Children from St. George’s Red Mountain Elementary school got a big surprise from the Intermountain Healthcare Life Flight Tuesday, when one of the helicopters on loan from Salt Lake City dropped in for a special visit to congratulate them on the school’s Jubilee of Trees fundraising project.  The children got explore the helicopter and have their pictures taken around it and with the medical personnel. 

Because of the school's Jubilee of Trees fundraising event, Southern Utah should have their very own helicopter by the end of next year.  The helicopter is needed to transport patients to Dixie Regional Medical Center from outlying communities and remote locations quickly.

The Red Mountain Elementary trees fundraiser was voted, by far, the favorite project at the Jubilee.  Their theme was “A Christmas Carol”, based on the Disney movie version.  The trees also featured promotional pictures from the film and period ornaments.

This was truly a great opportunity for children to experience volunteerism at such a young ag, and they were very successful at it.  They have benefitted their school district and the local children’s health services with the donations they received.

St. George Magazine and Classy Closets Etc. are helping homeowners take control of their closet clutter with awesome makeovers.  To get your closet made over, just send a photo of your cluttered closet along with your contact information to features@thespecturm.com or send the picture to: The Spectrum, 275 E. St. George Blvd. before November 17^th. Classy Closets Etc. will be making over closets before Thanksgiving.  For more information, contact Lisa at 674-6214.

For homeowners who are not into contests and just want to get your closet organized, you can always give your closet a makeover yourself with this helpful advice.  Closet organizing can be a big chore, especially if it has been some time since you have tried to give it a good cleaning.  You can start by getting rid of items you don't need and give them to charity to help declutter your closet.

Closet organizers can be a huge help with keeping the rest of your stuff in order.  Racks and baskets can be placed in your closet and will help save and keep your closet more open.  It is far more pleasant to have an open and organized closet than one with everything strewn all over the place.  Closet organizers are great for helping even the most unorganized person stay organized.  And home improvement stores carry a large variety of closet organizers that you can put in yourself. 

Once you purchase your organizers, here are some recommended tips to follow to help you get organized:

* Remove everything from your closet - Place everything in boxes so you can sort through it all.  You don't want to toss something you may need or want.  Only get rid of items you no longer need or want that are taking up space.

* Add your organizers - Insert your closet organizing racks and baskets.  Make sure they are anchored correctly, if needed.  You will probably need a screwdriver, drill and drill bits to accomplish this task.  And always follow directions.

* Place your things back in - Replace your items back into your closet now that you have your closet organizers in place.  Decide where you want your things to go where they will be the best organized and you're done.

Organizing your closet will be one of the best things you can do for yourself.  It can also be an affordable way to improve your closets and make you feel better about yourself.

Realtor® Erika Rogers

Fundraiser will benefit the OPUS Chamber Choir, a select group of approx. 25 vocalists performing a wide variety of choral literature, ranging from sixteenth century madrigals to contemporary music. The proceeds of the fundraiser will go towards the costs of the choir's tour to Italy in March of 2010.

Traditional carnival types of events, games and booths will be there...this will be an event to be enjoyed by all ages!

For more information, read the full article here.

• Games run at SunRiver in St. George, Utah's only Active Adult Golf Community, from October 5th - October 17th, 2009
  
• One of SunRiver's own residents, Ron Smith, will be competing in the Half Marathon that starts on October 8, 2009...you can read his profile here.
  
• There will be 9,000+ athletes competing in 26 varius events.
  
• Opening Ceremonies will be held at 7:00pm on October 6^th at the Hansen Stadium at Dixie State College in St. George.
  
• This year marks SunRiver's 11th year as a Silver Sponsor of the Huntsman World Senior Games.
  
• The Annual Huntsman World Senior Games is the world’s largest annual multi-sport event for athletes 50 and over. 

Get more information on this event taking place at SunRiver in St. George and the surrounding area by visiting the website for teh Annual Huntsman World Senior Games directly.

If you or someone you know is interested in buying or selling real estate in St. George, UT...please contact me for more information today.

I was recently lucky enough to sell a home located in Utah's only Active Adult Golf Course Community, SunRiver in St. George, Utah to a lovely couple.  I was very honored to receive the following letter of testimonial from them and I wanted to share it with you.  We may think that the world is too busy today to care about courtesies and the human touch, but the fact that this couple took the time out of their lives to send this to me was very touching.  Here it is:

When we decided to put our home up for sale in Illinois and move to St. George we contacted realtors in the St. George area to obtain as much information as possible. Erika Rogers' website was extremely helpful and from the moment we contacted her she was there for us meeting our needs. She sent a packet of information and immediately began searching for houses that would fit our criteria. We received continuous listings and when it came time to actually meet with her to walk through the homes we were interested in she was more than accommodating and very well prepared. She not only showed us the homes we expressed interest in but had obviously taken the time to investigate other homes that could be of interest to us. Thank goodness she did. The first day out and we found our new home by the end of the day. We were only in town for a few short days and it was a holiday weekend as well. She worked magic and by the time we needed to return to Illinois she had managed to put us in contact with all the right people and start the process to purchase and close on our new home.
 
Once we were back in Illinois we knew that everything needed to be done from so far away and we had not purchased a home in 27 years. So many things had changed and there were differences between Utah and Illinois procedures and laws. Having Erika guiding us and staying in constant contact with us was more than we had ever expected. She was an expert, a wonderful advisor and had become a friend. We could not have made this major change and transition in our lives if it had not been for her. She always managed to calm our fears when we were worried and take us step by step through the process. Every person she recommended from home inspector to mortgage consultant was outstanding and it was as if she had customized them specifically for us.
 
Our entire experience with relocating and purchasing our new home in St. George could not have been any better. We know that we owe it all to Erika for holding our hands through each step, always having our best interest at heart and being the most wonderful person and expert realtor that anyone could ever hope for.
 
Thank you Erika for finding us the home of our dreams!
 
Joseph & Janice Genovese
Sunriver, St. George

Again...I am honored to have worked with this couple and I hope they really enjoy their SunRiver home in St. George!

Style, sophistication and a "Cosmopolitan" atmosphere can be synonomous with Retirement Dining, if you know WHERE to dine that is!  The Riverwalk Grill, located within SunRiver Active Adult Golf Community in St. George, Utah is becoming known for its good cuisine and budget friendly menue.  With Asian inspired décor, an atmosphere that is described as "both beautiful and elegant", and enticing menu items...this isn't where you'd go for the stereotypical retired person's "early bird special" dinner!

Brian Passey recently reviewed this restaurant for The Spectrum under the headline of "Riverwalk Grill provides feast for the eyes, appetite".  Brian also noted that, "Occasionally it's nice to find a dining experience that is a bit more cosmopolitan in nature. Everything about the Riverwalk Grill seems to say "sophistication," from the menu options to the interior design."

With dinner entrees ranging from $9 - $21, there's sure to be something for everyone at your table!  The Riverwalk Grill is just one more reason to visit SunRiver in St. George, Utah...as if you needed one!  Come for the food...stay for the lifestyle!

Once again, SunRiver St. George has been named one of “America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities.” in the July-August 2009 issue.  Calling the community the place to be “for retirees who don’t want to act their age,” - it was a great review.  Several hundred communities across the United States were reviewed, so this is quite an honor. 

SunRiver’s developer, Darcy Stewart, was quoted as saying, “This recognition by a prestigious national publication demonstrates our continuing commitment to create a lifestyle second to none for our residents, even in an adverse economic climate.  We are especially pleased that the publisher acknowledged the positive impact our community has on the greater St. George area.”

The actual feature doesn't appear to be available online; however, you can order a back - issue of the magazine here (scroll down to the bottom of the list, it's the July-August 2009 issue).

Look up at the horizon and you will see 3 new rooftops at SunRiver...this is the Reflections community.

These homes will offer expansive views, great access to miles of BLM land to the west and who wouldn't want to wake up looking at the Pine Valley Mountains every morning?

Starting at $399,900 these homes, located in a gated community within SunRiver, will go quickly.

Are you looking for an Active Adult Lifestyle? This is Utah's only Active Adult Golf Course Community.  Do you like GOLF?  How about Tennis?

Look into enjoying an Active Adult Lifestyle in the golf course community of SunRiver today!

Want to know what's going on in this Active Adult community? 

Thinking of buying retirement property at SunRiver in St. George? 

Then you need to keep up to date on the latest "Happenings"! 

Want to read past versions of the newsletter? 

Or bookmark a place to check back for future editions? 

Then go here:  http://www.sunriver.com/newsletter/

The current edition's main story revolves around healthcare.  Check it out!

SunRiver St.George has been involved in a unique program for new homeowners in an effort to support Intermountain Health Care's mission to bring world class health care to everyone served by the new Dixie Regional Medical Center. New SunRiver residents have the opportunity to donate $1000 to DRMC and in return SunRiver discounts their home purchase price $500.  To date, over $235,000 has been donated to DRMC.  SunRiver's initial goal was $250,000 which should be meet shortly.  I personally have had clients participate in this program and am proud to be a part of this worthy cause.  Check out all that Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George has to offer.