SGR Visits McArthur Jewelers

Members of SGR "rotated" to McArthur Jewelers where Rotarian and owner Tom McArthur shared a little of the history of the company his father started in 1950. The "meeting" part of the meeting was held in the Old Theater next-door where a lunch of pizza, salad, drinks and cupcakes from Twenty-five Main was enjoyed by all.  Also present were Ken and Arda Molen, she who has single-handedly created "hundreds of t-shirt dresses" for distribution to little girls in 3rd world countries - most recently in Puerto Penasco, Mexico.

New Members, Finances and "Know Yer Ro"

New members (from left)  Larry Kuehn, Al Rathman (sponsored by
Ray Robinson and Michael Westfall (sponsored by Jim Coleman)

Today in Rotary three new members were inducted.  Left to right new members are Paul Toone with a classification of Mountain Bell Executive (Retd.), Al Rathman sponsored by Ray Robison with a classification of Retired and Michael Westfall sponsored by Jim Coleman and whose classification is District Court Judge.  With these three new faces our membership now totals 73.

Club Treasurer Richard Isom presented the financial report for 2014-15 to the club along with the 2015-16 club budgets. He highlighted how the St. George Rotary Club Foundation, Inc. operates as the project funding and fundraising entity for the club's service activities to provide charitable giving tax benefits to donors and the opportunity to attract donations from outside sources—something that we have been receiving. He gave an overview of the club's financial controls noting that the board approves the annual budget and also approves any expenditure that is not previously approved in the budget; the board reviews detailed financial statements each quarter; and finally, the board conducts a self-audit each year to verify the expenditures are as stated in the financials. He highlighted that the club has healthy financials with good reserves and that the board has been prudent in their financial planning.

Alan Paige shared his life and times in a "Know Yer Ro" presentation, noting he saw a lot of the world before settling on St. George as a place to retire with his wife Sandy.  USAF Col. (Ret.)  Paige ended a 29-year military career in 1998 then taught mathematics at an alternative high school in Peoria IL.  In 2000 he was hired as an exercise planner at Ramstein Air Base in Germany helping to plan military exercises between USAF and NATO personnel in Europe. In 2007 he and Sandra moved to Yorktown VA working for the USAF at Langley AFB before moving back to Ramstein AB for 4 more years prior to retiring again in February, 2013. His military service included tours of duty at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, New Mexico; George AFB in Victorville, California; Kunsan AB in Korea;  Spandgalhem AB, Germany; Takli AB, Thailand; and ANG assignments in Springfield and Peoria IL.

It was in Peoria, Illinois, where Alan was first introduced to Rotary.  The graduate of Hastings College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in math and physics was a member of the Peoria Rotary Club from 1994 to 2000.  After moving to Yorktown, VA and now fully immersed in the concept of “service above self” he couldn’t find a Rotary club to fit his schedule so joined Kiwanis where he served for two years.  

Alan and Sandy’s three children are scattered around the globe.  Their daughter – a CPA – lives in Chicago.  The couple’s two sons are a Marine stationed near Charleston, South Carolina and an engineer living and working in London.

When it came time to retire, Alan and Sandy whittled their choices down to three locations:  Tennessee, Nebraska or St. George.  Alan now plays lots of golf and looks for opportunities to teach or tutor so he can put his mathematical expertise to good use.

Sherman Speaks on Barn Raising

TODAY AT ROTARY our newest member Tyler Hoskings was inducted by Pdt. Terance White alongside his sponsor Nick Lang, bringing SGR’s current total membership to 72.  Tyler, a civic engineer (with Jones and DeMille) by profession, has a classification of Civil Engineering      and is certain to be a great asset to our club.

Motivational speaker Jeffrey T. Sherman shared his wit and wisdom in helping club members understand their positive traits and talents which can move them forward in life, including Character, Opportunities, Relationships and Education (CORE).  

“I strongly advocate for leaders to draw upon the excellence of those around them to create a cause.  Find the unknown aspirations, the creativity and the life within your company.  Foster a culture of collaboration and thought.  Come together as a company and 'raise a barn.'  People will rally around something in which they believe.”

Sherman also encouraged “brave leaders” to promote from within, learn to listen, provide recognition rather than to seek it, conquer yourself – not to the point of perfection, but to the point of compassion, find out what others aspire to do with their lives and earnestly motivate your team members to accomplish worthy tasks.

For more information on Sherman’s belief in the aspirations of individuals to act as a catalyst for change, call him at 313-3006; by e-mail to jeff@shermanspeaks.com or on the web at www.shermanspeaks.com.

Rotarians at Work

On Saturday, August 1, a dozen SG Rotarians gathered on a beautiful summer morning to work side-by-side for nearly two hours cleaning up a half mile stretch of River Road.  This “service above self” project was the idea of SGR’s new president Terance White, who plans to have a service-project-a-month while he is the club’s top dog.  He even commandeered his wife Tiffany to serve as “chief cook and bottle washer.”  The delicious breakfast she prepared included breakfast cake (also known as baked oatmeal), which she served with cantaloupe and yogurt.

Rotarians reported some interesting finds as they worked to fill eight 55-gallon trash bags, including a baseball, a Christmas stocking, hypodermic needles, sledge hammer, some articles of clothing and a few things which should probably go unmentioned.  Thanks to all who came out … and helped out! 

Team RWB Tells Their Story

The war on terrorism in the Middle East is supposedly winding down, although no one can realistically refer to this political nightmare as “a win.”  When everything is said and done – though it is unlikely it will ever be “said and done” – the number of men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 is more than 2.5 million.  And, estimates are another 1.2 million will yet serve and be coming home over the next four years. 

Once back on American soil, things will not easily return to normal for our warriors. After the atrocities of war, many will be coping with a failure to adjust leading to divorce, unemployment - even homelessness.  More than 26 percent will have some form of post-traumatic  stress disorder (PTSD), including deep depression, anxiety and survivor remorse, which may manifest itself immediately or perhaps not for several years.  In any case, the man or woman who left for the battlefield is unlikely to be the same man or woman who comes home with battle scars, which may not be evident, even to those who are closest to them. 

The worst statistic relating to those returning from the Global War on Terrorism is the one which shows 22 a day are committing suicide in this country because they are not adjusting to post-military life and their problems are so overwhelming they simply can’t go on.  

Team Red, White and Blue, headed up in the local community by Garrett Johnson and Doug Cook, create communities of veterans, their families and concerned citizens to enjoy authentic interaction through physical and social activities for a balanced transition from military life.  

In St. George, Team RWB gathers each Tuesday evening for yoga; on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays for cross fit; weekly bike rides together on Fridays and a weekend run or walk on Saturdays.  There are also social events, hiking and "other" activities on the schedule. Upcoming includes the Kokopelli Run at Sand Hollow on September 12; the Santa Clara Swiss Days 5K on September 26; St. George Marathon on October 3 and the Snow Canyon Half Marathon on Veterans Day (November 7).

For more information, contact US Army (Retd.) Doug Cook at 773-0138 or online at dcookbroker@gmail.com.

Member Orientation Gets Hands Up

Nick Lang’s goal for the club’s first ever in-meeting Member Orientation program was “to get a lot of discussion.”  Using a fill-in-the-blanks quiz sheet relating to the organization, structure and history of Rotary, Nick accomplished his goal as hands went up here, there and everywhere in answer to his questions.

Nick also distributed downloaded historical materials from the RI website about the life and times of founder Paul Harris, then facilitated discussion among members – new and longstanding. “The most touching was when I asked some of the newer members why they joined Rotary, then just stood back and listened,” he reports of the experience. 

Nick also shared the story about his Rotary sponsor.  In 1975, Guido Ravello, a neighbor (and fellow church member) was a successful American businessman who came to the US as a Cuban refugee in the early-1960's.  Rotary allowed him give back to his new country the blessings of freedom.  His printing business also benefited from printing jobs referred by fellow Rotarians. 

Thanks to the new Membership committee for coming up with the idea to schedule Orientation meetings periodically during regular Monday meetings.

Installation of Officers

Top left:  Perfect Attendance awards - Jim Coleman, Ray Robinson, Richard Isom, Linda Sappington, Janet O'Riley, Durant McArthur, Ken Sizemore and Terance White.  Top Right:  Pdt. Janet with Rising Star Bryan Wheat; Bottom left:  Board members - Durant McArthur, Collin Davis, Stacy Britt, Pdt. Janet, Linda Sappington, Richard Isom and Terance White.  Bottom right:  Paul Harris Fellows - Lowry Snow, Carolyn Stuercke, Pdt. Janet, Terance White.

Janet O’Riley, SGR’s 84th president passed the gavel, but not before she presented 5 Paul Harris Fellow awards; recognized perfect attendance by 9 members of SGR, and expressed her affection and appreciation to all those who served with her in RY2014-15.

In her year as president, Janet reminded us we:

·               welcomed 136 visitors

·               consumed 1400 meals

·               visited 3 businesses (McArthur Welding, L'Chef and ...

·               enjoyed 3 parties  (fall family party, Christmas party ... 

·               donated $4040 to non-profit community organizations

·               delivered dictionaries, hung lights at Tuacahn, held our “first ever” night golf event, began         planning for a pickleball tournament, and partnered with 3 other clubs in Area 16 planning a car show fundraiser

·               said goodbye to two members:  Shar Heitkotter and Doug Quayle

·               attended the District Conference in Mexico … and,

·               sent “boots on the ground” to Guatemala

Paul Harris Fellows, for a donation of $1000 to The Rotary Foundation, were presented to:

-                Jack Petersen

-                Carl Rieck

-                Carolyn Stuercke

-                Terance White

-                and, a 4^th PHF to Lowry Snow

Perfect Attendance awards were presented to:

+          Ray Robinson (17 years)

+          Jim Coleman (15)

+          Nick Lang   (10)

+          Richard Isom   (8)

+          Janet O’Riley   (4)

+          Durant McArthur  (2)

+          Linda Sappington (2)

+          Ken Sizemore    (1)

+          Terance White (1)

Presidential citations were presented to:

·               Jack Petersen, for stepping up to co-chair the Rotary car show

·               Jim Coleman, for his leadership and continuing to help build our club

·               Ken Sizemore, for his willingness to co-chair the Rotary car show

·               Dan Strobell, for his continuing leadership of the Guatemala stove project

·               Phil Hall, for his “behind the scenes support” of all things Rotary

·               Linda Baker, for her leadership in youth programs

·               Gil Trujillo, for his leadership in organizing Mexico service projects

·               Ray Robinson, for his musical talent as a conductor

Two Rising Star awards went to:  Dennis Leavitt for his support of the orange fundraiser and Bryan Wheat for stepping up as club secretary.

Janet’s choice for Rotarian of the Year is Reed Noble for continuing to chair the dictionary project and for repeated trips to build stoves in Guatemala.

“And, finally, thanks to my amazing board who supported me all the way … and, thanks to our 72 members for their ‘service above self’ attitude,” said SGR’s outgoing president as she passed the gavel to Terance White.