Events

Any or all SGR's board members, including Clint Beecroft (PE), Bryan Thiriot (Foundation Chair), Dale Desmond (Foundation Vice Chair), Collin Davis (Treasurer), Linda Sappington (Secretary /PI Chair), Ray Absher (Membership), Reed Noble (Service), Barbara Sizemore (Club Administration), James Jackson (Spectial Projects), Joann Coleman (Youth Programs) will share their RY2024-25 goals. Lots of good information ... with time for Q&A so bring your ????'s!

Carol Winner was officially named St. George City Director of Community Development in March 2024 after serving as interim direcrtor and senior planner for parts of the past five years.

Winner will be responsibile to help manage the "incredible growth" St. George City has experienced, especially in the past decade.  She is known to have a steady hand, a wealth of experience, a common-sense approach and, according to city leaders she is also "thoughtful and easy to work with."

Winner joins a busy department in a thriving community. In 2023, the city issued 2,419 permits with a total valuation of approximately $328.5 million. Through the first two complete months of 2024, the City issued another 563 permits for a total valuation of more than $120 million.

She is a Certified Floodplain Manager, Certified Public Manager, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a graduate of Brigham Young University.

This is certain to be an interesting program so please invite friends, neighbors and co-workers ... especially those who might have expressed an interest in "what's Rotary?"

This meeting will be a "first" in a very long time - if ever - when members of ALL Rotary clubs in Washington County (St. George Sunrise, Washington City, Hurricane Valley, and Veterans Rotary Clubs) will join with SGR at the Abbey Inn to discuss ways in which we can collaborate and maybe find SGR's elusive "signature project" needed to increase our local presence.  Come one, come all. 

Bring your ideas, questions, as well as friends, neighbors, co-workers or others who may have experessed an interest in "what's Rotary?"

The joyfully enthusiastic pitter patter of little feet is the sound of the St. George Children’s Museum, currently housed in the 113-year-old former Dixie Academy building (built in 1911).  Located on the southeast corner of our community’s historic Town Square, the “happiest place in St. George” includes two floors of interactive displays which, in 2023, attracted 107,952 children – primarily toddlers to 12-year-olds – and their families.

Since the St. George Children’s Museum opened our doors in 2013, keeping the property and the displays attractive, interesting, and safe has been a priority in our budget … and we are fully committed to making sure every child, regardless of socio-economic status, race, creed and color, physical or mental limitations enjoys opportunities to “discover, imagine and create” while combining purposeful play with educational concepts. 

RY2024-25 District Governor Todd Boyer will be SGR's guest speaker on Monday, August 12.  He will share "The Power of We" in our efforts to grow Rotary, his goals for his DG year and other information of interest to longtime members, new members and potential members.  Bring friends, neighbors and co-workers for this informative meeting.

A board meeting with the DG is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Marc Mortensen currently serves as Director of Operations for the City of St. George with oversight for technology, golf, facilities and fleet.  He is also a board member of the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance.

Marc is an avid cyclist and runner and has competed in marathons, triathlons, Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events. When he’s not in a meeting or at his office at City Hall he can usually be found on a trail run or bike ride somewhere in southern Utah with friends or his family, including his wife Jill and their three children.  

Marc is a graduate of the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from Walden University.  He has been a resident of St. George since 1998 when he moved from his Salt Lake City hometown to begin his career with the City of St. George as Public Information Officer.

Bring a friend, neighbor or co-worker for, what is certainn to be an interesting and informative program.

Our mystery meeting will be interesting - maybe or maybe not exciting - but will give us the chance to get in a little deeper into what's ahead of us for the upcoming 6 weeks or so ...

If you haven't already signed up for something, here's your chance after you have heard all the details.  We need "all hands on deck" to get through the month of October.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ....

It is time again for this year's 11^th Annual St. George Rotary Charity Golf Tournament.  This competition will be held on Monday, September 30 at Sunbrook Golf Course, with registration opening at 8 AM and a shotgun start at 9 AM. 

See Chairman Chris Parker for more information, including team registration and sponsorship forms.  We are looking for main sponsors for $1000 which includes a hole sponsorship, entry fee for a team of four, your company’s name (or yours) on a banner displayed on tournament day and on our website.  We also need a drink sponsor, gold ball sponsor or other; and up to 18 hole sponsors at a cost of $250 each recognizing your company or your family. 

Early bird registration is open thru September 1 at a discounted cost for Rotarians of $475 per foursome. 

The Huntsman World Senior Games starts officially on Monday, October 9 with thousands of senior athletes participating in one of more of 40 sporting events .... but the REAL first event is the assembly of more than 11,000 Welcome Bags.  This is a simple project held in the Garden Room at the Dixie Convention Center which primarily involves enjoying rhe company of about 200 amazing volunteers from all over Washington County.  And, it also involves walking, walking and walking around three very long tables filling each bag with "swag." 

Shifts on Wednesday, Ocober 2 are from 9 a.m. - noon and 1 - 4-ish p.m. with lunch at noon for volunteers on both shift. 

Please sign up at seniorgames.net.

Saturday, October 5, 2024 will be a very busy "service above self" day.

Beginning at 7 a.m. (earlier if you can get there) at milepost 18 (the Ledges offramp) Rotarians, their families and friends will enjoy breakfast prepared by Chef Dave and his crew ... all you can eat breakfast burritos and other good stuff while waiting for thousands of participants in the St. George Marathon.  There will be good music, good food, good socializing ... and just plain FUNNN while we distribute water, Gatorade, fruit ... and the occasional bandaid.

Questions?  Rotarian Reed will have the answers.

Info to come!

The Recreation Arts and Parks tax is a countywide tax that was put on the ballot in 2014 and is coming up for renewal on the ballot in November. The RAP tax applies to park and recreation-related projects, as well as arts programs and nonprofit groups. It is set up as a sales tax of one-tenth of 1% of non-food purchases – one penny for every $10. Monies generated from the tax go to the county and participating municipalities based on population and point-of-sale.

Bring a neighbor, friend or co-worker for this presentation before the election!

It's election time again - no surprise there - so this is our opportunity to "say Rotary" to those in our community while they enjoy a cookie and the opportunity to meet, greet and ask questions of those running for local offices.

Please tell your neighbors, friends and co-workers.

See you at the Best Western Abbey Inn.

At least ten volunteers needed - especially those who can do facepainting or make balloon animals - on Saturday, October 26 from approximately 4 - 7:30 p.m. at 86 S. Main Street.

Bring the whole family and join in the fun.

Costumes are encouraged but not mandatory!

What if you couldn't read?  How would you fill out a job application?  Apply for a driver license?  Understand your doctor's directions for your health care?  Help your children with their homework? 

In the 2022–2023 school year, 56% of first graders, 67% of second graders, and 66% of third graders met reading benchmarks at the beginning of the year. By the end of the year, 62% of first graders and 71% of third graders met the benchmarks, while second graders remained at 67%. However, according to the Utah State Board of Education, less than half of students in grades 1–3 were reading at their expected grade level.

On Monday, October 28, our speaker will be Kathy Hall, Elementary Literacy Coordinator Specialist for the Washington County School District.

Bring a neighbor, friend, co-worker or another interested individual for this important program.

Scout Troop 42 is very healthy with roughly 55 registered scouts, of which 40 are active.  Of those 40 active members, 17 are from the girls’ troop and to date in 2024, seven of the 40 have attained the rank of Eagle.

This year’s summer camp was a return to Emerald Bay on Catalina Island where scuba diving was the highlight.  According to Scout Master Matt McIff, “our was the sharpest looking troop at camp and we were often called upon to help because camp staff knew they could rely on us.”

Seems like Troop 42 and 407 embody “service above self” and represent Rotary very well.

Bring your neighbors, friends and co-workers to hear this wonderful presentation on Monday, November 4 because scouting is alive and well here in Southern Utah.

The Giving Machine, the popular “vending machine” which works in reverse by giving users an opportunity to donate a variety of much-needed items for local and global charities, will be opening to the public on November 18 at The Red Cliffs Mall where they will remain through November 30, 2024.

Local nonprofit beneficiaries this year include:

• The Dove Center
• Switchpoint
• Washington County School District Foundation
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• Doctors’ Volunteer Clinic

Giving Machines, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, provide an instant act of service for people looking to help those in their community and around the world. Visitors can make donations by purchasing items ranging in price from $4 to $100 and include staples such as clothing and hygiene items, meals and school supplies to livestock and life-saving medicine. The purpose of the Giving Machines is to allow an opportunity for all community members to have a chance to give and find the joy this season which comes through serving others in the community and the world.

Before John Willis was appointed St. George City Manager in January 2023 he served as Community Development Director from August 2018 and was the City's Planning and Zoning Manager for four years prior to that. All told, John has more than 17 years of experience in land use, planning, and zoning. In addition to the City of St. George, where John has worked for 10 years (over two stints), he served as the Senior Land Use and Environmental Planner for the City of Mesquite, Nevada, and the Planning Coordinator for Draper City. 

John grew up in St. George, graduating from Dixie High School and Dixie State College (when it was a 2-year institution). He wernt on to earn his Bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and a Master's from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

This year, St. George Rotary Club’s Christmas party will NOT involve a gift exchange, but will include entertainment provided by some of our very own talented Rotarians and their family members; an ugly sweater / holiday sweater contest; an entry “fee;” a simple service project for which each Rotarian is asked to bring 25-30 of something to put in 25-30 Christmas stockings for a child or a neighbor in need of holiday cheer … and maybe there might also be a few surprises.

Watch for more information about this certain-to-be-memorable holiday event over the next few weeks and plan to join us at the Best Western Abbey Inn at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 16.

Join SGR and friends for a tour of the new St. George Musical Theater (known as the renovated Cinema 6 Theater), located at ???? S. Main Street.  In addition to a tour of the newly remodeled theater-in-the-round, this 90-minute opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes will include box lunches, a presentation by SGMT's Board Chairman Dimon McPherson ... and perhaps even a bit of entertainment.

You won't want to miss out on this chance to explore southern Utah's premier community theater.

PLEASE NOTE this program WILL BEGIN AT 11:45 a.m. and CONCLUDE AT OUR REGULAR END TIME at 1:15 p.m.