If you did not make it to our last Rotary Club of Forest Grove meeting, here is what you missed…

This Week’s Meeting: We hope you will join us on Wednesday at noon for our weekly meeting in the Boxer Pause room in the University Center at Pacific University. Join us as we will be having a club assembly to discuss the Concours d’Elegance. Please plan on joining us as we look ahead to the 51st edition of the show next July.

Next Week’s Meeting: On Wednesday, Oct. 9, we will meet at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way (across from Pacific University). Due to a head count needed for catering, please place your name on the sign-up sheet at Wednesday’s meeting or email Claire Agner, bcnca39@frontier.com, by no later than Friday, Oct. 4. The remainder of our meetings in October and November will be at Pacific University.

In Memoriam – Phil Creighton: It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of former club member and Pacific University President Emeritus Phil Creighton, who died on Sept. 17, 2024 at age 79 after a long battle with cancer. Phil was president of Pacific University from 2003-2009 and was an active member of our club throughout his tenure. Please keep his wife, Leigh and his entire family in your thoughts and prayers. Read A Full Obituary From Pacific University.

Road Cleanup – Oct. 5: Our club’s next semi-annual road cleanup has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5. We will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Oregon Department of Forestry offices at 801 Gales Creek Road, where will do cleanup of Gales Creek Road between Thatcher Road and Forest Gale Drive, and Thatcher Road between Gales Creek Road and David Hill Road. A sign-up will be distributed at Wednesday’s meeting.

For more information on this long-standing service project or to sign up, please contact Andrea Stewart or Paul Waterstreet.

Habitat For Humanity Service Project – Oct. 12: Our Community Service Committee is working with West Tuality Habitat for Humanity on a service opportunity for the club on Saturday, Oct. 12. Details will be available soon and a sign-up sheet will be distributed during this week’s club meeting. The project will assist Habitat’s home repair program and will likely take place at Quail Run Estates in Forest Grove (located along Main Street near Forest Grove High School). We would like to have around 12 club members or more to be able to take part in this project.

Hope For The Holidays: Our Hope For The Holidays committee is putting the wheels in motion for this year’s service project in December. We have once again been approved for a District 5100 Matching Grant to aid the project. Information on wreath sales, which will also support the project, will be coming soon.

Our longstanding holiday project to aid those who struggle with food security was among the projects featured in September on the District 5100 Facebook Page in advance of the district’s Shoot For The Moon event on Oct. 19.

City Council Candidate Forum – Oct. 15: The Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce invites all Rotarians to its City Council Candidate Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 6:30-8 p.m., in the Forest Grove City Auditorium. The forum will provide candidates for the council’s three open seats a chance to speak about themselves and the issues they see facing Forest Grove. The event will be moderated by Dr. Jim Moore, political science professor at Pacific University.

Greeters Returning: President Lucas is bringing back the role of having greeters at our weekly meetings. This role will not be pre-assigned. Instead, the ninth and 10th Rotarians showing up a meeting each week will serve as greeters. Please be prepared to take on that responsibility and let President Lucas know if you have any questions.

Mentorship Program With Rotary: Since joining our club, Rotarians Cole Thursam and Javin Frelin have been exploring how to connect younger professionals to our club and to Rotary as a whole. The two are in the preliminary stages of developing a mentorship program for young professionals in the local community that would be tied to Rotary. If you would like to learn more or are interested in taking part in this effort, please contact Cole or Javin.

Service Opportunities For Club Members
Do You Know Of Service Opportunities?: Are you aware of service opportunities in our area that our members might be interested in? We can advertise those here! This space is not limited to club-sponsored activities but to any service opportunity in the community. To promote the service activity, please send a detailed description of the project, the date and time, contact information and a link to register to Rototeller editor Blake Timm, blakertimm@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 Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. The pantry is located along Nichols Lane between the football field and the Basinski Center. Click Here for more information on the FGHS Food Pantry and on other resources for those experiencing food insecurity.

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.

Bloodworks Northwest Blood Drives: In an effort to build blood supplies in the Pacific Northwest, Bloodworks Northwest is sponsoring a number of blood drives in 2024 in Forest Grove. The next local blood drive will be held on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Forest Grove City Library. To sign up to give and set an appointment, please visit the Bloodworks Northwest website.

Around District 5100
Shoot For The Moon Event – Open Invitation!: Our deadline for the guest count to our venue is fast approaching. We still have some seats available and are extending the invitation to ALL District 5100 Rotarians to hear our Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick, live and in person at Shoot for the Moon!

The event is Saturday, October 19, at 6 p.m., at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville. The deadline to register has been extended to Monday, Oct. 7. The remaining seats are going quickly and now is the time. We want to be sure we have a full house for President Stephanie and make room for as many as we can who want to hear her. If you want to attend, now is the time to get your registration in.

A registration link was sent to all District 5100 Rotarians last week. For more details or to receive the link again, please contact either Blake Timm or Jeannine Murrell.

District 5100 Newsletter: Click Here To View The Monthly District 5100 Newsletter

Last Week’s Program: Claudia & Michael Yakos, Gardens of Hope
Last week, it was our pleasure to hear from our own Claudia & Michael Yakos, who provided an update on the Gardens of Hope project in Mexico.

The Gardens of Hope started in 2019 and is involved in a community where Claudia’s mother grew up. Claudia recognized the extreme poverty that families in Mexico face. Many rely on basic food stables such as tortilla, rice and beans for their diet. Fresh vegetables are few and far in between for many families.

Gardens of Hope is a collaboration between the Rotary Club of Forest Grove and the Rotary Club of Aguascalientes, Mexico. Both clubs have worked together to provide sustainable solutions for the most vulnerable communities. Teresa Guerra, a Satellite Club member in Mexico, serves as the “boots on the ground” for the project, helping to manage operations and support the families directly. In the 2023-24 Rotary year, there was $4,000 in new investment from our club.

Gardens of Hope expanded to the town of Tepezala, supporting 20 new families across two communities: El Refugio and Alamitos. Approximately $3,800 was invested in garden kits, seeds, tools and technical assistance for 20 families. Approximately $200 was allocated to organizing workshops and providing educational materials focused on nutrition and sustainable farming practices.

Garden kits (irrigation system, seeds, tools, etc.) cost approximately $190 per family. The ongoing technical support runs $45 per year per family.

In El Refugio, 10 families have realized two successful harvests so far. In Alamitos, 10 families are expecting their first harvest this year. Each family can produce up to $1,719 worth of vegetables annually. Most goes into meals of the families but anything left over can be sold.

There are bi-monthly meetings with the participating families to discuss gardening techniques, share recipes and explore how to use their home-grown vegetables in meals traditionally made up of tortillas and rice. The meetings also use sustainability training, such as organic pest control, composting and water conservation.

In 2025, Gardens of Hope plans to expand in the Tepezala area and neighboring communities with the aim of supporting an additional 30 families next year. Want to ensure ongoing educational education with the goal of creating self-sustaining communities where families can sustain themselves with fresh produce and reduce dependency on external food assistance.

Club Calendar
Wed., Oct. 2: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Club Assembly – Concours d’Elegance

Sat., Oct. 5: Road Cleanup Service Project, 8:30 a.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry, 801 Gales Creek Road

Wed., Oct. 9: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Youth Citizen of the Month

Thurs., Oct. 10: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

Sat., Oct. 12: Service Project With West Tuality Habiat for Humanity
Location TBD

Wed., Oct. 16: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Keith Buckley, Pacific University Athletics

Thurs., Oct. 17: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom