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

Steak Sale Is Back On: The club is starting its next Steak Sale Fundraiser, which benefits all of our club’s community outreaches. We are offering packs two choice sirloin steaks from Columbia Empire Meats for $20 per pack (note the price increase from previous sales).

Orders for this round are due to Julia Kollar by no later than Sunday, March 13. Steak pickup will be on Thursday, March 17, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Jeff Duyck’s warehouse on 19th Avenue between Main and Ash Streets.

For more information or questions, please contact Julia.

Road Cleanups Return (Change In Date): After a hiatus by Washington County due to the pandemic, our semi-annual road cleanup service project is set to start up again. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 12 (note date change), beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Oregon Department of Forestry at 801 Gales Creek Road.

As part of the Washington County Adopt-A-Road program, our club conducts cleanups on Gales Creek Road between Thatcher Road and Forest Gale Drive and along Thatcher Road between Gales Creek Road and David Hill Road. Our club has been involved with the program for over 25 years. There is no better way for club members to honor Jerry Hoerber’s memory than by taking part in this project, which he started and served as chair of for over a quarter-century.

Scholarship Program Is Open: Applications are now being accepted for the Rotary Club of Forest Grove’s annual scholarship program. Scholarships are awarded to high school seniors that live in the Forest Grove, Gaston and Banks school district attendance areas. These scholarships are made possible thanks to contributions from club members and from our annual car show, the Concours d’Elegance.

Scholarships vary in amounts from $500 to $2,000 and are awarded to help pay for the first year of college of vocational school at a school in the United States.

The application deadline is midnight on Saturday, April 7. The application process will once again take place completely online. Click Here For Additional Details.

For questions, please contact Scholarship Committee chair Sharon Olmstead at sharon.olmstead8571@gmail.com.

The Concours Is Back – Save The Date: After two years without an in-person show, the planning is in full swing for the 2022 Concours d’Elegance. Our annual show, which raises funds for our club’s Scholarship Program, will take place on Sunday, July 17, on the campus of Pacific University.

This year’s theme is a celebration of Jaguar. In addition, the show will showcase a salute to British Excellence with feature classes for MG, Triumph and Lotus.

Concours weekend also includes a vineyard concert on Fri., July 15, the annual Vineyard Tour on Sat., July 16 and the Evening of Excellence dinner at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course on the evening of Sat., July 16.

For more information on the show, visit forestgroveconcours.org, or contact show chairman Ryan Garcia.

As our club’s primary fundraiser for the year, the Concours is an “all hands on deck” event with all club members expected to volunteer.

Add Concours Updates: The Concours Committee is in need of a vendor chair for this year’s show. The role involves keep in touch with our vendors and making sure that their needs are taken care of on the day of the event. If you are interested in taking on this role, please contact Ryan Garcia or President Bryce.

Tim Pearson, the Concours fundraising chair, is well in the process of securing sponsorships for this year’s show…but he needs our help. He has a goal of securing 100 sponsors for this year’s event. If you know of a person, business or organization that you believe would be a good fit for the show, please contact Tim at 503-998-8616 or timpearsonpc@gmail.com.

Crab Feed Is Back: After two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Crab Feed is coming back in 2022!

Our club’s annual Crab Feed is scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Forest Grove Senior & Community Center. The Crab Feed is designed to be a social event for club members and their families to celebrate the good work that we do throughout the year. This is also traditionally when the club recognizes its latest Paul Harris Fellows.

Julia Kollar is re-forming the committee to take on the planning and execution of this event. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Julia.

Advanced tickets will be required to be purchased prior to the event (to assist in budgeting) and will be available soon.

Steak Feed Returns: Our annual Steak Feed is also returning after a two-year hiatus. This year’s event will take place on Friday, June 10, on the campus of Pacific University.

Designed as a community event, the Steak Feed is specifically targeted as a fundraiser for our club’s involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange program (which we also hope to see return in 2022). A meal featuring a choice steak, potatoes, vegetables and dessert is prepared and served by club members.

As one of our club’s major fundraisers, the Steak Feed is an “all hands on deck” event with all club members expected to volunteer. More details on this year’s event will be available soon. For more information, please contact Geoff Faris.

Helping The FGHS Food Pantry: As part of our continued partnership with the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry, our club was able to fill a request for 10 plastic bins. These bins are being used to store winter coats that were collected by the school’s Renaissance Club.

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 Video Updates: The latest video updates from District 5100 leaders are available online. We encourage you to click on the links below and learn more about what is going on with our district’s committee.

Update From District Governor Nominee Renee Brouse
PolioPlus Committee Update
Rotary Essential Enrichment Learning (REEL) Update
ShelterBox Ambassador 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. The conference website is now live. Check it out at http://www.rotary5100.com.

Around Rotary International
Rotary’s Statement On Wild Polio Case In Malawi: As a result of ongoing disease surveillance, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has confirmed a case of type 1 wild poliovirus (WPV1) in a child suffering from paralysis in Malawi. Analysis has shown the virus is genetically linked to WPV1 that had circulated in Pakistan’s Sindh province.

The GPEI is supporting health authorities in Malawi to conduct a thorough assessment of the situation and begin urgent immunization activities to mitigate any risk of spread. Environmental surveillance measures are also being expanded in Malawi and neighboring countries to detect any other potential cases.

Detection of WPV1 outside the world’s two remaining endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan is a serious concern and underscores the importance of prioritizing polio immunization activities in countries such as Malawi to prevent future instances of importation. Rotary has continued strong financial support to Africa since the most recent previous case in Nigeria. During the last two years, 54% of the Rotary PolioPlus budget has supported disease surveillance, outbreak response, the purchase of vaccines and operational expenses throughout Africa.

While the news from Malawi is disappointing, the polio program has seen importations from endemic countries to regions that have been certified wild polio-free in the past, and has moved quickly to successfully stop transmission of the virus in these areas. As an imported case from Pakistan, this detection of WPV in Malawi does not affect the WHO African region’s wild polio-free certification status.

In the more than three decades since Rotary launched its PolioPlus program and formed the GPEI, we have repeatedly stressed that polio anywhere is a threat to children everywhere. The case in Malawi imported from Pakistan underscores the importance of that statement. Now is the time for all parties – Rotary members, communities, government leaders, and global partners – to recommit to ending all forms of polio for good. As Rotary members, it is critical that we ramp up our efforts to raise awareness for the importance of reaching all children with polio vaccines, and continue raising the funds necessary to carry out critical eradication activities to protect vulnerable children and prevent further outbreaks.

Donate now at endpolio.org/donate

Last Week’s Program: Steve Kilston, Being The Universe

Click Here To Watch The Full Program

This week, we were honored to be joined via Zoom by astronomer Steve Kilston. With over 40 years of experience in the field, Steve provided a discussion entitled, “Beyond The Universe – The Biggest Picture.”

The presentation talked about the expansive nature of the universe, his vision for a large spaceship and research project that would allow humans to explore the outer reaches of the universe, and his views about how all life on this planet truly is part of and made from the universe around us.

Steve studied astronomy at both Harvard and UCLA. In 1966, he published a paper with Carl Sagan on satellite search for intelligent life. In the late 1960s, Steve discovered a comet at the age of 21 while working at the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton in California.

Rather than write about what the presentation entailed, we encourage to watch and be amazed.

Club Calendar
Wed., Feb. 23: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, Pacific University
Program: Raziah Roushan, Tualatin Valley Creates

Wed., Mar. 2: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, Pacific University
Program: To Be Announced

Thurs., Mar. 2: Executive Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
Via Zoom

Sat., Mar. 12: Road Cleanup, 8:30 a.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry, 801 Gales Creek Rd., Forest Grove

Sun., Mar 13: Deadline For Steak Sale Orders

Sat., Apr. 7: Rotary Scholarship Program Application Deadline

Wed., Apr. 20: Rotary Crab Feed, 5 p.m.
Forest Grove Senior & Community Center

Fri., June 10: Steak Feed, 5 p.m.
Pacific University Campus

Sun., July 17: Concours d’Elegance
Pacific University Campus