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

Wreath Sale – Deadline Approaching!: This Friday, Nov. 6, is the deadline to submit orders for our holiday wreath sale, which directly benefits our Hope for the Holidays project. We are offering 20-inch wreaths, which are being made by Rotarian Melinda Fischer, with cones and decorative red bow for $28. Half of the costs of the wreaths will come back to the club to help fund Hope for the Holidays. As of Wednesday, 40 wreaths had been ordered which will net $560 for the program.

Orders must be received by Friday. Wreaths will be available for pickup and delivery around Saturday, Nov. 28. For additional information, contact Janet Peters.

Steak Sales – Part 4: Our fourth Steak Sale of the year is also under way. As with past sales, we are offering packs of two choice Columbia Empire Meats steaks for $15 per pack. Julia Kollar must receive orders by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. Steaks will be ready for delivery on Monday, Nov. 23.

Through the first three steak sales, our club has netted over $8,000 for our club. The money for this round of sales is targeted to be used towards the club’s Scholarship Program.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Survey: Our club’s new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee has drafted a brief survey to help gauge where we are as a club when it comes to diversity and inclusion in our group and in our broader community. Club members are encouraged to take 10-15 minutes to take the survey. Participation is completely anonymous and is essential to help our club measure progress in those efforts. Please complete the survey by no later than Thursday, Nov. 5. A program on the findings of the survey is scheduled for our Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Click Here To Take The Survey. If you need a paper copy of the survey, please contact Bryce Baker.

Holiday Light Parade: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual City of Forest Grove Holiday Light Parade will still take place in a different format. The parade will take place on Sat., Dec. 5, as a static parade along David Hill Road between Thatcher Road and Bonnie Lane. The floats will be park and people will drive by. In past years, our club has had a float in the parade but we are in need of a chair to lead this year’s effort. If you are interested in taking charge of the Rotary float this year, please let President Julia know.

The annual Chamber of Commerce tree lighting at the senior center and the holiday artisan market will also still take place in 2020 but with changed formats. More information will be available soon.

Optional Giving Invoice On Its Way: Also coming soon to your email inbox is a special invoice designed to assist members in donating to The Rotary Foundation and our club’s outreach programs. An optional club invoice, this will allow members to designate donations to PolioPlus, our scholarship committee, Hope For The Holidays and other programs. For more details or questions, please contact club treasurer Lucas Welliver.

Rotary Phone Tree: Thank you to everyone who has made our Rotary Phone Tree such a success in caring for our members. 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.

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.

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.

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 Fire Relief Fund: In response to the catastrophic loss of homes, businesses, and livelihoods for many in Oregon and Washington, Rotary District 5100 has established a Fire Relief Fund to help victims of the fires rebuild their lives. Communities that have been severely devastated, if not eliminated, in the wake of these unprecedented fires will need help in both the near and long term.

District 5100 is ready to accept tax-deductible donations to provide grants to partner organizations and individuals in need. Additionally, the power of the Rotary International Foundation to help leverage the funds raised through public donations will be of great benefit to Rotary’s ability to substantially assist residents in both states into the future. District 5100 has applied and been preliminarily approved for a Disaster Relief grant to help those in need at this time.

“For the painful and challenging times ahead, Rotary is ready to accept public and corporate support to help those in need in our local communities. The focus is on raising and leveraging funds for future distribution via District Disaster Grants that help rebuild the fire devastated areas,” said District Governor Jo Crenshaw.

District 5100 has teamed up with the Rotary Club of West Linn Charitable Trust, a 501(c)(3), to accept tax-deductible contributions for fire relief.

Send Charitable Contributions to: West Linn Rotary Foundation: Fire Relief Fund, PO Box 442, West Linn, OR 97068.

For more information on our relief efforts, contact District Governor Jo Crenshaw, crenshawjo2021@gmail.com, or Past District Governor Tom Markos, tmarkos@me.com.

District 5100 Training Assembly: This year’s District 5100 Training Assembly, which is typically in-person, 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 will be made available in the coming months.

Around Rotary International
World Polio Day: Rotary’s 2020 World Polio Day Online Global Update program on 24 October hails this year’s historic achievement in polio eradication: Africa being declared free of the wild poliovirus.

Paralympic medalist and TV presenter Ade Adepitan, who co-hosts this year’s program, says that the eradication of polio in Africa was personal for him. “Since I was born in Nigeria, this achievement is close to my heart,” says Adepitan, a polio survivor who contracted the disease as a child. “I’ve been waiting for this day since I was young.”

He notes that, just a decade ago, three-quarters of all of the world’s polio cases caused by the wild virus were contracted in Africa. Now, more than a billion Africans are safe from the disease. “But we’re not done,” Adepitan cautions. “We’re in pursuit of an even greater triumph — a world without polio. And I can’t wait.”

Rotary Foundation Trustee Geeta Manek, who co-hosts the program with Adepitan, says that World Polio Day is an opportunity for Rotary members to be motivated to “continue this fight.” Read More

Rotary Voices – Rotary Choir Keeps The Music Going: A lot of Rotary members are not aware of the opportunities they have to dramatically increase their friendships and connections through a Rotary Fellowship.

Bonnie Sirower first joined the International Fellowship of Rotarian Musicians (IFRM) at the 2005 Rotary International Convention in Chicago. She was drawn to their booth in the House of Friendship by the number of people having fun singing to the accompaniment of a pianist. “I joined the fellowship right then and there and for several years, participated in the Rotary World Choir at conventions during the Interfaith Service on Sunday mornings. What a beautiful way to be together – making gorgeous music with people who had previously been strangers.”

Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the group lost its opportunity to sing together at the Honolulu convention, the leaders of our fellowship decided to start a new Zoom project to engage members through music. With social distancing, Rotarians were looking for ways to connect during social distancing. Read More

Last Week’s Program: Brian Schimmel and Shawn Cardwell, Forest Grove Foundation

Click Here To View The Entire Program

At last week’s meeting, Brian Schimmel and Shawn Cardwell joined us from the Forest Grove Foundation. The two provided an update to the club of the operations of the Temporary Emergency Shelter this year and the work of the Coalition of Rural Housing Insecurity.

Brian is a familiar face to many Rotarians, involved in many local service projects. He helped lead the drive for the development of the shower trailer, which our club contributed to, that provides showers at the Temporary Emergency Shelter and Open Door. The trailer was also used this year to provide showers to individuals affected by local wildfires.

Brian opened by thanking members of both our club and the and Daybreak clubs, who have been active in bolstering access to food to the community food banks, particularly at Forest Grove High School. He also gave a big thank you to Van Dyke Appliance for an in-kind discount for a refrigerator for the day center and a freezer for the FGHS Food Pantry.

Community Connection of Western Washington County is currently partnering with the Forest Grove Foundation for a community response to poverty during the pandemic.

Why is this important? Oregonians on a fixed income struggle to pay rent event for a one-bedroom apartment. One of 30 students in Washington County is classified as homeless. One in four renters are paying more than 50 percent of their income in rent. Five out of 6 renters with extremely low incomes are paying more than 50 percent of their income in rent. Minimum wage workers have to work 89 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

Funding and capacity of the social service system meets a fraction of the need. Local direct service programs fill a gap but are limited on resources. Community-wide cooperation, fundraising and advocacy prove vital.

The 2020 priorities of the Anti-Poverty Workgroup are youth and families, food security and housing security.

Shawn Cardwell presented information on the newly formed Coalition on Rural Housing Insecurity. The coalition is working to identify transitional and permanent supportive housing. COVID changes the sheltering situation altogether in order to keep everyone healthy and safe. The coalition is looking at not only sheltering but also long-term housing solutions.

Because of the pandemic, the coalition has had to rely solely on street outreach and reach homeless people where they are. Saving the homeless means bringing food, clothing, supplies, tents, etc., that they need. The coalition is working with Washington County to develop a hotel stay program for up to 30 individuals in Forest Grove and Cornelius this winter from November through March. Allows for a non-congregant sheltering model.

Additional Links
PowerPoint Presentation From The Program
An Introduction To The Forest Grove Foundation
Community Connection Website
Forest Grove Foundation Website

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted
Wed., Nov. 4: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Four-Way Test Committee: Our Foundation & Future
Thurs., Nov. 5: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Fri., Nov. 6: Wreath Sale Order Deadline
Please Submit Orders To Janet Peters
Wed., Nov. 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Dr. Jim Moore, Election Aftermath
Thurs., Nov. 12: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.