October #UtahRotary Newsletter

District 5420 Newsletter - October 2025

Governor's Message

Our Utah Rotary District Conference was truly a weekend to remember—three and a half days filled with inspiration, friendship, and purpose.

Rotarians came together from across the state and around the world, joined by international guests from Japan, Argentina, and Mexico, reminding us of Rotary’s global reach.

We were uplifted by the vision of Rotary International President-Elect Nominee Larry Lunsford, the wisdom of Foundation Trustee Vicki Puliz, and the passion of Rotary leaders who spoke straight to the heart of service.

From powerful keynote addresses to meaningful recognitions—including the induction of a dear friend into the Arch Klumph Society—every moment was filled with pride and gratitude. We left renewed, connected, and inspired to lead with heart and serve with purpose.

Suzanne Leonelli, District Governor

Dgsuzanneleonelli@gmail.com

Utah Rotary District Conference 2025

Motivating District Leadership - A seminar

Attend a fun get-together to learn, discuss, and build opportunities to grow into District Leadership. Whether you aspire to be president of your club, assistant governor of the District, Committee Chair or even District Governor, this seminar is for you.

Our enjoyable event will be hosted by Past District Governors Michael Wells and Jose Velasco with partners Karlene Wells and Martha Velasco.

Rotarians and Rotaractors are welcome.
Check your calendars for Saturday, October 11 from 9 am to 1 pm. Lunch will be provided.
RSVP to me to receive the address for the event.

Jose Velasco, Past District Governor 2022-2023

josevelasco5420@gmail.com

Ever wonder how to start a new club in your community?

Governor Suzanne has asked me to serve as the district’s new Club Development Chair for 2025-2026. Here's some basic information:

You can start a new satellite club with only eight members. A satellite club’s members belong to their sponsor club until if or when they charter as a new Rotary club.
You can now charter a new Rotary club with only 15 members (a change this year from the previously required 20).
Retaining existing members and recruiting new members to existing clubs is vitally important but starting a new club is the fastest way to grow Rotary membership in our district. Why, you might ask? It’s simple - Rotary research shows nearly 90% of members in new clubs are new to Rotary.
We can even start new clubs in areas where there are existing clubs by offering a different meeting day or time and a different club experience.

If you are interested in starting a new club (and I hope you are), please contact me. I'm a resource to help you through the process. Let’s start a number of new clubs this year!

Please reach out. I’m ready to assist you.

Scott Florence, District Club Development Chair

srf2624@yahoo.com

(435) 522-8123

International Projects

World Polio Day is Friday, October 24

The woman in this picture is known as a “crawler.” Her condition is the result of contracting the polio virus.

Flaccid leg syndrome, they call it, is a small part of the after-effects of polio known as Post Polio Syndrome.

You see, the polio virus rarely kills. It affects its victim at different levels of severity. A small minority don’t even know they have polio until they are tested. But that is rare.

Post Polio syndrome includes muscle weakness - every muscle including the heart. Flaccid leg syndrome, as seen with this poor woman, happens to every 1:100 cases, contorting the legs and rendering them useless. This lady is vulnerable to more than just the disease.

As your District Polio Plus chair, it is my job to keep polio top of mind with all Rotarians in our district. And I must say, our district’s contributions to Polio Plus are noble in per capita giving, including the $5 million dollars donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints a few years ago.

But I often hear, “Why are we still trying to get rid of polio? Isn’t this a waste of money? Polio will never be here in the U.S.”

Most of our members under 50 years old have never seen a polio victim. What you all should know - it is only an airplane ride away. There was a case two years ago in New York afflicting a person who had never traveled out of the United States.

The Good News

The Gates Foundation has chosen to continue their 2:1 match of Rotarians’ donations for the foreseeable future.
The federal government has committed a $385 million budget to Polio Plus.
Rotary International will continue to commit to eradicating this disease because we made the promise to the children of the world.

Sandi Schwartz, St. George Sunrise Rotary Club

District 5420 Polio Plus Chair

Health care Global Grant in Rwanda

A significantly impactful Health Care Global Grant in Rwanda is nearing completion! Club sponsors, the Rotary Club of Park City and the Rotary Club of Kigali, are joined by partner clubs Park City Twilight and Salt Lake City, as well as our district and Rwanda's D9150, to raise $58,000.

The funds will be used to educate and train high school girls and boys about menstrual hygiene issues and gender, sexual and reproductive issues. In addition, training and equipment will be donated to make (and sell) reusable hygiene pads.

Five rural high schools in the Bwizi area are engaged and our local partner the University for Global Health Equity has overseen all aspects along with the Kigali Club.

The response so far from students, teachers, administrators and families has been overwhelmingly positive! Metrics including reduced dropout rates for girls and expanded knowledge base are showing dramatic improvements. Another great Rotary success!

John Hanrahan, Park City Rotary Club

Utah Rotary District Governor, 2019-2020

Donations needed for therapy pool in Guatemala

For more than twenty years the Centerville-Farmington Rotary Club has been involved with “Transitions” in Guatemala. “Transitions” is an organization that provides physical therapy, custom made wheelchairs, prosthetics and all types of assistance to physically disabled children, youth, and adults all over Guatemala. They also have an award-winning wheelchair basketball team. It is an amazing organization!

They are currently looking to build the first and only therapy pool in Guatemala. They can use your club’s help! Alex, the disabled founder of “Transitions” speaks perfect English and would love to hear from you. Write him at office@transitionsfoundation.org There are many ways your club could help.

To see the amazing work watch a special 30-minute documentary shown in July on PBS. It is well worth your time. https://www.pbs.org/show/power-of-chairs/

Bruce Powell, Centerville-Farmington Rotary Club

Your club's space for news about your International Service Projects.

You are invited to use the above space to describe your club's experience going abroad to help people in need around the globe. Simply submit your story along with a few pictures to the Newsletter Editor lolabeatlebrox@gmail.com by the 27th of every month.

Savvy Advice for Rotarians

Tax Smart Philanthropy

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is a tax-free withdrawal from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) made directly to The Rotary Foundation. It serves as a popular way to do good while also satisfying the IRA holder’s Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). A QCD is not included in the IRA owner’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) under IRS rules. Leveraging a QCD to lower one’s Income could potentially reduce those taxes based on income, such as Social Security benefits or Medicare Parts B and D premium surcharges. Available to owners and beneficiaries age 70½ or older, a QCD offers tax-free IRA distributions of up to $108,000 in 2025.

Anyone 73 or older who has IRA or other tax-qualified pension or retirement funds must take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) annually. Your financial advisor can calculate this amount for you. By using QCDs for a contribution to The Rotary Foundation, more of your money does good in the world. Important – the QCD check or wire must go directly to The Rotary Foundation from your fiduciary. Below are a couple links to help you learn more.

Learn more here

Learn still more here

Please email Egor Shulman at drfc5420@gmail.com for fiduciary form and more detail on Rotary recognition alternatives.

This article is NOT meant to provide tax advice. Please contact your financial advisor or tax professional to have them help you with making the correct decision for you.

Egor Shulman

Rotary Foundation Chair 2025-2028

drfc5420@gmail.com

Celebrating our Rotary Foundation Donors

Those who attended this year’s District Conference learned that the bread and butter of The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund-SHARE are the donors who contribute at least:

$100+ every year (Sustaining Members)
$1,000+ every year - Paul Harris Society Members

In our district more than 1,000 Rotarians fit into these categories last year and over 150 Rotarians have reached various Major Donor levels ($10,000+ in lifetime giving) – THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

The list of 1,000+ Rotarians is too long for this article, so we will celebrate the Arch Klumph Society members – those who have contributed at least $250,000+ over their lifetime. Some achieve it with a one-time contribution and some contribute over many years. Our current list of Society members:

Latter-day Saints Charities
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Bill Bloomfield – Park City Twilight
Errol and Sonja Eernisse – Sugar House
Eugene and Evelyn Banks – Salt Lake City
Kelly and Penny Atkinson – West Jordan
Kenneth and Hellen Englehart – Cedar City
Michael and Sheila Deputy – Salt Lake City
Theodore and Elizabeth Schmidt – Salt Lake City
New Addition – Egor and Beth Shulman – St George Sunrise

As we read the wonderful stories of Rotarians in action, all Rotarian donors can proudly say –

I had a part in that!!

Egor Shulman

Rotary Foundation Chair 2025-2028

drfc5420@gmail.com

Our District . . . a history of giving

On behalf of the District Foundation Committee in general, and of the Annual Fund Sub-Committee in particular, we would like to express thanks to all the clubs in our District and to all individual Rotarians who contribute each year to The Rotary Foundation in general and to the Annual Fund in particular.

Of the four preceding Rotary fiscal years ending June 30^th, the most recent year ending June 30^th, 2025, was a record giving year for the district and reversed what had been a downward trend of giving to the annual fund.

Total giving to the annual fund was $360,089, which is $221.18 per capita giving for 1,628 members of District 5420. We would like to recognize and give a shout out to seven clubs we consider superstars of annual fund giving…club per capita giving which exceeds $300:

These clubs have a tradition, a culture, and a history of giving which consistently exceeds the District per capita amount - sometimes by double or triple.

Also, a shout out to Orem-Lindon and West Jordan who are leading the way in the current year with $257 and $211 per capita giving, so far. We express gratitude to all Rotarians in all clubs who contribute to The Rotary Foundation, whether larger amounts or small.

Our giving goal for the annual fund for the current year is $500,000. We can make this happen if each Club President and Foundation Chair would strive to make this year a record giving year for your club. Let’s do it!

Lynn Hillstead

Chair, Annual Fund Sub-Committee

lynngrayh@gmail.com

Youth News

Rotaract GOT LOUD at District Conference!

At District Conference in St. George this September, one of the weekend’s biggest highlights was the Pints for Polio Fundraiser, hosted by Rotaractors from Utah State, Westminster, Midvalley, and Southern Utah Universities.

The lively evening filled with food, dancing, karaoke and Rotary spirit raised more than $6,000 for Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign.

The district gained five new benefactors at this event!

This success showcases the dedication of Utah Rotaract members and the strength of collaboration within the Rotary family. The conference was a reminder that when Rotaract and Rotary unite, lasting change is possible.

Westminster University Rotaract, Midvalley Rotaract, and Southern Utah University Rotaract each were recognized with a Giving Certificate for contributing to the Rotary Foundation in the 2024-2025 Year!

Utah Rotaract is proud to stand with Rotary International in the historic fight to end polio and looks forward to continuing service projects that inspire hope, strengthen communities, and make a meaningful impact.

Soccer kids get new tires

Seeing a clear opportunity to impact young lives and a dedicated coach, the Rotary Club of Lehi combined efforts with Les Schwab Tires to replace dangerously bald tires on a 15-passenger van used to transport the Titanium Multicultural Soccer Team.

The 12 to 14-year-olds play soccer games throughout northern and central Utah. Several of the players come from low-income families here in Utah and some originate from difficult and even tragic situations in countries like Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, India, Albania, and Venezuela.

The combined assistance of such organizations as Rotary, Northern Utah County Soccer and other third parties like Les Schwab Tires ease the cost burdens of transportation, registration, uniforms and the like.

Glade R. Hamilton

District Governor 2015-2016

Upcoming Events Around the District

Park City Sunrise Rotary Club’s

famous Shot Ski^TM fundraiser is October 11

Park City Sunrise Rotary Club’s famous Shot Ski^TM fundraiser will be held Saturday, October 11.

This year's event will set a new world record by serving 1,410 shots and raising a lofty $70,000 to support Park City Sunrise Rotary Club's Community Grants Program.

Participants gather on Park City’s Main Street from 12 noon to 2 p.m. when the anticipation builds! Shots of High West Whiskey, the club's esteemed co-sponsor, are poured by DABS-trained Sunrise Rotarians – or apple juice if you prefer.

Promptly at 2 pm, all the connected skis will be raised simultaneously to beat the world record in our friendly rivalry with Breckinridge Ski Resort. They served only 1401 shots last December!

This spirited event is always a sellout, so purchase your tickets now at parkcityshotski.com. VIP spots with custom skis are available for purchase.

Park at Park City High School and take the free bus to Main Street. Come early!

This event is for participants 21 years or older. Proper ID is required.

Cathy's Ride-to-Nowhere will raise $$ on World Polio Day October 24

You can raise money too!

“Help me blow the dust off my spin bike to accomplish my Ride to Nowhere on World Polio Day,” says Cathy Hart, a member of the St. George Sunrise Rotary Club.

On October 24 Cathy will be riding her spin bike for seven hours -- roughly 100 miles! She’s already raised $700, but that’s only 13 percent of her goal.

All funds donated to her campaign will go to the Rotary PolioPlus Fund, which is devoted to eradicating the debilitating disease of polio on the planet for good!

Cathy, you go, girl!

To donate go to: https://raise.rotary.org/Cathy-Hart/challenge

Utah Rotarians can set up their own campaigns.

Learn how to start your fundraiser here.

Join Rotarians from around the world on a life-changing 10-day journey into the heart of Cambodia! In partnership with Sustainable Cambodia—a trusted Rotary-based organization —you’ll witness inspiring, hands-on projects that empower rural families through clean water, education, and economic opportunity.

This isn’t just a trip—it’s an unforgettable experience of service, culture, and connection. You'll enjoy comfortable, air-conditioned hotels, enjoying local cuisine, and being guided by a knowledgeable team—all for under $1,000 (excluding airfare)!

The Rotary Club of Salt Lake City is proud to serve as the international sponsor for a new Global Grant focused on Economic Empowerment and WASH. We're expecting Foundation approval by December, with the project launching in early 2026—impacting more than 3,000 lives.

Come make a real difference—and lifelong memories—with fellow Rotarians who share your spirit of service and adventure. Invite a friend, partner, or club member and be part of this transformative experience. For more information including dates, contact Paul Stringham. pbstringham@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.

Amazing what inspired Rotarians can do!

In 2021 the two Rotary Clubs in Logan received a District Grant of $2,000 to establish the Cache Valley Humanitarian Center. Accomplished in four years:

14,545+ people benefited with a $1,202,445 dollar impact
30,591 Volunteer Hours
2,115 School Kits distributed—an ongoing project
2,928 Hygiene kits assembled
370 Sleeping Mats: Recycled grocery bags woven and distributed to organizations including BRAG, Cache Valley School Districts and the WAB Warming Center. (1000 bags & 30 volunteer hours/mat)
3,754 Coats: Collected and distributed new and gently used coats, hats, socks and gloves.
3,750 Quilts: Most volunteer made
604 Newborn Kits
5000+ Books for Kids: Collected, cleaned and redistributed through Centro de la Familia, Bear River Head Start and the Halchita Native American library.

Candace Berthrong

Rotary Club of Logan, Utah

In August and September, the Murray Rotary Club continued its support of the “Kids Read Salt Lake Foundation by helping place logo stamps inside the covers of 8,000 books for Title One school children in the Salt Lake Valley. Bookmarks teaching children and their families about the continued dangers of lead poisoning were provided by the Salt Lake County Board of Health.

The books are headed to 16 elementary schools across the Salt Lake Valley for the 2025-26 school year. Murray Rotary Club has been a major supporter of the Kids Read Salt Lake program since its inception.

Our projects include building, painting, outdoor installation, and filling each of the Read and Succeed libraries.

On September 8, Utah Valley University Rotaractors Natalia Figueroa, Louyoko Nianza, Richard Farah, Caleb Ream, Aemish Brock and Martin Figueroa, future university student together with Orem-Lindon Rotarian Cherise Armstrong assembled hygiene kits for Tabitha’s Way, a food pantry network in Utah County. They assembled more than 60 kits by packing toys, diapers, wipes, blankets, and soap in addition to deodorants, wipes, body wash and soap bars, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, lotion, shaving cream, and towels. This effort was impactful thanks to partnership with the Orem-Lindon Rotary Club members, who donated supplies and ensured everything was delivered directly to Tabitha’s Way.

Hurricane Valley Rotary Club’s commitment to Youth Service remains its biggest focus. The club recently presented dictionaries to third-graders at several local elementary schools and a home-schooling group. Teachers tell us that even in this digital age a printed dictionary has a wonderful impact on the children. This is just one of several youth-focused efforts by the club as it is growing its commitment to Bikes for Books this year and continues granting post-secondary and RYLA scholarships. The club will also increase its Youth Mental Health Partnership Program this year by opening its arms to additional non-profit providers and begin planning for a Youth Mental Health Support Fair in 2026.

St. George Rotary Club’s September kicked off with an unsolicited but very generous donation from a friend of a friend of Rotary for our Guatemala stoves project. This was followed by the “Rev’d Up 4 Rotary” car show which banked another $8000+. St. George City’s 2^nd annual Dixie Days was a fun way to “say Rotary” with displays and information and along the way we inducted two new members – our club’s eighth Rotarian couple - found it necessary to select a new president-elect; enjoyed a visit from Governor Suzanne; sent 15 members to District Conference … and all this while still rotating from our regular home.

Sugarhouse Rotary Club welcomed District Governor Suzanne Leonelli at their new meeting location at Columbus Adult Education Center. Center Director Sean Marchant and club members enjoyed their conversation with our District Governor on the National Day of Service.

Several Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Lehi partnered with the Lehi City Grounds Department to set-up more than 200 flags in honor of the September 11, National Day of Service. The flags were on display from September 11-14, at the Legacy Center in Lehi.

September was a busy month for Richfield Rotary Club. We helped serve breakfast at the annual Rocky Mountain ATV jamboree in Richfield for over 450 riders. On September 24th our club donated $1,000 for tables at the annual Snow College Scholarship fundraising dinner at the Sevier Valley Center. The tables helped serve Rotarians and college students.

Local Rotarians donated and bid on many items at the silent auction, raffle and auction. Over $35,000 was raised for scholarships.

The Vernal Rotary Club recently donated to the Tower Garden's project at the Golden Age Center in Vernal. This project was overseen by the Community and Home Development Faculty of the Utah State University Extension. Participants were at the center of the project taking ownership of these towers and enjoyed watering and caring for the plants. Funds also went to the Lapoint Elementary Community Garden. Thus far, over 300 lbs. of fresh produce has gone to local food pantries! Classes have also been held in the garden and participants were able to take fresh produce home! This has made such a positive impact to our community.

The Orem-Lindon Rotary Club was proud to participate in the Hope4Orem annual Mental Wellness Fair on September 22 at Orem Library Hall. In observation of Suicide Prevention Month, our members welcomed community and families to this free event focused on expanding mental health resources and reducing stigma.

The Fair featured keynote speaker Mitch Pearson, founder of FlyLikeMike.org, a nonprofit inspired by the loss of his son to suicide. There were free on-site assessments and local service providers sharing mental health resources. Attendees also enjoyed family-friendly entertainment, including The Miners, princesses, face painting, and mascots like Cosmo.

Thirty Park City Sunrise Rotarians met 300 hundred cars at the bi-annual, Hazardous Waste Day in Park City, a free event for Summit County residents,

Hundreds of pounds of toxic items like paint, motor oil, acid, batteries and e-waste were safely disposed. The goal is to protect the environment by diverting toxic chemicals from the County landfill where it can leach into the water supply. Many toxins are carcinogens that cause cancer.

Recycle Utah and Park City Sunrise Rotary host the disposal day twice each year. Salt Lake and community partners handle the waste, while Sunrise Rotary volunteers direct cars and facilitate the event.

The Rotary Club of Midvalley had a couple of busy weeks attending and supporting District Conference in St. George. A highlight this month was holding a car show fundraiser for the annual upcoming Operation Santa signature project which was sponsored by club President-Elect Dave Curtis and his team at Les Schwab. The District Governor visit was a success with potential club members and Rotary visitors from Mexico. Midvalley Rotaract along with SUU and Westminster Rotaract were recognized with the 2024-25 Rotaract Giving Certificate for The Rotary Foundation.

In September, the Spanish Fork Rotary Club visited the Provo Food and Care Coalition.

The Coalition officially started in 1988. They provide meals, dental care, medical care, mental health care, and educational classes on varying topics.

The facility has very few paid full-time employees, since over 50,000 volunteer hours are donated annually, as well as much of the funding coming from the local community.

To show true care to someone who is at their lowest point in life, or at any point in life, can make such a positive impact on their lives.

St. George Sunrise Rotary had our monthly food drop at the Utah Food Bank September 23. We love serving families in our community!

Park City Twilight Rotarians wondered how many people know there is an apple orchard next to the golf course at Wasatch State Park. We enjoyed our day learning about the history of this family orchard from the 1800s and assisting guests with their apple picking. You can make reservations to pick apples at reserveamerica.com. Labor Day we had our major fundraiser - the Bark City 5k. Over 100 walkers and runners participated this year - a big shout out to Intermountain Health for their sponsorship. We were also excited to have many members participate in the walk to End Alzheimer's and Park City Day of Service at the Swaner Preserve clean up.