Alaska is now without a state arts council, let's make sure that doesn't happen here.
Dear James Mackley,
Alaska is now without a state arts council because Alaska’s legislature was unable to override a veto by Governor Dunleavy. This is a devastating situation and our hearts go out to everyone in Alaska. Alaska is now the only state in the country without a state arts agency.
Imagine a Utah without a voice for the humanities and arts within state government. Imagine a Utah that doesn’t invest in non-profit cultural organizations or arts education; a state that doesn’t support artists and scholars.
That’s not a Utah I want to live in. The arts and humanities yield vibrant, exciting communities; economic growth; better test scores for children; and boost creativity and critical thinking. Preventing such a disaster is exactly why Utah Cultural Alliance was created in 1980, to speak for the arts and humanities, to build better relationships and support for culture among elected officials.
For much of that 39 years, UCA was largely a volunteer led organization. We accomplished many amazing things for the humanities and arts including passing the legislation to create the state’s public art 1% for art program and passing the legislation that allows the RAP taxes to exist (such as SL County ZAP and Weber County’s RAMP). However, as we’ve grown to include staff we are even better suited to support culture. To name a few recent accomplishments:
If you agree with me that the work of Utah Cultural Alliance matters, I invite you to become a member or donate (a tax deductible donation to our 501c3 arm) today. Membership comes with benefits that total over $28,000!
Here's what we're working on right now:
We can accomplish these things with your support.
Help us exist for another 39 years to keep Utah focused on the humanities and arts. You might work for an organization that can afford your own lobbyist, but we are never as strong individually as we are when we work together collectively to raise everyone’s boats in the arts and humanities. Growing a stronger advocacy voice boosts all of Utah’s cultural sector.
Culturally yours,
Crystal Young-Otterstrom
Executive Director
Utah Cultural Alliance
801.652.0737 / cyo@utculture.org
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Two Men Receive NAHU’s Highest Honor
Gordon Memorial Award Recognizes Industry’s Person of the Year
(Washington, DC) – The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) recently honored Ryan Thorn and the late Rick Rebel as recipients of the Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award at the 89th Annual Convention in San Diego, California. This award is the health insurance industry’s most meaningful and significant honor.
NAHU annually awards the industry’s greatest accolade, the Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award, which recognizes the recipient as the industry’s “Person of the Year.” The recipient is selected by a committee of past award recipients that carefully reviews individuals nominated for their contributions made to the industry.
“This year we wanted to recognize two men for their outstanding leadership and dedication to making a positive change in the health insurance industry,” said Janet Trautwein, CEO of NAHU. “Ryan Thorn is a terrific example of dedication and hard work. He has always stepped up to serve the association in whatever role that he was asked. Perhaps Ryan’s greatest contribution is that he inspires, develops and recognizes leaders. NAHU is truly a stronger association because of his efforts.”
Ryan has served in leadership positions for his local chapter, state chapter, region and national association. He has been a member of NAHU’s Board of Trustees and its Education Foundation. He is greatly respected by his peers and has been an effective leader as a result of that. Ryan inspires everyone to work together to move the association forward.
Ryan has been a spokesman for NAHU in front of Congress. He had a close relationship with Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, which benefitted many of NAHU’s legislative efforts.
Ryan is a foundation builder, role model and terrific example of perseverance and good old fashioned hard work. He simply wants to make things better. Whether it’s his profession, his community, church or his family, he has one goal: to help people fulfill their potential. What is wonderful about Ryan is that his efforts aren’t about bringing recognition to himself but are about making his community a better place.
Ryan is a prime example of an independent broker dedicated to serving his clients. He works tirelessly as a professional who offers his clients honest advice and great ongoing service. He is dedicated to serving his clients, his church and his community. He is also a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather.
Rick Rebel received this award posthumously.
“Unfortunately, Rick was taken from us all too soon and he will be dearly missed, but his legacy will continue, said Trautwein. “Rick truly embodied the spirit of NAHU and shared that with everyone he met. Because of his lifetime of service to our industry and his community, he is very deserving of this honor.”
“Rick was actively involved in the employee benefits business for over 30 years. Through honesty and hard work, Rick gained the trust and confidence of his clients, carriers and peers. He was a student of health reform, both at the state and national level, and developed key relationships with key decision makers and regulators.
“Rick’s NAHU resume is legendary. He led NAHU’s Legislative Council Chair and served on many working groups and task forces. He served as Oregon AHU president in 1996-97 and was an agent advisory member for multiple health insurance carriers over the years. Rick was involved in chartering the Willamette Valley AHU and even used much of his own money to fund the chapter from the beginning. He never turned down an opportunity to speak, emcee an event, provide expert advice, assist in researching info to provide to a legislator or provide testimony on the Hill in Salem or in Washington, DC.
“Rick’s community involvement is even more impressive. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s. He later became president of the Albany Rotary Club President and served on the boards of the United Way, YMCA, Albany Chamber of Commerce, Evergreen Hospital, Greater Albany Public Schools Foundation, Albany Eagles, American Legion and other organizations.
“Nothing exemplifies Rick’s nature like the Children’s Dream Racer project he helped with right up until his passing. When the OAHU board decided to raise funds for a car and call it the Rebel Racer, Rick was on board from the very beginning. He said that this was one of the most meaningful projects he was ever a part of – he loved kids. With Rick’s help, OAHU secured 17 business and 44 individual donors and raised over $30,000, which easily funded the cost of putting cars at two children’s hospitals.
The National Association of Health Underwriters represents 100,000 professional health insurance agents and brokers who provide insurance for millions of Americans. NAHU is headquartered in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit our web site at www.nahu.org.
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Utah’s average cost per dog bite claim was $45,760, with a total of 116 claims, totally over $5 million in 2018. This ranked Utah with the 3rd highest average cost per settlement in the country.
QuoteWizard analysts collected data from The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Insurance Information Institute, and State Farm® dog bite claim data to see which states had the highest average cost per claim.
Key Findings:
We ranked each state 1 to 50 based on average costs per dog bite claim. To view the full report, visit https://quotewizard.com/news/posts/dog-bite-claims-by-state
