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

Concours d’Elegance – 1 Week To Go: 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.

Coolers Needed For Concours: The food service committee needs about a dozen coolers to use as part of the food service operations during Concours. If you have a cooler that can be used, please bring them to the patio of the University Center at Pacific University on Setup Saturday. You can also drop them by Geoff Faris’ during the week at 2031 Hawthorne St., Forest Grove.

Trailer Donation: For much of the history of Concours, 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.

New Concours Chair Needed: After the show next weekend, Ryan Garcia will stepping aside as Concours chair. Thank you, Ryan, for your incredible dedication to the show through the pandemic and seeing us through to our first live presentation in three years! If you are interested in taking over as committee chair, please contact President Janet Peters or Allen Stephens with the Concours Committee.

Club Treasurer Needed: As Lucas Welliver transitions into his vice president and program chair duties, the club is looking for a new individual who can step in as treasurer. Lucas will be full stepping aside as treasurer in January. The treasurer is an officer of both the club and the foundation. If you are interested in the position or have questions, please contact President Janet.

Steak Sales: On the heels of a successful return to the Steak Feed, we also had success selling the steaks that we did not use during the event. The club made approximately $2,100 off of steak sales. Thank you to those who purchased or got their friends to purchase! There are a few packs available for purchase at $20 per pack of two steaks. If you are interested, please contact President Janet.

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
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.

Past 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
RI President Jennifer Jones’ Presidential Initiatives: Rotary International President Jennifer Jones imagines a Rotary where members act to make their dreams become reality and make the most of their club experiences. During her year, Jones will focus on four presidential initiatives that Imagine Rotary: advancing our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); creating a welcoming club experience; empowering girls; and expanding our reach.

Imagine: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Diversity is one of Rotary’s longstanding core values and greatest strengths. Jones knows there is more to be done to ensure that Rotary’s culture exemplifies our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Rotary, with input and guidance from the DEI Task Force, has strengthened our commitment to DEI, resulting in a greater focus on celebrating every individual’s contributions, advancing equity, and creating a more welcoming and inclusive culture.

President Jennifer Jones encourages each of us to do our part to ensure Rotary is a welcoming and inclusive community by:

1. Learning more about DEI in Rotary, including understanding definitions and how to celebrate and respect our differences.
2. Determining why DEI matters to our club and community and how using DEI principles can help our club grow and become stronger.
3. Raising awareness of DEI, including creating a DEI committee in your club that reflects the demographics of your community.
4. Taking action on DEI in our club and community for instance educating yourself about underrepresented groups in your community in order to become a more knowledgeable and effective advocate for DEI.

Learn more and take action by reading the DEI presidential brochure.

Find additional resources on our DEI web page.

Watch what Jones hopes to accomplish with DEI (download).

Imagine A Welcoming Club Experience: Comfort and Care
Rotary has an important role to play to ensure that the club environment and experience is welcoming, inclusive, and enjoyable for all members and participants. Surveys show that comfort and care is the single greatest driver of satisfaction and our most powerful tool for retention. This begins with listening to and understanding what members and participants want out of their Rotary involvement. We often speak of the importance of “exit interviews” to better understand why former members leave. But why wait for them to leave? Jones urges club leaders to incorporate “entrance interviews” as well to understand the needs and expectations of new members at the outset. And of course, be sure to regularly survey all existing members, to ensure they have an opportunity to share thoughts about their membership experience.

Watch Jones talk about her Comfort and Care initiative (download)

Empowering Girls
Jones will continue past RI President Shekhar Mehta’s Girls Empowerment initiative, recognizing that empowered girls become empowered women. Share your Girls Empowerment projects on Showcase.

Imagine Impact: Expanding Rotary’s Reach Media Tours
Imagine Expanding Rotary’s Reach Throughout the year, Jones will visit eight service projects that represent each of Rotary’s areas of focus and polio eradication. The tour will provide examples of how Rotary can make a measurable difference, while introducing Rotary to new audiences and potential partners and influencers.

Last Week’s Program: Kevin Barton, Washington County District Attorney

Click Here To Watch The Full Program

We opened the 2022-23 Rotary Year with a program by recently re-elected Washington County district attorney Kevin Barton. Kevin gave a brief overview of his office and his look at where things are at right now, or his version of “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” in crime today.

In his view, the role is the district attorney’s office is less about prosecuting the bad guys but in helping the crime victims. On average, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office serves approximately 12,000 crime victims per year.

Of the five most populous counties of Oregon, Barton said that we live in the safest of those five. The crime rate in Washington County is 30 percent lower than in those other four counties both in terms of property crimes and violent crime.

Kevin talked about how most people have preconceived notions of the criminal justice system, mostly created by what you see on television shows such as Law & Order and CSI. While a lot of those shows are correct in showing how the structure works, rarely are cases resolved that quickly.

Kevin was asked about the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the reading of Miranda rights. He explained that the case only reinforced a common misconception about Miranda rights. The law does not say that the rights have to be read at the time of arrest, but rather before you are interviewed or questioned by law enforcement.

Kevin went on to address his “Good, Bad & Ugly” about crime today.

The Good: While crime absolutely does happen here, there is a good system in place to keep crime down and to prosecute criminals. Barton believes that there are many people who deserve to go to prison or jail after committing a crime, but he also believes that there are times that addiction treatment or mental health treatment may be a better option than confinement. They want to send people to prison when they need to, but they also want to address the underlying issues to try and prevent crime from happening again. Washington County is planning to expand its behavioral health services.

The Bad: The county is struggling to keep pace with the resources to help take care of the underlying issues that cause crime.

Washington County is a great example of how a place changes over a 30-year span. While the county has grown rapidly, the court system has not expanded at a corresponding rate. The Washington County DA’s office has a case load that is 180% of the caseload in Multnomah County. The Washington County court system is the second-smallest in the state per capita.

During COVID, the capacity of the jail was reduced and that meant that the police were not arresting suspects for certain lower-level crimes. The county is still not completely open, thanks in part to COVID but also because of staffing issues.

The Ugly: Addiction. Measure 110, passed by voters in 2020, created a new structure for people to gain resources to deal with addiction and also decriminalized the possession of user amounts of drugs. The possession of those user amounts is against the law but is not considered criminal. The only recourse for police is to issue a ticket for a fine. Offenders can also call an 800 number to address treatment options and have the fine wiped out. Most people issued these tickets do not show in court. In the last 16 months, 24 people have called the resource number to discuss treatment options.

There is an increasing amount of crime coming into Washington County from Multnomah County. There is a double-digit increase of individuals coming into the county to commit crimes.

Club Calendar
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

Thurs., July 21: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Via Zoom

Wed., July 27: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Club Assembly