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

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We wish everyone a very happy, prosperous and safe 2022! We look forward to seeing all of our members back at Pacific University for our next regularly scheduled weekly meeting on Wednesday, January 5.

In-Person Meetings: We are back to having in-person meetings on Wednesdays at noon in the Boxer Pause room in the University Center (towards the back of the dining commons). As in the past, lunch will be available in the dining commons for a nominal fee.

For the safety of everyone involved, Pacific University is asking that anyone attending in-person meetings follow the following safety protocols:

• All persons who attend in-person meetings on campus are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

• Masks are required at all times while you are on the Pacific University campus, unless you are actively eating.

• If you are experiencing any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, please stay home and join us via Zoom. Click Here For Symptoms.

• If you have been in close contact with an individual who is a confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 case, or have tested positive for the virus yourself, follow the quarantine guidance from the Washington Country Health Department.

These rules will help keep our members and community safe and will allow us to meet in-person after such a long time apart.

If you cannot attend or do not feel comfortable attending in-person, Click Here On Information On How To Join Us Via Zoom.

Club President For 2024-25: We are excited to announce that Lucas Welliver has agreed to serve as club president for the 2024-25 Rotary Year. Lucas has served as club secretary in the past and currently serves as club treasurer. Thank you for your continued service to the club and congratulations!

The current rotation of club presidents following the end of Bryce Baker’s term is as follows:

2022-23: Janet Peters
2023-24: Amy Tracewell
2024-25: Lucas Welliver

Program Chair Update: Thank you so much to Janet Peters for her excellent work as program chair for the club during 2021! You did an excellent job for us, especially in the transition from online meetings to in-person meetings and navigating hybrid presentations.

As Janet prepares for her presidential year, Amy Tracewell is stepping in for her term as program chair. If you have ideas for potential programs, please contact Amy.

Welcome New Members: It was our honor to induct three new members into the Rotary Club of Forest Grove during our December 22 Zoom meeting. Erika Plunkett, Lynne Tynan and Cortland Jones will all be active in the cause-based satellite club that will be formally chartered in 2022.

Erika Plunkett has spent the last several years as an independent consultant in the international nonprofit sector supporting businesses, philanthropists, and nonprofits as they develop and grow. Her goal is to challenge the status quo of corporate giving and to implement strategies and abstract ideas that invigorate the philanthropic realm. In addition to consulting, Erika has worked closely with marginalized and underserved communities in the United States, both professionally and personally, giving her a passion for equity and advocacy.

She is a “humanitarian innovator” who seeks to implement creative solutions to challenges in developing countries. She strongly believes that everyone, regardless of social or economic status, should have opportunities to learn and access to a good education.

This passion led to the co-founding in 2018 of Ama International Inc, a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit focusing on poverty reduction through prevention, provision, education, and action in Mexico. Ama serves as a bridge for the vulnerable by forming long-term partnerships with local leaders in underserved communities to establish projects and initiatives that will positively impact families and offer communities a brighter future.

Erika envisions a world where our differences don’t divide us but rather inspire us; a world made up of global citizens motivated by generosity; a world of ama sin fronteras (love without borders).

Lynne Tynan is a passionate co-founder of Kilkenny Consulting, I Love Travel, LLC and the newest humanitarian non-profit, I Love Travel Missions, Inc.  Her fervor for justice, travel, and missions, as well as her extensive background in legal affairs has led her to not only co-found these organizations but be an active part in volunteering both locally and overseas. This, coupled with her heart for empowering individuals, educating others, and impact on a global scale has moved her to the soon-coming launch of Revolt 35, which will feature products created by artists and people groups from around the globe.

Lynne resides in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana where she was born and raised. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, the outdoors, and spending time with friends and family both near and far.

Cortland Jones is the co-founder of I Love Travel Missions, a non-profit that unites people, empowering them to make an impact through supporting innovative programs that create sustainable solutions to eradicate poverty. In addition to operating this incredible non-profit, she is a think tank facilitator, and a serial social impact entrepreneur. Cortland revels in helping people discover their purpose and enjoys listening to the ideas of great minds, assisting them in taking their ideas from concept to fruition.

Cortland worked as a project manager in the tech industry for over 15 years until transitioning full time into her travel company where she has over 10 years of experience providing international event and travel services. Together with her amazing teams, she manages I Love Travel, I Love Travel Missions and pursues other human-centered business ventures.

Outside of her professional grind, Cortland is an avid traveler, and food enthusiast who enjoys exploring the world, seeing all it has to offer through the places, experiences, and people she encounters. Being married for 15 years with one son has proven to be one of her greatest accomplishments and adventures to date. Cortland strives to see the world through rose-colored glasses and encourages others to follow her life motto to love more, honor always, seek unity and to respect regardless.

Hope For The Holidays: A holiday tradition for the Rotary Club of Forest Grove, the club’s annual Hope for the Holidays event was another success.

Hope for the Holidays is a service project designed to help give less fortunate families a little brighter holiday. This year, the project helped 12 families and 48 individuals from the local area. The 12 families were identified and nominated by local school districts and West Tuality Habitat for Humanity.

Each family received a $500 gift card at Walmart and shopped with Rotarian volunteers at our shopping event on Tuesday, December 14. Families used the money to purchase everything from toys for kids to clothing to food and basic essentials.

The gift cards were funded thanks to $9,000 donated by Rotary Club members, proceeds from the club’s wreath sale fundraiser and a $2,500 matching grant from Rotary District 5100. Any left over proceeds from this year’s event will be kept in reserve to use for Hope for the Holidays in 2022.

A thank you to the following Rotarians and volunteers for helping to coordinate the event and for helping on event night: Mike & Claudia Yakos, Pete & Parri Van Dyke, Dean & Lori Larson, Luis & Alma Lozano, Melinda Fischer, Blake & Hannah Timm, Caroline Roudry, Lucas Welliver, Julia Kollar and Janet Peters.

Rotaract Update: Thank you to Amy Tracewell, who has stepped forward to become the club liaison to the Pacific University Rotaract Club. Thank you, Amy, for helping us continue to have an important link between our two clubs!

Forest Grove Partnering With Lake Oswego On International Project: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove Board of Directors voted to partner with the Rotary Club of Lake Oswego on an international project. Called Project Flourish, the project is based with the MAIA Impact School in Guatemala, which strives to teach girls, and particularly girls of Mayan descent, to finding their empowered voice and to embrace what education can do for them.

Guatemala has the worst gender equity gap in the Americas. This initiative centers on the creation and implementation of an educational program to connect talent with opportunity for first-generation “Girl Pioneers” (young women born into situations of quadruple discrimination as rural, poor, female, and Indigenous) in Guatemala. The elements of this program center on the following:

• Formal internships to generate experience and informed decision-making
• Preparation for university entrance exams
• Training on soft skills for job interviews and workplace readiness/success
• Workplace English & IT training to increase employability

This project creates a powerful pilot that will serve 42 girls and their families (approximately 336 people). These girls and families represent over a dozen rural villages in Sololá. Once created, the project will continue in perpetuity to serve generations of young women who will break out of poverty.

The project is partially funded through a Rotary International Global Grant. We will have a program on this impactful project later this year.

Online Dues Payments: Our club is now equipped to process dues payments online! We can now process credit card or debit card payments for quarterly dues. Information on how to pay online will be included with quarterly billings that will be coming to your mailbox or email inbox.

With the transition to billing with Quickbooks, some members may not have received their quarterly invoice. If you did not, please contact treasurer Lucas Welliver.

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 on Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. The pantry is now open in its new site in the building along Nichols Lane between the football field and the Basinski Center.

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.

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 2020 are archived on our club’s YouTube page. Visit https://bit.ly/fgrotaryprograms.

Around District 5100
District 5100 Video Updates: If you haven’t seen the District 5100 newsletter recently, most of the district’s committees are now providing video updates on the latest that is going on in District 5100. Follow the links below to check out some of the updates…

District Governor Jim Boyle’s Monthly Update
District Governor Elect Steve Williams’ Update
District Governor Renee Brouse’s Update
Salem Region Spotlight
International Services Committee Update
District Membership Committee Update
Peace Committee Update
Polio Plus Committee Update
Rotary Essential Enrichment Learning (REEL) Update
Vocational Service Committee Update
Rotary Youth Exchange Committee Update

Save The Date: District 5100 Rotary One Conference: Mark your calendars for May 19-22 as District 5100 will present its first combined Spring Training Event and annual conference in Seaside. The combined conference will provide Rotary training opportunities, inspirational speakers and a celebration of what is hoped to be a great year in District 5100.

Around Rotary International
Rotary International & The Rotary Foundation Release Position Statement On COVID-19 Vaccination: As the first organization to envision a polio-free world through mass immunization of children, Rotary believes the decision to vaccinate is a humanitarian imperative. The Rotary International Board of Directors and Rotary Foundation Trustees believe that:

1. Global vaccination is the path to ending the pandemic, and we strongly encourage vaccination for all individuals, including our members.
2. Misinformation hinders the fight against COVID-19, and we are committed to providing our members with science-based information.
3. Rotary is engaged in assuring equity in vaccine access to all people. Through joint efforts with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance we are leveraging our frontline experience with polio to facilitate vaccine delivery.
4. Rotary salutes health care workers everywhere as they continue to provide lifesaving services. We encourage clubs to offer recognition and encouragement to these heroes.
5. Rotary and Rotaract clubs are encouraged to redouble their efforts to support COVID-19 prevention and vaccination efforts.
6. As one of the greatest advances of modern medicine, vaccines are safe, effective and save millions of lives each year. They have eliminated or controlled numerous diseases such as polio, smallpox, measles, and Ebola, and now, there is the opportunity to end the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccination.
7. The eradication of polio remains the goal of the highest order for Rotary. We can continue to apply the lessons we have learned in fighting polio to COVID-19 response efforts.

Last Week’s Program: Gwen Hullinger, Forest Grove Food Pantry

Click Here To Watch The Full Program

We finished up our 2021 programs by welcoming Rotarian Gwen Hullinger, who updated the club on the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry, a project that the club has been involved with since its inception in 2019. Gwen is an art teacher at FGHS and has been involved with the Food Pantry since day one.

Gwen opened by thanking the club for its involvement in getting the Food Pantry started. The pantry began in a room at the high school and stored a lot of donated foods. Rotary provided money and funds to purchase food and greatly expand the reach of the pantry. Today the pantry has its own space in a converted athletic storage facility along Nichols Lane.

The Food Pantry now receives food through a partnership with the Oregon Food Bank, which drops food off at the pantry every Monday. The Food Pantry is open after school on Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. Community members can come in and pick out the specific food that their family might need. Students help community members pick out the food they need and carry it to their cars.

The combination of the Oregon Food Bank partnership and the new space has helped reduce the number of people needed to run the pantry and reduces the potential food waste of items that a family might have received in a pre-packaged food box but might never have used.

As the new space is more utilized, Gwen’s vision is to have additional service clubs attached to the high school (such as Interact and National Honor Society) take turns manning the pantry so that multiple kids have an opportunity to come and support the community.

There are about 50 families that are coming into the Food Pantry regularly, which means it is definitely filling a need in the community.

Gwen said it has been cool to see these ideas on ways to serve the community and to be able to expand the reach of the Food Pantry come to fruition. She is grateful for the support of the school district and the community.

Gwen thanked the Rotary Club for its support of the Food Pantry through the hygiene product distribution that the club spearheaded in the spring and summer. She said that there is an ongoing need for hygiene and cleaning supplies, which are not provided by the Oregon Food Bank.

Club Calendar
Wed., Jan. 5: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, Pacific University
Program: Sarah Morse, Forest Grove Education Foundation

Thurs., Jan. 6: Executive Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
Via Zoom

Wed., Jan. 12: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, Pacific University
Program: Jim White, Nonprofit Association of Oregon

Thurs., Jan. 13: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Via Zoom