If you did not make it to our last Rotary Club of Forest Grove meeting, here is what you missed…

This Week – At Forest Grove School District: Our weekly meeting this week will take place in the Grove Room at the Forest Grove School District Offices, 1728 Main Street. We will have a chance to meet the new superintendent of the Forest Grove School District, Dr. Suzanne West.

This week’s lunch will be catered by Jenna Bush, who has catered a number of our summer meeting meals. If you wish to get lunch, please RSVP to Claire Anger via email by no later than 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17.

Upcoming Meetings: On Wednesday, Aug. 28, we will make our return to the Boxer Pause room in the University Center at Pacific University. We will hear from our own Javin Frelin about his experience at RYLA. We will not have a weekly meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 4 to allow club members to prepare for our 100th anniversary celebration.

Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday Potluck: The August Satellite Club meeting/Thirsty Thursday gathering will take place on Thursday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m., and will be a potluck at the home of Pete & Parri Van Dyke. Pulled pork, buns and cole slaw will be provided. Club members are encouraged to bring salads, desserts, chips, drink and other sides.

All Rotarians are welcome to attend. If you plan on attending, please RSVP with what you will be bringing to Parri Van Dyke via email.

McDougall Garden Art Installation: Thank you to all of our club members who attended the dedication on Friday of the new sculpture installed at the McDougall Garden. The wooden sculpture, “Guardians of the Grove,” features a wood tree snag with two herons taking flight. The artist, Joshua Blewett, was in attendance for the dedication as were Forest Grove Mayor Malynda Wenzl, and members of the Forest Grove Public Arts Commission.

We are grateful to the leadership of the Forest Grove Public Arts Commission for their leadership in placing this piece of art in the garden, welcoming people into the city.

Golf Tournament: Thanks to all of our members who came out for the annual golf tournament at the Sunset Grove Golf Course. We raised $40 for The Rotary Foundation. Congratulations to this year’s winning team of Michael Cook, Jerry Frye and Lucas Welliver. As always, thank you to Tim Schauermann for putting together this fun event for the club.

Rotary Club of Forest Grove 100th Anniversary Celebration: Mark your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 7, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our club and 100 years of Service Above Self! Join us at the Carpenter Creek Winery, 47266 SW Carpenter Creek Road, Forest Grove, for an evening of fellowship and celebration.

The celebration will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will include a barbeque dinner and non-alcoholic drinks by Blues BBQ. Wine, beer and cider will also be available for purchase.

Tickets are $45 per person and are limited to 200 tickets sold. Click Here To Purchase Tickets.

For questions about the celebration, please contact Julia Kollar.

Concours T-Shirts Available: There are a number of 2024 Concours d’Elegance t-shirts in varying sizes still available. The t-shirt back pictures the 2024 poster image, the Best In Show 1929 Mercedes Benz 680 S Barker Tourer, in front of Pacific University’s Marsh Hall. Shirts are $25 and can be purchased at future weekly meetings.

Greeters Returning: President Lucas is bringing back the role of having greeters at our weekly meetings. This role will not be pre-assigned. Instead, the ninth and 10th Rotarians showing up a meeting each week will serve as greeters. Please be prepared to take on that responsibility and let President Lucas know if you have any questions.

Youth Exchange – Laurin Arrives Soon: Our 2024-25 inbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student, Laurin Van Orelli from Switzerland, is scheduled to arrive on the evening of August 17. Please help welcome Laurin to our community when you see him at our meetings.

The Youth Exchange Committee has one host family already lined up for Laurin but we are still in need of two more families. If you are interested in being a host family and would like more information, please contact youth exchange chair Melinda Fischer at 503-502-6523 or wreathmaker@icloud.com.

Friends of Historic Forest Grove Displays: As part of celebrating the 50th Concours d’Elegance and the 100th anniversary of our club, Friends of Historic Forest Grove is looking for items to use for a lobby display to celebrate both milestones. The display will be located in the Old Train Station Museum at the corner of Main Street and 19th Avenue. A Concours display was presented in July. A display in September will highlight our club.

If you have items that you would be willing to loan to FHFG to promote the history of Concours and/or the club, you can also bring items to the museum during its open hours, Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Mentorship Program With Rotary: Since joining our club, Rotarians Cole Thursam and Javin Frelin have been exploring how to connect younger professionals to our club and to Rotary as a whole. The two are in the preliminary stages of developing a mentorship program for young professionals in the local community that would be tied to Rotary. If you would like to learn more or are interested in taking part in this effort, please contact Cole or Javin.

Service Opportunities For Club Members
Do You Know Of Service Opportunities?: Are you aware of service opportunities in our area that our members might be interested in? We can advertise those here! This space is not limited to club-sponsored activities but to any service opportunity in the community. To promote the service activity, please send a detailed description of the project, the date and time, contact information and a link to register to Rototeller editor Blake Timm, blakertimm@gmail.com.

FGHS Community Food Pantry: Our club’s support for the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry continues.  Thanks to its partnership with the Oregon Food Bank, food donations are still welcome but are of less need at this time. Of need, however, are toiletries and hygiene products as well as household cleaning materials.

The Food Pantry is open Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. The pantry is located along Nichols Lane between the football field and the Basinski Center. Click Here for more information on the FGHS Food Pantry and on other resources for those experiencing food insecurity.

For information on the Food Pantry, please contact Brian Burke, bburke@fgsd.k12.or.us. If you wish to make a cash donation to the pantry, Click Here.

Bloodworks Northwest Blood Drives: In an effort to build blood supplies in the Pacific Northwest, Bloodworks Northwest is sponsoring a number of blood drives in 2024 in Forest Grove. Upcoming blood drives will be held on Friday, Sept. 27 at Pacific University and Friday, Dec. 6 at the Forest Grove City Library. To sign up to give and set an appointment, please visit the Bloodworks Northwest website.

Around District 5100
Vibrant Club Workshop: This year’s Vibrant Club Workshop will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28. The pod for the West Region clubs (Forest Grove, Forest Grove Daybreak, Beaverton and Hillsboro) will take place at the Forest Grove United of Christ, 2032 College Way, and will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The workshop will cover topics around membership, The Rotary Foundation and public image and will provide clubs time and topics to discuss to help strengthen their clubs. Club leadership and anyone interested in strengthening their clubs are encouraged to attend. If you are unable to attend in person, a virtual option will be available.

There is no feed to attend and snacks and beverages will be provided. After the workshop, everyone is invited to partake in the Forest Grove Oktoberfest, which will be taking place just outside the church.

Registration will be open soon on DacDB.

Join A Rotary Action Group: Rotary Action Groups are independent, Rotary-affiliated groups made up of people from around the world who are experts in a particular field, such as economic development, peace, addiction prevention, the environment, or water. District 5100 currently has Rotary Action Groups for mental health, peace and Alzheimer’s/dementia.

There are many more that you can join – here in the district and/or the Rotary Universe. For more information contact:

Sally Gradin for Mental Health (RC Tigard Breakfast).

Larry Strober for Peace District/Poles (RC Newberg).

To learn more about other groups, visit: https://my.rotary.org/en/take-action/empower-leaders/rotary-action-groups.

District 5100 Newsletter: Click Here To View The Monthly District 5100 Newsletter

Club Calendar
Wed., July 21: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Grove Room, Forest Grove School District Offices, 1728 Main St.
Program: Dr. Suzanne West, FGSD Superintendent

Thursday, Aug. 22: Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday Potluck, 6 p.m.
Home of Pete & Parri Van Dyke, 1336 Rose Arden Dr.

Wed., July 28: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Javlin Frelin, RYLA

Wed., Sept. 4: No Meeting

Sat., Sept. 7: Rotary Club of Forest Grove 100th Anniversary, 5:30 p.m.
Carpenter Creek Winery, 47266 SW Carpenter Creek Rd., Forest Grove