Online Meetings Continue: We will continue to meet virtually using the Zoom Meeting platform for the foreseeable future. Our meetings will begin at our normal meeting time, Noon on Wednesday. All Rotarians are welcome and participating will count towards meeting attendance. Here are the login details (will be the same for all of our online meetings moving forward)…

Direct Link: https://zoom.us/j/183084884
Meeting ID: 183 084 884

To join by phone, dial 669-900-6833 or 346-248-7799 and enter the meeting ID number when prompted.

Zoom App Downloads
Zoom Cloud Meeting App For Android
Zoom Cloud Meeting App For iPhone
Download Zoom Meeting App For Desktop

Executive Board & Full Board Meetings: Please note that the club Executive Board and full board meetings are moving from their traditional scheduled times. Executive Board meetings will move to the first Thursday of month and full board meetings will take place on the second Thursday of each month, both at 7 a.m. Full board meetings are open for all members to attend. Please contact President Julia Kollar if you wish to attend via Zoom.

Dues Assistance Program: The Covid-19 Pandemic and related economic restrictions have affected everyone. Recognizing that some members have been more severely affected than others, the Club is offering assistance with quarterly Club Dues.  If you are interested in assistance with next quarter’s dues, please contact Julia Kollar or Lucas Welliver by October 15, 2020.  Initially, the help will be limited to two quarters of Club Dues. The assistance will be funded by donations from other Club members, so please contact Julia or Lucas if you are interested in contributing to this program. Any remaining funds raised for this purpose at the end of the Rotary Year (6/30/2021) will be paid to the Forest Grove Rotary Foundation for general charitable purposes.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: The newly-formed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee concluded its second meeting this week. At the meeting, we discussed how to best develop and survey our club to better understand our own views around diversity, equity and inclusion. We developed a draft survey which we will send around to various stakeholders for input. You can watch a recording of the meeting on the club’s YouTube page.

Additionally, we discussed the work ahead of us which includes educational programs, a possible reading and resource list as we as further developing our committee’s mission statement. Our plan is to launch a survey by October 7. Email Howard Sullivan, Howard.Sullivan3@frontier.com, or Amy Tracewell, amy.callahan@pacificu.edu, if you would like to be involved.

Satellite Club Meeting/Thirsty Thursday: Due to the poor air quality, our September Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday social was canceled. We look forward to the next Thirsty Thursday in October.

Rotarians In The News: The Portland Tribune published a story on September 15 on businesses in Forest Grove and how they have re-tolled to survive in the CoVID-19 pandemic. Among those featured was our own Mark Nakajima, who runs ACE Hardware in Forest Grove with his family, and our own Court Carrier who talked about the tourism rebranding process. You can read the full article on the Portland Tribune Website.

McDougall Garden: The McDougall Garden, near the big flagpole, is looking good. But just like any garden, weeds will pop up. Rotarians are welcomed and encouraged to stop by and pull a weed or two, even if it is just for a few minutes. Many hands make for light work.

Dick Johnston Memorial Fund: The family of our late friend, Dick Johnston, have established a memorial with the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove to go towards the club’s scholarship program. Donations by check can be sent to the club at PO Box 125, Forest Grove, OR 97116. Donations to the fund are also being online through the club’s Square Payment Page.

Daybreak Club Bicycle Project: Our friends at the Forest Grove Daybreak Club are looking for bikes to donate to WashcoBikes, a non-profit organization that refurbishes bikes and distributes them to residents in Washington County. If you have a bike to donate, please contact Mitch Taylor at 503-314-0766.

Rotary Phone Tree: Thank you to everyone who has made our Rotary Phone Tree such a success in caring for our members. The goal of the phone tree is to reach out and check on every member of the club to make sure they are doing all right and to provide updates on club announcements and activities (Hint: You have a great list to draw from here). The plan is for the tree to be activated every Tuesday. The idea is that for each person to call the next one on the list. The last person on the list should call the team captain to make sure the list is complete. For more information or questions, or if your information on the Phone Tree is not correct, contact Paul Waterstreet.

FGHS Community Food Pantry: Even with schools closed, the need for resources at the Forest Grove High School Community Food Pantry continues. The pantry continues to need the following items to serve the community that is depending on it…

Food: Pasta, Canned Sauces, Tortillas, Rice, Beans, Canned Fruit, Jelly, Peanut Butter, Boxed Milk, Canned Vegetables, Bread, Applesauce, Granola Bars, Fruit Snacks, Macaroni & Cheese, Tuna, Crackers, Maseca and Vegetable Oil.

Hygiene Items: Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Tampons/Pads, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Hair Brushes, Toilet Paper.

During the fall, the Food Pantry will be open on Mondays from 2- 4 p.m.

If you can donate any of the above items, please contact Brian Burke, bburke@fgsd.k12.or.us. If you wish to make a cash donation to the pantry, Click Here.

Past Programs: Did you miss a meeting or want to go back and check out a program again? Most of our programs since May are archived on our club YouTube page. Visit https://bit.ly/fgrotaryprograms.

Around District 5100
McMinnville Sunrise Rotary Wine Raffle: The Rotary Club of McMinnville Sunrise is holding its annual wine raffle. Five winners will be drawn and will receive some of 84 different bottles from Methven Family Vineyards, Durant Vineyards, Stoller Family Estate, Redhawk Winery, Bjornson Winery, Chehalem Wines, White Rose Estate and Laurel Ridge Winery.

Proceeds from the raffle benefit the club’s non-profit projects and scholarships for students attending Chemeketa Community College. Tickets are $5 each, five for $20 or 25 for $100. The drawing will be held on October 28. Purchase Tickets On The McMinnville Sunrise Rotary Website.

Save The Dates: The annual District 5100 Training Assembly is scheduled for the weekend of April 17 and 18. The exact date, location and delivery method is to be determined. The annual District 5100 Conference is scheduled for April 29 through May 2 at the Vancouver Hilton.

Around The Rotary international World
Rotarian Named One Of Time’s Most Influential People: Dr. Tunji Funsho, chair of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, joins 100 pioneers, artists, leaders, icons, and titans as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. TIME announced its 2020 honorees during a 22 September television broadcast on ABC, recognizing Funsho for his instrumental leadership and work with Rotary members and partners to achieve the eradication of wild polio in the African region.

He is the first Rotary member to receive this honor for work toward eradicating polio.

A Rotarian for 35 years, Funsho is a member of the Rotary Club of Lekki, Nigeria, past governor of District 9110, and serves on Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. Funsho is a cardiologist and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria with his wife Aisha. They have four children; Habeeb, Kike, Abdullahi and Fatima; and five grandchildren.

TIME 100 comprises individuals whose leadership, talent, discoveries, and philanthropy have made a difference in the world. Past honorees include Bono, the Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela, Angela Merkel, Oprah Winfrey, and Malala Yousafzai. Read More

New Leadership Courses Online: As part of Rotary’s new partnership with Toastmasters International, six new leadership courses have been developed to expand leadership and communciation skills. These online modules, along with many others to expand your knowledge of Rotary, can be accessed for free by Rotary members at rotary.org/learn. (NOTE: You must login to the Rotary.org website to have access to thee learning center.)

Last Week’s Program: Amy Brownell, Second Home

Click Here To View The Entire Program
Click Here To View Introductory Video (Did Not Play Properly During Program)

Amy Brownell is the eastern Washington County coordinator for Second Home, a program of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. Second Home provides stable housing and ongoing support for unaccompanied students experiencing homelessness so that they can focus on completing their secondary education and discover and realize their gifts and potential.

The program is modeled after Metro HomeShare, which is a similar program geared towards adults. Second Home began serving students in 2010 in Beaverton and was an effort to initially serve students in the Beaverton School District. Second Home now has programs throughout Washington County (including Forest Grove, Banks and Gaston), Clackamas and Lincoln counties as well as the Gresham-Barlow School District.

Approximately 3,700 unaccompanied youth in Oregon experienced homelessness during the 2018-19 school year. Unaccompanied means that the young person is not living in the physical custody of their family. Reasons for this might include unsafe circumstances in the home, the student is forced to leave, parent’s unstable housing situation, the deportation of a parent, etc. Often times, DHS is not involved in the cases.

In the Forest Grove School District, there were 17 unaccompanied youth in 2018-19. Officials are predicting increased unaccompanied youth over the next year, particularly with the end of state moratoriums on evictions.

Host homes open their homes for a young person to live in. It is similar to an exchange student living situation. Host homes provide a stable living environment and more “normalized” high school experienced. It is a safer and more stable than most other options and provides a more trauma-informed response. The young people will leave the program with a rental history despite the fact that rent is not charged.

The program’s priorities are to empower students to make decisions about their own lives with guidance and encouragement. The program strives to be culturally sensitive and trauma-aware and to focus on each students’ individual needs. The program also emphasizes relationships and connection for everyone involved in the partnership.

Through the 2018-19 school year, Second Home has provided housing for 120 students and have served 450 others in ways other than housing. The graduation rate of students in the program is 90-95 percent.

Learn more at Second Home at https://emoregon.org/second-home/.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted
Wed., Sept. 30: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: George Rede, Media Literacy
Thurs., Sept. 1: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Wed., Oct. 7: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: NASA Mara Curiosity Rover (shared meeting with Rotary Club of Camarillo)
Thurs., Oct. 8: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Wed., Oct. 14: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Official Visit – District Governor Jo Crenshaw