District 5420 Newsletter - November 2024

Words Matter

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the power of words.

At the Zone Institute, I had the incredible opportunity to meet Rotary International President-Elect Mário César Martins, a member of the Rotary Club of São Paulo, Brazil. Here’s a photo of President Mário and me at the Spokane Zone Institute.

President Mário spoke passionately about how much words matter, and this has resonated with me. As Rotarians, we live by the Four-Way Test— a global standard of ethics that we repeat regularly. Wikipedia even calls it the "most recited statement of ethics in the world." And, as we all know, if Wikipedia says something, it must be true!

Mario talked about three statements: “Thank you.” “I am sorry.” and “Please.”

Six months ago, I heard a talk from a friend about Words Matter and he used these three statements: “Thank You.” “I am sorry.” and “I love you.” Since then, I have used these words more often.

For example, at a hotel, I asked a member of the housekeeping staff for one extra towel. She gave me three large towels, small towels, medium towels, soap, shampoo and new sheets. I received everything but the kitchen sink! The next time I saw her, I thanked her. The following day, I received a note of thanks for my kind words!

At home I use “I love you” more often and it has changed the atmosphere of my home.

Words are the foundation of how we connect. They reflect our beliefs, our morals, and our perspectives. Words set a tone, voice our thoughts and feelings, and influence our actions. But the truth is, words can heal or they can harm.

In a world filled with constant noise, it's easy for our words to become careless, even hurtful. And once spoken, they can’t be taken back. That’s why we must speak carefully and thoughtfully, ensuring our words build up rather than tear down.

Mark Twain once said, “If we were meant to talk more than we listen, we’d have two mouths and one ear.”

Listening is just as critical as speaking, if not more so. As Rotarians, our strength lies in listening intently and acting with compassion. We’re in the business of lifting people up, not pushing them down. And when we listen—truly listen—we understand each other better, act more wisely, and bring the Rotary spirit to life.

Todd Boyer

Utah Rotary District Governor 2024-2025

RotaryBoyer@gmail.com

Salt Lake Rotary Club wins major award

The Salt Lake City Rotary Club was recognized at the Spokane Zone Institute for their major role in creating Transitional Housing for teens leaving foster care in Salt Lake City. The club partnered with Salt Lake County on the project and, in the process, generated exceptional media coverage.

Thinking bigger. Forming partnerships. Changing people’s lives.

More than 120 youth “age out” of foster care in Utah every year - meaning they are no longer in state custody. These young adults are at high risk for homelessness, substance abuse, and other societal ills.

Salt Lake City Rotary initially raised more than $300,000 to buy (or build) a multi-tenant building. Then they applied for and received a grant from the State of Utah for $2.9 million – exactly the cost of buying an existing apartment building. This allowed expansion of the County’s existing Milestone Living Program to house 18 additional young people per year in a new building in Millcreek. As a vested partner, Salt Lake County agreed to fund the ongoing operational costs of the expanded program.

The project resulted in the creation of an impactful video and various television and newspaper stories, prompting the award for Media Relations Excellence at the Spokane Zone Institute.

See a video describing the need and the project here (scroll down for video):

https://slcrotary.org/page/youngadulthousing/

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/7553/page/youngadulthousing

TV coverage of ribbon cutting: https://ksltv.com/654274/salt-lake-county-opens-new-home-for-homeless-young-adults/

Read the full KSL News Article Here

See Past Fox 13 Article Here

Our District Excels in Global Projects

Run your own international project or

help another club’s Global Grant.

There are several ways you can find a partner for your own club's international project.

You could go to the “Feria de Proyectos” (Project Fair) in Colombia January 30-February 1, or to the Calgary Convention June 22-26, 2025.

If you are going to travel internationally for a vacation, you can find Rotary clubs with Club Finder on Rotary.org and visit them while traveling.

Another way is to contribute to the global grant of a Utah club, go with them to experience their project, and investigate other projects with clubs in that area.

Please pledge dollars to one of the following Global Grants so they have enough dollar commitments to submit their application. The actual money is not due until some months later when the grant is accepted by Rotary. Please commit if you are not already contributing to a Global Grant. Remember, your contribution multiplies with matching - for instance, $1,000 does $3,800 of good, and $3,000 does $8,400 of good!

Note that two of the five projects promoted in September have received enough commitments to submit their application to The Rotary Foundation. The three projects below still need your help. Thank you for your generosity!

Agriculture development, Armenia $200,000+ Eryn Rogers eryn.rogers@gmail.com Spanish Fork Rotary Fruit Tree, Water Well, Phytoremediation, Uganda $90,000+ Drew Allen houndoc@aol.com Millcreek Rotary Reconstructive Urology Program, Cambodia $95,000 Jane Kurtzman jane.kurtzman@hsc.utah.edu SL Rotary

I noted at District Conference that when Rotarians related their greatest experience in Rotary, it was most often when they were doing international service. You can have this awesome experience too!

Jerry Summerhays, District International Service Chair, SummerhaysGS@gmail.com

Seeking $8,000 for Global Grant

The Spanish Fork Rotary Club is sponsoring an international service project in Armenia. This is part of a Global Grant project with far-reaching impact to the villagers in the city of Artsvanist, Armenia.

My wife and I lived in Armenia for the last 18 months as humanitarian volunteers and were intimately involved with the host Rotary Club in Yerevan, Armenia. We have been involved since the beginning in visiting the job site and meeting with the mayor and villagers. I saw the absolute viability and need for this project.

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints has contributed $50,000 to this project. The total cost of the project is $206,000.

My wife and I would love to meet with you and your club as we are in the process of finishing fundraising for the Global Grant. We currently have $17,000 raised by the Spanish Fork Rotary Cub and four other clubs. We need $8,000 more to reach the $25,000 threshold and then the District will match our $25,000.

Because this project is in eastern Europe it qualifies for USAID matching funding of 120%. This is a tremendous bonus and blessing to reaching our goal. We need to have these funds by December, 2024.

Would it be possible to talk about this project and come and visit your club for a presentation? I think you would find it to be an incredible opportunity for your club. I look forward to your call.

Best regards

Jeff and Margaret Cooper

Spanish Fork Rotary Club

801-319-1208

Three Global Grant projects in Uganda

The Millcreek Rotary Club is looking for clubs to help support our THREE Global Grant projects in Uganda.

While all are ready to submit to Rotary International, at this point we only need commitments from clubs - actual money will not need to be sent until Rotary has approved the grants:

Fruit Tree planting in multiple regions, including communities involved with Midvalley Rotary's previous fish farming projects and the Nakivale Refugee Settlement.
Planting of bamboo for water purification (phytoremidation) and economic development.
Drilling of water boreholes and water well projects in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement.

We are excited to partner with the Nakivale Rotaract as the host club on the project. The Evanston, Wyoming, Rotary is also contributing substantial resources to this grant.

For more information, please contact Drew Allen at (801) 910-5215 or Houndoc@aol.com.

We are happy to meet in person with any interested clubs.

Join an MD in a major Global Grant

Dr. Jane Kurtzman, MD, of the University of Utah and the Salt Lake City Rotary Club, is spearheading pursuit of a $95,000 Global Grant to increase the number of urologists trained to perform reconstructive surgeries in Cambodia. Currently there is only about one working urologist per 170,000 people and patients are living with severe urologic conditions.

Our program is partnered with the national Cambodia Urological Association and is enthusiastically endorsed by the leadership of the Phnom Penh (Cambodia) Rotary Club.

Dr. Kurtzman has previously lived in Cambodia, where she worked with the government to help design the national registration system for physicians in 2011-2013, and she is particularly excited to continue advancing healthcare delivery in the region.

For more information about how your club can be involved or to receive detailed information about the program budget, email Dr. Kurtzman - jane.kurtzman@hsc.utah.edu. Any contribution will help us achieve our goal!

Awards & Accolades

'Action Achieved 2023-2024' at the

Spokane Zone Institute. Congratulations!

Honoring our new Paul Harris Society members

Meet 12 of the District's Area Governors

12 more will be highlighted in December

Doug Allen

Blanding | Monticello

Joined Rotary in 2010
Has seven children, 12 grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
A charter member of Monticello Rotary

David Baranowski

Sugarhouse | Millcreek

Joined Rotary in 1992
He & his wife Roxana enjoy every moment with their kids and grandkids

Dan Bradshaw

Bountiful | Kaysville

Joined Rotary in 1994
A ‘Car Guy’. Worked on a car with each of his children who drove the cars when they turned 16.

Andy Dahmen

Heber Valley | Park City Noon

Joined Rotary in 1994
Takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings in which we live. Has 5 children & 13 grandchildren

Dawn Dalton

Tooele | Valley West

Joined Rotary in 2010
Married 35 years to the man of her dreams
Adventures anywhere with water, snow or sun - on bikes, boats or foot.

Bill Freeze

Provo

Joined Rotary in 2018
Stays busy with 19 grandchildren
Inducted into the National Association of Realtors Hall of Fame

Dennis Ickes

Holladay | Hispano-Latino

Joined Rotary in 2002
A native of Nebraska, a family man, a veteran, attorney and entrepreneur

Darlene Jensen

Logan | Cache Valley

Joined Rotary in 2007
Enjoys skiing, golf, baking, walking her dogs and random things

Daniel Kennedy

Brigham City | Marmalade District

Joined Rotary in 2016
Married the love of his life
Loves the Olympics, Diet Coke and building competitive gingerbread houses

Bruce Louthan

Moab

Joined Rotary in 1986
Likes old tractors, farming and family history
Has five children and 18 grandchildren

Cheri McCurdy

Vernal | Roosevelt

Joined Rotary in 2005
Enjoys decorating, gardening, family time with husband & children and traveling

Cecil Shern

Lehi | Orem-Linden

Joined Rotary in 2011
A soccer player, coach, and fan.
Likes to travel and camp with his wife and four kids

This is Ernesto.

Earnest. The perfect name for this dedicated 12-year-old. I think he looks a little scared. I am not sure if it is the first time he has ridden in a car, but for sure, it is the first time he has spoken to a couple of Americans.

My wife and I were on a lonely dirt road on the altiplano of Bolivia when our tour guide offered him a ride an hour from his dormitory school in a town of six hundred. He had finished a week of school and was walking the five hours it would take to get to the shack where his family lived tending llamas and a few sheep in the middle of nowhere.

Obviously, Ernesto was intensely dedicated to his education. Sunday night would come and he would start again the five-hour walk to his classroom.

We met a young girl, Vianey, while she was in junior high years ago. As of two months ago, she is a university graduate and holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Science. Her circumstances were different from Ernesto's. There was a Rotary club that served her small hometown of Cofradia de Suchitlan.

Rotary was the difference for Vianey.

You, too, can make the difference for hundreds of students like Ernesto through the Rotary Foundation.

Your donations go to support any of the seven areas of focus of Rotary. Basic education and literacy, Peace building and conflict prevention, disease prevention and treatment, water, sanitation and hygiene, maternal and child health, community economic development, and the environment. You can decide which is important to you.

A donation to the Rotary Foundation changes lives!!! This is something you can do!

Bruce Powell

District Foundation Chair

The Membership Leads program is changing.

Anyone can visit rotary.org/join and express interest in joining a Rotary or Rotaract club. Right now, these membership leads are sent to the district for initial screening and referral to the club that will best meet the person’s needs. To improve how this works and to more quickly and easily connect prospective members with clubs, Rotary will launch a new membership leads management system this Rotary year, perhaps as early as January 1, 2025.

The new system will connect prospective members with clubs based on their location and meeting preferences. Those prospective members will select the club that they find to be the best fit. That club’s president, membership chair, secretary, and executive secretary/director will then be notified by email that their club has a new lead and will be asked to contact the prospective member through the membership leads management system. District leaders will still be able to offer support if the match isn’t the right fit.

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, please be sure that your club’s information (club officers, meeting days, times and locations) is up to date and accurate in My Rotary.

Scott Florence

Membership Lead Coordinator

District 5420

Opportunities in the District

Fascinating & Compelling

A History of Polio for Your Club Meeting

On World Polio Day 2024 my club was treated to a fascinating and compelling presentation on the history of polio by Dr. Robert Day.

Chockfull of images from the 50s and 60s, this skate through the past had me hanging onto every word. Yes, I remembered lining up for my taste of a sugar cube laced with the vaccine. Yes, I remembered that FDR suffered from polio. Yes, I anticipate the eradication of polio in my lifetime – the result of Rotary International's pledge to defeat the virus.

But Dr. Day’s presentation dove deeper than that. You’ll learn amazing details about the development of the Salk and Sabin vaccines; about the “Cutter Incident,” a huge setback that inspired creation of the Food & Drug Administration; and the meaning of the Plus in PolioPlus.

Dr. Day received his medical degree at the University of Colorado and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Kansas. He is the founding physician of a clinic specializing in diabetes care at Utah Valley Hospital where he continued with Intermountain Healthcare until retirement; then began his research in the history of medicine.

Your club can have this captivating history of polio delivered to your members. Dr. Day has committed to presenting to every Utah club that asks - in person or on Zoom. Contact Dr. Day today at (801) 368-7609 or email robtwday@gmail.com to schedule your 27-minute History of Polio presentation.

Lola Beatlebrox, District Newsletter Editor

Park City Sunrise Rotary Club

Host a college-age Rotary Exchange student interested in manufacturing/production

Rotary Youth Exchange offers three different exchange programs. Two of these focus on high school age students, but we also have a program designed for college students or young professionals wanting to gain vocational experience abroad.

We have a college student from Brazil who would like to come to Utah to learn more about Manufacturing/Production Engineering. He would visit for anywhere from a few weeks to three months to live with a family and go to work with a host parent to learn more about this industry.

Not only will you make a difference for this young man, but he will offer your family and business a great opportunity to learn about different cultures. And who knows, as a young professional from a different part of the world, he may even bring some fresh perspective to help your business develop.

If you work in this field, or know someone who does, and might be interested in hosting this student, please contact our District Youth Exchange Officer, Aaron Lowe, at 801-592-0913 or transitreg98@gmail.com.

Spread holiday cheer through the E-Club!

The Utah E-Club is joining with Lynn Creek Farms for our fundraiser that will make you and your loved ones’ home look and smell like Christmas.

Click here to order a fresh wreath or centerpiece for your own home, clients, co-workers, friends or family members. You pick the date for delivery along with a message. if desired.

The fundraiser supports our Magic Treehouse book project for third graders and Sub for Santa Single Moms project. Thanks for supporting the E-Club!

Best Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall is such a delightful time of year. Bountiful harvests and nature’s display of vibrant colors seem to celebrate the respite of the hot summer months, and turn our thoughts to anticipation of the coming holidays.

How rewarding it’s been to visit with Rotarians throughout the state. The varied projects and events that each club engages in during the holidays is a testament to the incredible people we have in #UtahRotary. Whether you’re involved in gathering coats & winter clothing for children, assembling Thanksgiving food boxes, being a Sub for Santa, serving meals in a soup kitchen, participating in Toys for Tots, placing ‘Wreaths Across America’, or any other of the countless ways you are reaching out to others in your community - I am humbled and appreciative of your good hearts and willingness to serve others.

This year as I reflect on my treasured relationships with family and friends, I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness for you - my Rotary Family. I’m grateful for your innate goodness, desire to make a difference, tireless dedication to improve the circumstances in your communities, and your commitment to reach out - include - and invite others to join us. Together, we are achieving great things. Thank you for being who you are. My best wishes to you and yours for a Happy Thanksgiving.

Todd Boyer

Utah Rotary District Governor 2024-2025

RotaryBoyer@gmail.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.

Park City Sunrise Rotary celebrated World Polio Day by following the lead of our South Summit High School Interact Club with “The Purple Pinky Swap.” On October 24 students and Rotarians exchanged a $1 bill to have their little fingernails painted purple. The funds were donated to PolioPlus. Park City Sunrise is happy to report that the 8th Annual Shot Ski event on Park City’s Main Street raised $43,000 for the club’s community grants program. The club beat Breckenridge’s record with 1385 participants drinking whiskey or apple juice from shot glasses on 550 skis!

Murray Rotary Club conducted two service projects in October—a small and a large one-- assembling 87 people to paint railing and curb along the Murray portion of the Jordan River Trail. Our smaller project was 'stamping' hundreds of books which will be distributed to all 3rd grade students in Murray. Both projects had cooperative weather, went well, and finished ahead of schedule! We continue our track record of at least one service project per month.

In October, St. George Rotary garnered almost 500 hours of “service above self” participating in the 11th annual St. George Rotary Charity Golf Tournament; filling 11,800 swag bags for senior athletes and housing some of 68 BYU health science students in town for the 2-week Huntsman World Senior Games. Next we provided support for the St George Marathon and the “Rev’d Up 4 Rotary” car show both on the first Saturday of the month. Then we spent a week parking cars for the PGA tournament at Black Desert Golf Resort ... and finally we inducted Daniel Adams as our 6th new member since July 1.

Hurricane Valley had a busy October performing community service projects and making donations to important causes in Southern Utah. Rotarians took part in the Alzheimer’s Walk in St. George, helping to raise funds for the fight against Alzheimer’s. They also finished handing out 346 dictionaries to third graders in Hurricane Valley schools. Even in this digital age, a surprising number of children do not have instant access to online tools, and printed dictionaries are not as prevalent in the home as in the past. The club also supported and donated to the American Cancer Society’s Southern Golf Classic. Donations are still being accepted at www.golfforthecure.org

Bountiful Rotary Club had the annual Great Pumpkin Hunt for our Rotary families and friends. We love getting together! We had a surprise guest of the headless horsewoman and her pony! We ate, had a costume parade and when the sun went down, we hunted for pumpkins!

Nine Rotarians from the Sandy Rotary Club helped the Utah Food Bank sort and prepare food donations this month.

On Saturday, October 19th, the Rotary Club of Orem-Lindon and UVU Rotaract made a meaningful contribution to Orem by planting 800 bulbs at Nielsen's Grove, one of the city’s two groomed parks. The Rotarians and Rotaractors removed summer geraniums, raked the flower beds, and prepped the border to outline the planting area. With tools in hand, Rotarians planted the bulbs, anticipating a vibrant display of orangy-red blossoms with splashes of yellow daffodil in the upcoming spring. This tulip variety is expected to bloom for three years. Previously, the Orem-Lindon Club and UVU Rotaract have planted trees and cleared tree beds of grass and weeds at this beautiful location, considered to be the oldest designated public park in Utah.

The Utah E-club had a Spooktacular time with the Trunk or Treat at the Camp Williams, supporting the Active-Duty Utah National Guard children. Approximately 1,200 Trick or Treaters received candy from the Iron Lung, which was our "trunk" for passing out candy. Parents were amazed it was a real Iron Lung and it brought back memories for some attendees whose loved ones had been affected by Polio. Many parents explained to their children about the Polio immunization they received as a child and why they received it. Loads of Thanks to those who donated candy to help support this amazing event.

The Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Bureau, U.S. State Department, Ambassador Michelle Sison lectured about U.S. Role in Multilateral Diplomacy through the UN at Utah Valley University on October 24. During the presentation, Ambassador Sison spoke highly about 28 Utah Valley University Rotaractors, advocating for mountain women during the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2023. That year students contributed to a side event co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Nations and a parallel event, hosted by their coalition of student clubs. After the lecture, our distinguished visitor was presented with a Rotary T-shirt by Mike Rich, Orem-Lindon Rotarians, District Rotaract Representative Savannah Bristol, and Rotaractors.

The Centerville-Farmington Rotary Club recently completed our fall cleanup at Freedom Memorial Park, where we maintain the memorial and disc golf course. We repainted the disc golf targets for better visibility, trimmed the grass around the tee markers, refreshed the directional markers, and replaced faded Rotary emblem stickers. This year, we also raised a new U.S. flag, retiring the one that flew over Centerville for the past year. Our spring and fall cleanups keep the park welcoming for all, and we’re proud to contribute to its beauty and usability. We invite everyone to visit and see the improvements!

The Cedar City Rotary Club reported

distributing these grants:

$7,500 to the Utah Food Bank for our Fiddler's Elementary School Food Pantry. This is the program where we provide food to in need at this school. It is a wonderful program.
$5,000 to Kenya Maternal Health Global Grant (this is phase II of an ongoing program, that we committed a year or so a go to help with).
$2,000 towards the Tuberculosis Global Grant.
$2,500 to the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival in support of the ever popular Sheep Parade and surrounding events.
$500 to the Power in Pink in support of breast cancer victims and ongoing research.
$1,000 to the Children's Justice Center in support of the Dancing with the Stars.