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

Steak Sale VI: As promised, by popular demand, we have another Steak Sale going on just in time for Father’s Day. As with our past sales, we are offering packs of two Columbia Empire Meats sirloin steaks for $15 per pack. Proceeds from the steak sale will benefit our club’s service outreaches and our annual Scholarship Program.

The deadline for orders is Sunday, June 12. Please submit your orders to President Julia Kollar, juliakollar@aol.com, by that date. Steaks will be available for pick up on Thursday, June 17.

Over the last year, our club has netted over $14,000 from the steak sales that we have done over the last year. These funds are helping to offset proceeds we normally receive from the Steak Feed and the Concours d’Elegance, both of which are not happening again this year due to the pandemic. Thank you to everyone who has made these sales such a success, especially Jeff Duyck, Julia Kollar, Lucas Welliver and Marge Johnston.

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. Our club is currently contributing $1,000 per month of toiletry items, cleaning supplies and feminine hygiene products.

Distribution events for these items take place on the first Monday of each month. The next scheduled distribution event will be on Monday, June 7. If you are interested in assisting with the next distribution, please contact President Julia or Michael Yakos.

The Food Pantry is open on Mondays from 2- 4 p.m. Donations are accepted on-site on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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.

Club Visioning Rescheduled For June 5: The District 5100 Visioning Committee session for our club has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This visioning group will meet at Zesti Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove. We would like to have at least 15 club members taking part in the session as we look to plan the club’s direction over the past five years. If you are interested in taking part, please let President Julia know.

Thirsty Thursday: Thank you to everyone who attended our last Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday meeting on May 20 at Pat’s Corner at McMenamins Grand Lodge! A great time was had by all. Be on the lookout for details on June’s event, which will rake place on Thursday, June 17.

Classics On Main Event: With the 2021 Concours d’Elegance unable to happen, the Concours Committee has decided a host a smaller event on Main Street on Sunday, July 18. The invitation-only event will feature up to 85 former class winners and judges. The Concours Committee will need help from club members with set-up, car-spotting, a Rotary information booth and more. Expect to receive a sign-up form in your email inbox soon.

Due to logistical challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no Concours d’Elegance in 2021. Click Here To Read The Full Announcement.

Rotary Citation – We Did It Again!: Exciting news our club. President Julia Kollar was notified last week that the Rotary Club of Forest Grove has received the Rotary Citation for the 10th consecutive year! The Rotary Citation is based on goals set by the Rotary International President to evaluate benchmarks in increasing club membership, developing sustainable service projects, giving to The Rotary Foundation and building awareness of Rotary in our community.

To receive the Rotary Citation, clubs must set and meet 13 goals out of a possible 25 available goals. The 2020-21 Goals Can Be Viewed Here.

Congratulations to President Julia, our leadership team and the entire club for another job well done!

Rotary Foundation Giving Update: Part of receiving the Rotary Citation means that our club has met its goals for fundraising for The Rotary Foundation. As of May 30, club members have contributed $10,877 to the foundation’s Annual Fund and $3,835 towards PolioPlus. Thank you to all of you for your continued contributions!

If you are interested in knowing where you are at on your contributions or believe that you may be close to your next Paul Harris Fellow level, please contact foundation chair Michael Yakos.

If you are interested in starting or increasing a regular contribution to The Rotary Foundation, Rotary Direct is a great way to make that happen. The online portal allows you to make a one-time donation or set up monthly or semi-annual contributions. To learn more or to set up your recurring donation, visit https://my.rotary.org/en/donate.

Presidential Rotation Update: Due to an exciting new work opportunity, Josh Shinoda will be unable to fulfill the position for president of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove for the 2022-23 Rotary year. While we are sad that Josh will not fill that role, we are excited to announce that Janet Peters has accepted that role.

The presidential rotation for the next three years is…

2021-22: Bryce Baker
2022-23 Janet Peters
2023-24: Amy Tracewell

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.

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
Save The Date – 2022 District 5100 Conference & Training: Rotarians are asked to save May 19, 2022 on their calendars. This will be the date for District 5100’s combined Spring Training Event and annual District Conference. The combined event will be held in Seaside. Watch for more details as we move into the 2021-22 Rotary year.

District 5100 Youth Exchange Alumni Association Formed: We are proud to announce that the District 5100 Rotex has officially chartered as a Rotary alumni association! The District Youth Exchange Committee along with your favorite Rotex have been hard at work on this for a few years now and we are so excited to finally make it official. Without further ado, I present to you your charter board:

Inbound Liaison: Johnny Archer (Austria, 2012-2013)
Outbound Liaison: Dylan Schechtel (Czech Republic, 2011-2012)
Rebound Liaison: Ervanny Astari (South Korea, 2014-2015)
Rotex Liaison: Emily Baker (Taiwan, 2011-2012)
Rotary Liaison: August Harrison (Czech Republic, 2014-2015)
Internal Liaisons: Anna Galloway (Argentina, 2005-2006) & Molly Hinsvark (Thailand, 2010-2011)

A Rotary alumni association is an active organization of former participants in Rotary’s programs including, you guessed it, Youth Exchange. While you can read more about Rotary International’s definition of an alumni association here, ours will operate a little differently.

The District 5100 Rotex was set up not only as a way to keep former Youth Exchange students engaged in Rotary but, also, to act as a support system for the District Youth Exchange Committee. In addition to hosting social events, our group has been behind the scenes helping the DYEC with everything from reviewing student applications and updating training materials to running events; the Rotex officially took over planning and running the Rebound Reunion in 2019.

We have also been able to act as a resource for inbound, outbound, and rebound students during the pandemic through virtual hangouts and meetings. While the DYEC was busy at work trying to get students home, we were able to create safe spaces for students to share their concerns or just have fun for a bit.

But what does this mean for District 5100 as a whole? You all have us at your disposal as well! All of us have gone through the process and are happy to help all of you keep this amazing program going. We can make ourselves available for Youth Exchange recruitment efforts, information sessions, club presentations, and just about whatever else you may need assistance with. We care deeply about Rotary Youth Exchange and the impact it continues to have, so please feel free to reach out anytime.

email: 5100rotex@gmail.com
instagram: @yourfav5100rotex

Around Rotary International
Rotary Members Lead Effort To Transform Childbirth Care In Mongolia: When Julie Dockrill was approached by the Rotary Club of Waimate, New Zealand, to train medical workers in Mongolia in safer childbirth practices, she wasn’t sure how much of a difference she could make — despite her 20 years of experience as a midwife and childbirth educator.

At the time, Dockrill wasn’t very familiar with Rotary’s work, nor was she aware of the high infant mortality rate in Mongolia, an Asian country located between Russia and China. But she agreed to participate if it meant saving the life of even one child.

Julie Dockrill, a member of the Rotary Club of Timaru, New Zeeland, was a recipient of Rotary’s 2021 People of Action: Champions of Health, for improving maternal and child health practices in Mongolia.

Eight years later, the project’s success has exceeded her expectations. Dockrill, now a member of the Rotary Club of Timaru, says she never imagined that the work she began in 2013 would lead to the adoption of a nationwide health care framework that has contributed to the steady drop in Mongolia’s maternal and infant mortality rates.

The project, facilitated by Waimate club member Gary Dennison, was originally conceived as an initiative to supply clean water to a remote area in Mongolia. Plans shifted when a community assessment determined that the terrain meant that a water well wasn’t feasible. Read More

Rotary Responds To COVID-19: Rotary is taking action in response to the pandemic as our clubs support COVID-19 vaccination and continued prevention efforts around the world.

Tapping into decades of experience in bringing polio to the brink of eradication, Rotary members worldwide are helping health authorities communicate lifesaving information about COVID-19 and vaccination, combatting misinformation, supporting fair and equal access to vaccines, and curbing the spread of the virus by donating protective gear and other supplies to clinics and hospitals that are under strain. Read About How Rotary Has Been Responding & Supporting

Last Week’s Program: Andy Cartmill, Suicide Prevention

Click Here To Watch The Complete Program

We were once again happy to welcome Andy Cartmill of the Washington County Addiction Services team to our meeting.

Andy’s day job is as a senior program communication and education specialist for Washington County Addiction Services. Seven years ago, he was asked to go through training for suicide prevention and to be able to provide that training for others. He tried to educate as many people as possible to identify signs of suicide and prevent it.

The models he teaches in suicide prevention are based on the fact that suicide is less about death than it is about pain. We have to remember everyone’s definition of pain and experience with pain is so different. Our experiences are so incredibly different than anyone else. Don’t assume that others see things the way you are.

Andy said that he was raised to believe that suicide was the most selfish thing someone could do. He thinks differently now not only through his training, but with personal experiences with people close to him having committed or attempted suicide. Most people that commit or try to commit suicide think they are doing their families and loved ones a favor.

Andy added that most people thinking about suicide are ambivalent about the subject. They haven’t decided that they want to die but at the same time, they haven’t decided that they want to live.

There is so such thing as a small act of kindness. And we don’t need to be fixers all of the time. Your willingness to listen can be profound. There are ways that people communicate thoughts of suicide in ways that are not direct. Asking about suicide will not cause somebody to think about it. It might actually bring some relief that someone cared enough to ask.

How do we find out how someone is feeling? We ask and then we listen. If you think someone is having thoughts about suicide, ask them and be direct.

Andy ended his presentation by walking the club through a scenario and asked club members how they would handle it.

Club Calendar
All Meetings Are On Zoom Unless Noted

Wed., June 2: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Jesse Vanderzanden, Forest Grove Economic Development Update

Thurs., June 3: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.

Sat., June 5: Club Visioning Meeting, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Zesti Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Wed., June 9: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Scholarship Committee Update & Scholarship Winners

Thurs., June 10: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.