St. George Exchange Club partners with Intermountain Healthcare, school district for child abuse prevention

L-R, Neal Smith, Exchange Club; Amber Rich, Intermountain Healthcare Community Benefit; Pam Graf, Washington County School District Foundation President; and Mindi Suttner, Exchange Club PR Chair. St. George Exchange Club welcomed Pam Graf, Washington County School District Foundation, and Amber Rich, Intermountain Healthcare Community Benefit, to their May 26 breakfast to celebrate the update and distribution of the new Child Abuse Prevention Resource Cards made possible by a cooperative effort by all three organizations. The cards include contact info for all schools, emergency and community services, and will be distributed free of charge through the schools and local agencies, St. George, Utah, May 26, 2016 | Photo courtesy of the St. George Exchange Club, St. George News

ST. GEORGE The St. George Exchange Club is part of a national service-based organization with a mission that includes child abuse prevention. In support of this important cause the local club recently partnered with Intermountain Healthcare and the Washington County School District to produce Child Abuse Prevention Resource Cards.

The cards include contact info for schools, emergency services, and community human services ranging from recreation to victim’s advocacy. These will be distributed to local school children in the fall through the school district, as well as through local agencies and Intermountain Healthcare affiliated offices.

“We’ve received tremendous feedback about the popularity of these cards among parents and families,” Neal Smith, Exchange Club Member who has been involved in providing the cards for nearly a decade said “However, producing them costs money, and we’ve not had an update for several years.”

Smith credited Intermountain Healthcare with local guidance from Community Benefit at Dixie Regional Medical Center in receiving $4,000 from the Community Partner Fund as well as the cooperation of the Washington County School District to distribute the updated cards at the beginning of the school year.

Brian Tenney, Exchange Club Member, also provided the design of the cards.

“We’re excited to get them into people’s hands and hanging on their fridges and making them useful to the community,” Smith said.

Smith added that the cards originally were created by a committee chaired by the late Annie Ashcraft with the Department of Child Protective Services who championed the cause and got the project off the ground. The intent of the cards is to provide families with access to services and make them aware of resources that could alleviate family stress and the incidence of child abuse.

“I appreciate that we get to carry on this great project and make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors,” Smith said. “I’m grateful for a community who knows how to pull together and protect our most valuable assets.”

About the St. George Exchange Club

The St. George Exchange Club has actively served Southern Utah for over 40 years with members who are local business owners, community leaders and volunteer citizens. Complementing the club is the St. George Exchange Club Foundation. Each year, club members are elected to preside over the Foundation Board, which is currently led by Jinks Dabney. The St. George Exchange Club Foundation is a registered 501(c) 3 and manages all funds donated or raised by the club.

Funds raised are returned to the community through various programs the St. George Exchange Club sponsors. In addition to the Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival, the St. George Exchange Club also sponsors and hosts the St. George Mayor’s Walk, Iron Kids Fun Run, Student of the Month Recognition, Freedom Shrine installations and dedications, the Give Me Liberty program which serves area fifth graders, and Give a Kid a Flag to Wave at the annual Veterans Day Parade in Washington City.

The St. George Exchange Club, in cooperation with Dixie State University, also awards each area high school’s top graduating senior with First Year Tuition Grants. In 2015 the club contributed over $100,000 to help the City of St. George build the All Abilities Park, which is slated for dedication spring 2016.
James McFadden
Exchange Club of St. George President
435-632-7978
[email protected]

Mindy Suttner
Public Relations Committee Chairman
435-256-5550
[email protected]

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