June 2024

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News & Updates

Thank you for being willing to say yes and serve.

I can’t tell you how much fun Nicole and I have had getting to know you and your clubs. It is truly one of the great joys of our life to have been able to serve as your District Governor.

We have been blown away by the projects and the service that is being rendered and done here locally in Utah and around the world by our clubs and members. We truly create hope in the world. It has been wonderful to visit you in your clubs, to socialize with you at your events and fundraisers, and to just get to know you.

As I write this message, we have around 20 people in Singapore attending the International Rotary Convention. I am so happy that they are able to be there and experience that awesome event. And I’m a little bit sad and jealous that Nicole and I were not able to join them. As many of you know, I’ve had some health issues that barred us from being able to attend. I was actually in the hospital for six days the week before last. I am better than I was while in the hospital but still a long way from normal. It will take time to know if they found and fixed the problem.

But at the end of the day, I am blessed. Blessed to live in a place where we have such great healthcare, blessed to have a wonderful, supportive family, blessed to have a career that allows me to work remotely and take time off as needed, and blessed to have wonderful friends and an extended Rotary family! Thank you all for your love, support, thoughts, and prayers.

This is my last monthly message as your District Governor. Let me end it by saying thank you. Thank you for doing what you do, thank you for being the people that you are, thank you for being willing to say yes and serve. Keep smiling, keep moving forward and remember it all comes down to the Power of One to Create Hope in the World.

John Redd

Utah Rotary District Governor 2023-2024

dgjohnredd@utahrotary.org

You are invited to . . .

The Induction of Governor Todd Boyer

and his 2024-25 Club Officers

June 15, 2024 - Hilton Garden Inn, Sandy

277 W Sego Lily Dr. 12 noon – 2 pm

Get ready for a spectacular celebration like no other! Governor Todd Boyer’s Roast & Toast is set to ignite the hearts and spark the spirits of everyone in #UtahRotary!

Here’s why this event is the talk of the town:

Non-Stop Laughter: Gear up for a day filled with endless laughter and joy where every chuckle is cherished, and every giggle is golden!
Heartwarming Moments: Brace yourself for an emotional journey that will touch your soul and leave you with memories that shimmer with happiness.
Rotary Revelations: Embark on an epic adventure into the wisdom of Rotary, emerging with invaluable insights and enlightenment!
Friendships of Steel: Create lasting connections that will stand the test of time, leaving with your heart overflowing with camaraderie and kinship.
Culinary Delight: Feast on the exquisite Tri-tip sirloin, the star of a sumptuous buffet designed to delight every palate and cater to all dietary needs.

Native American Initiative continues service to Utah’s tribal communities

Native leaders at the Red Mesa Senior Center in Southeastern Utah wanted grow boxes so they could add fresh fruit and vegetables to the diets of those who frequent the center.

Paul Summers, Chairman of District 5420’s Native American Initiative and a member of Bountiful Rotary Club, reached out to NAI Rotarians and other friends of Rotary for ideas and labor on how to make this project happen.

This Service above Self project required purchasing three 8’ x 3’ stock watering troughs, lumber to build a standard ground level grow box, and parts to install a drip system.

A very BIG “thanks” to everyone who worked hard and got the job done in under 24 hours including Dan Bradshaw (Bountiful), Stuart Richardson (West Jordan), Larry Hogge and Jeff Larsen (Logan); Ricky Begay (Monticello); Ralph Baer (Layton); Rosemary and Dennis Hullinger (Tooele).

Those at the center were excited to begin planting their first crop with plants donated by Blue Mountain Nursery to the Monticello Rotary Club.

The Native American Initiative which began in Rotary fiscal year 2020-21 has provided more than $1 million in materials, supplies and projects for several of 11 tribal communities in Utah.

USU Rotaract rebuilds turtle hatchery

In early May, Utah State University Rotaract Club collaborated with the Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of Garabito, Costa Rica to rebuild a turtle hatchery, plant native trees in an orchard, and repaint a public school. There were 10 Rotaractors, three Rotarians from the Logan Rotary Club, and Brent’s family who helped on the projects -- 20 amazing individuals total.

The Rotary Club of Garabito was able to help fund the costs needed to keep the public school running. We had the opportunity to join their weekly Rotary meeting, learned about their community needs, and attended their Rotaract clubs' induction ceremony.

UVU Rotaractors' work presented to Rotary International President

Mr. Dastan Abikov, Past President of the Bishkek Nomad Rotaract Club reported to the President of the Rotary International Mr. Gordon McInally about joint advocacy of the mountain women and girls by the Rotaractors from the Bishkek-Nomad Club and Utah Valley University during the 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. President McInally was pleased that through this initiative Rotaractors from the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States implemented two priority goals for his presidency, such as strengthening partnerships of clubs and promoting girls. The meeting occurred during the lunch with President McInally hosted by the Rotary District 5280 in Los Angeles on May 13, 2024.

Join the Fun & Fundraising Around the District

BOOT STOMP’N Square & Line Dancing

The Hurricane Rotary Club invites you to a BOOT STOMP’N Square & Line Dancing fundraiser Wednesday, June 5 from 7 - 9:30 pm at Legacy Park - Harmony Building, 5500 West 700 South Hurricane UT. All are welcome and no experience necessary!

Come tap your toes and have some fun while raising money for the Veteran’s Memorial Park. Under 5 Free! Cash, check and Venmo at the door: 5 to 17 ($5.00) 18 and up ($10.00).

Patty Nation

(435) 218-5849

Crazy Socks fundraiser golf event in St. George

The St. George Sunrise Rotary Club invites you to the 1st Bigshots Crazy Socks Fundraiser Golf Event to be held Thursday, June 6 from 4:30 – 8:30 pm.

Put on your craziest socks for a night of FUN and FUNDraising. You’ll escape the heat in a climate-controlled golf venue at BigShots St. George. 1108 W. Black Mountain Dr. St. George UT 84790

Bring your own clubs or use the clubs provided. You do not need to have any golf experience. Food and beverages included.

Click here to sign up.

www.stgsunriserotary.org/events/bigshots-golf-event.com

Invitational golf tournament to benefit the Utah Food Bank

The Washington City Rotary Club invites you to participate in this year’s Mayor’s Cup Golf Tournament Invitational on Monday, June 10 at Green Spring Golf Course in Washington City.

This four-person scramble - men, women and mixed teams event - is $500 per team and includes T-shirts, 18 holes, cart, breakfast, lunch and prizes. Proceeds benefit the Utah Food Bank and Washington City Club service projects.

Entries are first come first serve. Register early with the QR code to ensure your spot. If you can’t place, please consider donating.

For a brochure/application/questions, contact BeverlyBWhipple@gmail.com (435) 705-1857

Freedom Run on Independence Day with Centerville-Farmington Rotary

Join the Centerville-Farmington Rotary Club for the 45th Annual Freedom Run on July 4th in Centerville, Utah,

This exciting event features a 5K race with advanced registration for $15 by July 2 or $20 on race day. Ribbons will be awarded to top runners by age and gender for those who register early. All participants, including those registering on race day, can win prizes in a random drawing.

Kids can join the fun with a 1-mile race for ages 12 and under and a 1/4-mile race for ages 8 and under. Register early to secure your spot and race shirt. Register at 2024 Freedom Run | Event registration | Webscorer

International Opportunity

Join fellow Rotarians on a trip into ancient Cambodia

Rotarians from various clubs around the world are joining together with Sustainable Cambodia on a journey into the heart of Cambodia. This 10-day excursion is a truly unique experience of traveling into Cambodia.

We will travel to the must-visit places in Cambodia including the heart of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, and we will walk amongst the ancient temples of Siem Reap. But tourism is not the sole purpose of this trip. We will go far off the “tourist routes” to visit village families and experience the impact of Rotary projects in the remote villages of Pursat Province.

For those who haven’t gone before, you will have the adventure of a lifetime while helping rural families and children in ways you may have never dreamed possible.

Questions: Email rallen@synogen.com

Paul Stringham

pbstringham@gmail.com

It’s the end of the Rotary year . . .

Here’s a “No Brainer Checklist."

Are you feeling fulfilled? I realized years ago, I got more out of Rotary when I did more.
Time to check your contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Paul Harris Society members - you are so important!
Remember “Every Rotarian every year!" $100.
Is it time to up your contributions?
Is your club’s final report for your District Grant turned in? It’s due June 15th.
New District Grant applications are due by July 1. Clubs that are late with these applications will not receive a District Grant this coming year.
Links to reports and applications are found in last month’s newsletter.
Check how your club can join with another club already working on a Global Grant
Have you donated to Polio Plus this year? Only two countries left!
Is your club sponsoring youth in RYLA?
How about considering an exchange student?
Invite a friend to Rotary.

Bruce Powell

Utah Rotary District Foundation Chair

PS. Remember - Three years ago we had Covid money for distribution to District Grants. This year will be about half of the amount we received last year.

How to file your grant report by June 15 - 4 simple steps.

Click here to download the Grant Report Form (Click on the File menu and then click on download. Save it with: Name of Club.Grant Report.date.
Fill the form out on your own computer - it's a simple Word document. Just enter all the information and hit save (again).
Scan copies of your receipts into one pdf document (or take pictures jpg or png)
Email or mail your completed form and copies of receipts to your District Grants Chair.

Now you're done! Extra money will be distributed mid-May for clubs who have filed complete Final Reports and receipts, and whose projects were not fully funded by your original grant.

Kris Swanson

District 5420 Grants Chair

End of year giving to the Rotary International Foundation.

Throughout this Rotary year, we’ve featured articles about The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and different ways to give.

Now that we’re approaching the end of the Rotary year, it’s time to double down on our giving! Many clubs set annual goals for giving as does the district. This year the district Annual Fund goal (based on the sum of club giving goals) is $197,000. Currently, we’re at 117%. However, the district has averaged contributions of $300,000 plus the last 3-4 years, so there’s no reason to think we can’t continue that.

Earlier we talked about the importance of the Paul Harris Society (PHS) as PHS members make up nearly a quarter of all contributions to TRF annually. As of now, we have 197 PHS members in the district with 97 of those having met their annual commitment of giving at least $1,000.

To all members and clubs that have already given this year, THANK YOU! If you’re still planning on additional giving, please be sure any additional contributions are made NLT June 15 in order to assure they’re credited to this year.

Finally, if you’ve not yet signed up for Rotary Direct, it’s an easy way to make recurring donations without having to think about it. See the link below.

Thanks for all you do!

Scott Florence

Annual Fund Sub-Committee Chair

Apply for Rotary Youth Foundation grants.

By now all Rotarians of District 5420 likely know there is funding available through the Utah Rotary Youth Foundation to support youth programs and projects in every club. Your members should also know they can support Utah Rotary youth programs by purchasing a Utah Rotary-Humanitarian license plate – OR by making an individual donation to this 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

It’s easy to apply for a grant for service projects for your club’s youth groups … but if you need additional information about the “how,” reach out TODAY to URYfoundation@gmail.com. Funds are available NOW so there’s need to wait to apply!

Linda Sappington, District Governor 2020-2021

lcsappi66@yahoo.com

The Club Hub

Get ideas, support other clubs! Send your service projects & fundraisers to

Newsletter Editor Lola Beatlebrox for this monthly section of the newsletter.

Again, this year, just like for many years, 51 people gathered at the Murray Greenhouse Foundation on Saturday morning May 18 to get a lot of work accomplished in a short amount of time. The foundation is a school for adults with developmental disabilities. Eighteen Murray Rotarians plus 15 Murray High School Interact Club members plus 18 other volunteers completed in less than 3 hours: spring clean-up, planting flowers, washing windows, installing a new floor in a storage shed, rebuilding rotten planter boxes, turning over all the dirt in the planting beds, removing deteriorated rubber pathway matts, installing weed barrier cloth and spreading 6 tons of gravel for new pathways.

The Heber Valley Rotary Club recently hosted its first annual literacy fundraiser, The Reading Railroad, to raise funds for the purchase of books for all first-grade students each month in the Wasatch School District.

The event was a resounding success, thanks to the Heber Valley Railroad, our sponsors, and the support of the community. The Rotary Club is immensely grateful to the train for donating staff time, the use of the train and ticket sales contributing significantly to the cause.

The Heber Valley Rotary Club plans to make the Reading Railroad fundraiser an annual event with the goal of expanding its impact on literacy in the community.

The success of this fundraiser highlights the power of community collaboration, supporting education and literacy initiatives. Through events like these, the Rotary Club is making a difference in the lives of young readers and fostering a brighter future.

St. George Rotary found the month of May starting and ending with “service above self.” Members judged an elementary school science fair and sorted food at the Utah Food Bank; then awarded 1st and 2nd place winners at two intermediate schools competing in SGR’s 4-Way Test Essay Contest. We gathered clothing for athletes participating in the swim portion of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, celebrated Latin Appreciation Day in the park with tacos and a pinata, all while working to raise $25,000 to send 45 Rotarians and friends to Guatemala to build 125 simple, cinderblock stoves … bringing the total to $3200+.

On May 4, 2024, seventeen members of the Rotary Club of Orem-Lindon, their families, and UVU Rotaract students gathered at Orem City's Nielson's Grove Park for a service project celebrating Orem's 105th birthday. Founded in 1880 by Danish immigrant Jorgen Nielson, it is Utah's oldest park. The event fostered community spirit and park enhancement through building a rose trellis, installing a flagpole, creating tree beds, weeding, planting flowers, and engaging in kids’ art projects. Rotarians planted five Yellow Wood trees and cared for six trees the club planted in October 2022 by weeding and removing debris around the tree bed.

In May twenty Rotarians from the Park City Sunrise and Holladay Rotary Clubs journeyed to Moab, UT, to run a free Vision Clinic at the Helen M. Knight Elementary School and the Moab Free Health Center.

Rotary volunteers were trained to perform visual acuity, auto refractor, pupillary distance and other evaluations by The Hope Alliance. A Park City nonprofit, The Hope Alliance was founded by Dr. John Hanrahan, District Governor 2019-2020, to provide free vision care services around the world.

More than 90 children, teens, and adults were evaluated at the clinic and received prescription eyeglasses at no charge. All the Rotarians made new friends not only with the patrons of the clinic, but also each other during two evening dinner socials and sightseeing at Arches National Park.

Park City Twilight Rotary’s Wine for Wildlife Event was a huge success as we ‘raised a glass for conservation.’ We partnered with Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter for a night of wine tasting, fine dining and live music among the exhibits of the preserve. Our literacy program was highlighted with books for first graders about the Dark Skies of Utah written by a local author. We volunteer to read to students at two of the local elementary schools. We also support the Lectura Lounge every Monday with their Reading with Buddies program. We then transitioned into vampires (twilight theme) to support the Park City schools in their annual fundraiser Running with ED (education) on May 18th. The vampire theme correlated well with our American Red Cross blood drive on Monday, May 20th. We are finishing the month off with our Road Cleanup Day and volunteering for the 5th grade Sustainability Fest.

The Ogden Rotary Club had a busy month filled with both fun and service. The fun included hearing from Celeste Edmunds, the author of Garbage Bag Girl, learning from Todd Favero who is the Assistant Director of Culture, Parks, and Rec in Ogden City, and finally hosting our annual visit from Miss Rodeo Ogden!

On top of the fun, the club also managed to host our annual Scholarship Luncheon to award students in our local community scholarships to Weber State University. We're now gearing up for a new and exciting 2024-2025 Rotary Year!

The Hispano Latino Rotary Club came up with the idea of not failing to miss Mother's Day for the low-income women who visit the Midvale Community Clinic every Friday.

The Rotarians delivered Roses and Gifts on May 10.

“Climate change can be a polarizing topic,” Dr. Rico Del Sesto told Washington City Rotary Club members. Del Sesto heads Utah Tech University’s new Climate Resiliency and Sustainability Center on campus and says the goal of the center is not to get into the politics on that issue but to provide a forum to talk about climate, sustainability and stewardship of the earth. The center seeks to generate resources on implementing sustainable practices at home and work to become resilient as a community to drought/water, food, energy grids, supply chains, etc., which are all susceptible to climate. “We don’t do enough to conserve the resources we have,” Del Sesto pointed out, “and we can collaborate to adopt more sustainable practices.” More information: UT Climate Center.

CONGRATS TO ALL THE STUDENTS who got service scholarships from Bountiful Rotary! It was a record year for the number of scholarships we gave.

We love seeing this wonderful generation of students have hearts of service!! We enjoy interviewing these young people and learning about their passions and what service means to them.

Future Rotarians!! Eliza Alley, Jordan Betts, Liam Bird, Brynn Burgess, Connor Duke, Sydney Gardner, Alexander Holdstock, Alanna Holzer, Kennedy Johnson, Veronica Loveless, Mary Smith, Samantha Stayner, Joshua Tibbits, Ava Vorwaller, and Julia Whitney.

St. George Sunrise Volunteers of the Year

The St. George Sunrise Rotary Club was named "Volunteers of the Year" at a recent Sunset Elementary School assembly. Throughout the school year 15 Rotarians were scheduled weekly to spend an hour with second grade students.

The great news – students improved their Accadience Reading Scores. There were 32 total students who read consistently with Rotary volunteers.

19% of those students moved from Not Proficient to Proficient

38% of the students increased a color on Acadience.

72% of the students had typical or above growth on Acadience.

These numbers really are amazing, especially with 2nd graders. We find that across the state, it is very difficult to move 2nd graders into proficiency!

Rotarians also provided judges for the Science/Engineering Fair and the school's Field Day. When the counselor at the school reached out with a need for warm clothing and shoes, the club members reached deep in their pockets to make that happen. Making things happen one child at a time.

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