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

Concours d’Elegance – Thank You: A big thank you to all of our club members and volunteers for making the first in-person Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance since 2019 a huge success! We were blessed by great weather, a great field of classic automobiles and great attendance through the gates. Details on the financial impact of this year’s show will be available in the following links.

Here is a brief recap of the major award winners provided by Rotarian John Schrag.

After a two-year break, the Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance returned to the Pacific University campus on July 17.

“It’s great to be back,” said Phil Hutchinson, who has been showing off his 1909 Pope Harford on the Pacific University campus for more than two decades. The car, which was purchased new by his great-grandfather, always attracts a crowd, and this year was no different.

This year’s show, the first since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, featured nearly 300 entries, coming from as far away as Petaluma, California and Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Top honors went to a 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500k, presented by Jim Friswold of Tigard. This was the first time the car was on display in Forest Grove and it took home the Best in Show award, sponsored by Barrett-Auction Auction Company. The car also took home the Best Classic Car award, sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover Portland.

The Best Non-Classic Car award, presented by Washington Trust Bank, went to David B. Smith of Medina, Washington, for his 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato.

Other notable award winners included:

• A 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Landaulet, brought by Tom Cleary of Portland, which won the Toast of the Concours Cup, sponsored by Doherty Ford.

• 1954 Jaguar D-Type, brought by Allan Law of Petaluma, California, which won the Monte Shelton Cup

• A 1961 Chevrolet Impala, displayed by Nathaniel La Barre of Hillsboro, which received the Pacific University President’s Award

• A 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe, brought by Doug Meyer of Bend, which won the Arnold N. Franks Memorial Sweepstakes Award, sponsored by the Forest Grove Rotary Club

The all-volunteer show, produced by the Rotary Club of Forest Grove since 1973, is the largest and longest-running Concours d’Elegance in the Pacific Northwest.

Like many event organizers, the club’s Concours committee canceled the in-person 2020 show, opting for a virtual Concours, instead. Last July, they hosted a much smaller “Classics on Main.”

“We had to make the difficult decision to postpone the 48th show in both 2020 and 2021,” says Ryan Garcia, a club member who chaired this year’s Concours steering committee. “Everyone I’ve talked to, from volunteers to car owners, was ecstatic to welcome the public back for the 2022 show.”

The event is the service organization’s largest annual fundraiser, with net proceeds divided equally among the club’s scholarship program and community service projects. Thanks to the Concours d’Elegance, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove has returned more than $1 million to the community.

The Concours committee was happy to welcome Jaguar Land Rover Portland as its 2022 presenting sponsor. Supporting sponsors included Sports Car Market magazine, Chubb, Bonham’s, Barrett-Jackson, Doherty Ford, Hagerty, Elk Cove Vineyards, Cars Yeah, and Dufault, Smith & Meeuwsen.

Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday Meeting: Our July Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday meeting will take place this Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Carts, 2131 Yew Street, Forest Grove. The club will have a reserved section in the covered area. If you plan on attending, please RSVP to new Satellite Club chair Melinda Fischer at dancorntopper@aol.com. There will be an informal program and discussion of the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

New Concours Chair Needed: After this year’s show, 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.

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 Committees – Help Wanted: Are you interested in getting more involved with Rotary at the district level? The following District 5100 committees are looking for members. If you have interest or want more information, click on the names of the committee chairs to contact them via email.

Vocational Service – Lal Bhatia, Chair
Working to promote the awareness and opportunity to advance our vocations as an opportunity to provide service to our communities.

Public Image – Diane Noriega, Chair
Working to promote Rotary through our club projects and communications with the general public and with Rotarians within District 5100

Membership – Dennis Long and Julie Fugate, Co-Chairs
Focusing on finding ways to attract new members but primary emphasis this year is to engage our existing members to retain them as members by finding their interests and focus.

Grow Rotary – Marcia Wimmer, Chair
Growing membership will be accomplished by identifying opportunities for new clubs and to add Satellite clubs to existing clubs to provide additional opportunities to participate.

Around Rotary International
Serving On International Committees Can Open Doors For Rotary Members: Serving Rotary as an international committee member is a great way to gain global contacts and experience in your industry while using your professional skills to help the organization. Previous leadership experience in Rotary isn’t required, just the skills and willingness to serve. Here’s how four Rotary members took a nontraditional path to gain international leadership experience.

Amanda Wendt, Rotary Club of Melbourne, Australia
Committee: Communications, 2018-21 

Since joining Rotary at age 26 in 2010, Amanda Wendt had been a club president, served as district public image chair, traveled with her district on a humanitarian trip to Cambodia, and spoken at a Rotary convention breakout and zone institute. But as far as formal leadership roles in Rotary beyond the district level, she had none.

“That quickly changed,” she says, after she became aware of the opportunity to serve on Rotary’s international committees after a chance conversation in 2017. “I jumped at the opportunity to put my professional experience to use,” she says.

In her career, Wendt, a marketing and communications specialist, coaches entrepreneurs and leaders on building their brands. Since earning a bachelor’s degree in business, with an emphasis in marketing, in 2005, she has led marketing campaigns, producing social media, video and photography, digital content, advertising, and more. She has managed large-scale behavior change programs to achieve government-policy reform and coaches organizations on attracting millennials as staff and customers.

Wendt decided to leverage her expertise by applying to serve on Rotary’s Communications Committee. She held that role for 2018-21 and served as the committee’s vice chair in 2019-20. “These opportunities to gain experience are far and beyond what most young professionals get to experience in their workplace,” she says. “It’s truly one of Rotary’s competitive advantages.”

Wendt says serving on the Communications Committee is one of her favorite Rotary experiences so far. She enjoyed the opportunity to work with and learn from members around the world, rolling out global initiatives while learning about cultural nuances and localized program considerations. “It furnished me with experiences, skills, and a network that young professionals are eager to achieve but may be waiting some time to realize in their career,” she says.

Her time on the Communications Committee led to additional speaking opportunities on Rotary’s brand and communications as well as on connecting with younger members. Now she’s getting additional district leadership experience, too: she’s serving as 2022-23 governor of District 9800.

Needles Escobar-King, Rotary Club of Panamá Norte, Panama
Committee: Strategic Planning, 2020-24

Professional background: I worked most of my professional life with the UN/UNICEF in positions where strategic planning was my bread and butter. My work experience took me to multiple continents. I thought I could be of use to Rotary, given that knowledge.

Rotary background: I joined Rotary in 2015 and became very involved with project activities with my club, including playing an instrumental role in organizing an Interact club in the secondary school I attended. Besides participating in several Rotary Conventions, my experience has been at the club and district level.

Why I was interested in international committee experience: This opportunity allowed me to see the organization from a different perspective. I got to know Rotarians from other districts, whom I otherwise might not have met.

Bobbe Barnes, Rotary Club of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, USA
Committee: Audit, 2020-23

Professional background: I worked with Price Waterhouse in Toronto, then moved to academia in the accounting programs at the University of Texas and University of Colorado. I later moved to Central Asia and became the technical accounting expert for a USAID project, working with international and local experts to develop a training program for accountants. The program is ongoing.

Rotary background: I joined the Rotary Club of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to expand my network and meet other local and expat leaders of the country. I became involved in the club by helping implement the financial aspects of the global grants we were awarded and serving as the liaison to the Rotaract club. After I returned home, I became a charter member of the Rotary Club of Fair Oaks Ranch.

Why I was interested in international committee experience: I wanted to serve beyond the club level in order to give Rotary what it had given me during my years overseas. I became involved in the district as a district treasurer and grants subcommittee chair. Then I saw that Rotary was calling for volunteers to serve on committees. I applied to serve on the Audit Committee as I found that best matched my expertise.

Vino Sookloll, Rotary Club of Phoenix, Mauritius
Committee: Communications, 2020-23

Professional background: I am a branding and innovation, design, and marketing communications consultant. I’ve been running my own agency for the last 40 years, and served as the president of the Association of Communications Agencies of Mauritius.

Rotary background: I became a charter member of the Rotary Club of Phoenix in 2003. I have been leading major communications projects for my club and the district (9220) for many years. In addition to becoming a Communications Committee member, in 2020 I became an Assistant Rotary Public Image Coordinator for Zone 22.

Why I was interested in international committee experience: Joining the committee allowed me to bring my concerns about improving the tools available for building a public image to the people working on these issues at the international level. This year I am chairing the Building the Rotary Brand subcommittee. I feel at home, surrounded by passionate members. I hope those joining next year will share that same spirit of continuous improvement.

Last Week’s Program: District 5100 Governor Steve Williams

Click Here To Watch The Full Program

Just two weeks into the Rotary Year, we were honored to have our official visit from District 5100 Governor Steve Williams.

Steve talked about his involvement in Rotary, his visions for the district and for its clubs during 2022-23 and about the two “M” words that will be important to Rotary to grow not only within the district but worldwide: membership and money.

We encourage you to watch the presentation at the link above and hear from Steve himself his visions for the coming year.

Club Calendar
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

Wed., Aug. 3: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: LaNicia Duke, Black Rural Network