Saturday, November 1, 2008

What is the Exchange Club

Exchange, America’s Service Club, is an all-volunteer, national service organization for men and women who want to serve their community, develop leadership skills and enjoy new friendships. It is men and women working together to make our communities better places to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Recognition and Education Activities and the Prevention of Child Abuse. Our goal is to ignite the spirit of community service throughout the nation. The St. George Exchange Club “the Club” was formed in 1974, and has been operating continuously in our community.

The St. George Exchange Club is involved in numerous community projects and raises funds to benefit many organizations and families throughout Washington County. Currently the Club is involved in the following programs and projects:

Child Abuse Prevention
Each year, members of the Club organize, participate in, and join together to raise funds to help local organizations in their efforts to prevent child abuse and promote healthy family environments

St. George Mayor’s Walk
Each October, members of the Club organize and participate in the
annual St. George Marathon by sponsoring the St. George Mayor’s Walk for family and friends who wish to be a part of this great community event. Participants walk to the marathon finish line with the Mayor and other civic leaders. The walk begins at Bluff Street Park at 7:00 a.m. and
ends at Worthen Park, which is the finish line for the marathon runners. Participants receive Mayor’s Walk T-shirts, walker numbers, a light post-walk breakfast and prize drawings. Funds raised in the Marathon and Mayor’s Walk by the Club are used to build facilities and improve recreation opportunities throughout the community.

Exchange Golf Tournament
This annual event raises money which the Exchange Club uses to support their programs throughout the year including: Freedom Shrine, Student Scholarships, Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival, Give a Kid a Flag To Wave, and Child Abuse Prevention.

Freedom Shrine
On a regular basis the Club organizes and participates in purchasing and installing Freedom Shrines in public buildings and schools in our community. The Freedom Shrine is an impressive and attractively mounted collection of 30 of the most important and historic American documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Gettysburg Address. These remarkable documents serve as a window to the world of America’s proud past and the immortal words of inspired Americans who so decisively changed the course of history.

Student Scholarships
The Club sponsors scholarships for local high school students each year who have demonstrated academic and leadership achievement. In addition, we recognize special students with the A.C.E. award – a program that recognizes high school students who have made a dramatic change in their attitude and performance sometime during their high school years.

Give Me Liberty
Each year the club provides funding and support to elementary schools in Washington County that elect to teach the Give Me Liberty program to the fifth grade students. This program is designed to get fifth graders excited about American history. To complete the four-phase program, students memorize all of the states and capitals, every American president’s name in alphabetical order and identify the world’s continents and oceans on the map. The students also memorize the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the Gettysburg’s Address, the Star Spangled Banner, a line from the Declaration of Independence, and learn to write the pledge of allegiance as well as other important American and State themes.

Give a Kid a Flag to Wave
On an annual basis, the Club commemorates patriotism with the community with purchasing and distributing American flags to children at local parades like the Rotary Bowl Parade in December and the Lions Parade in September.

Socials
The Club meets together at least twice each year to get to know each other and our spouses better. These social events provide a setting for informal association and comradeship.

Other Programs
Book of Golden Deeds
Proudly we Hail
Firefighter and Policeman of the Year

The St. George Exchange Club meets each Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel on River Road. Club members and guests enjoy breakfast, informative speakers, and participate in relaxed social interaction.

Why Join Exchange?
To help build a better America, and in doing so, bring out the best in yourself. Exchange helps members develop leadership, networking, and organizational skills that contribute to success in
business, family and personal endeavors. More importantly, Exchange provides members with the opportunity to share their time and talents to help others, whether by reaching out to an abused child who needs love and affection or organizing a community crime prevention program or wielding rakes in a clean-up project. Through these and many other positive, public-spirited projects, Exchangites are making a real difference in cities and towns across America

St George Exchange Club Foundation
The Exchange Club of St. George Foundation is operated exclusively as a non-profit corporation for charitable, educational or scientific purposes, within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code, that support, sponsor, promote and coordinate charitable activities for the Exchange Club of St. George. Donations to the Foundation are deductible for tax purposes. The Foundation business and affairs are conducted by a Board of Trustees consisting of seven active members of the Exchange Club. Get Involved!

sgexchange.blogspot.com

nationalexchangeclub.org/index.htm

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