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

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

FGHS Food Pantry Toiletry Distribution: Last Monday, our club participated in a first toiletry distribution session at the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry. Rotarians Tom Linkhart and Michael Yakos handed out Rotary-branded bags filled with toiletries and household cleaning items to needy families. The event was coordinated by Rotarians Gwen Hullinger and Laura Thompson-Aue. Thank you all for you your efforts!

While the FGHS Food Pantry receives regular food contributions from the Oregon Food Bank, they would like to regularly provide non-food items such as basic toiletries, feminine hygiene products, laundry detergent, dish soap and more that families continue to need. The hope is to have our club conduct a distribution event at least once per month.

Gwen has developed a wish list on Amazon for items that the Food Pantry would like to regularly distribute. The items can be purchased on Amazon and then shipped to the Food Pantry. Click Here To View That List.

Club Visioning Canceled: Due to technical issues as the district visioning team transitions to a virtual presentation, our Club Visioning meeting for Saturday, Feb. 27, has been postponed. The session will be rescheduled for a date in the future.

Daybreak Rotary Trivia Night: The Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club is inviting all of our members to a virtual trivia night on Thursday, Feb. 11 via Zoom from 7 to 8 p.m. If you are interested in joining the hour of fun. Contact President Julia Kollar for the login infomation.

Scholarship Program: The application window is now open for the 2021 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.

Steak Feed & Concours Update: We were informed last week 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.

Troop 213 Update: Our Scouts BSA Troop 213 reported that its annual Christmas Tree stand netted proceeds of $5,161 for the troop. Most of that amount went to pay for the re-chartering fees for the club’s two troops.

The troop is also reporting that the current scoutmaster, Rocky Brown, would like to retire after years of dedicated service to the troop. The troop will need an interim scoutmaster to assist until a new permanent scoutmaster can be trained. If you are interested in filling that role, please contact Chuck Pritchard.

Thirsty Thursday: Thank you to everyone who participated in January’s Satellite Club Meeting/Thirsty Thursday meeting at Ridgewalker. Twelve people attended the in-person portion of the event with a number of others participating online. Be on the look for information on next month’s meeting, scheduled for Thurs., Feb. 18.

Rotary Phone Tree: An updated version of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove phone tree was emailed out as part of this week’s Rototeller. 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.

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
Rotary Foundation Update (From District 5100 Newsletter & Tom Crosier, District TRF Chair): District 5100 uses the District Designated Funds that are returned from RI from your TRF donations for local and international grants.

So far this Rotary Year, we have approved 93 District Grants, with a total DDF match of $112,233, funding projects in our communities and in some foreign countries, with a total value of $270,163. We still have funds available and will open a third round of District Grants beginning February 1, for matching grants up to $2,000, on a first come, first served basis until Matching Funds are exhausted.

Many Rotarians will be receiving stimulus checks from the federal government over the next month. Consider asking your club members, where they are able, to donate some of their stimulus check to their Club Foundation. There are still a lot of people struggling with food insecurity and recovery from the wildfires last summer who need our help.

Below we have listed the ongoing Global Grants currently in process. All these grants have either active participation from one of our clubs, or donations made through our clubs. It is your generosity that makes it all possible, so thanks for all you do and let us keep on making a difference in our world.

• Training: Violence Against Women Advocates in Nepal
• Regional WASH Program for 37 Schools and 70 Health Care Facilities – Kisii, Kenya
• Copperbelt (Zambia) Malaria Elimination Project, Phase 2
• Providing Clean Water/Water, Sanitation & hygiene Education in Soeur, Cambodia •La Vega Water Project, Guatemala
• Organic Products as an Option for Economic and Social Development in Vulnerable Communities, •Columbia
• Aquas Calientes Village Sanitation, Nicaragua
• GG Scholarship, Emi Asada
• WCD Scholar, Afghanistan
• Resource Classrooms for SLC in Egypt (Students with Learning Challenges) •Sanitation and Hygiene Business Development for Women in Guatemala
• Haiti Water Wells, Latrines, Sanitation and Hygiene
• Repair and rehabilitation of Brikama Health Centre, Brikama, The Gambia
• Thalassemia Educational & Prevention Program in Sierra Leone
• Project Peanut Butter in Sierra Leone
• Kiruru, Tanzania WaSH Project 2016•Sumba Island, Indonesia WaSH Project
• Ecostoves Replacing Open Fires in Atitlan Basin, Guatemala
• Ugandan Water Project
• Helping Women Farmers in Uganda

For more information about Global or District Grants contact your District 5100 Foundation committee or attend one of the International Services Committee meetings. Thank you for all you do for Rotary!

District 5100 Training Assembly: This year’s District 5100 District Training Event (formally District 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 coming soon.

District 5100 Conference: The District 5100 Conference, slated for Apr. 30 and May 1, will be online. This will make the event as 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.

Around Rotary International
2021 Rotary Convention To Be Held Virtually: The Rotary International Convention, scheduled for 12-16 June 2021, in Taipei, Taiwan, will now be a virtual event in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

We are sorry that we will not see you in Taipei this year, but this decision, made by the Rotary Board of Directors, is necessary to protect the health of everyone involved. We will share more details about the 2021 Rotary International Virtual Convention soon.

Rotary Ramps Up COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts: Rotary clubs around the world are mobilizing in their communities to support the introduction and delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations. Rotary leaders are urging members to connect with their local health agencies to determine how Rotary can support COVID-19 vaccine efforts.

Rotary has decades of experience in supporting the distribution of polio vaccines as well as highlighting their power and efficacy, which is a critical reason why polio is on the brink of eradication. It’s this expertise, along with strategic partnerships and innovation, that Rotary members can tap into to protect communities from COVID-19.

Rotary International President Holger Knaack and Foundation Trustee Chair K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran have called on Rotary members to take action on a number of levels. Rotary members in North Carolina, USA, quickly organized to offer assistance to health officials. District leaders contacted the state’s secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to strategize support efforts.

The six district governors in North Carolina joined the state’s health department in conducting a webinar, open to the more than 12,200 Rotary members in North Carolina, to provide information about the available COVID-19 vaccines, how they will be distributed, and answer their questions so they can serve as role models and instill confidence in the vaccines in their community.

“Rotarians are leaders who are looked upon for guidance, and the more information and opportunity to share ideas with health officials, the better,” said Dawn Rochelle, governor of Rotary district 7730 (North Carolina). Read More

Last Week’s Program: Barbara Peschiera & Elke Downer, Children’s Cancer Association

Click View To View The Complete Program

Based in Portland, the Children’s Cancer Association aims to provide joy and support to children and youth who have to battle cancer. Barbara Peschiera, the organization’s director of development, and Elke Downer, CCA’s music supervisor, introduced us to the organization during Wednesday’s meeting.

Both Barbara and Elke have connections to Rotary. Barbara is a past member of the Rotary Club of Oregon City and Elke received a college scholarship from a Rotary Club in her hometown in Canada.

The Children’s Cancer Association meets its mission through three distinct programs known as its Joy Rx programs: Joy Rx Mentorship, Joy Rx Nature and Joy Rx Music.

Joy Rx Mentorship (formerly Chemo Pals): Joy Rx Mentorship provides friends to kids and teens going through cancer treatment. Mentors are matched with a patient going through chemotherapy to provide friendship and support. During COVID, matches connect via pen pal letters, video chats, care packages, virtual games and outdoor, in-person visits. CCA offers various family activities and events to foster family connections and a community of support.

Joy RX Nature: The Caring Cabin, located in Pacific City, sits on 24 acres of forested land with its own secluded lake. The Caring Cabin hosts an average of 40 families per year free of charge. It has a meditation pavilion, game room, sleeps 12-14 people. Each family can bring up to 12 guests with them during their stay (during non-COVID times). Each child who visits receives two Memory Stones (one to place on the property and the other to take home) and a specially selected quilt as mementos of their time at the cabin. During COVID, families can stay from Thursday to Sunday (Wednesday to Sunday during non-COVID).

Joy Rx Music: Currently offered in 15 hospitals nationwide. The local team provides music five days per week at Randall and Dorenbecher before COVID. During COVID, virtual music offerings include virtual bedside, one-to-one visits and group Zoom, live virtual concerts and music activities, pre-recorded songs and digital on-demand with JoyRXMusic.org.

Currently the Joy Rx music program is being offered at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland as well as hospitals in Austin, Texas; Hartford, Connecticut and Chicago.

Barbara and Elke presented a number of ways that club members can get involved in bolstering the Children’s Cancer Association’s efforts, including its Joy Makers campaign in February, volunteering for the Joy Rx Heals program, three golf fundraiser coming up in April and August and the organization’s Wonderball Gala in September.

For more information on the Children’s Cancer Association, please visit joyrx.org.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted

Wed., Feb. 10: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Angeles Godinez, Centro Cultural

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

Wed., Feb. 17: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Eva Guggemos, The Black History of Forest Grove

Thurs., Feb. 18: Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club Meeting
Details To Be Announced

Wed., Feb. 24: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Ashley Mumm, Oregon Food Bank