If you did not make it to our last Rotary Club of Forest Grove meeting, here is what you missed…

Youth Exchange Update: While we are looking forward to our continued involvement with the Rotary Youth Exchange program, the way our club will be involved during the 2023-24 Rotary year will be different.

We recently received word that the person that had been selected to be our outbound exchange student has withdrawn for personal reasons. Instead of not being able to participate in the program this year, our club is looking to be involved with the program through a program called “The Power Of One.”

“The Power Of One,” program, which is powered by Rotary Youth Exchange, helps to open to door to African students through one-way exchanges. In past years, District 5100 has been involved with this program through exchanges with clubs in The Dalles and Monmouth-Independence.

Be watching for more updates as we pursue being involved this year through this exciting program!

Project Flourish Global Grant Update: The Lake Oswego Rotary Club has provided an update on its Project Flourish Global Grant, which our club provided supporting funds to assist with. The grant helps to support MAIA, an organization which aims to support Indigenous women in Central America through educational opportunities.

The global grant has helped to support 27 Girl Pioneers, as participants are called. The 27 Girl Pioneers are going through or have completed five-month internships and received 295 hours of workplace training. The training includes seven formal certification courses in soft skills, hard skills, civic participation, financial literacy, Excel, personal branding and job readiness. The Girl Pioneers have also received over 100 hours of workplace English training and over 40 hours of IT training.

Six Girl Pioneers have secured formal employment and 10 are in the application process. Twenty-five Girl Pioneers have applied for university scholarships. Ten have secured university scholarships for the 2023 academic year. Of those, five have received full-ride scholarship. One was Central America’s first and only Rise Challenge global award recipient. A second is a 2022 SHE CAN scholarship recipient and will continue her university studies in the United States.

To view the complete report from the Lake Oswego Rotary Club, Click Here. To learn more about the MAIA program, please visit maiaimpact.org.

Our club is proud to have supported this Global Grant project that is helping to empower young women through education!

Satellite Club Meeting: This month’s Satellite Club meeting will take place on Thursday, Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m., at The Growler Garage, 1837 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove. All Rotarians are invited to attend. Melinda Fischer will be presenting an update on the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

Rotaract/Interact Liaisons Needed: We are in need of club liaisons that would like to be involved with both the Rotaract Club at Pacific University and with the Interact Club at Forest Grove High School. Both clubs are connected to our Rotary club and aim to provide service opportunities to students. If you are interested, or would like more information on what the role entails, please contact President Janet.

Crab Feed – Save The Date!: This year’s Crab Feed has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 29. This annual event allows us to come together as a club, enjoy fellowship and honor those members who have become Paul Harris Fellows or have reached their next Paul Harris Fellow level. For questions, or if you want to be involved on the planning contact, please contact Julia Kollar.

In addition, Parri Van Dyke is once again putting together a silent auction with proceeds to benefit The Rotary Foundation. We are looking for specific items such as weekend getaways, wine and wine tastings, hosted dinner and themed gift baskets…or maybe you have an idea of something to donate! If you would like to donate, please contact Parri.

Blue Badges Awarded: We awarded yet another Blue Badge last week. Congratulations to Jonathan Skeele for completing all of his new member obligations and exchanging his red badge for a blue badge.

Leadership Transitions: With the beginning of 2023 comes a couple of leadership transitions within the club. Amy Tracewell has ended her term as program chair and will begin preparation for taking on the role of president for the 2023-34 Rotary year. Thank you for your great work, Amy!

Lucas Welliver is transitioning into the program chair role as he continues the process of getting ready to be club president in 2024-25. With that change, Lucas has stepped down as club treasurer and Sharon Olmstead has taken over that role. Thank you, Lucas, for your great work as treasurer! We look forward to continued leadership from all three of you as our club moves forward.

Concours Concert Event – Help Wanted: The Concours Committee has given the green light to go ahead with another concert event linked to the annual show. The concert is tentatively scheduled for Friday, July 14 with the Concours taking place on Sunday, July 16. If you are interested in helping plan and execute the concert event, please contact Court Carrier.

Caterers For Future Meetings: President Janet is looking for one to two more members to serve with herself, Howard Sullivan and Court Carrier in identifying local caterers that could serve the club at future meetings. We will have a number of meetings coming up where we will meet at the Forest Grove School District offices and will need catering for those meetings. If you would like to assist, please let President Janet know.

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 (over 100 videos to date) are archived on our club’s YouTube page. Visit https://bit.ly/fgrotaryprograms.

Service Opportunities For Club Members
Elks Backpack Program: The Elks Backpack Program, which provides food for youth in the Forest Grove School District experiencing food insecurity, is looking for 50 new or gently used backpacks for the program. If you have backpacks to donate, please bring those to a future meeting and we will get them to the appropriate people.

St. Anthony’s Blood Drive: St. Anthony’s Catholic Church is once again hosting an American Red Cross blood drive on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are required. Click Here to reserve your appointment to give.

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 4-6 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.

Around District 5100
Award Nominations Open: Is there a Rotarian out there that you believe is worthy of special recognition of their work within the club, the district or Rotary? There are a number of award nominations open to recognize members for exceptional service at both the district and international level. Click Here to view the nomination criteria along with links on where you can nominate for awards.

If you have questions about the awards programs, please contact District 5100 Awards Committee co-chairs Tom Markos, tmarkos@me.com, and Christine Huot, cmhuot@gmail.com.

District Committees – It’s Not Too Late!: A number of district-wide committees are looking for members. If you are interested, you can find contact information for the committee chairs in the latest District 5100 newsletter (link below).

Vocational Service – Lal Bhatia, Chair

Working to promote the awareness and opportunity to advance our vocations as an opportunity to provide service to our communities.

Public Image – Diane Noriega, Chair

Working to promote Rotary through our club projects and communications with the general public and with Rotarians within District 5100.

Membership – Dennis Long and Julie Fugate, co-Chairs

Focusing on finding ways to attract new members, but primary emphasis this year is to engage our existing members to retain them as members by finding their interests and focus.

Grow Rotary – Marcia Wimmer, Chair

Growing membership will be accomplished by identifying opportunities for new clubs and to add Satellite clubs to existing clubs to provide additional opportunities to participate.

District 5100 Newsletter: Click Here To View The Monthly District 5100 Newsletter

Around Rotary International
R. Gordon McInally Wants Rotary Members To Create Hope In The World: Rotary International President-elect R. Gordon R. McInally called for members to capture the world’s attention and lead the way toward possibilities far beyond our current expectations.

McInally, a member of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland, revealed the 2023-24 presidential theme, Create Hope in the World, during the Rotary International Assembly in Orlando, Florida, USA, on 9 January. He urged members to promote peace in troubled nations, help those affected by conflict, and maintain the momentum of initiatives begun by past leaders.

“The goal is to restore hope — to help the world heal from destructive conflicts and, in turn, to help us achieve lasting change for ourselves,” McInally said at Rotary’s annual training event for incoming district governors.

McInally spoke about a woman he met in Ban Taling Chan, Thailand, where Rotary members helped build houses, a meeting hall, and childcare and health care facilities following the tsunami that devastated South Asia in late 2004. The woman had lost her husband, her daughter, and her son in the tsunami, as well as her livelihood. But she still had a gift to offer McInally: a beautiful seashell.

“She went on to tell me that Rotary… had restored her optimism. We gave her hope,” McInally said.

“This is how Rotary brings lasting change to the world,” he added, “one restored or newly created hope at a time.”

Promoting Peace
A significant way to bring hope to the world is to put a greater emphasis on peace, McInally said. He cited the action Rotary members have taken in the past year to support the people of Ukraine after the invasion by Russia. Rotary has made humanitarian relief a priority, attracting more Ukrainian members in the process. But McInally noted that true relief won’t come without peace — not just in Ukraine, but in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and dozens of other places around the globe.

“Peace is the soil where hope takes root,” McInally said.

McInally also emphasized the power of continuity, calling for Rotary members to continue the work of some past leaders. He pledged to maintain the Empowering Girls initiative launched by 2020-21 President Shekhar Mehta and uphold the emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout Rotary. He also noted recent events that underscore the importance of Rotary’s continuing focus on polio. In the past year, polio cases have emerged in many areas around the world, making it more crucial than ever for Rotary members to lead the fight against the disease.

To do that, McInally said, Rotary must continue to raise at least US$50 million each year to receive the full 2-to-1 funding match from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Only about 1 in 12 members currently gives to the polio eradication campaign, with fewer than 1 in 5 clubs donating each year.

McInally asked the district governors-elect for support creating a new sense of urgency in their clubs to help realize Rotary’s vision of a polio-free world. “This is the time for us to go beyond what’s necessary year to year and make sure we provide every resource necessary to succeed as quickly as possible,” he added.

Focusing On Mental Health
In addition, McInally said, Rotary members should offer hope to those affected by mental health challenges — a crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have lost family members, many more have found their social networks uprooted, and young people especially have had their educational and developmental paths interrupted. As a result, more people around the world are facing mental health issues. And yet, seeking assistance is often perceived as a sign of weakness.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” McInally said. “Reaching out for help is courageous — and continuing on a path toward wellness is even more so.”

He added that Rotary will work to improve mental health services in the next year and beyond. Rotary should be known as an organization that takes care of its members as well as the people it serves, McInally said. “Any mental health professional will tell you that by helping others, we essentially help ourselves.”

McInally ended his speech by describing his ideal balance of continuity and innovation. “Rotary helps create the conditions for peace, opportunity, and a future worth living,” he said. “By continuing what we do best, by remaining open and willing to change, and by keeping our focus on building peace in the world and within ourselves, Rotary helps create a more peaceful world — a more hopeful world.”

Last Week’s Program: Scott McEwen Tualatin River Watershed Council, Balm Grove Dam Removal

Click Here To Watch The Full Program

Last week, we were joined by Scott McEwen of the Tualatin River Watershed Council, along with representatives from Clean Water Services, who presented on the recent removal of the Balm Creek Dam along Gales Creek northwest of Forest Grove.

The Balm Grove Dam was located on Gale Creek just north of the town of Gales Creek. The dam was built nearly a century ago to provide a community recreation spot. The concrete dam was accompanied by additional wooden boards to help create a swimming hole that was enjoyed by many residents. In the more recent past, the Balm Grove has been neglected.

In 2016, Clean Water Services purchased the Balm Grove property for the purpose of restoration. The 12 acres includes 1,200 feet of frontage along both sides of Gales Creek. The property was purchased with the intent of removing the dam.

The dam itself was just three feet high, but that is enough to block high quality habitat for multiple fish species. The height prevented salmon and steelhead upstream migration, resulting in exposure to high temperature. The 90-degree lip prevented all Pacific lamprey passage. Other fish species that call Gales Creek home include winter steelhead, coho salmon and cutthroat trout.

Of 5,000 eggs laid by a fish, only 2 to 3 will make it back to spawn, making it more important to provide as much unimpeded access for fish.

The dam removal project took place over the summer.

Club Calendar
Wed., Jan. 18: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Tim Graham, Forest Grove High School CALC Program

Thurs., Jan. 19: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Via Zoom

Thurs., Jan. 19: Satellite Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
The Growler Garage, 1837 Main St., Forest Grove

Wed., Jan. 25: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Hector Martinez, CASA of Oregon

Wed., Feb. 1: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: To Be Announced