March 20, 2020

Fellow Rotarians,

On behalf of President Tim Pearson, I want to provide all of you an update on where the Rotary Club of Forest Grove stands in terms of the COVID-19 Outbreak.

First and foremost is the health and safety of all of our members and the entire community. As “People of Action,” the best action we can provide as Rotarians is to follow the recommendations and orders set forth by government and health officials. We best serve the community by doing what we can to “flatten the curve.”

Your club’s board of directors met via conference call on Thursday morning and discussed at length future club meetings, dues and ways that club members can interact while we cannot meet face-to-face. Here are some of the outcomes of those discussions.

• The board unanimously voted to cancel all in-person club meetings (Wednesday meetings and Satellite Club) through April 16.

• Board members will be working over the next two weeks to investigate ways that our club can meet virtually (online) and develop a best course of action to keep our club active.

• During the fourth quarter of the Rotary year (April 1-June 30), all members will be charged as “pay as you go” for meals. This means that the billing you will receive in April will reflect only club, District 5100 and Rotary International dues. Note that RI is not suspending dues payments, so it is important that invoices are paid in a timely manner so we can continue to meet our club’s obligation to RI.

• In an effort to make sure all Rotarians are connected and care for the We Care Committee is developing a “phone tree” for all us to check on Rotary family. We will ask each of you to check in with those people assigned to you at least once a week. Expect to see that email coming from the club in the next few days (for those who we know are not online regularly, we will reach out to them by phone).

• As of now, our annual Steak Feed and Concours d’Elegance committees are continue to plan for those events as scheduled. The Concours committee will be meeting via conference call on Tuesday, April 7, to talk about next steps for our biggest annual fundraiser.

• The club Board of Directors will meet again via teleconference on Thursday, April 9, to discuss further steps.

In addition to our meetings for the foreseeable future, the following events have been canceled…

• District 5100 Training Assembly on Sat., April 4. The district is working on a way for Rotarians to participate in virtual trainings that day. Stay tuned for details.

• District 5100 Conference, May 14-17.

• Rotary International Convention, June 6-10 in Honolulu.

Click Here for more details about how Rotary is responding to the outbreak.

We want everyone to stay healthy and safe throughout this unprecedented emergency so that, when it is over, we can continue to serve our community at full strength. Please see the following resources…

Centers For Disease Control
Oregon Health Authority
Washington County Health & Human Services

I would also encourage all of you to check out another club that is meeting online or one of the many Rotary E-Clubs out there. Use the following resources to connect with other clubs…

Rotary.org Club Finder
Online Directory Of District 5100 Clubs
List of Rotary E-Clubs (courtesy State of Jefferson Rotary, Jacksonville, Oregon)

Wishing you all good health.

Blake Timm
Past President
Rotary Club of Forest Grove