Welcome to the February issue of the “GOAL GUIDE”, a monthly newsletter that will highlight various activities, programs and events that enable our community to get out and VOLUNTEER, GIVE, PARTICIPATE and LIVE!
FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
Get Out And LIVE
Welcome new
Ogden Marathon Title Sponsor
The GOAL Foundation, producers of the Ogden Marathon, is proud to announce a new title sponsor. America First Credit Union (AFCU) has signed a multiyear contract to be the presenting sponsor of the Ogden Marathon.
“2020 is going to be such a special anniversary year for the Ogden Marathon and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with America First Credit Union,” said Eric Bauman, Executive Director of the GOAL Foundation. “AFCU is doing wonderful things in our community. We want to invite everyone to come out and celebrate 20 years of athletes, volunteers and memories with us, you won’t want to miss it.”
Get Out And Volunteer
US Jr. Alpine Championships
February 24-26
Join Snowbasin as they welcome elite youth from around the country for a 5-day race event on Wildcat Bowl. This will be the largest race Utah has hosted since the 2002 Winter Olympics. Come watch the next generation of American racers.
Trails Closed to the public include: Wildcat Bowl, Women's GS, Centennial, Bash, Wildcat Traverse, Stein's, and Bobcat Ridge
Get Out And PARTICIPATE
OGDEN MARATHON
20 Years Running
REGISTRATION IS OPEN
We're so excited to celebrate our 20th Anniversary with all of you! This year will be an incredible celebration of our 20 year history. Be sure to register EARLY distances are filling fast!
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TELL US YOUR STORY!
We are looking to share the incredible stories of our runners from the past 20 years. Please reply to this email to share your story or nominate someone else to be featured with us.
COMMUNITY WATCH PARTY
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY
VAL A. BROWNING CENTER
1901 University Circle, Ogden, UT 84408
Sunday, February 23
Doors: 6:00pm
Local Program: 6:30pm
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 7:00pm
Get Out And Volunteer
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Thank you to all of the incredible volunteers and community partners that added to the success of this event. As promised, there will be a public viewing, but you'll need to register.
Stats from
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition:
2,171 Volunteers
22,133 Hours
$936,908 Economic Impact
Get Out and GIVE
GOAL Foundation Youth Program Fundraiser
Wednesday, March 11 | 7:30 am - 10:30 am
Please join us at our open house breakfast and fundraiser
March 11 | 7:30 am - 10:30 am.
The GOAL Foundation offers various summer camps for youth of all ages within the natural and cultural resources of the greater Ogden area. These camps enable the local youth to develop a love of the outdoors while celebrating healthy lifestyles through the experiences of mountain biking, rock climbing and hiking. We never want cost to be the reason youth are not attending our camps. This Giving Tuesday we are fundraising to be able to provide scholarships to the under-served youth in the Ogden area, so that they too can, “Get Out And Live!”.
GOAL strives to Inspire The Greater Ogden Community And Its Visitors To "get Out And Live" By Participating, Volunteering And Spectating At Recreational Events, Programs And Activities.
Upcoming Community Events
Intermountain Sustainability Summit
Experience a week of adventure, education, recreation and participation in the first annual InterMountain Events.
Compete in an urban adventure race, attend the Weber State University's Intermountain Sustainability Summit.
Mix and mingle with business executives from Silicon Slopes, watch Outdoor Weber’s entrepreneurship students pitch innovative ideas for $30,000, check out the latest outdoor gear, and taste the newest local beer.
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Donald Trump’s plan for America: Make it ignorant
by Wim Laven
587 words
On February 10th, the White House released its budget for the fiscal year 2021. It broadly showcases the values promoted by Donald Trump and the vision he has for the future of the United States of America. Budgets are the practical extension of genuine commitments. Politicians, as a group, are famous for making promises that they do not deliver on. Empty promises are often rhetorical flourishes meant to generate votes.
The proposed budget is alarming in what it presents as the actual priorities of the White House. Trump’s budget for 2021 includes funding “for the orderly closure of the [National Endowment for the Humanities].” Eliminating the NEH does not fit a fiscal purpose but an ideological one. This is to say that it has been a staple to Republicans and Democrats since its founding in 1965, its cost is modest and easily funded, its 65,000 grants have high levels of success, but it’s being cut, because the White House prefers ignorant subjects, not informed citizens.
Trump’s budget gives about $2 million to the military budget every minute, 24/7/366 (it’s a leap year). That means every two hours around the clock military expenses well exceed the entire annual budget for the NEH.
The NEH has supported numerous life-enhancing projects. This includes more than 7,000 books (16 Pulitzer Prize and 20 Bancroft Prize winners among them). It is a commitment to increasing and strengthening teaching and learning. To stimulating original research and scholarship, and creating opportunities for lifelong learning. The NEH is dedicated to the preservation and access to American culture and its artifacts and the understanding of humanity as a whole.
Donald Trump is intentionally ignoring the essential records of American history, including the papers of American Presidents like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, of significant writers, thinkers, and heroes like Martin Luther King Jr.
Why would Trump want to prevent 2,400 teachers a year from attending workshops that cover important topics on American history and enhance the educational experience of 350,000 students? Why would Trump stifle the chronicling of America through the database of newspapers at the Library of Congress? Why would the dialogues on the Experiences of War project, which uses humanities to help military veterans and their families talk about difficult issues raised by war and military service, threaten Trump?
Trump sees democracy as a thorn in his side, he is threatened by checks and balances, and truth and knowledge undermine and expose his lies. Facts and history expose his corruption at every turn. When the public learns from the past it makes it harder for him to lie. Trump hates the NEH because it is effective in preserving the past and in educating the public, and both of these public goods are obstacles to his dishonest goals and the predictability of his persistent failures.
Wisdom is the ultimate protection of democracy, and with Trump as President it is under attack. If we do not start protecting America’s history, we will lose it. Even worse, we risk undermining the great thinking and principles that have promoted equality and championed peace. The attacks are not just on the national treasures and the institutional norms and values they support; it is an attack on the American Dream itself. Can we make the promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” great again? Can well push back against and stop the destructive force of Trump’s plans and policies? The lessons of history have told us how to overcome reckless tyrants, it is time to save America.
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Wim Laven, Ph.D., syndicated by PeaceVoice, teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution.
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Press Release
USDA Invests $9 Million in Broadband for Rural Tennessee Communities
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 13, 2020 – Today, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $9 million in four, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 3,744 rural households, 31 businesses, 41 farms and a critical community facility in Tennessee. This is one of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments.
“Our core mission at USDA is to increase rural prosperity through boosting economic opportunity in rural America,” Perdue said. “We know that rural communities need robust, modern infrastructure to thrive, and that includes having access to broadband e-Connectivity. Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is proud to partner with rural communities to deploy this critical infrastructure, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
Ben Lomand Holdings Inc. will use a $2.2 million ReConnect Program grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to rural northeastern Cumberland County. The funded service areas include 222 households, six pre-subscribed businesses and three pre-subscribed farms spread over 100 square miles.
North Central Communications Inc. will use a $1.4 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service to residents and businesses in rural Smith County. The funded service areas include 164 households, 10 pre-subscribed businesses and 21 pre-subscribed farms spread over 22 square miles.
Peoples Telephone Company, dba TEC, will use a $1 million ReConnect Program loan and a $1 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service to residents and businesses in rural Houston, Henry, Stewart and Montgomery counties. The funded service areas include 642 households, two pre-subscribed businesses and five pre-subscribed farms spread over 38 square miles.
United Communications Inc. will use a $3.3 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service to residents and businesses in rural Wilson, Rutherford, Williamson and Maury counties. The funded service areas include 2,716 households, 13 pre-subscribed businesses, 12 pre-subscribed farms and a critical community facility spread over 48 square miles.
Background:
In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload.
In December 2019, Agriculture Secretary Perdue announced USDA will be making available an additional $550 million in ReConnect funding in 2020. USDA will make available up to $200 million for grants, up to $200 million for 50/50 grant/loan combinations, and up to $200 million for low-interest loans. The application window for this round of funding will open Jan. 31, 2020. Applications for all funding products will be accepted in the same application window, which will close no later than March 16, 2020.
A full description of 2020 ReConnect Pilot Program funding is available on page 67913 of the Dec. 12, 2019, Federal Register (PDF, 336 KB). To learn more about eligibility, technical assistance and recent announcements, visit www.usda.gov/reconnect.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/tn.
Secretary Perdue Joins Western Hemisphere Ag Ministers for Session at Agricultural Outlook Forum
(Washington, D.C, February 18, 2020) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will host agricultural leaders from key Western Hemisphere countries at USDA’s 96th Agricultural Outlook Forum February 20-21 in Arlington, Virginia.
Joining Secretary Perdue at a February 21 plenary session, titled “Feeding the World through Innovation,” will be Argentina’s Minister for Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries Luis Basterra, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Victor Villalobos. They will discuss cooperative approaches to promoting agricultural innovation and global trade as foundations of global food security.
“Last May, agricultural leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico joined me on the margins of the G-20 in Niigata, Japan, to affirm our intent to work together to champion global agricultural trade based on sound science. We represent some of the most productive farmers on the planet and have a common responsibility to feed our growing world population. Only by continuing to embrace innovative and transformative technologies are we as a world going to be able to produce enough food, fiber, and fuel for the future,” Secretary Perdue said. “I’m delighted we are able to come together once again to continue building the momentum and furthering our dialogue at this year’s Agricultural Outlook Forum.”
The 2020 Outlook Forum is themed “The Innovation Imperative: Shaping the Future of Agriculture.” The Forum’s plenary panel and several breakout sessions will focus on the central role science and innovation play in driving future growth and addressing challenges facing farmers.
The Forum is USDA’s oldest and largest annual gathering. It brings together more than 1,500 participants from the U.S. and around the world, including producers, processors, policymakers, government officials, and nongovernmental organizations. The Forum’s program includes more than 30 sessions and 100 expert speakers.
Visit the Agricultural Outlook Forum website to register. Follow the conversation at #AgOutlook on USDA’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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Local youth to take oath of enlistment from U.S. Army astronaut in space Salt Lake City, UT. – Thirty six local youth will raise their hands in an oath of enlistment ceremony with U.S. Army Col. and NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan at University of Utah Army ROTC, 255 Fort Douglas Blvd., Feb. 26, 2020, at 9:30 am.
The Salt Lake City Army Recruiting Battalion, in partnership with NASA and Space Center Houston, will host the first ever, nationwide live oath of enlistment ceremony from space. More than 850 Future Soldiers will participate at more than 130 locations across the country.
At the completion of the ceremony, Morgan will conduct a question-and-answer session with the new enlistees at Space Center Houston and participating venues from across the country.
Only 29 percent of youth meet the minimum qualifications to serve as a Soldier.
Those who meet the requirements and are selected to serve receive top-notch technical training and education in more than 150 career fields, with almost a third of those in STEM-related fields.
Media are invited to cover the oath of enlistment to get a first-hand look at the first step in an Army recruit’s career in the nation’s all-volunteer force.
What: Oath of Enlistment ceremony from ISS When: Feb. 26, 2020 at 9:30 am Where: University of Utah Army ROTC 255 Fort Douglas Blvd.
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Dear Dave,
My husband passed away last year at just 45 years old. We always tried to be careful with our money, and we were in good enough shape financially that I paid for his funeral with cash. A few days ago, I started getting letters from the funeral homes in town encouraging me to pre-pay for my own funeral. I’m 42, and in very good health, so is this a good idea?
Janet
Dear Janet,
My advice is to pre-plan, not pre-pay. Unfortunately, you learned first-hand how hard it is to make important decisions in the middle of that kind of grief. Many times, people are so emotional when they face these kinds of things that they make bad decisions. That’s why pre-planning, and making decisions ahead of time, is a really good move.
Now, here’s why it’s never a good idea to pre-pay for this kind of thing. If you live to an average age, for what you’d prepay today at your age, you could invest the amount and be self-insured. You’d have a ton of money sitting there when the time comes.
Events like this make you realize the need for proper planning, but don’t ever pre-pay for them. God bless you, Janet. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.
—Dave
(No, they’re not a good deal)
Word count: 193
Dear Dave,
I have an emergency fund equal to six months of expenses. Considering this, would you consider an extended home warranty to be a waste of money?
Ami
Dear Ami,
My advice to have an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses, sitting in a good money market account with check writing privileges, is designed to cover the unexpected things that life will throw at you. The cash, combined with the easy access that kind of account allows, will make it quick and easy to take care of things in the event of a financial emergency.
Extended warranties, of any kind, are not a good deal and I don’t recommend them. You’re better off to self-insure against things breaking down, and put what would have been profit for the extended warranty company in your own pocket!
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 16 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.
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