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

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…

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 Rescheduled For June 5: The District 5100 Visioning Committee session for our club has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This visioning session will be done virtually through Zoom. If you are interested in taking part in this important part of our club’s future planning, please contact President Julia Kollar.

Club members should have received a survey via email asking questions about our club and its participation in the community and in Rotary. Please take the time to fill out this short survey.

March Madness Fundraiser: It certainly was madness this year for everyone who participated in our March Madness pool to benefit The Rotary Foundation. Thank you to our 18 club members that participated and raised $360 for the foundation!

Congratulations to Jim Crisp, who was this year’s winner and will receive 180 Paul Harris points. Ryan Garcia and Loren Waltz tied for second while Tim Pearson and Lucas Welliver tied for fourth.

What was Jim’s secret, outside of picking Baylor to win? It was filling out three brackets to give him a better chance of winning!

Concours Postponed For 2021: Due to events outside of our control, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove and the Concours d’Elegance steering committee has made the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 Forest Grove Concours d’ Elegance. Car owners who submitted an entry application will not be charged any fees and will be contacted soon. We are looking ahead to the next event on July 17, 2022. What follows is the announcement sent out to entrants and posted on the Concours website.

With heavy hearts, the Steering Committee of the Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance has made the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 field show to 2022. We are working to schedule a cars and coffee and tour on Sunday, July 18, 2021. More details to be communicated later.

This is a tough decision, but after consulting with advisors and long-time supporters, we felt it is the best decision at this time. The current uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic made securing a location extremely difficult for an event of our size. After a heroic effort by the Steering Committee to support large-show alternatives, we decided to refocus our energies toward the future.

The Concours is made possible by collector car owners, Rotary Club volunteers, and sponsors from the community. Many of these supporters and volunteers are focused on staying safe and navigating their businesses during these uncertain times. This includes Pacific University whose event support staff has undertaken the unprecedented task of running on-campus vaccination clinics with an unspecified end date.

Each year, the net proceeds from the Concours d’Elegance fund scholarships and community service projects. The Forest Grove Rotary Club has returned more than $1 million to the community, including direct support of various non-profit organizations, service projects, and scholarships to hundreds of Washington County high school students heading to Pacific University and other institutions of higher education. The local community still depends on this support.

We appreciate the Steering Committee’s hard work, volunteers who donate their time, the enthusiasm of the car owners, and the many sponsors that support our event.

We hope you are safe through these uncertain times, and we appreciate your continued support for 2022. We will see you on Sunday, July 17, 2022.

For more information on the Concours d’Elegance, visit forestgroveconcours.org.

Club Giving Goals Met: Despite the pandemic, our club has come through with its contributions to The Rotary Foundation! We have met our club goal of $9,500 towards the foundation’s Annual Fund and $3,500 towards the PolioPlus Fund. As of April 17, our club has contributed $10,492 towards the Annual Fund and $3,685 towards PolioPlus. Thank you to all of our members for your support of Rotary’s mission around the world.

Remember that you can always check the progress towards our club’s goals online on Rotary Club Central. You must have a registered account on the Rotary website to access Rotary Club Central.

To date, District 5100 ranks No. 1 in Rotary in Polio Plus contributions and No. 2 in Rotary’s total fundraising statistics. Worldwide, however, Rotary is being in fundraising totals compared to this time last year.

Board of Directors Elections: Be watching your inbox soon for first-round balloting to name three new members to the club’s Board of Directors. The new members will replace Ryan Garcia, Michelle Thomas and Paul Waterstreet, all of who are completing their three-year terms.

Rotary Phone Tree: Keep up the work keeping our members in the loop with the Rotary Club of Forest Grove phone tree. 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.

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.

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
District 5100 Conference: Registration is now open for the District 5100 Conference, “Wandering Through New Doors.” This year’s virtual event will take place on Saturday, May 1. This year’s event will include a number of inspirational speakers, headlined by New York Times bestselling author and motivational speaker Andy Andrews and Jordan Harrison, who will present on how the right words said to the right people at the right time can facilitate change.

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.

The event is free but pre-registration is required. Visit rotary5100.com to register and learn more.

Special Note: Many members of our club, led by Claudia Yakos, are putting lots of time and effort into making this a great event. Thank you for all who are adding a special Forest Grove touch to the district conference.

Around Rotary International
Rotary Webinar – DEI Series: Rotary International is offering a Zoom webinar on April 29 on Building Strong Intergenerational Relationships as part of an ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion series.

Generational diversity is one of Rotary’s competitive advantages. Few organizations span generations and build personal connections the way we do. Yet we also can find ourselves segmented by age groups and unable or unwilling to challenge our biases about people of other ages. According to a study by consulting network Deloitte, 70% of survey respondents from around the world say that leading multigenerational organizations is important or very important for their success over the next 12 to 18 months, but only 10% say they’re very ready to do so.

In this webinar, we will hear from a variety of Rotary Program participants who have built strong intergenerational relationships, and:

-Empower young leaders to act on issues they are passionate about

-Build awareness of the biases that create tension between the generations

-Recognize that everyone, no matter how old or young, has something to teach and something to learn

The webinar is free to attend but registration is required. Click Here To Register.

Innovative Efforts Sparks Two New Clubs (By Yvonne Kumoji, District 9102 Governor): As an incoming district governor, my training at Rotary’s annual leadership event in January 2020 in San Diego, California, included information on forming new clubs and new club models. Words that then-President-elect Holger Knaack had shared with us resonated in my mind, words like innovation, adaptation, change, being different. Then I thought about Toastmasters, and wrestled with how those thoughts fit together.

I visited a Toastmasters event with a member of my leadership team that was being held in my country, Ghana, and sought out their Division Director – the Toastmaster equivalent of a District Governor. Papa Arkhurst is an amazing, committed, and passionate man with a flair for words. His enthusiasm is infectious. I introduced myself, but of course he already knew all about our new strategic partnership. Word quickly spread that ‘Rotary’ was in the hall. We exchanged contact details and agreed to meet up for lunch to chat. Read More

Last Week’s Program: Virginia Ohler, West Tuality Habitat For Humanity

Click View To View The Complete Program

Rotarian Virginia Ohler, the director of West Tuality Habitat for Humanity, gave an overview of the organization and the work it continues to do to provide housing to low-income families in western Washington County.

While it has been four years since our club received a program on Habitat for Humanity, is it an organization that is very familiar to Rotarians. A number of club members, including Richard Kidd, Jerry Hoerber, Tom Raabe, Mike Hundley and others, have been key players in the success of Habitat since it was founded in 1992.

West Tuality Habitat for Humanity’s service area now includes the nine ZIP Codes of Western Washington County including 97106, 97109, 97113, 97116, 97117, 97119, 971255, 97133 and 97144. This area includes the communities of Forest Grove, Cornelius, Gaston, Banks, Buxton, Timber and Cherry Grove.

Habitat continues to move forward with new home construction at the Kidd Court development near Tom McCall Upper Elementary. Habitat serves people that make 30 to 60 percent of area median income (AMI). Participants are evaluated for need, a willingness to partner and the ability to pay. Over 300 people are currently being served through new home construction, mortgages and counseling.

The idea behind the program is that the homes will continue to be affordable even after a person retires. The average mortgage payment is $150 per month plus taxes and insurance.

The Homeowner Success Program requires that homeowners take an active part. This is accomplished through sweat equity (helping to build their own home and others homes), a mentorship program, homework assignments, social service referrals and the instruction in the basics of home construction and tool use. They are encouraged during their year of providing their sweat equity to look ahead to other things that they might need to be successful homeowners and community members.

Habitat’s Home Repair Program continues to go strong. The program serves low-income, elderly and disabled veterans at 0 to 80 percent AMI to provide for critical home repairs.

Habitat is a mortgage provider for households at 30 to 60 percent AMI at low or zero interest. The mortgage is based on the ability of the homeowner to pay. It does not exceed 30 percent of their household income. Among current homeowners, the average mortgage (including taxes and insurance) is under $700 per month.

The Habitat Restore, located on Pacific Ave., continues to provide a great source of income for the organization. The building purchased in 2018 and since then, a lot of improvements have been made to the property. There is lots of furniture, building materials, cabinets, tools, etc. There is always at least one barrel for donations to other local community groups. The Restore is also a recycling center for electronics, bottles/cans and cars and is the only place in Western Washington County accepting paint for recycling.

December 2021 will mark the West Tuality 30th anniversary. Be on the lookout for some special events.

Three homes are under currently construction and habitat is in the process of acquiring land for future projects. They are also working on putting together a group from this area to work on an international build project and another group to go to Southern Oregon in the fall to work on builds in the fire-affected areas.

Club Calendar
Wed., Apr. 21: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Gale Castillo, Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber

Wednesday, Apr. 28: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Dr. Jim Moore, President Biden’s First 100 Days

Wednesday, May 5: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: George Nakata, Japanese American Museum Of Oregon