Events

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!

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.

It's election time again - in case you haven't noticed - so this is our opportunity to "say Rotary" to those in our community while they enjoy a cookie and the opportunity to meet and greet and ask questions of those running for local offices.

See you at the Best Western Abbey Inn.

Last year was so much fun, but we didn't raise any money and we didn't have any teams competing from other clubs so we're doing it again!

We will be playing in the "B" Lounge at Fiesta Fun.  There will be teams from other clubs.  Fundraising will be accomplished through pledges from friends, neighbors, co-worker and other club members at a rate of 50 cents per pin with the promise proceeds raised will be sent to PolioPlus.

David and Carla will bring their food truck and there will be lots of fun, friends and probably a few gutter balls!

Wanna be on the team?  We will save you a place!

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.