If you didn’t make it to our last Rotary Club of Forest Grove meeting, here’s what you missed…

Online Meetings Continue: We will continue to meet virtually using the Zoom Meeting platform for the foreseeable future. Our meetings will begin at our normal meeting time, Noon on Wednesday. All Rotarians are welcome and participating will count towards meeting attendance. Here are the login details (will be the same for all of our online meetings moving forward)…

Direct Link: https://zoom.us/j/183084884
Meeting ID: 183 084 884

To join by phone, dial 669-900-6833 or 346-248-7799 and enter the meeting ID number when prompted.

Zoom App Downloads
Zoom Cloud Meeting App For Android
Zoom Cloud Meeting App For iPhone
Download Zoom Meeting App For Desktop

Steak Sales – Final Call: Monday is the final day to turn in orders for our fourth Rotary Steak Sale of the year. As with past sales, we are offering packs of two choice Columbia Empire Meats steaks for $15 per pack. President Julia Kollar must receive orders by 5 p.m. on Monday. Steaks will be ready for delivery on Monday, Nov. 23.

Through the first three steak sales, our club has netted over $8,000 for our club. As of last week, 115 packs of steaks had been sold this round, which will net $690 for the Scholarship Program.

Wreath Sales: Thank you to all who participate in our Wreath Sale, which raised funds for our Hope For The Holidays project. Orders were due on Friday. As of Wednesday, 76 wreaths have been ordered which will provide over $1,000 to Hope For The Holidays.

Wreaths will be available for pickup and delivery on Saturday, Nov. 28. Pickup will be from 1-2:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Janet Peter’s Allstate Insurance office at 1951 Oak St., Forest Grove. For any questions, contact Janet Peters.

Troop 213 Christmas Tree Sales: With Christmas right around the corner, our Scouts BSA Troop 213 will be back again with its annual Christmas Tree Sale. This is the troop’s major fundraiser for the year, helping to finance different activities, camp experiences and trips. Sales will begin on Saturday, Nov. 28, in the parking lot of the Ballad Town Center near Safeway. Prices and types of trees will be available soon.

Optional Giving Invoice: Members should have received in the mail this week an optional giving invoice. This provides members an opportunity to give donations to The Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus as well as our club’s two hallmark programs, Hope For The Holidays and the Scholarship Program. For more details or questions, please contact club treasurer Lucas Welliver.

If you plan to donate to Hope For The Holidays, please submit your donations as soon as possible! The committee will need to determine soon how money there will to support local families and start planning shopping times.

Thirsty Thursday: Due to the new restrictions put in place regarding social gatherings and restaurants to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, we regretfully must cancel this month’s scheduled Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday meeting.

Support Local Business: With the governor’s new round of restrictions on restaurants, bars and other businesses, please take the next two weeks to support our local businesses by ordering takeout. If you are starting your holiday shopping, start with local businesses and see if they can fulfill your needs. Our local businesses have been very supportive of Rotary over the years. It’s a great time to give that generosity back!

Service To District 5100: We are excited to announce that two of our members will be on leadership roles within District 5100. After three years serving as an assistant district governor, Jeannine Murrell has been selected to be the district’s administrative district governor in 2021-22 for that year’s District Governor, Jim Boyle. Additionally, Tom Raabe has agreed to become the assistant district governor for the district’s Western Region, which includes Forest Grove, Hillsboro and Beaverton, beginning in July 2021. Congratulations Jeannine and Tom and thank you for your continued service to Rotary!

Holiday Light Parade: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual City of Forest Grove Holiday Light Parade will still take place in a different format. The parade will take place on Sat., Dec. 5, as a static parade along David Hill Road between Brooke Street and Highway 47. The floats will be park and people will drive by. In past years, our club has had a float in the parade but we are in need of a chair to lead this year’s effort. If you are interested in taking charge of the Rotary float this year, please let President Julia know.

The annual Chamber of Commerce tree lighting at the senior center and the holiday artisan market will also still take place in 2020 but with changed formats. More information will be available soon.

Rotary Phone Tree: Thank you to everyone who has made our Rotary Phone Tree such a success in caring for our members. The goal of the phone tree is to reach out and check on every member of the club to make sure they are doing all right and to provide updates on club announcements and activities (Hint: You have a great list to draw from here). The plan is for the tree to be activated every Tuesday. The idea is that for each person to call the next one on the list. The last person on the list should call the team captain to make sure the list is complete. For more information or questions, or if your information on the Phone Tree is not correct, contact Paul Waterstreet.

FGHS Community Food Pantry: Even with schools closed, the need for resources at the Forest Grove High School Community Food Pantry continues. The pantry continues to need the following items to serve the community that is depending on it…

Food: Pasta, Canned Sauces, Tortillas, Rice, Beans, Canned Fruit, Jelly, Peanut Butter, Boxed Milk, Canned Vegetables, Bread, Applesauce, Granola Bars, Fruit Snacks, Macaroni & Cheese, Tuna, Crackers, Maseca and Vegetable Oil.

Hygiene Items: Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Tampons/Pads, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Hair Brushes, Toilet Paper.

During the fall, the Food Pantry will be open on Mondays from 2- 4 p.m. Donations are accepted on-site on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you can donate any of the above items, please contact Brian Burke, bburke@fgsd.k12.or.us. If you wish to make a cash donation to the pantry, Click Here.

Past Programs: Did you miss a meeting or want to go back and check out a program again? Most of our programs since May are archived on our club YouTube page. Visit https://bit.ly/fgrotaryprograms.

Around District 5100
Kruse Way Rotary Sounds Virtual Concert: The Kruse Way Rotary Club will be presenting its annual Rotary Sounds Virtual Concert virtually. This year’s concert will be available online from now until Dec. 2 and will feature performances by Patrick Lamb, Turnstiles (a Billy Joel tribute band) and the Grammy-award nominated WannaBeatles. Benefits from the concert will support three specific club projects: Candlelighters (cancer support for children and their families), Patrick’s Children (feminine hygiene and sustainable farming in Uganda) and transitional youth programs (housing and jobs for at-risk youth on Portland streets). Click Here To Take Part In The Virtual Concert

Rotary Fire Relief Fund: In response to the catastrophic loss of homes, businesses, and livelihoods for many in Oregon and Washington, Rotary District 5100 has established a Fire Relief Fund to help victims of the fires rebuild their lives. Communities that have been severely devastated, if not eliminated, in the wake of these unprecedented fires will need help in both the near and long term.

District 5100 is ready to accept tax-deductible donations to provide grants to partner organizations and individuals in need. Additionally, the power of the Rotary International Foundation to help leverage the funds raised through public donations will be of great benefit to Rotary’s ability to substantially assist residents in both states into the future. District 5100 has applied and been preliminarily approved for a Disaster Relief grant to help those in need at this time.

“For the painful and challenging times ahead, Rotary is ready to accept public and corporate support to help those in need in our local communities. The focus is on raising and leveraging funds for future distribution via District Disaster Grants that help rebuild the fire devastated areas,” said District Governor Jo Crenshaw.

District 5100 has teamed up with the Rotary Club of West Linn Charitable Trust, a 501(c)(3), to accept tax-deductible contributions for fire relief.

Send Charitable Contributions to: West Linn Rotary Foundation: Fire Relief Fund, PO Box 442, West Linn, OR 97068

For more information on our relief efforts, contact District Governor Jo Crenshaw, crenshawjo2021@gmail.com, or Past District Governor Tom Markos, tmarkos@me.com.

District 5100 Training Assembly: This year’s District 5100 Training Assembly, which is typically an in-person, will be delivered online once again this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sessions that are specific to club and district positions are scheduled to be delivered on Saturday, Apr. 10. Sessions providing general topics to the entire Rotary membership are scheduled to be delivered on Saturday, Apr. 17. More details will be made available in the coming months.

Around Rotary International
In The Face Of The Pandemic, The Important Work Of Fighting Polio Must Continue: The COVID-19 pandemic has created health challenges that go beyond the disease itself. In May 2020, the World Health Organization reported that, worldwide, 80 million children under age one were not receiving routine vaccinations for a variety of diseases. Pausing vaccinations — which involve close contact between vaccinators, infants, and their families — was necessary in the face of the pandemic. But as UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore warns, “We cannot exchange one deadly outbreak for another.”

Amid these challenges, Rotary’s contributions toward polio eradication are more important than ever. In January 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary renewed their long-standing partnership, committing to raise an additional $450 million for polio eradication over the next three years. Rotary is committed to raising $50 million each year, with every dollar to be matched with two additional dollars from the Gates Foundation. “While response to the COVID-19 pandemic is an urgent global health priority, we cannot let our progress against polio backslide,” says Michael K. McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee and a member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Polio Oversight Board. “Our recent success in the African region shows that a polio-free world is achievable, but renewed focus and support for ongoing efforts in the two remaining endemic countries must be prioritized in order to deliver on our promise of a polio-free world.” Read Morepolio-ship

Rotary Presidential Conferences (From RI President Holder Knaack): For many years in Rotary, we have talked about the importance of Rotaract and how young people have the potential to reshape our organization. Thankfully, in the last few years we have gone beyond talk and have moved into a time of action.

This has coincided with the world experiencing dramatic change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our traditional connections and ways of meeting have been disrupted. We have all had to learn how to operate fully in the digital world — the same world that Rotaractors inhabit regularly and naturally.

What we are discovering is that Rotaractors are tremendous leaders. This is something I’ve known for quite some time. When it was my turn to host an Institute as a district governor, I turned the entire planning project over to Rotaractors. Not only did they not let me down, they continually delighted me with their ambition and vision.

This is why, for my Presidential Conferences in 2020-21, I will showcase the leadership abilities of Rotaractors around the world and give all Rotarians an opportunity to see, first hand, just what they are capable of accomplishing.

I invite you to join us at three events that will be held virtually — and to the extent possible — in person. I invite you to learn more about our three virtual events that will be held 15-16 January in Brazil, 22-24 January in Nigeria, and 14-16 May in the United States. Read More

Last Week’s Program: Dr. Jim Moore, Election Recap

Click Here To View The Entire Program

At last week’s meeting, we were glad to welcome back Dr. Jim Moore, political science professor at Pacific University. A highly sought-after political analyst in the local media, Jim provided his perspectives on the 2020 election in a presentation entitled, “2020 Election, A Long Strange Trip – But Not Too Strange.”

Jim began by stating that there were not too many surprises to him in this year’s election. The major surprise came in the Oregon state legislature and Congress, where the majorities did not change.

Jim provided some statistics on how Oregon impact the federal election for president. Joe Biden won Oregon with 56.5 percent of the vote. That ranks No. 13 in terms of margins of victory for presidential victories in Oregon. Oregon has voted democratic for nine straight elections. In Washington County, Biden won by a margin of 65 percent to 31 percent. In 2000, Al Gore beat George W. Bush 48 percent to 46 percent. In 2020, Washington County’s democratic identity is in about the same place that Multnomah County was 20 years ago.

In statewide offices, Oregon reverted back to the democratic status quo with democratic candidates winning elections for secretary of state, attorney general and state treasurer. Republicans averaged 42 percent of the vote, which has been about the same for the last 15 years. Democrats averaged 52.7 percent. All four statewide measures passed, which was not a surprise. Measure 108, which raises Nicotine taxes, saw $14 million in ad spending by health groups in favor of the measure. Big tobacco spent little to no money fighting the measure.

The big measure that put Oregon on the nationwide stage was Measure 110, which decriminalized hard drugs in Oregon. This is considered groundbreaking in the U.S., but Jim noted that measures like this have been enacted in Europe over the past 30 years.

The Oregon Senate appears to be remaining at 18 democrats against 12 republicans. Late breaking votes favored republicans in Senate Districts 10 and 27. There was evidence that republicans turned in votes on Election Day at higher rates than democrats.

The Oregon House will be at 37 democrats, 23 republicans to retain the democrat’s supermajority with one vote to spare. Was 38-22 in last session. There have never been more than 38 representatives from any one party in state history.

In Beaverton, it was notable that four progressive democrat women won election for mayor, city council, Washington County Commission and House District 28. Three are women of color. HD 28, Wlnsvey Campos, is a 2016 graduate of Pacific University.

Overall, 2.4 million voters cast ballots in Oregon in 2020, the most in state history. People turned out thanks to the presidential race. Nationally, approximately two-thirds of registered voters turned out to vote. Jim believes that may be why some of the exit polling was so wrong in so many ways. They did not account for many new voters.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted
Mon., Nov. 16: Steak Sale Orders Due To President Julia
Wed., Nov. 18: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Wed., Nov. 25: No Meeting – Happy Thanksgiving!
Wed., Dec. 2: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Bob Sharkey, Rotary Foundation