Online Meetings: 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

Hope For The Holidays: Planning for our 2020 Hope For The Holidays project is well underway. We currently have $7,143 raised towards this year’s project, which includes a $2,500 District 5100 matching grant and proceeds from our recent wreath sale. The committee has a goal of raising another $4,000 from club members with a deadline of Friday, Dec. 11.

Due to the pandemic, there are some changes to the program for this year. The amount provided is being reduced from $500 to $250, which will allow the club to help more families. We will also be doing the shopping at Walmart over three separate evenings, Dec. 16-18.

Applications for families have been sent out to local partner organizations and is also attached to the Rototeller edition emailed to members.

If you would like to participate in this year’s shopping nights or have questions about the program, please contact Claudia Yakos.

Wreath Sales: Thank you to all who participate in our Wreath Sale, which raised funds for our Hope For The Holidays project. Orders were due on Friday. As of Wednesday, 76 wreaths have been ordered which will provide $1,120 to Hope For The Holidays. A big thank you to Janet Peters, who organized this fundraiser, and to Melinda Fischer who made the wreaths and provided a great deal on them to our club!

Steak Fundraiser: Thank you to all of our members who participated in our latest edition of the Rotary Club Steak Sale. This fourth round saw 200 packs of steaks sold, which will realize $1200 for our scholarship program.

Troop 213 Christmas Tree Sales: It is officially the holiday season and Scouts BSA Troop 213’s Christmas Tree Stand is open for business! The tree lot in the Safeway parking lot is open weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you wish to purchase a tree earlier on weekdays, you can pay at Maridon’s Restaurant.

Trees are available while supplies last. Five to seven-foot Douglas firs are available from $30 to $40 while five to eight-foot noble firs are available from $40 to $60.

This is Troop 213’s major fundraiser of the year and will go cover the troop’s annual charter renewal, leader training, merit badges and, most importantly, to help offset costs of summer camp for many scouts.

Thank You Janet Peters & Allstate: Our sincere thanks to Rotarian Janet Peters, who has secured a $1,000 grant from Allstate to assist in two club projects. A $500 portion will go to benefit Hope For The Holidays, while another $500 will go to the project to refurbish the barbeque built by the club at Rogers Park. Thank you Janet & Allstate!

Optional Giving Invoice: Members have received an optional giving invoice by both regular mail and email. This provides members an opportunity to give donations to The Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus as well as our club’s two hallmark programs, Hope For The Holidays and the Scholarship Program. For more details or questions, please contact club treasurer Lucas Welliver.

If you plan to donate to Hope For The Holidays, please submit your donations as soon as possible! The committee will need to determine soon how much money there will to support local families and start planning shopping times.

Support Local Business: The Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce would like to encourage all the area businesses or individuals to purchase gift cards from the local restaurants who are in desperate need right now and donate those cards to the Forest Grove Food Bank who could also use some extra help in this especially critical time.  Whether you mail them or drop those cards off at the Chamber, we will make sure they get to those in need before the holidays are over. For more information, please contact Juanita Lint at the chamber at 503-357-3006 or director@visitforestgrove.com.

Rotary Phone Tree: The phone tree continues and has been re-shuffled to keep things fresh. The latest phone tree was emailed out last week. If you have questions, or if your information on the Phone Tree is not correct, contact Paul Waterstreet.

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.

FGHS Community Food Pantry: Even with schools closed, the need for resources at the Forest Grove High School Community 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. There is a particular need for dish soap and laundry soap.

During the fall, the Food Pantry will be open on Mondays from 2- 4 p.m. Donations are accepted on-site on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 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.

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.

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
‘Grow Rotary’ District Committee: District 5100 is facing a challenge and we would like to share it with all of you. We have reviewed the last 15 years of membership and discovered the District has lost one Rotary club per year over that time frame. This phenomenon has been a consistent fact dating back to the early 2000s and is primarily the reason why the membership within District 5100 has declined. Basically, we have dropped from 4,000 members 15 years ago to approximately 3,300 members today.

So, this year, the District decided to launch a new initiative focusing on growth opportunities within our geographic area of District 5100 and we created a ‘Grow Rotary’ Committee. The ‘Grow Rotary’ Committee has eight members including Immediate Past District Governor Diane Noriega and Past District Governor Kristi Halvorson, current governor line representatives Steve Williams and Jim Boyle. The committee also includes District Membership Committee representatives in Dennis Long and Raven Russell and a couple of Assistant Governors, Susanne Holmberg and Dennis Curtis, who have been instrumental in starting different types of Rotary clubs in the past.

The primary objective is to start new Rotary clubs where no Rotary clubs exist.  We currently have interest in starting clubs in Sandy and Happy Valley. If you have friends, family or know former Rotarians who might be interested in joining these clubs as charter members, please contact iPDG Diane Noriega for Sandy,

Dennis Curtis for Happy Valley and Jim Boyle for all other opportunities.

District 5100 Training Assembly: This year’s District 5100 Training Assembly, which is typically an in-person event, will be delivered online once again this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sessions that are specific to club and district positions are scheduled to be delivered on Saturday, Apr. 10. Sessions providing general topics to the entire Rotary membership are scheduled to be delivered on Saturday, Apr. 17. More details will be made available in the coming months.

Around Rotary International
Rotary’s Newest Object Of Focus – Protecting The Environment: Rotary shares an interest in protecting our common legacy: the environment. We are committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources, advance ecological sustainability, and foster harmony between communities and the environment. We empower communities to access grants and other resources, embrace local solutions, and spur innovation in an effort to address the causes and reduce the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Read More

Why I Raise Money For The Rotary Foundation (by Foundation Trustee Brenda Cressey): Several years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to take part in a multi-project mission with more than 100 Rotarians, spouses, Rotaractors and even a few new Rotarians from Rotary District 5280. We flew to Panama to visit project sites, perform cataract surgeries, and deliver wheelchairs.

There were several “Rotary moments” on that trip, but the truly unforgettable moment for me was when a grandfather, having no legs, was presented with the gift of mobility in the form of a bright red wheelchair.

Seeing his grandson in tears reminded me that we not only changed that grandfather’s life, but the life of that young boy who had been lovingly carrying his grandfather everywhere since he became big enough to do so. Moments like that one are why I never miss an opportunity to promote the World Fund and encourage others to support it with their generous giving.

As an alum of The Rotary Foundation, I have also visited project sites in Mexico several times, working with local Rotarians to develop a long-term partnership that continues to this day. Read More

Last Week’s Program: Bob Sharkey, The Rotary Foundation

Click Here To View The Entire Program

At last week’s meeting we were joined by Bob Sharkey, a member of the Rotary Club of Hood River and the assistant chair of District 5100’s Rotary Foundation Committee. His message was on The Rotary Foundation and the why of contributing to the foundation.

Bob opened his presentation by showing a two-minute promotion video put together by Harley Davidson. In showing the video, Bob points out that while there are a number of different brands of motorcycles out there, Harley Davidson has cultivated a brand and following that makes it among the most recognized names in its business.

What does the general public know about Rotary? What are Rotary’s values? What are Rotary’s seven areas of focus? While most of us within Rotary can answer these questions, most people outside of Rotary have no idea what Rotary does. We as Rotarians have a shared responsibility to address the world’s most pertinent issues and work to make the world a better place.

In non-profit circles, The Rotary Foundation is one of the most well-respected foundations in the world. The Foundation regularly receives a 100 percent score from Charity Navigator. On average, 91 cents from every dollar contributed to the foundation goes towards programs and their implementation.

There are three major streams of revenue for the Rotary Foundation: Polio Plus, Benefactor Contributions and the Annual Fund contributions. Annual Fund contributions are held on to for three years and are then are used for district grants and world fund grants.

In 1995, if you donated $25,000 to the endowment fund, the spendable earnings since that time has gone to $38,000, exceeding the value of the original gift. By, 2025, TRF would like to grow the Foundation endowment to $2 billion. The endowment is currently around $500 million. There are commitments to TRF of over $800 million through future commitments (benefactor society). In the future, the spendable revenue from the endowment will provide the majority of the funding for the Annual Fund (more than individual contributions).

To learn more about The Rotary Foundation and how it works, visit https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted
Wed., Dec. 9: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Ryan Wells, Cornelius Community Development
Thurs., Dec. 10: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Wed., Dec. 16: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Megan Van de Mark, Certified Backyard Habitat Program
Dec. 16-18: Hope For The Holidays
Contact Claudia Yakos for more details
Wed., Dec. 23: No Meeting. Merry Christmas!