ST. GEORGE EXCHANGE CLUB TO MATCH DONATIONS FOR THE ALL ABILITIES PARK PROJEC

St. George, Utah, April 2016 - Members of the St. George Exchange Club presented an $8,000 donation to the City of St. George at last week's St. George City Council Meeting in support of the All Abilities Park - Hands That Built the Park project. In addition to this $8,000 contribution, members of the St. George Exchange Club are extending a challenge to other area service clubs, businesses and philanthropists to participate with them. Exchange Club members will match up to $15,000 to help sponsor area children so they can participate in this great project.

Hands That Built the Park is a project created by the City of St. George.  It consists of a mosaic wall that weaves throughout the park, embedded with the hand prints of children fired into a hardened tile. Each hand print will have the name of the child carved into the tile.  James McFadden, current St. George Exchange Club president, has been working with special needs children at Fossil Ridge Elementary as well as with children at Riverside Preschool, casting hand prints to embed into the mosaic wall.  The Exchange Club is sponsoring up to 1000 children so they can have their hand prints permanently cast into the wall.  Matching funds are being requested so that as many area children as possible can have their hand prints cast into the wall as well.

“Many families with special needs children are not in a position to cover the costs associated with this project,”  McFadden stated. “Nothing would be more exciting than to see every child who would like to participate have this opportunity. In order to reach this goal, we are prepared to match dollar-for-dollar contributions up to $15,000 which are made by any area service club, business or local citizen who would like to see as many children participate as possible.”  When the All Abilities Park opens later this year, admission will be free to enter the park.

 
The check presented by the Exchange Club at last week's City Council meeting matches the donation made last month by the Dixie Elks Lodge #1743.

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 (SUPAF), 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 5th 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.

Contact Info
James McFadden
Exchange Club of St. George President
435-632-7978
james@requisitemarketing.com

Mindy Suttner
Public Relations Committee Chairman
435-256-5550
msuttner@dxatc.edu

Photo - From Left to Right - Kent Perkins, Director of City of St. George Leisure Services, James McFadden, President St. George Exchange Club, Connor McFadden, Dustin Schofield, President-elect, St. George Exchange Club, Mayor Jon Pike, City of St. George.

Prenuptial Agreements: Are they really necessary?

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Phillip G. Gubler and Thomas J. Bayles, Attorneys at Law

            You are getting married -- for the second time.  While everyone is congratulating you on finding love again, your children are encouraging you to complete a prenuptial agreement.  Why are your children so concerned about your new life?  Are they overreacting? 

            Most children who have experienced a parent in a second marriage attest it is a time of happiness and excitement.  They want their parent to be happy, but there are many underlying concerns that can be a white elephant in the room during conversation.  For instance, children from a previous marriage may feel threatened their perceived “inheritance” will go to the new spouse or the new spouse’s children.  In addition, your partner’s asset-to-debt ratio may not be favorable, and your children’s concern may be your assets will be depleted paying debts not incurred by you.  You may both own homes and need to decide in which home you will reside.  There will be questions about taxes, upkeep, and whether the new spouse will continue to live in the home after the other has passed away. 

One way to keep your premarital assets and debts clearly separate is by entering into a Prenuptial Agreement before marriage.  Prenuptial Agreements, like any contract, must be clearly written.  They must be voluntarily signed by both parties, and provide a reasonable disclosure of the property or financial obligations of both parties.  Without a prenuptial agreement, a surviving spouse may have the right to claim a large portion of the other spouse's property, leaving less for the surviving children which will likely be  less than you originally intended.  Litigation related to Prenuptial Agreements almost always centers on whether the terms of the agreement are clear, the agreement was signed voluntarily, and if the disclosure was reasonable.   For this reason, we recommend both parties retain their own attorney to review the Premarital Agreement. 

            In addition to a Prenuptial Agreement, you should also consider updating your estate plan.  Estate planning challenges in second marriages can be solved with a combination of good communication and smart planning.  Creation of a trust is one way to provide for a new spouse after the death of a spouse while preserving the balance of the assets for the deceased spouse’s children.  Utah law provides a default estate plan applicable to Utah residents in a second marriage with children from a prior marriage who fail to take the time to prepare a customized estate plan.  Generally, Utah’s intestate law provides that the surviving spouse could be entitled to the first $75,000, plus one half of the balance of the deceased spouse’s intestate estate.  The children of the deceased spouse receive the balance of the deceased spouse’s intestate estate.  There are several exceptions in this law; you should seek legal advice from a competent estate planning attorney concerning your situation.

            Congratulations on finding love again.  Let us help you preserve the peace in your home and with your newly extended family by assisting you with a Prenuptial Agreement and other estate planning documents.

The attorneys at JensenBayles, LLP provide a broad spectrum of legal services.  Thomas J. Bayles has been actively providing advice in the areas of trusts, wills, probate and tax planning in the St. George market for over 15 years. Please visit our web site www.jensenbayles.com or call 435-674-9718 and ask for Thomas J. Bayles or Phillip G. Gubler.

April 2016 Students of the Month Honored by St. George Exchange Club

St. George, UT, April 25, 2016 — The April Student of the Month recipients were recently honored by the St. George Exchange Club.  The St. George Exchange Club sponsors the Student of the Month Program, which honors one student from the area high schools each month. This program recognizes the students’ accomplishments in academics, service and leadership in their respective schools. Dixie State University has partnered with the St. George Exchange Club and will provide a one-year, full-tuition scholarship to the Student of the Year from each high school at the end of the school year as selected by the St. George Exchange Club’s Student of the Month Committee. This selection process is based upon the Student of the Year applications received from the students recognized throughout the year as their school’s Student of the Month. The Exchange Club is honored to work with Dixie State University in recognizing and supporting the outstanding high school students of our community.

In addition, two students from the area high schools who have been honored as Student of the Year will have the opportunity to go on to the Rocky Mountain Exchange Club District competition where they could win a $1,000 scholarship; and then if they win district, they can go on to national competition and win a $10,000 scholarship. The 2013 Student of the Year, EmRee Moody from St. George, was selected as the National Student of the Month and received a $10,000 scholarship from the National Exchange Club.

The St. George Exchange Club meets Thursday mornings at 7:30AM at George’s in Ancestor Square. For more information about the St. George Exchange Club contact James McFadden at 435-632-7978.  We congratulate the St George Exchange Club 2016 April Students of the Month.

Photo - From L to R:  Sophia Cazares (MHS March), Eleanor Solstad (DHS), James McFadden (St George Exchange Club President), Stephany Lopez (MHS), Tayvia AhQuin (PVHS)