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

Garden Planting Party – May 14: It is that time of year again! We will have a planting party for our McDougall Garden on Saturday, May 14 at 9 a.m. The garden is located where Pacific Avenue and 19th Avenue come together, across from the big flagpole. Be sure to bring clothes and tools to plant and spread compost.

For more information or questions, please contact Geoff Faris.

RYLA Applications Due May 15: After a two-year hiatus, applications are being taken for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). RYLA is a one-week intensive leadership training experience for youth ages 21 to 32 years old that includes team-building exercises, guest speakers and more. This year’s event will take place July 9-15 at the Menucha Retreat Center in the Columbia River Gorge.

Applicants must be sponsored by a local Rotary club and our club has traditionally sponsored two RYLA participants. The deadline to receive applications is this Sunday, May 15.

For more information on the program, please contact Andrea Stewart at 503-357-1427 or astewart@pacificu.edu. Information on RYLA, along with the required application, can be found online at ryladistrict5100.org.

Steak Feed: Tickets are now available for our annual Steak Feed, which returns after a three-year COVID absence on Friday, June 10 from 5-8 p.m. Ticket packages were handed out to members who attended our meeting on Wednesday. The rest will be mailed out.

Tickets are $25 each and includes a choice New York steak, salad, baked potato, rolls, beverages and dessert. Proceeds from the event go to our club’s involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange program (which will also restart this year). It is the expectation that all Rotarians try to sell at least 10 tickets to the event. If you sell more, that is great!

The Steak Feed is an “all-hands-on-deck” event, with all members expected to participate and help on the day of the event. A list of committee assignments is included with the ticket mailing and is Linked Here.

For more information or questions, please contact Geoff Faris.

Scholarship Committee Update: The deadline for applications for the 2022 Rotary Club of Forest Grove Scholarship program has passed. The committee is pleased to report that there were 33 applicants this year, up from 14 the year before. The committee is now reviewing applicants and will announce recipients in early June in conjunction with senior awards celebrations for the local high schools. Thank you to chair Sharon Olmstead and the committee for their important work!

Concours Update: Planning for the 2022 Concours d’Elegance is well under way. Our annual car show, which raises funds for our club’s Scholarship Program, will take place on Sunday, July 17, on the campus of Pacific University. This year’s theme is a celebration of Jaguar. In addition, the show will showcase a salute to British Excellence with feature classes for MG, Triumph and Lotus.

Here are a few updates from the Concours committee:

Registration: Registration for this year’s Concours is now open. Let’s get as many cars out on the show field to help celebrate our return! There is a suggested entry donation of $25 per car. More details on entry classes and the registration link can be found at https://forestgroveconcours.org/enter.

Sponsorships: Tim Pearson has a goal of 100 sponsors for the show. “That’s going to be a stretch but I think it is doable,” Tim said, but he needs the help of club members to make it happen. A copy of the sponsorship flyer is Linked Here. If you have sponsorship questions or a lead, please contact Tim at 503-998-8616 or TimPearsonPC@gmail.com.

Concours Events: The Concours Committee is moving forward with a Friday night concert event to start the weekend. The concert will take place on July 15 at Elk Cove Vineyards near Gaston. Capacity will be limited to 200 people. More details will be coming soon.

The Evening of Excellence dinner will take place at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course on the evening of Sat., July 16.

For more information on the show, visit forestgroveconcours.org, or contact show chairman Ryan Garcia at rypgarcia@gmail.com.

As our club’s primary fundraiser for the year, the Concours is an “all hands on deck” event with all club members expected to volunteer.

Donations For Ukrainian Relief: As part of Rotary International’s efforts to provide relief the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove is collecting donations for the effort. Rotary International has created a specific channel for donors through Rotary’s Disaster Response Fund.

Our club is offering a $1,500 match for contributions made by club members towards the humanitarian response (President Bryce has said that the match could be more if our club raises more). To date, our club has raised over $1,250 for humanitarian relief.

Contributions can be made at any club meeting. If you have questions about the effort or the match, please contact President Bryce Baker.

To date, District 5100 has raised an impressive $140,000 for Ukrainian relief efforts, which will be channeled to Rotary’s Disaster Response Fund’s channel for Ukrainian relief. Learn More About Rotary’s Efforts

Online Dues Payments: Our club is now equipped to process dues payments online! We can now process credit card or debit card payments for quarterly dues. Information on how to pay online will be included with quarterly billings that will be coming to your mailbox or email inbox.

With the transition to billing with Quickbooks, some members may not have received their quarterly invoice. If you did not, please contact treasurer Lucas Welliver at 971-241-7426 or lucaswelliver@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 on Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. The pantry is now open in its new site in the building along Nichols Lane between the football field and the Basinski Center.

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.

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 2020 are archived on our club’s YouTube page. Visit https://bit.ly/fgrotaryprograms.

Around District 5100
District 5100 Rotary One Conference – Register Now: Registration is now open for the District 5100 One Rotary Conference, which will take place on Seaside from May 19-22. This year’s event is a combination of the former district training assembly and the district conference, designed to be both a weekend of Rotary education and celebration.

The One Rotary Conference is free for Rotarians but advance registration is required. The only charge is for any breakfasts, lunches and dinners taken during the conference and accommodations.

You can register for the event and check out the session offerings by logging into DacDB and clicking on the registration link.

A conference rate for accommodations is available at the Saltline Hotel, 250 1st Ave., Seaside, and at the Inn at Seaside, 441 2nd Ave., Seaside.

Saltline Hotel, saltlinehotel.com, Group Code: RD5100
Inn at Seaside, innatseaside.com, Group Code: RT5100

Around Rotary International
Rotary Voices – Rotary & Rotaract Serve Together (by Ignacio Gonzalez Mendez, Rotaract Club of Oriente de Talca, Chile): must confess, I didn’t set out to find Rotary. Rotary found me. I became involved in Rotary through a series of fortunate events which has changed the way I look at everything.

When I was 13, I volunteered for the Red Cross and that experience led me years later to create a project to establish a first-aid station in my high school. At my graduation ceremony, I was surprised with an award from the local Rotary club for my volunteer work with the Red Cross. The award was in honor of one of my teachers, who passed away unexpectedly. Receiving the award and knowing that my teacher had appreciated my efforts gave me more inspiration to keep volunteering.

Some years later, while I was studying to complete a law degree, I saw a poster for Rotaract. I was excited to get involved with the organization that played a role in my passion to help others. Together with a couple of my friends, we founded the first Rotaract club in my Chilean town. And it was my honor to serve as the club’s charter president. When I was later elected as a District Rotaract representative, my goal was to increase Rotaract’s visibility in my district. That year, we generated a 60% percent increase in membership and succeeded in launching several new clubs.

In 2018, I was honored to serve on the Rotaract-Interact Committee of Rotary International. I wanted to be close to the members I represented, so I reached out to as many Rotaract members and Interact members as I could from around the world to hear their stories and learn about their concerns. Based on some of their feedback, the committee proposed to the RI Board several ideas to strengthen the ability of Rotaractors to participate fully in Rotary. The Board accepted our recommendations. The result was a proposal to the 2019 Council on Legislation to elevate the status of Rotaract to that of a membership type. Read More

Last Week’s Program: Estafania Rodriguez, Adelante Mujeres

Estafania Rodriguez, a Funder Relations Officer with Adelante Mujeres, joined us to provide an update on the status of various programs operated by Adelante Mujeres.

Highlights of the programs detailed in Estafania’s presentation included:

• The early childhood education (ECE) bilingual program, which teaches early literacy skills and builds kindergarten readiness among Latino immigrant preschool aged children of women participating in our Adult Education program. Adelante Mujeres currently operate 7 ECE classrooms that include certified preschool and head start programs.

• The Empresas Small Business Development Program, which teaches and supports small business owners to create a vibrant local economy and open up opportunities for all individuals to pursue their dreams.

•The Chicas Youth Development Program, which partners with local public schools and more than 700 local families each year to offer after school programming, leadership, and community service opportunities for Latina youth and their families.

• A new mental health program, “Beyond Trauma,” which trains families to manage conflict with compassion and understanding, and helps individuals overcome past emotional trauma.

• The Regenerative Agriculture Program, which provides aspiring and existing Latino immigrant farmers and gardeners with the training and skills necessary to grow produce using regenerative methods and to successfully market their products.

• And of course, the Forest Grove Farmer’s Market – running from May through October!

More information is available at: https://www.adelantemujeres.org/.

The editor wishes to thank Lucas Welliver for providing the program recap in his absence.

Club Calendar
Wed., May 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Eileen Kravetz, Tualatin Hill Parks Foundation

Thurs., May 12: Executive Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
Via Zoom

Sat., May. 14: McDougall Garden Work Party, 9 a.m.
MacDougall Garden, Pacific Ave. & 19th Ave. at Big Flagpole

Sun., May 15: RYLA Application Deadline
Submit Applications To Andrea Stewart

Wed., May 18: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Mary Jo Morelli, Friends of Historic Forest Grove

Thurs., May 19: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Via Zoom

Fri., June 10: Steak Feed, 5 p.m.
Pacific University Campus

Sun., July 17: Concours d’Elegance
Pacific University Campus