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

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: The newly-formed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee concluded its second meeting this week. At the meeting, we discussed how to best develop and survey our club to better understand our own views around diversity, equity and inclusion. We developed a draft survey which we will send around to various stakeholders for input. You can watch a recording of the meeting on the club’s YouTube page.

Additionally, we discussed the work ahead of us which includes educational programs, a possible reading and resource list as we as further developing our committee’s mission statement. Our plan is to launch a survey by October 7. Email Howard Sullivan or Amy Tracewell, amy.callahan@pacificu.edu if you would like to be involved.

Cornelius Elementary Service Project: Thank you to our club members who helped assemble new desks at Cornelius Elementary School on Friday, September 11: Blake Timm, Michael Doherty, Greg Nemchick, Josh Shinoda and Geoff Faris. The group of five assembled 30 desks in their four-hour work window. Between our club and the Daybreak club, around 200 desks will be assembled, which will replace group tables that have been used for learning in the lower grade levels.

 Steak Sale: Thank you again to all members who made out third Steak Sale Fundraiser a great success. We sold a total of 370 packs of steaks (740 steaks total) this round, which raised $2,186 towards our club’s community outreach programs. All the steaks have been picked up and all money has been collected. Thank you club members!

Through the three sales, we have raised over $8,000 for the club. Thank you! A big thank you to Jeff Duyck for coordinating this effort with Columbia Empire Meats.

Satellite Club Meeting/Thirsty Thursday: Due to the poor air quality, our September Satellite Club/Thirsty Thursday social was canceled. We look forward to the next Thirsty Thursday in October.

Rotarians In The News: The Portland Tribune published a story on September on 15 on businesses in Forest Grove and how they have re-tolled to survive in the CoVID-19 pandemic. Among those featured was our own Mark Nakajima, who runs ACE Hardware in Forest Grove with his family, and our own Court Carrier who talked about the tourism rebranding process. You can read the full article on the Portland Tribune Website.

McDougall Garden: The McDougall Garden, near the big flagpole, is looking good. But just like any garden, weeds will pop up. Rotarians are welcomed and encouraged to stop by and pull a weed or two, even if it is just for a few minutes. Many hands make for light work.

Dick Johnston Memorial Fund: The family of our late friend, Dick Johnston, have established a memorial with the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove to go towards the club’s scholarship program. Donations by check can be sent to the club at PO Box 125, Forest Grove, OR 97116. Donations to the fund are also being online through the club’s Square Payment Page.

Daybreak Club Bicycle Project: Our friends at the Forest Grove Daybreak Club are looking for bikes to donate to WashcoBikes, a non-profit organization that refurbishes bikes and distributes them to residents in Washington County. If you have a bike to donate, please contact Mitch Taylor at 503-314-0766.

Corn Roast: The annual Forest Grove Corn Roast is this Sunday! This year’s event will be an eat-in-your-car event at the Cornelius 9 Cinemas on Sunday, September 20, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be entertainment on site throughout the day.

In addition, the chamber has worked with the City of Forest Grove to put together a temporary Pedestrian Mall from September 25-27. Main Street from Pacific to 21st and 21st from A to College Way from Friday afternoon to Sunday night to allow downtown businesses and restaurants more space to serve customers.

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 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
McMinnville Sunrise Rotary Wine Raffle: The Rotary Club of McMinnville Sunrise is holding its annual wine raffle. Five winners will be drawn and will receive some of 84 different bottles from Methven Family Vineyards, Durant Vineyards, Stoller Family Estate, Redhawk Winery, Bjornson Winery, Chehalem Wines, White Rose Estate and Laurel Ridge Winery.

Proceeds from the raffle benefit the club’s non-profit projects and scholarships for students attending Chemeketa Community College. Tickets are $5 each, five for $20 or 25 for $100. The drawing will be held on October 28. Purchase Tickets On The McMinnville Sunrise Rotary Website.

Save The Dates: The annual District 5100 Training Assembly is scheduled for the weekend of April 17 and 18. The exact date, location and delivery method is to be determined. The annual District 5100 Conference is scheduled for April 29 through May 2 at the Vancouver Hilton.

Around The Rotary international World
Africa Declared Free Of Wild PolioVirus: The World Health Organization (WHO) on 25 August announced that transmission of the wild poliovirus has officially been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region. This is a historic and vital step toward global eradication of polio, which is Rotary’s top priority.

After decades of hard won gains in the region, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) — WHO, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the vaccine alliance — are proclaiming the milestone an achievement in public health. They offer it as proof that strong commitment, coordination, and perseverance can rid the world of polio.

The certification that the African region is free of wild poliovirus comes after the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) conducted thorough field verifications that confirmed no new cases and analyzed documentation of polio surveillance, immunization, and laboratory capacity by Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria, and South Sudan. The commission had already accepted the documentation of the other 43 countries in the region.

The last cases of polio caused by the wild virus in the African region were recorded in Nigeria’s northern state of Borno in August 2016, after two years with no cases. Conflict, along with challenges in reaching mobile populations, had hampered efforts to immunize children there. Read More

New Leadership Courses Online: As part of Rotary’s new partnership with Toastmasters International, six new leadership courses have been developed to expand leadership and communciation skills. These online modules, along with many others to expand your knowledge of Rotary, can be accessed for free by Rotary members at rotary.org/learn. (NOTE: You must login to the Rotary.org website to have access to the learning center.)

Last Week’s Program: David Michael Smith, Mindfulness & Meditation

Click Here To View The Entire Program

At Wednesday’s meeting, our program was given David Michael Smith, the father-in-law of our program chair, Bryce Baker. A longtime devotee to meditation, David presented a program on mindfulness and meditation.

A longtime worker in the broadcast and publishing industries, David began using meditation in his path to combat alcoholism. David has been sober for 36 years and says meditation has been a key component of his recovery and maintenance.

Meditation and mindfulness is getting more popular these days, especially with society’s emphasis on better mental health. The Internet and social media provide a constant barrage of information and entertainment. There is not much time left anymore for quiet. There is a great deal of research showing that meditation provides great benefits for the body, physiological, biological and psychological.

Some people who are religious think that meditation is in conflict with their belief system. He does not believe that is the case. It can be a secular practice or can be an extension of one’s religious beliefs. The origins of meditation are from eastern cultures, but early Christians practiced meditation over the first 3-4 centuries of the common era.

David practices what is called mindfulness meditation. The goal is to simply observe the workings of the mind. The mind has a mind of its own. We tend to think that we are in control of our thinking. Meditation provides a vehicle not only for the mind to unwind but to observe what the mind does.

A handout talking about mindfulness meditation, along with some resources for starting meditation on your own, can be Found Here.

After his talk, David led the meeting through a five-minute quiet meditation.

Club Calendar
All Club Activities Are On Zoom Unless Otherwise Noted
Wed., Sept. 23: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: Amy Brownell, Second Home
Wed., Sept. 30: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: George Rede, Media Literacy
Wed., Oct. 7: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Program: NASA Mara Curiosity Rover (shared meeting with Rotary Club of Camarillo)