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

In Memoriam – Jerry Hoerber: It was with great sadness that we remember our friend and Rotarian Jerry Hoerber, who passed away on Thursday, January 13 at age 88. Jerry was a member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove since 1989. He started and chaired the club’s semi-annual cleanups of Gales Creek Road and Thatcher Road, a project that has endured over 25 years and was very active with the Concours d’Elegance.

In addition to his involvement with Rotary, Jerry was an active member of the Valley Art Association and aided greatly in the growth of that organization over the years.

We will pass along information about a service and club remembrances when they become available. We encourage you to share your memories here and please keep the Hoerber family, especially his wife Margaret, in your thoughts and prayers.

Here is how some of you are remembering Jerry (comments from the club’s Facebook & Instagram pages)…

“Very sad news. What a huge loss to his family, the community and all that knew and loved him. Jerry was one of the best at “paying it forward” in everything he did. I would not be at all surprised if he had more volunteer hours logged in than his regular on the job hours. Such a big heart and a giver of his time. He will be missed. RIP my friend, until we meet again.” – Tim Pearson

“Jerry was the epitome of the Rotary motto: “Service above Self.” – Tim Schauermann

“Jerry was a truly good man. He taught me so much and was a wonderful partner as we worked together so closely with the Concours. I am grateful for the chance to have worked with him and known him.” – Don Jones, Former Member

“Jerry was a great person and Rotarian. He will be greatly missed.” – Stan Reasoner

“So many of us were lucky to know Jerry, and his loss will be felt in the hearts of all who knew him. He was a great man.” – Bryce Baker

Monthly Evening Meeting: This month’s evening meeting is coming up this Wednesday, January 19. Join us at 6:30 p.m. at Ridgewalker Brewing, 1921 21st Avenue, Forest Grove, for an evening of fellowship and beverage with your fellow Rotarians.

There will be no noon meeting on January 19. Our next weekly noon meeting will be on Wednesday, January 26.

Road Cleanups Return: 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 5, 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.

Pledge Card Final Totals: Thank you to everyone who stepped up during our pledge drive during November and December. Our club raised $9,190 towards our service projects and our annual fundraising goals for The Rotary Foundation. Here is a breakdown of where those donations went…

Hope For The Holidays: $5,805
Gardens of Hope: $870
Rotary Foundation Annual Fund: $1,220
PolioPlus: $845
Scholarship Program: $50
ShelterBox: $400

Rotary Foundation Fundraising Update: As of January 14, our club has raised $4,001 towards our goal of $8,500 for the Annual Fund of the Rotary Foundation. We have also raised $1,600 towards our goal of $3,000 for PolioPlus. We have a ways to go to meet our goals before the end of the Rotary year.

There are a number of ways to contribute to the Rotary Foundation that are easy.

• Automated giving through Rotary Direct, which deducts either monthly, quarterly or annually from your bank account or credit card.

• Donating online at rotary.org/donate.

• By writing a check to The Rotary Foundation and providing it to Bryce Baker, Lucas Welliver or Michael Yakos at a club meeting. They will direct the contribution to the Foundation.

• Mail your contribution directly to the Foundation:

The Rotary Foundation
14280 Collections Center Dr.
Chicago, IL 60693

• Some companies offer corporate matching grants that can double the impact of your contribution. See your employer to see if this type of program is offered.

• Start your own fundraiser with Raise for Rotary.

For more information on the foundation, how it works and how it directly affects our club, we encourage you to Watch This Presentation by our TRF chair, Michael Yakos, on the club’s YouTube page.

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 meeting 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.

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.

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
That’s My Jam Live: If you did not get a chance to take in District Governor Jim Boyle’s Facebook Live webcast with Rotary Zone Director Vicki Puliz and district support associate Nick Taylor, you can do so now on the District 5100 YouTube Page.

The webcast is designed to you better understand how Rotary International can support YOUR club. Vicki serves as Rotary International Director from the “Big West” Zones 26 & 27 from 2021 to 2023. Vicki is a proud member of the Rotary Club of Sparks, Nevada. She joined Sparks Rotary in 1992, served as club president in 2004-2005, and as Governor for District 5190 in 2013-2014.

Vicki’s “Why” in Rotary is to make a positive difference—whether in youth service, public image, polio eradication, leadership development, education, or growing Rotary through new clubs and supporting Rotarians and Rotaractors.

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
PolioPlus Is Engaging Reluctant Communities By Addressing Basic Needs: Khadim Solangi Goth, a community on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, sits in one of the last remaining polio reservoirs on the planet. More than 40,000 people live in improvised dwellings made of earth or other found materials. For some, a cotton sheet is all that protects them from the hot sun and monsoon rains. “The poorest of the poor are living in this area,” says Asher Ali, the project manager for the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee.

In Pakistan, 53,000 children under age 5 die each year from diarrhea caused by contaminated water.

Polio is especially resilient in this community, which has been one of the most resistant to eradication efforts; the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has designated Khadim Solangi Goth one of its highest-priority areas. And the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative classifies Gadap Union Council 4, the administrative district that the community is a part of, as “super high risk.”

What makes polio thrive in this place? The piles of trash and open sewers are one reason; the poliovirus gets transmitted through contaminated water. But another major factor is the area’s low vaccination rate. In a community whose basic needs aren’t met, residents see the polio vaccine as a low priority. “The refusals are not for the sake of religion but because civic amenities are missing,” says Aziz Memon, chair of the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee. “They ask us, ‘What are you doing here? You come again and again and again to give us polio drops. You never tell us how you’re going to help us with electricity, roads, or clean water.’”

Still, the polio eradication program has seen a boost to its credibility in the past couple of years, thanks to the installation of water filtration plants in Karachi and several other areas of the country, including in Khadim Solangi Goth in December 2020 — part of the GPEI’s effort to install a total of 36 such plants in Pakistan. Since 2012, Rotary members have been working to install plants through a variety of channels, including a partnership with Coca-Cola Pakistan, Rotary Foundation global grant projects, PolioPlus Partners grants, and partnerships with Rotary districts or other entities. More construction is in progress or in the planning stages. Read More

Last Week’s Program: Jim White, Nonprofit Association of Oregon

Click Here To Watch The Full Program

This week, we were joined by Jim White, the executive director of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon. Jim introduced us to his organization, which serves public benefit nonprofits in Oregon, and talked about the challenges that those organizations have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jim is a strong believer in the three legs of the stool of a thriving society: the public sector, private sector and the non-profit sector (private sectors doing good for the public). Non-profit organizations are corporations but are working for the public interest for a charitable or mutual-benefit cause. Oregon has approximately 30,000 non-profit organizations.

Organizations like Rotary are considered a mutual-benefit non-profit, existing for the benefit of its members. Currently there are 22,862 charitable non-profits in Oregon, including churches and houses of worship.

The NAO exists to help non-profits do their jobs better. The vast majority of non-profit organizations are small and usually bring in less than $50,000 of annual income. Most do not have paid staff and are run by volunteers. While there seems to be a lot of non-profit organizations in proportion to the population, there is quite a bit of inter-relatedness and overlap where they work together for the common good.

Before COVID restrictions went into place, there were over 200,000 people employed by non-profits with approximately $10 billion in wages. This accounts for 12.7 percent of the total workforce in Oregon, more than are employed in the manufacturing sector.

Nonprofits since 2020 have faced several big issues. With the global pandemic, there have been a lot of effects on the services that these nonprofits are trying to offer. Many nonprofits serve frontline workers that are particularly suffering during the pandemic. They can’t stop their work. Think of organizations like Meals on Wheels, supported living organizations, etc. They have had to receive special exemptions to keep people working.

During this time, there have also been issues around racial and social justice along with some climate-driven natural disasters, which are causing organizations and communities to rethink how they will work into the future. None of these issues are going away.

Key Areas To Watch For Nonprofits
1. People – Paying attention to what is happening with people is vital.

• Wellness & mental health concerns not only due to COVID but due to the increased awareness of racial and social issues. There is an increased amount of diagnosed burnout across the board.

• Employment – In a recent survey of nonprofit workforce, 43 percent of respondents from Oregon reported a position vacancy rate of 20 percent. Nine percent reported a vacancy rate of 30 percent. Three-quarters of respondents indicated that they can’t compete with the salary market and 30 percent said that the cost of childcare was a significant factor. In some cases, it is cheaper for people not to work than it is to work and pay for childcare.

• The leadership ecosystem has been diminished over years. Starting to see people staying just three of four years in nonprofit leadership positions in Oregon. Also effects from the “Great Resignation” or “Great Retirement.”

2. Discourse, Engagement & Trust In Civil Society – Society is divisive right now between people and between people and government. How do community members trust or not trust civil society? On one hand, we are seeing a more divisive discourse between rural and urban and more a fulcrum to pull us apart. But they have also seen a level of engagement that is increasing but it is split based on those social divides. Trust in the nonprofit sector has lessened but not to the extent of other sectors such as government, media, for-profit corporations and religious institutions. How can we work to bring some of these connections back?

3. Engagement with the Government. On many different levels, the engagement between nonprofits and governments has been challenging. There is a desire for government to engage with nonprofit organizations but they are asking them to retain the ability to report like they are a large non-profit. Money is available but smaller non-profits cannot qualify because they can’t take on the level of reporting requirements that government desires.

Club Calendar
Wed., Jan. 19: Monthly Evening Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Ridgewalker Brewing, 1921 21st Ave., Forest Grove
   No Noon Meeting On January 19

Wed., Jan. 26: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, Pacific University
Program: Monique Hammond, Hearing Specialist

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

Thurs., Feb. 3: Executive Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
Via Zoom

Sat., Mar. 5: Road Cleanup, 8:30 a.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry, 801 Gales Creek Rd., Forest Grove