"I'm only here for the ... awards!"

 

For those who might be unfamiliar with Rotary, it is divided into clubs, districts and zones.  When the November 2021 Zone Institute in Tucson was first announced I had no intention of going.  Then I received a message from RI informing me District 5420 was going to be recognized with an award … so plans changed (as it turns out, our district's award was recognized with 3 seconds on the jumbo-tron ... hardly worth traveling 22 hours round trip).  

 

The conference was held in Loew’s Verdana Canyon Resort but, we registered late, so the only accommodations we could find was our time share 10 miles away.  Everyday we drove past the small but beautiful Tucson LDS Temple.  My assignment as a member of the DG class of RY2020-21 was decorations which was fun, but I had injured my right leg getting out of bed in our camper on our last day in Halchita so I wasn’t prepared for all the walking.  Still … it was a lovely 5 days with my classmates.

 

Based on RI’s 4-part Action Plan (in place through 2024), District 5420 was recognized – not with one, but for several outstanding achievements during RY2020-21 to (1) increase our impact, (2) expand our reach, (3) enhance participant engagement and (4) increase our ability to adapt, including a brief writeup about our Native American Initiative. 

 

·      For TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS, District 5420 came in at #1 in Zone 27 with $1,845,609.

 

·      For ANNUAL FUND PER CAPITA GIVING, District 5420 was recognized as #1 at $302.62.

 

·      For POLIO PLUS CONTRIBUTIONS, Zone 27 was recognized as #3 IN THE ENTIRE ROTARY WORLD with District 5420 ranking #1 with $1,075,834.

 

·      For OTHER GIVING, District 5420 came in at #1 with $121,752

 

·      For BUILDING THE ENDOWMENT THROUGH PER CAPITA GIVING, District 5420 was recognized as #3 at $351.65.

 

·      For PERCENTAGE OF MEMBERS GIVING TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION, District 5420 was ranked #2 with 64% of our membership giving as “Every Rotarian, Every Year” ($100 a year)

 

·      For NEW MEMBER RETENTION, at 93.7% District 5420 was one of 13 districts who performed above the Zone’s average.

 

·      RI’s new MEMBERSHIP SOCIETY recognized Brent Parkin (District Youth Chair) with the silver level (30-49 members sponsored) award for sponsoring 36 new Rotarians during his history as a member of the Ogden Rotary Club (he says its more than that, but he was happy to be recognized).

 

·      In the category of forming NEW SATELLITE CLUBS during RY2020-21, District 5420 was also acknowledged for the Rotary Club of Southern Utah Veterans and the Rotary Club of Millcreek Connecting Generations ... but Washington City Rotary Club - after 20 years and 3 attempts to organize - was officially chartered in mid-November.

Ed calls me an over-achiever, but I prefer to think of myself as one who knows how to recruit a great team! 

 

So, now I think I have finished my DG experience.  On to another adventure!

Death Valley with the Christensens

Death Valley, CA in late March 2021 with our friends Bruce and Jan Christensen, was a pleasant long weekend with comparatively cool weather in one of America's national parks known to reach 130 degrees from time-to-time making it the Earth’s highest reliably recorded temperature.  In our 3-days together, we hit all the "high spots" in and around Death Valley and came home with another check mark on our collective bucket list.

Sadly, it will be the last trip we make with the Christensens as a couple because six months later, on September 18, 2021, they were divorced at her request.

Sappingtons are on the move!

“Coincidental" ….  defined as happening or existing at the same time. 

 After many years of family members staying put, we have possibly set some kind of record with 8 Sappington family members moving – some a few blocks while others are going to new addresses several states away!

Kaytee, Josh, Adyn, Skylar and Thoryn have purchased a ramshackle house on 5 acres of prime real estate in Opportunity, a quiet suburb of beautiful, downtown Anaconda, MT.  The minute escrow closed, the entire Postma family – including Josh’s father Mark – descended on the property tearing down old structures, uprooting shrubs and trees and laying out the footprint for their big new home.

 

Whitney and Alex have decided, since they both work digitally, they can work anywhere, they are going to move to Maine where they believe they can find a bigger house for less money!

 

Stacy and Rick have decided to split … again!  She is living in the trailer in Gunlock until they sort everything out.  We love Rick, so we hope they can find a way to resolve their problems, so stay tuned for more details as they unfold.

 

Kris’s son Zach and his girlfriend Danielle are moving from Pennsylvania to Texas to be closer to her family, and where they will be getting married. 

Our sister-in-law Charlene has recently sold out in Coarsegold, CA and is now settling into a new home in Sun City, AZ.  She will soon be joined in AZ by  her son Tyson and daughter-in-law Tanya who are moving to Phoenix. 

 

David and Jan’L moved back from Denver to St. George last year.  Their oldest son Kaler, is back in Rexburg, Idaho where he is a fulltime student at BYU-Idaho but is applying to BYU-Provo as well as Utah Valley University to finish his degree.

 

Our niece Tiffany, her husband Bob and 5 of their 8 kids are settling into an enormous house on 40 acres in Friant, California where their wild and crazy crew can romp and play in total freedom.  I think a family reunion on their "resort" property is in the immediate future. 

 

Selwin and Brianna, Ayah and Zion have bought a home near the St. George Airport after 4 years living with her family while he got his education – including an MBA – behind him.

 

At church on Sunday, two families announced they are moving ... one to northern Utah and the other to Hurricane ... and on Sunday afternoon, I got an email from one of my favorite Rotarians announcing he and his wife are moving from SLC to Florida! 

Lots of changes in our large family.  Could COVID be to blame for all of this motion?

Halchita "service above self" weekend a huge success!

 

 

"Many groups reach out to us every year, wanting to help in some way,” noted a community leader in the remote village of Halchita, UT, “but only Rotary has actually shown up!” And, show up we did!

At the beginning of RY2020-21, when the pandemic was wreaking havoc on the world, this Utah Rotary District Governor saw a need and an opportunity to engage Rotarians in, what then-RI President Holger Knaack called “bigger, better, bolder service to change lives” and established Utah’s Native American Initiative.  The hard-working and well-connected Paul Summers (Bountiful Rotary Club) agreed to serve as NAI chair.  Representatives from at least one-third of Utah’s 45 clubs immediately stepped up – in multiple ways – to assist several of Utah’s 11 tribal communities.  Over the next year, many truckloads of donated materials and supplies crossed the state in support of those inordinately hard hit by the coronavirus due, in part, to multi-generational housing and a lack of reliable electricity and clean drinking water … including support for Halchita. 

This tiny tribal community – located on the northern border of the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners area of southeastern Utah – is miles from anywhere. Nevertheless, the landscape - while remote and mysterious - is a cinematographer’s dream.  The people are cautiously friendly – no doubt, from centuries of isolation and generations of mistrust of those who promise to treat them fairly – but don’t.  

 

Halchita has an interesting history.  When the uranium mine closed, which had employed many Halchita residents, the Utah Navajo Development Company found a way to buy the town – including all 45 homes at a cost of $75,000.  A federal grant provided a way to remove asbestos and uranium from the homes which were then sold back to the residents at a cost of $450 for a 3-bedroom, $350 for a 2-bedroom and $250 for a 1-bedroom dwelling.  While many still live in those homes, there is no school, no medical or emergency facilities, no businesses and no way to earn a living within 40 miles of the boundaries of this little reservation community. 

 

After nearly 18 months of hopeful planning by Rotary leaders, somewhere between 75-100 Rotarians and their families, Rotaractors and friends of Rotary showed up on Halloween weekend (Oct. 28-31, 2021) to renovate an old school turning it into a community center.  Everyone jumped in with gusto and the building became the scene of beautiful chaos (think "beehive").  Rotarians enthusiastically tore out shelves and appliances, painted almost every square inch of the building – inside and out – installed modern and professionally made cabinets in the library and kitchen (donated by a Rotarian in Cedar City and valued at about $17,000), sorted thousands of donated books to create an amazing community library, and cleaned up a baseball diamond including an improved dugout. At the conclusion of four days of “service above self,” a Trunk or Treat event attracted many nearby children excited to fill their bags with candy, toothbrushes, small toys, and books.  Some also took home warm winter coats, hats, quilts and other gifts. 

 

Sadly, some of the children did not come for Trunk or Treat, planned especially for them, because they did not have a costume or the money to buy one.  We were heartbroken when we heard this!

 

Our only faux pas (at least we want to hope it was our only mistake) had to do with red rocks!

Some who visited our project over 4 days, commented:

·       *    “You did all of this for us?”

·      *     “I’ve lived in southeastern Utah for almost all of my 90 years … and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

·       *    “This week in Halchita has been a true Rotary experience. My wife (also a Rotarian) is going to be so sorry she missed this!”

·       *    When asked, “what is Navajo Strong?” three young staffers responded, “we are Navajos helping Navajos, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. We strive to honor our ancestors and work hard to help citizens affected by disease, poverty, and other health disparities on the Navajo Reservation … and now we’re also huge fans of Rotary!”