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

Club Announcements
We Are Back…Online: Yes, we went without meetings for much of March thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak. But that is changing. We had 32 members join us last week over Zoom. Much of the meet was spent checking in on how each of us was doing, brainstorming what we can do as a club to support the community during this crisis and providing updates on District 5100 activities.

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 is 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

Concours Update: With the uncertainly on the COVID-19 situation, the Rotary Board of Directors, at the unanimous recommendation of the Concours Steering Committee, has canceled the 2020 Concours d’Elegance, scheduled for Sunday, July 19. The committee will refocus its efforts for the 2021 show. The club board will be talking in the coming weeks to find avenues that we can fundraise for our scholarship fund with the absence of our top fundraising event of the year.

Click Here For The Complete Announcement From The Concours Committee

Steak Feed Update: It is unlikely that the Steak Feed will be table to take place as scheduled on Friday, June 12. The club will continue to look at the possibility of postponing this event to a date later in the summer or fall.

Rotary Phone Tree: Last week, our We Care Committee started a Rotary Phone Tree that will be utilized once per week. The goal of the phone tree is to reach out and check on every member of the club to make sure they are doing alright 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. For more information or questions, contact Paul Waterstreet.

Update On Jill Verboort: We continue to extend prayers and best wishes to Rotarian Jill Verboort, who continues to recover from COVID-19. Jill recently finished two weeks of self-isolation while battling the virus and, thankfully, is well on the road to recovery. Jill has been blogging about her battle for COVID-19 and invites Rotarians to check it out at https://spreadingsunshineblog.com/.

 Quarterly Dues: You should have received by now your quarterly dues statement from the club. Please note that this statement will not include any prepaid meals expenses. This reflects the decision of the board in March to put all members on a “pay as you go” status for this quarter since we are currently unable to meet in person.

We understand that this is a challenging time for all of us and that some of our members are affected more significantly than others. If you are able, please pay your dues invoice as soon as possible so that we can continue to meet our RI and District obligations. If you believe that your situation will make it hard or impossible to make a payment, please contact President Tim Pearson. The club will consider and work with those hardships on a case-by-case basis.

Youth Exchange Changes: With the world turned upside down with the pandemic, the parents of our inbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student, Gabriella Cuadra from Chile, will be returning home on April 14. We are sorry that her experience is ending early but we are grateful for the time we spent with her!

We have also learned that our 2020-21 outbound student, Melanie Schneider, has had her experience to Denmark canceled. Read More On How District 5100 Is Handling Youth Exchange During Pandemic

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 be in need of 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.

If you are able to donate any of the above items, please contact Gwen Hullinger at 503-419-7341. If you wish to make a cash donation to the pantry, Click Here.

Helping The Forest Grove School Community: At the request of Rotarian and Forest Grove School District Superintendent Dave Parker, our Youth Funding Committee donated $3,000 to the school district to help in making supplemental learning items available to students as supplemental and distance learning. We have also reached out to the Banks and Gaston school districts to see what assistance our club can provide.

Rotary Scholarships: With the COVID-19 outbreak, our scholarship committee has extended the application deadline for the Rotary Club of Forest Grove Scholarship program to Thursday, April 30. The following changes have also been put in effect to help make it easier for applicants during this time…

• Applications will be accepted via email. All required documents must be part of the email.
• If a student is unable to obtain an official transcript, a copy of their most recent transcript or grades report will be accepted.

The program is open to graduating seniors who live in the Forest Grove, Gaston and Banks school district attendance areas. The program is funded through the proceeds our club receives by putting on the annual Concours d’Elegance. Seniors who wish to apply can download the application from the Rotary Club of Forest Grove Website. Applications are due by Thurs., April 30.

No Fines, No Problem: With not being able to collect fines or take brags, Tim Schauermann suggested that members donate $50 instead to go towards our scholarship program. We had 14 members do that at our April 1 meeting, raising $700 to go towards next year’s scholarships. If you are interested in donating your $50, please let President Tim Pearson know. Donations will be billed.

Take Out Locally!: There are many local restaurants and coffee shops that are continuing to operate for take-out during the stay-at-home order. Those local businesses are seeing a significant drop in business and could use our support. Could you commit to patronizing one of these eateries at least once per week to help stimulate the local economy? See this list of Forest Grove eateries open for takeout, courtesy of Court Carrier.

Dental Emergencies?: With the COVID-19 outbreak, most dentists in Oregon have been forced to effectively close until at least June 15. Rotarian Vaughn Tidwell has been able to upgrade his office to medical grade and is offering to take care of dental emergencies for Rotarians and their immediate families free of charge. If you are in need of this service, please contact Vaughn at 503-816-9990.

Board of Directors Elections: Elections for three open board of directors positions were held at our March 11 meeting. Congratulations to Virginia Ohler, Howard Sullivan and Alma Lozano, who will serve from 2020 to 2023. We look forward to your greater service to the club!

RYLA: With the resignation of Kerri Willis from the club, Lazaro Villegas has agreed to help chair RYLA for our club! If you know of someone who would be a great candidate for RYLA this summer, please let Lazaro know.

District Announcements
District 5100 Conference: Due to gathering restrictions with the COVID-19 outbreak, the District 5100 Conference has been canceled.

Club Calendar
Wed., April 15: Club Weekly Meeting, Noon, via Zoom
Wed., April 22: Club Weekly Meeting, Noon, via Zoom
Wed., April 29: Club Weekly Meeting, Noon, via Zoom