turns to roll their bowls from the mat towards the jack and thereby build up the "head". A player in a singles game reaches a specified target number of shots (usually 21 or 25). A team (pair, triple or four) has the higher score after a specified number of ends. Because of its competitiveness, skill and because it is a non-contact sport, the game suits people from teen years through to their nineties.