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…

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

Scholarship Program: A reminder that there is a month left for local high school seniors to submit their applications for the annual Rotary Club of Forest Grove Scholarships. The scholarship program is open to all graduating high school seniors residing in the Forest Grove, Banks and Gaston school district attendance areas.

This year, through the work of Sharon Olmstead and the Scholarship Committee, the entire application process will be done online. Applications must be submitted by midnight on Thursday, Apr. 1. Click Here For Full Scholarship Detail Information.

For additional questions, please contact Sharon Olmstead at sharon.olmstead8571@gmail.com.

Thirsty Thursday: Thank you to the Rotarians who came out and enjoyed the February Satellite Club meeting/Thirsty Thursday gathering at The Growler Garage. The March gathering is scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 18, 6:30 p.m., at the Zesti Food Carts pod, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove (across from Doherty Ford).

Update On FGHS Food Pantry Toiletry Distribution: Over the last couple of months, our club has been working with the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry to provide toiletries, personal hygiene items and cleaning materials that are not part of the Oregon Food Pantry’s typical distribution. This effort resulted in the club’s first distribution of items at the pantry on Feb. 1.

The club is pleased to announce that the board has approved $2,000 towards this continuing effort and has received a $2,000 matching grant from District 5100. This will help sustain the purchase of these items and distribution over the next few months. It is the hope that this effort can become a regular sustained project for the club.

Special thank you to Rotarians Gwen Hullinger, Michael & Claudia Yakos and Laura Thompson-Aue for the initial push to make this toiletry distribution happen and to Janet Peters for submitting the District 5100 grant application in such rapid fashion. We are making a difference in the community!

Club Committees: Part of the work of our club is service on the different committees, which help our club function and help conduct our outreach activities. An updated committee list was attached to last week’s Rototeller. It is expected that members serve on at least one committee. Please review the list and if you wish make a change or add yourself to a committee, please contact President Julia Kollar.

Steak Feed & Concours Update: We have been informed by Pacific University that due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, our club will not be able to host its annual Steak Feed or the Concours d’Elegance on campus this year. Both committees will be meeting to discuss what this means for the club and will provide updates at a later date.

Rotary Phone Tree: Keep up the work keeping our members in the loop with the Rotary Club of Forest Grove phone tree. 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. The pantry will remain open on Mondays over the Winter Break.

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.

Blood Drive Upcoming: St Anthony’s Catholic Church will be partnering with the Red Cross for a second blood drive on Wed., Feb. 24 in the church’s parish hall at 1660 Elm Street. Advance appointments are required and the Red Cross is adhering to strict COVID-19 safety protocols. To sign up for an appointment, please call 800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

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
District 5100 Spring Training Event: Registration is now open for the District 5100 Spring Training Event (formerly District Training Assembly). The virtual training event will take place over two weekends on Saturday, Apr. 10 and Saturday, Apr. 17. Sessions on Apr. 10 are geared towards club officers, including membership chairs, treasurers, Rotary Foundation chairs and more. The second weekend is geared towards anyone interested in learning more about the inner-workings of Rotary.

Two keynote speakers will be appearing as part of the training event. On Apr. 10, the event will be joined Rotary Zone 26 & 27 Director Vicki Puliz. On Apr. 17, the speaker will be Mitty Chang, president and CEO of Candeavor, a digital marketing and web development agency, ad a very-involved Rotarian.

Check Out The Schedules: Apr. 10 | Apr. 17

Attending the Spring Training Event is free to Rotarians but advance registration is required. You can sign up for the event by logging into DacDB and completing the registration form.

District 5100 Conference: The District 5100 Conference, slated for Apr. 30 and May 1, will be online. This will make the event  accessible to all Rotarians more than ever.

When the District Conference Committee, chaired by our own Claudia Yakos, started planning, chose the theme of “Wandering Through New Doors.” Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping us physically distant, it’s more important than ever to focus on the strength and opportunity that comes with opening new doors of opportunities. The District 5100 Conference will educate, connect, inspire and offer virtual fellowship. More information to come.

Dick Elixman Award Nominations: District 5100 is soliciting nominations for the inaugural Dick Elixman Award of Innovation For Visionary Thinking and Innovation. The award was created in memory of Dick Elixman, who was a dedicated Rotarian in District 5100 from 1992 until his passing in 2019.

The award is designed to honor clubs of Rotarians in District 5100 (including partners and spouses of Rotarians) who are active members in good standing, who have successfully implemented a project, program or activity in one of Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus (Education & Literacy, Peace Building & Conflict Resolution, Disease Prevention & Treatment, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; Community & Economic Development, Maternal & Child Health, and Supporting the Environment) that resonated with Dick’s commitment to service above self and makes an impactful, innovative positive change in a program, project or solution to a community need. The geographic scope can be local, regional and national.

Clubs may submit one nomination per Rotary year and must be nominated by March 15. The award will be presented during the District Conference. If you have a potential nomination for this award, please contact President Julia Kollar.

Around Rotary International
Rotary Awards Its Highest Recognition To The United Nations: To celebrate 75 years of cooperation and a shared history of working together toward a healthier and more peaceful world, Rotary presented the United Nations (UN) and its agencies, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, with its highest recognition: The Rotary Award of Honor.

Accepting the award presented by Past Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on 23 November, “My profound gratitude to Rotary. Through me, you are also recognizing the United Nations and our efforts to build a healthier, safer, and more peaceful world.”

Receiving the award on behalf of the WHO on 25 February, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Rotary is a vital partner for WHO, and our partnership has brought us to the threshold of a historic achievement over polio.”

Rotary, WHO, and UNICEF, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since then, nearly 3 billion children have been immunized against polio in 122 countries, and polio cases have been reduced 99.9 percent worldwide –including the recent certification of the African region as free of the wild poliovirus. This public-private partnership also includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Our progress toward ending polio demonstrates the positive impact we can have when we work together,” said Maloney. Read More

Last Week’s Program: Ashley Mumm, Oregon Food Bank

Click View To View The Complete Program

We were honored to be joined by Ashley Mumm, the public relations manager for the Oregon Food Bank. Ashley talked to us about the mission of the Oregon Food Bank and how it has continued to fight food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ashley has a very intimate connection to the Food Bank’s mission. She grew up in Washington County and fondly recalls volunteering with her mom at various food assistance sites as a child. Having experienced food insecurity herself, she was drawn to the Oregon Food Bank because of the great work it does in the community.

The Oregon Food Bank’s mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes. Pre-pandemic, one in 11 Oregonians experienced food insecurity, accounting for more than 865,000 people in Oregon and southwest Washington that engaged with the OFB network. During the pandemic, nearly one in five people in Oregon face hunger.

The two main causes of hunger and poverty and inequity. Inequity is defined as any group that has experienced any kind of oppression such as systemic racism. Hunger’s ramifications can include micronutrient deficiencies, chronic disease, depression, social isolation and other long-term health consequences.

The Oregon Food Bank fulfills its mission to end hunger through building community connections to help people access nutritious, affordable food today and build community power to eliminate the causes of hunger for good.

The Oregon Food Bank Network includes 21 regional food banks and over 1,400 food assistance programs across Oregon and SW Washington. This includes 15 sites in the Hillsboro/Forest Grove areas, including Banks, Gaston and the FGHS Food Pantry. The Oregon Food Bank is the only Feeding America network member in the state of Oregon.

The Oregon Food Bank’s role, in addition to food banking, to build community power through community food systems, healthcare partnerships, organizing and policy advocacy and education programs.

The pandemic has opened eyes to the issues involving hunger and food insecurity. We have the opportunity to rebuild and emerge stronger so that we can end hunger for good in our communities.

For more information, visit oregonfoodbank.org.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted

Wed., Mar. 3: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Kevin Barton, Washington County DA

Thurs., Mar. 4: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.

Wed., Mar. 10: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Rocky Brown, Troop 213 Update

Thurs., Mar. 11: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.

Wed., Mar. 17: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Dave Parker, Forest Grove School District

Thurs., Mar. 18: Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove