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

 Online Meetings Continue: 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 (will be the same for all of our online meetings moving forward)…

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

Steak Fundraiser: It only took two days for our Rotary Steak Sale Fundraiser to open and close! We took orders for 600 steaks and already have a wait list for nearly 100 more packages. Those 600 packages mean $3,600 raised for our Youth Exchange program! A big thank you to Jeff Duyck, who turned lemons into lemonade and worked with Columbia Empire Meats to make this sale happen when our annual Steak Feed was canceled.

Marge Johnston has sent out invoices and Tim Pearson sent out a list via email of who will receive steaks and how many orders are waitlisted. If you did not receive the list or have questions, please contact President Tim.

In case there is any confusion with club members, steaks will be delivered in shrink-wrapped packages of two. The cost for each shrink-wrapped package is $15.

Jeff is working with Columbia Empire Meats to see if we can do a second sale with steaks to arrive for Father’s Day. If we can line that up, we will get information out to members.

First Responder Meals: The first delivery of meals to first responders from our club was a success. Howard Sullivan delivered 21 meals to Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro on April 30. The meals were purchased locally from Diversity Café.

We are in process of raising funds for a second round of meals to go to police officers and firefighters in Forest Grove and Cornelius at the end of May. The plan is to raise $240 with which Higher Taste of Cornelius will provide 88 meals. For more information on this initative, contact Howard for more details, 503-680-1537.

Youth Exchange Update: At long last, our inbound Youth Exchange student, Gabriella Cuadra, has arrived home in Chile after dealing with a month-and-a-half of flight cancellations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We are so sorry that her exchange was cut short but we are so glad that she was here.

Our 2020-21 outbound student, Melanie Schneider, has had her exchange to Denmark canceled. She had decided to delay her exchange for one year and go to Denmark for the 2021-22 academic year. Read More On How District 5100 Is Handling Youth Exchange During Pandemic

Rotary Phone Tree: We Care Committee has started a Rotary Phone Tree that will be utilized once per week. 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. For more information or questions, or if your information on the Phone Tree is not correct, contact Paul Waterstreet.

 Thirsty Thursday: The club’s next Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club Meeting is scheduled to take place on Zoom on Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. We are honored to have incoming District 5100 Governor Jo Crenshaw, who will speak about the district and about the power of Rotary. The log-in information for the Satellite Club meeting will be the same on Zoom as our weekly Wednesday meetings (see above).

Grants Coming For FGHS Food Pantry: In response to the needs of local food banks, Rotarian Kevin Harmon, who is a Farmers Insurance agent in north Portland, has coordinated an effort for our club to receive grants from the “Farmers Gives Back” program to go towards contributions to the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry. At least five Farmers agents, including Harmon and Jeannine Murrell and Rotarian Joe Gilles of the Hillsboro club, have committed to the effort, which will provide at least $7,500 for the Food Pantry. Additional information on these grants will be available in the near future.

Our sincere thank you to Kevin for coordinating this effort and to the Farmers agents whose contributions will make a difference through our club.

 FGHS Community Food Pantry: Even with schools closed, the need for resources at the Forest Grove High School Community Food Pantry continues. The pantry continues to need the following items to serve the community that is depending on it…

Food: Pasta, Canned Sauces, Tortillas, Rice, Beans, Canned Fruit, Jelly, Peanut Butter, Boxed Milk, Canned Vegetables, Bread, Applesauce, Granola Bars, Fruit Snacks, Macaroni & Cheese, Tuna, Crackers, Maseca and Vegetable Oil.

Hygiene Items: Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Tampons/Pads, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Hair Brushes, Toilet Paper.

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.

Congratulations To Our ShelterBox Ambassadors: A big congratulations to Rotarians Jeannine Murrell and Pamelajean Myers, who were recently named as ShelterBox USA’s Couple of the Year. The duo is very active in the Northwest as ShelterBox ambassadors, educating about the important work of this international Rotary-partnered disaster relief organization.

The Rotary Club of Forest Grove is a bronze-level ShelterBox USA HERO Club, committing to help continue the funding of the organization’s efforts.

 Concours d’Elegance Canceled: With the uncertainly on the COVID-19 situation, the Rotary Board of Directors, at the unanimous recommendation of the Concours Steering Committee, has canceled the 2020 Concours d’Elegance, scheduled for Sunday, July 19. The committee will refocus its efforts on the 2021 show. The club board will be talking in the coming weeks to find avenues that we can fundraise for our scholarship fund with the absence of our top fundraising event of the year. Click Here For The Complete Announcement From The Concours Committee

 World Of Speed To Close: An ardent supporter of the Concours d’Elegance since its opening in 2015, the World of Speed museum in Wilsonville is closing permanently as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The museum, founded in 2015, offered visitors a behind-the-scenes view of the car racing world though exhibits and hands-on activities. Read The Oregonian Article On The Museum’s Closure

 Forest Grove Chamber Virtual Lunch: Rotarian Howard Sullivan invited club members to participate in the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce’s Virtual Lunch, coming up on Thursday, May 21. Forest Grove Mayor Pete Truax (member of the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club) and Cornelius Mayor Jef Dalin (who is active with our Scouts BSA Troop 213) will be the speakers, discussing what is going on in both communities surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak.

As part of the Virtual Lunch, attendees are encouraged to purchase take-out lunch at Black Dog or Bella Donna in Forest Grove. Those that do for this event will be entered into a drawing for a gift card to one of those two eateries. For more information, contact Howard Sullivan at 503-680-1537.

 Quarterly Dues: You should have received by now your quarterly dues statement from the club. Please note that this statement will not include any prepaid meals expenses. This reflects the decision of the board in March to put all members on a “pay as you go” status for this quarter since we are currently unable to meet in person.

We understand that this is a challenging time for all of us and that some of our members are affected more significantly than others. If you are able, please pay your dues invoice as soon as possible so that we can continue to meet our RI and District obligations. If you believe that your situation will make it hard or impossible to make a payment, please contact President Tim Pearson. The club will consider and work with those hardships on a case-by-case basis.

Helping The Forest Grove School Community: At the request of Rotarian and Forest Grove School District Superintendent Dave Parker, our Youth Funding Committee donated $3,000 to the school district to help in making supplemental learning items available to students as supplemental and distance learning. In addition, our committees have banded together for a $2,000 donation to the Banks Community Food Bank to help with the purchase of food from the Oregon Food Bank.

Take Out Locally!: There are many local restaurants and coffee shops that are continuing to operate for take-out during the stay-at-home order. Those local businesses are seeing a significant drop in business and could use our support. Could you commit to patronizing one of these eateries at least once per week to help stimulate the local economy? Click Here For A List Of Places That Are Opened For Takeout, courtesy of Court Carrier.

District Announcements
District 5100 Conference: Due to gathering restrictions with the COVID-19 outbreak, the District 5100 Conference has been canceled. The district is planning to conduct an awards banquet at a time to be determined once stay at home orders have been lifted.

RYLA Canceled: With the uncertainty of when stay at home orders will be lifted, the difficult decision was made to cancel the District 5100 RYLA program for 2020. The program will be back stronger than ever in 2021. Click Here For More Details

Rotary International Announcements
Virtual Rotary Convention 2020: Mark your calendars for 20-26 June for an exciting opportunity to gather online with the family of Rotary for our first online convention.

Now More Than Ever, Rotary Connects the World: The 2020 Rotary Virtual Convention will join you with Rotary participants around the world during a time of unprecedented challenges.

Together, we’ll still experience the spirit of Rotary, be inspired by innovation, celebrate our resilience, and explore how clubs are addressing COVID-19. Experience Rotary in action during our Flag Ceremony, witness the power of connection during our general sessions, learn new ways to engage with Rotary during our breakout sessions, find inspiration from our global speakers, and much more.

We have never needed Rotary — and we have never needed each other — more than we do now. We hope to see you online, because Now More Than Ever, Rotary Connects the World.

Disaster Response Fund: Rotary International has a Disaster Response Fund that is drawn from to help clubs provide disaster recovery and support rebuilding efforts. This includes efforts related to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Contributions are combined into one fund and made available through Rotary Disaster Response Grants. To make a donation to the program, Click Here.

 Last Week’s Program: Liz Wickham, Fences For Fido

Click Here To Watch The Full Presentation

Our program on May 13 was on Fences For Fido and provided by Forest Grove resident Liz Wickham, Liz and her husband moved to Forest Grove three years ago from the Bay Area and Liz quickly became involved with the Fences For Fido program.

A Portland-based organization, Fences For Fido protects dogs from inhumane lives by building fenced yards that allow for comfortable movement, protective dog houses and providing access to essential veterinary care. All of the services the organization provides comes at no cost to those it serves.

Fences For Fido was founded in 2009 by Kelly Peterson. It states its mission as: “We build fences to build stronger bonds between people and their dogs.”

The primary focus of Fences For Fido is on dogs that are chained up for more than eight hours per game. Their clients are largely low-income and in vulnerable populations. In 11 years, Fences for Fido has served people in 27 counties in Oregon and Washington with work provided by over 1,000 volunteers.

The program is always looking for volunteers to help bring in more dogs to help and for fundraising. Fences normally run $600 to $1,000 each. Using pre-paneled fences at this point to allow for social distancing while continuing build fences.

In December 2018, Fences For Fido was featured on Mike Rowe’s Facebook video series, Returning The Favor, and received a donation from Rowe to further the organization’s mission.

You can learn more about the organization at fencesforfido.org.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted
Wed., May 20: Weekly Club Meeting, Noon
Program: Nadine Gartner, Boost Oregon
Thurs., May 21: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Thurs., May 21: Thirsty Thursday/Satellite Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Program: District Governor-Elect Jo Crenshaw
Wed., May 27: Weekly Club Meeting, Noon
Program TBA