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

Happy Rotary New Year!: We are looking forward to another year of serving our community! Here is this year’s officers as we welcome Janet Peters for her year as club president.

President: Janet Peters
President-Elect/Program Chair: Amy Tracewell
Vice President: Lucas Welliver
Secretary: Claudia Yakos
Treasurer: Lucas Welliver
Immediate Past President: Bryce Baker
Membership Chair: Julia Kollar
Rotary Foundation Chair: Michael Yakos
Fund Raising Chair: Jim Crisp
Community Service Chair: Janet Peters
International Service Chair: Claudia Yakos
Satellite Club Director: Melinda Fischer
Youth Exchange Chair: Melinda Fischer

Board Of Directors
Court Carrier
Melinda Fischer
Alma Lozano
Hector Mendez-Colberg
Virginia Ohler
Dave Parker
Howard Sullivan
Andrew Van Dyke
Parri Van Dyke

Concours d’Elegance: We are two weeks away from the 2022 Concours d’Elegance. 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.

As our club’s primary fundraiser for the year, the Concours is an “all hands on deck” event with all club members expected to take part. Volunteer assignments are in the document Linked Here.

Volunteers: The Concours needs an army of volunteers to make everything happen. The show’s volunteer sign-up link is now open. If you have friends, family or others who want to volunteer and be part of the event, Click Here.

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: It is not too late to get sponsors involved in this year’s Concours. 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.

For more information on the show, including a full schedule of the weekend’s activities, visit forestgroveconcours.org. For questions, contact show chairman Ryan Garcia at rypgarcia@gmail.com.

Concours Weekend Schedule
Friday, July 15
Vineyard Concert, “The Celebration Of Our Senses,” Elk Cove Vineyard (more details below)

Saturday, July 16
Vineyard Tour, Departs Forest Grove around 9 a.m.
Evening of Elegance Dinner, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club

Sunday, July 17
Concours d’Elegance
Cars begin arriving at 6 a.m.
Gates open at 8:30 a.m.
Trophy presentations begin at 1:30 p.m.

Concours d’Elegance Elk Cove Vineyard Concert: The Concours d’Elegance weekend begins this year with our inaugural concert event, “The Celebration of our Senses,” taking place in the amphitheater at Elk Cove Vineyard on Friday, July 15.

The concert features Bossa PDX- Brazilian Jazz as the entertainment, a three-course gourmet dinner featuring Kama’Aina hawaiian food, Sho Restaurant sushi plate and farm-to-table local salad with Elk Cove wine-braised beef bruschetta from the Wilderness Hunters Chefs. There will also be tastings of Elk Cove wine and SakeOne sake, free parking and great summer fun!

Tickets for all of the above are an all-inclusive package at $90 per person and limited to only 200 people. Additional beverages may be purchased after the tasting tickets are used.

Do not miss what will be the signature wine country concert of the summer at Elk Cove, one of Oregon’s premier pioneer wineries.

Get your tickets here now at forestgroveconcours.org/vineyard-concert and invite your family and friends, they’ll never forget it!

Truck Needed For Fence Setup/Takedown: The Concours Fence Committee is in need of a truck that can be used for setting up and taking down the fence on Concours weekend, This should be a truck with a “working bed” that can hold the fencing materials and aluminum rollers. If you have a truck that fits the bill, please contact Tim Schauermann.

Farmer’s Market Booth: We will have a booth at the Forest Grove Farmer’s Market this Wednesday, July 6, to help promote the club and Concours. If you are available to help man the booth, please contact Janet Peters.

Steak Feed – Thank You!: We did it! Thank you to all of you who helped make our 64th annual Rotary Steak Feed a success! Despite the rainy weather, we had a steady line of customers throughout the three hours of the event and a lot of satisfied diners. Initial estimates indicate a gross income of $11,000, part of which benefits our involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, will be available in the coming weeks. If you have not turned in your ticket money or have tickets that did not go used, please turn those in ASAP.

A big thank you to the Steak Feed chair, Geoff Faris, for all of his hard work to make the event run smoothly after a three-year absence. A special thank you as well to the staff at Bon Appétit and Pacific University for their assistance.

You can views photos from the Steak Feed, taken by our own Hector Mendez-Colberg, on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Trailer Donation: For much of the show’s history, the fence that surrounds the Concours grounds was hauled with a trailer that was specially outfitted for the project by the late Bob Nixon. The Nixon family has agreed to donate the club, providing that this part of the project will be easier for years to come. After the show, the trailer will be used to store the fence posts and fencing material.

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.

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.

Service Opportunities For Club Members

B Street Cleanup: Tim Orr is working with the Forest Grove Foundation on the coordination of cleanup of a homeless campsite along Gales Creek and B Street (near the recently demolished City of Forest Grove Light & Power building). The cleanup will take place on Saturday, July 9. The group would like to have an additional 10 people to assist with the effort.

If you are interested, please contact Tim at 503-702-5773 or timothyd47@yahoo.com.

Summer Meals Program: Volunteers are needed to assist with the Forest Grove School District’s Summer Meals program, which runs from June 20 to August 26. Meals are served to kids Monday through Friday from 12 to 12:30 p.m. at a variety of locations, including Rogers Park, Lincoln Park, Bard Park and the Rose Grove Mobile Home Park.

Each site needs three volunteers each day: one that can pick up meals from one of the base kitchens at a local school and two others to help serve the meals. At least one of the volunteers each day needs to have an Oregon food handlers permit. Our own Parri Van Dyke will be assisting at Rogers Park on Tuesday.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Kelly Daily at kelly.daily@comcast.net.

St. Anthony’s Parish Blood Drive: Parri Van Dyke has worked with St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and the Red Cross to host a blood drive on Thursday, July 14, from 10-3 p.m., at the church’s parish hall at 1160 Elm Street. Blood supply is still at critical levels and donations are sorely needed. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or Click Here To Schedule On The Red Cross Website.

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 2-4 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.

Around District 5100
District 5100 Updates: The latest edition of Rotary District 5100 video updates were made available last in the district’s “That’s My Jam” newsletter. If you did not receive the newsletter in your email box, here are links to the videos that provide updates on what is happening all around the district.

District Governor Jim Boyle’s Update
District Governor Nominee Renee Brouse’s Update
PolioPlus Committee Update
REEL Update
Vocational Service Committee Update
Youth Exchange Committee Update

Around Rotary International
Jennifer Jones Is Eager To Advance Rotary’s Narrative: At a training seminar for Rotary club presidents-elect at a Dallas-area hotel in February, sergeants-at-arms wearing yellow vests and Stetsons lead participants, grouped by Rotary district, into a small room for a photo op with 2022-23 Rotary International President Jennifer Jones. As the groups enter, the club leaders mob Jones — the room a flurry of handshakes, fist bumps, hugs, and the occasional squeal. For each photo, the Stetson-clad Rotarians (nicknamed “Rangers”) give instructions on who should stand where, then Jones, who is seated front-row center, stands up, turns around, and warms up the crowd. “Is this the best district?” she asks one. She challenges a district to dance, busting a groove on the tan and gray patterned hotel carpet. Another, she teases, is the best looking. And then there’s the “party” district, whose members give a raucous cheer.

Click. Click. Click.

The groups file out. More than a few people linger to get selfies with Jones and her husband, Nick Krayacich. One young woman, dressed in cobalt blue, shouts, “Congratulations and thank you for being a leader for women in Rotary!” More cheers. She and Jones bump fists as she departs.

“She’s just amazing. She’s a rock star,” says Rhonda Walls Kerby, past governor of District 5890, who has been observing the scene.

When the photo session is finished, Jones signs several Star Wars collectors’ helmets that will be auctioned at an upcoming district conference in Houston. She pulls on a Stormtrooper helmet. The phones of the Rotarians still in the room shoot up in unison to capture the moment.

Click. Click. Click.

“She makes everyone feel special. That’s why everyone feels like they are best friends with Jen,” says Eric Liu. Liu met Jones at the International Assembly in 2016, when he was an incoming district governor and she was the incoming RI vice president, and they hit it off.

Liu’s sentiment is among the common refrains heard during a whirlwind weekend traveling with Jones. Over and over, people mention that she has an easy way with people, that for years everybody “knew” she would be the first female Rotary president, that she’s a new kind of leader.

And that she’s the leader Rotary needs right now.

The laughter in the room grows to a warm buzz as Jones jokes around with her friends. But it’s been a long day after an exhausting trip. Jones and Krayacich spent nine hours in the airport the previous day due to weather delays, then had to solve logistical issues with their travel to Dallas. They are in bed by 11, a brief respite before the pre-presidential duties start all over again the next day.

“She believes in something that is so necessary. This time calls for peace and unity, for embracing despite our differences.” Read More

Last Week’s Program: Concours d’Elegance
At last week’s meeting, Concours d’Elegance chair Ryan Garcia provided an update on the preparations for this year’s event. The first in-person Concours in three years, this year’s show takes place on Sunday, July 17. Here is some of the updates provided from Ryan and the committee.

• We are expecting around 300 cars on campus this year. The turnout from car owners has been excellent.

• The 2022 Concours d’Elegance poster is out and is available for pickup at Van Dyke Appliance. If you have a business window that could advertise the event, please consider picking up a poster.

• Please consider purchasing tickets for the Friday night concert event at Elk Cove Vineyard. The club needs to have 100 tickers sold to break even.

• So far, 50 tickets have been purchased for the Evening of Elegance dinner at Pumpkin Ridge.

• Set up on Saturday will begin bright and early. Club members should check in with their committee chairs on their assignments.

• There is still a need for quite a few community volunteers. There is a volunteer sign-up link on the Concours website or by Clicking Here.

• Cars are expected to arrive on campus on Sunday morning between 5:30 and 6 a.m. A breakfast for the car owners will be available in the University Center between 6:30 and 9 a.m. The judge’s meeting will take place at 7 a.m. in the University Center’s multipurpose room.

• Volunteer check-in will be at its usual spot at the north end of campus between Walter Hall and the University Center. Food will be available for volunteers.

• Michael Allen Harrison will provide the stage entertainment starting at 11 a.m. Miss Oregon will sing The Star-Spangled Banner at 1 p.m. with the trophy presentations beginning at 1:30 p.m.

• The club will be marching in the Hillsboro Rotary Fourth of July Parade to promote the event. If you are able to walk in the parade and want to participate, please contact Jim Crisp.

Club Calendar
Wed., July 6: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Prime Time, 4450 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove
Program: Kevin Barton, Washington County District Attorney

Wed., July 13: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Prime Time, 4450 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove
Program: District Governor Steve Williams

Thurs., July 14: Executive Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
Via Zoom

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

Wed., July 20: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Non-Stop Wellness