Online Meetings: 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

Club Visioning: The club visioning process allows Rotary clubs to look critically at their own clubs and create goals and direction for the next five years. It has been almost five years since our last club visioning process and it is time to do it again. Club members are invited to a virtual club-visioning event on Saturday, Feb. 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The District 5100 Club Visioning Committee will guide this exercise. If you are interested in participating, please contact President Julia Kollar. There is the possibility that the visioning session will be broken into two shorter meetings instead of one long one.

Scholarship Program: The application window is now open for the 2021 Rotary Club of Forest Grove Scholarships. The scholarship program is open to all graduating high school seniors residing in the Forest Grove, Banks and Gaston school district attendance areas.

This year, through the work of Sharon Olmstead and the Scholarship Committee, the entire application process will be done online. Applications must be submitted by midnight on Thursday, Apr. 1. Click Here For Full Scholarship Detail Information.

For additional questions, please contact Sharon Olmstead at sharon.olmstead8571@gmail.com.

Troop 213 Update: Our Scouts BSA Troop 213 reported that its annual Christmas Tree stand netted proceeds of $5,161 for the troop. Most of that amount went to pay for the re-chartering fees for the club’s two troops.

The troop is also reporting that the current scoutmaster, Rocky Brown, would like to retire after years of dedicated service to the troop. The troop will need an interim scoutmaster to assist until a new permanent scoutmaster can be trained. If you are interested in filling that role, please contact Chuck Pritchard.

Thirsty Thursday: Thank you to everyone who participated in January’s Satellite Club Meeting/Thirsty Thursday meeting at Ridgewalker. Twelve people attended the in-person portion of the event with a number of others participating online. Be on the look for information on next month’s meeting, scheduled for Thurs., Feb. 18.

Rotary Foundation Update: Despite the pandemic, our club is making great strides towards its fundraising goals for The Rotary Foundation. As of Jan. 23, our club has raised $5,909 towards a goal of $9,500 toward the Foundation’s Annual Fund and $1,192 towards our $3,000 PolioPlus Fund goal. The club’s goals towards Rotary Foundation fundraising and other goals for the Rotary Year can be found on the Rotary Club Central section of the Rotary website.

In addition to the fundraising for The Rotary Foundation, the club has raised approximately $18,800 through our steak sales, the wine sale and member contributions that directly go toward our club’s local work, such as Hope For The Holidays and our Scholarship Program. Thank you for continuing to be so generous during this challenging time.

Follow-Up – End Poverty Program: Our Jan. 6 program presenter, Peter Fry with Endpoverty, is in need of advisors to add to their network. Endpoverty is a nonprofit focusing on ending the cycle of poverty internationally by empowering local entrepreneurs and creating more jobs for their communities. Advisors would provide guidance in their areas of expertise to these entrepreneurs. Below are some of the types of advisors they are in need of:

• E-commerce (Jeilo): Online sales/marketing products consumables.
• Business Strategy (Health): Pathology Network & Aroha Center – logistics, business strategy (treatment or just diagnosis), health value chain.
• Animal Husbandry (GenePlus): Logistics.
• Franchising (Farmers Pride): Pricing strategy, distribution, logistics, procurement.

If you are interested, email Josh Shinoda.

FGHS Community Food Pantry: Even with schools closed, the need for resources at the Forest Grove High School Community 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. There is a particular need for dish soap and laundry soap.

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. The pantry will remain open on Mondays over the Winter Break.

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.

Additionally, Rotarian Gwen Hullinger has put together an Amazon wish list of items that can be purchased and donated. Click Here To View That List.

Rotary Phone Tree: An updated version of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove phone tree was emailed out recently. If you have questions, or if your information on the Phone Tree is not correct, contact Paul Waterstreet.

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.

Blood Drive Upcoming: St Anthony’s Catholic Church will be partnering with the Red Cross for a second blood drive on Wed., Feb. 24 in the church’s parish hall at 1660 Elm Street. Advance appointments are required and the Red Cross is adhering to strict COVID-19 safety protocols. To sign up for an appointment, please call 800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

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
Rotary Essential Enrichment Learning (From District 5100 Newsletter & Rob Sachs, R.E.E.L. Chair): If you have not yet heard or read about the acronym, F.I.R.E., which stands for: Flexibility, Impact, Reach, Engagement, you will. Our District’s online learning and development program, Rotary Essential Enrichment Learning (R.E.E.L.) embodies these strategic priorities.

When R.E.E.L. was first envisioned in 2019, the goals were to build upon the predecessor program, Essentials of Rotary Knowledge (E.R.K.) in ways that empower all Rotarians to further their personal and professional learning and development. Today, F.I.R.E. is an acronym that measures these goals that have become doors of opportunities.

First, R.E.E.L. is FLEXIBLE, enlists any Rotarian (a new member or a member entrenched with years of experience) to enroll and complete courses that further develop or refresh their understanding and advance their involvement in Rotary. Prior to R.E.E.L., courses through E.R.K. could only be accessed once a year. Since R.E.E.L. is integrated with the Rotary Learning Center, courses can be accessed online at any time, and be completed in a relatively short amount of time or take as long as necessary to complete.

Second, R.E.E.L. has a great IMPACT on members by offering consistent, updated, relevant materials and best practices on Rotary’s Five Avenues of Service, Seven Areas of Focus, Three Essential Elements, and Leadership Development. While being engaged in service projects and building more and better friendships are the primary reasons people join and remain in Rotary, R.E.E.L.’s program of courses support members who strive for excellence in their personal and professional lives.

Third, R.E.E.L. provides a greater REACH, so that essential Rotary information and resources are available and accessible to club members and leaders as changing times bring changes to Rotary policy, procedure, and practices while at the same time uplifting Rotary’s Core Values.

Fourth, to engage more Rotarians in their personal and professional learning and development. R.E.E.L.’s program of 10 basic and at least 1 of 10 elective leadership courses, ENGAGES members by further developing their passion(s) and interest(s), which further supports their participation in their club and community for the benefit of all. My hope is for Rotarians who complete R.E.E.L.’s program, to take action in embodying F.I.R.E. as members, leaders, coaches, mentors, and trainers.

District 5100 Training Assembly: This year’s District 5100 District Training Event (formally District Training Assembly), which is typically an in-person event, 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 coming soon.

District 5100 Conference: The District 5100 Conference, slated for Apr. 30 and May 1, will be online. This will make the event as accessible to all Rotarians more than ever.

When the District Conference Committee, chaired by our own Claudia Yakos, started planning, chose the theme of “Wandering Through New Doors.” Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping us physically distant, it’s more important than ever to focus on the strength and opportunity that comes with opening new doors of opportunities. The District 5100 Conference will educate, connect, inspire and offer virtual fellowship. More information to come.

Around Rotary International
In Communities With No Services, Incremental Steps Can Go Along Way (by Diana Schoberg): In many remote places, toilets that are connected to sewers or septic tanks are the exception, not the rule. In those areas, toilets that operate without water seem like an ideal solution. So-called dry, or urine-diverting, toilets feature two or three holes: one for urinating, one for defecating, and, in some models, one for washing. They don’t cost much to operate, and they don’t smell. And both the urine and the solid waste can be treated and used as fertilizer. What’s not to like?

Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education are basic necessities for a healthy environment and a productive life. Join Rotary in helping provide access to clean water.

But when a group of Rotary members tried to bring these toilets to a remote island in Indonesia, the community wasn’t ready for technology that the Rotarians thought of as no-frills, but the intended recipients saw as overly complicated. “The community didn’t want it, and in fact the project had to be redesigned. It cost the project a couple of years,” says Mark Balla, president of the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central, Australia, and vice chair of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Rotary Action Group. “People thought it was a great idea but didn’t think about the cultural appropriateness. That’s so important when developing a project.” Read More

NOTE: Much of the material in this section comes from the member section of the Rotary website. We encourage you to log on and explore what the website has to offer at my.rotary.org.

Last Week’s Program: Peter Kass & Jennifer Janeth Casas Carreño, HomePlate Youth Services

Note: Due to technical difficulties with the presentation of the program, this week’s program will not be available on our YouTube site. We apologize.

Based in Beaverton, HomePlate Youth Services supports the positive development of young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability through community building, education, access to services and resources, and youth empowerment.

Peter Kass, HomePlate’s employment coordinator, and Jennifer Janeth Casas Carreño, one of HomePlate’s career coaches, introduced us to the organization at last week’s meeting.

While HomePlate’s work has mainly focused on youth in Beaverton and Hillsboro, the organization is starting to expand its mission into Cornelius and Forest Grove.

HomePlate works with youth ages 12 to 24 that are experiencing homelessness and housing instability. HomePlate provides hot meals through its drop-in service center in Beaverton as well as access to clothing, camping supplies and other essentials; housing assistance, parenting assistance and job placement assistance.

Their service model is to try to meet youth where they are at with the goal is being a flexible and low-barrier organization. If there are services needed that HomePlate cannot provide, they work to connect youth to other organizations that can provide those services.

HomePlate also tries to provide many of these services on the street. For street resources, HomePlate will meet people on the street with backpacks full of materials and will try to provide services on site.

HomePlate’s youth employment program helps coordinate youth with open job opportunities, helps provide temporary job assistance and also provides assistance in building resumes. The organization also helps youth acquire Food Stamps and connect with WorkSource Oregon.

On average, HomePlate currently services 25-30 youth per game. In addition to talk-ups, they work through local school districts to try and connect homeless youth with services.

HomePlate is currently in the process of expanding its service to Cornelius and Forest Grove. HomePlate currently has an outreach worker that is specifically assigned to the two communities with further expansion of resources coming soon.

For more information on HomePlate, visit homeplateyouth.org.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted

Wed., Feb. 3: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Barbara Peschiera & Elke Downer, Children’s Cancer Association

Thurs., Feb. 4: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.

Wed., Feb. 10: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Angeles Godinez, Centro Cultural

Thurs., Feb. 11: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.

Wed., Feb. 17: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Eva Guggemos, The Black History of Forest Grove

Thurs., Feb. 18: Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club Meeting
Details To Be Announced