Streetfest honors Brad Stapley with charitable donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters

L-R: Jana Stapley, Tawni Cottam and Ed Tracey on the Brad Stapley Memorial Stage at the St. George Street Fest Jazz Garden in Green Gate Village, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2019 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The late Brad Stapley was honored during St. George Streetfest’s inaugural 2019 event with a charitable donation Friday evening.

During a short break in the entertainment featuring Steve and Amanda Stay at the Jazz Garden in Green Gate Village on Tabernacle Street, Streetfest director Ed Tracey took to the stage for a special announcement.

“This year, we are honoring a very great guy that was very active and beloved by the community, Brad Stapley,” Tracey said. “This year, this is the Brad Stapley Memorial Stage, in his honor.”

Stapley died early last month in a tragic snowmobiling accident, leaving behind his wife and six daughters. He was a respected community member who was the proprietor of Stapley Pharmacy in downtown St. George.

Read more: Brad Stapley remembered as kind, generous and ‘the ultimate friend’ 

Brad Stapley at Stapley Pharmacy in St. George, Utah, March 21, 2015 | File photo courtesy of Stapley Pharmacy, St. George News

Tracey was joined on the stage by Stapley’s wife, Jana.

“Thank you for coming out and for all your support, we have felt so much love,” she told the audience.

After naming the stage in the Stapley’s honor, Tracey announced a charitable initiative accompanying this year’s Streetfest.

“This is an event that is a fundraiser,” he said. “We’re going to take a portion of that money every month and give it back to a partner in the community that does a lot for the community.”

“This month, we’ve chosen Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Utah to accept a check for $500 on behalf of Stapley Pharmacy,” Tracey announced.

Representing Big Brothers Big Sisters at the event was Tawni Cottam, a mentoring specialist who works at the organization’s St. George location on Tabernacle Street.

“We are very appreciative today and thank you for the donation,” Cottam said.

Steve and Amanda Stay perform on the Brad Stapley Memorial Stage at the Jazz Garden in Green Gate Village, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2019 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

“Big Brothers, Big Sisters is a mentoring program here in our community,” she said. “We match volunteers in our community up with little kids that need a mentor or role model in their life, so this will make a big difference.”

According to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, about $1,250 is spent on each mentoring relationship per year, helping engage children in need of adult mentorship. Mentors help enrolled children with social acceptance, scholastic competence, avoiding risky behaviors and trust in a parental figure.

“It takes quite a bit to support a match in our community, and every little bit helps,” Cottam said. “We really appreciate this.”

During each subsequent Streetfest, a new nonprofit will be chosen as the beneficiary of the event. The monthly festival takes place on the first Friday of the month on a portion of Tabernacle Street between Main Street and 100 West.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!