Our 2023-14 Rotary Youth Exchange inbound student, Fareeha Nayebare, arrived in Portland last Monday and was welcomed by a group of Rotarians and friends. Photo courtesy of Melinda Fisher.

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

This Week’s Meeting: This week’s meeting will be on Wednesday at noon at the Cornelius Public Library, 1370 N. Adair St., Cornelius. Join us for a Club Assembly and as we induct three new members to the club!

Golf Tournament – Rescheduled: Due to last week’s extreme heat, our annual golf tournament was postponed and rescheduled for Wed., Sept. 27 at Sunset Grove Golf Course. That means there is still time to sign up and participate. A lunch and meeting for all members will take place at noon with the best-ball tournament beginning at approximately 1 p.m. Rotarians and friends of the club are welcome to participate. For more information or to sign up, please contact Tim Schauermann.

Let’s Welcome Our New Inbound Exchange Student, Fareeha!: We are happy to have our 2023-24 inbound Rotary Youth Exchange student, Fareeha Nayebare, with us now in Forest Grove! Fareeha arrived from Uganda last Monday and was welcomed by a small contingent from our club at Portland International Airport.

Fareeha’s first host family, the Doerflers, have invited club members to a welcome and meet-and-greet party on Saturday, Sept. 2 at their home. Please come out to make Fareeha feel welcome. If you have a student at Forest Grove High School as part of your family, please encourage them to come with you. Please RSVP to Marni Doerfler (contact information sent to club members in the Rototeller).

Fareeha will stay with the Doerfler family for the first part of her exchange. The second exchange family is working through the Rotary application process. We are still in need of a spring host family. If you are interested, please contact Melinda Fischer at 503-502-6523 or wreathmaker@icloud.com.

Maui Wildlife Relief – Your Help Is Needed: This month has been a tragic one for Rotarians, families and friends on the Island of Maui. The fires across the island have changed lives forever. Our sympathy, thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted.

As people of action, we can take immediate action. As we come together to recover and rebuild, we need to support each other. We need to Create Hope for Maui.

Through our Rotary District 5000 Foundation, a relief fund has been established. Foundation President Dave Hamil and Treasurer Sharon Amano will handle all donations. The Rotary District 5000 Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are considered charitable.

A committee will be organized shortly to find the greatest needs for distribution of monies. Monies will be used to make the largest impact based on needs and will be sustainable. A single fund will be the most helpful over time to provide the greatest significant benefits.

Please consider donating to this special fund. Click Here To Donate To The Rotary District 5000 Foundation Maui Fire Relief Fund.

Stay safe, take care and mahalo as we Create Hope for Maui.

Mark Merriam
Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu
District Governor, Rotary District 5000

Name Badges – The Rules Have Changed: With the move to the Cornelius Public Library, members were asked to take their badges home with them at last week’s meeting. Normally, we would fine members for taking their badges home…but it is now the opposite. Please bring your own badge to the meeting to avoid a $1 fine. All fine money collected goes towards the club’s contribution to the PolioPlus fund.

If you were unable to pick up your name badge when we were at Pacific, please let President Amy or secretary Janet Peters know to see if arrangements can be made to reunite you with your badge.

Changes In Lunches – Advance Orders: With our meetings moving away from Pacific University, we are struggling to find the right number of lunches to provide for our meetings. For the last few meetings, the club has had to pay for lunches that went unclaimed at a cost of $15 per lunch.

In order to try and mitigate these costs, the club is going to try a pre-order approach for lunches. There will be two ways to order your lunch:

• Sign up for lunch on a sign-up sheet that will be distributed at weekly meetings.
• Email treasurer@fgrotary.org by no later than noon on Friday before the following week’s meeting.

Lunches will only be ordered for those who pre-order. If you order lunch, your account will be charged regardless of your attendance. The club cannot continue to subsidize the cost.

If you have questions or feedback, please contact President Amy Tracewell.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this change in our weekly meeting location and logistics.

Steak Feed Update: The money is all in and we can now report that the 2023 Steak Feed was our best ever! We made $9,460 as a club, which will go to benefit our involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Thank you everyone for your hard work and especially to Geoff Faris and the Steak Feed committee!

Concours d’Elegance Committee: If you are interested in getting further involved with the Concours d’Elegance, our annual car show, the steering committee is always looking for volunteers to prepare for the show throughout the year. For more information, contact Tom Raabe at 503-704-1200 or rotarytomr@gmail.com or Geoff Johnston at 503-939-7868 or gamsma@comcast.net.

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
Corn Roast: The Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce’s annual Corn Roast & Harvest Festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. along 21st Avenue and College Way adjacent to the Pacific University campus. The chamber, as they do every year, is looking for volunteers to help with set-up, takedown, trash collecting and more.

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit the event’s Volunteer Sign-Up Page to select your spot. If you have any questions, please contact Claudia Yakos at 503-720-8133 or info@fgchamber.org.

Forest Grove Oktoberfest: The City Club of Forest Grove will be conducting its third annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 23, 1-7 p.m., in downtown Forest Grove. This family-friendly event is expected to be larger than ever with vendors, activities, music food and beverage.

The organizing committee has asked if our club would like to have a booth. They have also asked if the club would come up with a carnival-like activity to have at the booth. If you are interested in spearheading this for the club, or if you have ideas, please let President Amy know.

There are also a number of volunteer opportunities to help make the event a success. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and either a 2023 Oktoberfest commemorative stein or a food voucher.

If you are interested in volunteering, Visit The Oktoberfest Volunteer Page for available shifts. For questions, contact Donna Gustafson at cityclubofforestgrove@gmail.com.

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.

During the summer, the Food Pantry is open Mondays from 2-3:30 p.m. The pantry will be closed on July 24 and Sept. 4. The pantry is located along Nichols Lane between the football field and the Basinski Center. Click Here for more information on the FGHS Food Pantry and on other resources for those experiencing food insecurity.

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
Vibrant Club Workshop: Club leaders (and anyone looking to help Rotary grow) should mark their calendars for Saturday, Sept. 30, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., for District 5100’s Vibrant Club Workshop. Designed to help clubs grow and become more educated about Rotary, the workshop will go over foundation work, public image, membership and much more. Information on location will be forthcoming.

Are You Interested In Becoming District Governor?: District 5100 is seeking candidates to apply to serve as District Governor during the Rotary year 2026-27.

To be a candidate for District Governor, candidates must meet the following qualifications:

• Be a member in good standing of a functioning club in the district;
• Have served as club president for a full term or as charter president for at least six months;
• Have been a Rotarian for at least seven years during year of service as District Governor (2026-27)
• Demonstrate willingness, commitment, and ability to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a governor in section Rotary Manual of Procedure 16.030.;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the qualifications, duties and responsibilities of governor as prescribed in the bylaws; and
• Submit to RI a statement that the Rotarian understands those qualifications, duties, and responsibilities, is qualified for the office of governor, and is willing and able to assume and faithfully perform those duties and responsibilities.

We will have an informational meeting on Thursday, August 24^th from 5:30 – 7:00 pm for you to learn more about the training provided as you consider this opportunity to lead the district.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89161953888?pwd=elBiVHVUQkhZcUh6cUNIQjV6cEpRQT09

Applications are available by contacting PDG Steve Williams at stevewdg2223@gmail.com or 541-701-1320.

Applications will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 22. Candidates will be required to attend a meet and greet event with the Advisory Council on Friday evening, Oct. 6, and complete an interview with the Nominating Committee on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Two Rotarians from our club have served as District Governor: Ray Miller in 1969-70 and George Horner in 1979-80. Our own Jeannine Murrell will be District Governor in 2024-25.

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

Around Rotary International
Aid For An Ailing Planet (By Etelka Lehoczky, with reporting by Seoha Lee): Ioannis Chalikias describes the recent wildfires that have raced out of control across the Greek island of Rhodes, where he makes his home.

“The effects of climate change are now evident here as well,” says Chalikias, a member of the Rotary Club of Rhodos, about the July and August fires. “The increase in temperature, combined with the strong winds, did not allow the fire department to put out the fire immediately. The hot ground rekindled the fires. As a result, they spread to a very large part of the island.”

Countless people around the globe have endured climate-related disasters this year. Record temperatures have fueled wildfires from North America to North Africa, while unusually heavy rains have caused flooding from central Europe to the Pacific Rim.

“The anomalously high temperatures during this year’s summer, which broke records in several places, would have been highly unlikely in a world without climate change,” says Mariam Zachariah, a research associate at the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College, London. “We now see unusually high amounts of rainfall during shorter periods, triggering landslides and flash floods – again, consistent with our knowledge that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and therefore lead to heavier showers.”

Rotary International President R. Gordon R. McInally and Trustee Chair Barry Rassin addressed the situation in an August letter to all Rotary members.

“July 2023 was the hottest month in recorded history by a wide margin – and perhaps it’s time that we sent a disaster condolence letter to our ailing planet,” they wrote. “But this is not a message of defeat and despair. The Rotary world has stepped up in this time of crisis to offer immediate relief.”

Rotary members around the globe have taken action to assist people affected by wildfires, floods and landslides. Here’s how.

Hawaii, United States
At least 111 people have died and more than 1,000 are still missing following devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. Rotary is collecting donations to support recovery and provide aid to those affected.

Rotary District 5000 (Hawaii, USA) is collecting monetary donations to support response and recovery efforts. The Rotary Club of Kahala Sunrise, Hawaii, is asking for physical donations for those affected by the wildfires in Maui.

Greece
Three successive heat waves led to deadly wildfires in Greece in July and August, killing at least five people. On the island of Rhodes, more than 20,000 residents and tourists were forced to evacuate. 

Rotary members on the island immediately sought ways to help.

“We had one member who traveled to the areas where the fire was,” says Vasileia-Nektaria Moutafi, president of the Rotary Club of Rodos-Kolossos. “One of the first things he told us was that the firefighters needed more hoses and other equipment.”

Many of the hoses the firefighters were using had been damaged by the heat. Rotary members got specifications for new hoses from the firefighters, ordered them, and delivered them to the places around the island where they were most needed. The members also donated gloves, masks, shovels, and sprayers.

“The sprayers can be worn like a backpack, and they can put out smaller parts of the fire,” club member Ioannis Achladiotis explains. 

After that, members focused their attention on helping the thousands of people fleeing the fires. 

“It was amazing how all the volunteers acted as one big family and one team,” Moutafi says. “This was from all age groups, including young people from 14-15 years old. It was a combination of social media and word of mouth – just picking up the phone and calling each other.”

Some volunteers helped set up shelters and transported people there on buses and boats. Others provided beds, linens, toiletries, food, medicine, and baby food. Club members who are doctors and social workers donated their services. The Rotary clubs of Rhodos and Rodos-Kolossos have also started two fundraisers that have more than US$10,000 in donations pledged.

The members didn’t forget the island’s animal population. The native deer, called dama dama deer, are a beloved symbol of Rhodes. Rotary members set out food and water and tried to guide the animals toward safe areas.

“Physically and mentally, our members have dedicated themselves to doing everything possible,” Moutafi says. “I feel very proud.” Read More

This story was originally published on the Rotary.org website.

Last Week’s Program: Tim Schauermann The Cost Of Housing In Forest Grove

Click Here To Watch The Full Program

The cost of housing continues to rise in Forest Grove. But why? Rotarian Tim Schauermann has his own thoughts on the reasons and presented those in a program presented last week. Tim’s business background includes 50 years in the insurance and land development industries. He is also a former member of the Pacific University Board of Trustees.

The idea for this program came to Tim from another program that was presented to our club earlier this summer. The program talked about the lack of affordable housing in the Portland area and possible solutions, especially increasing the minimum wage and encouraging the formation of unions.

While he agreed with the program’s thesis that people of modest means cannot afford housing in the Portland area, Tim did not agree with the program’s proposed solutions. He said that he does not have a magic bullet solution for the housing crisis but presented his own thoughts on why housing is as expensive as it is.

Tim believes three factors are the crux of the increased costs of housing: the demand for housing, laws voted upon by the people that affect the supply of land to build houses, and the cost of taxes, fees and utility improvements that affect the cost of supplies.

Tim pulled from his own experience and also used data provided by Rotarian Virginia Ohler, executive director of West Tuality Habitat for Humanity; Dan Riordan, city planner for Forest Grove, and realtors Tanya Peterson and Don Jones.

Forest Grove has seen significant population growth over the last seven decades. In 1950, the population of Forest Grove was 4,343. In 1990, it was 13,820 and in 2020 it was 26,162. The 2020 population in Forest Grove is six times what it was in 1950.

What is different about Forest Grove than other places? Tim says one of the big reasons is the availability of jobs nearby. Intel employs nearly 22,000 people in the area. Nike employs 11,000 people and there are multiple high-tech firms with jobs in the region. Many of those jobs are within 15 miles of Forest Grove. Many of those jobs pay good wages for a significant part of their workforces. The area also has a relatively mild climate, plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities nearby and a high quality of life.

Because of that, the cost of buildable lots in Forest Grove has skyrocketed. Lots with a “tear-down” house are running $169,000 while vacant lots are running $220,000. West Tuality Habitat for Humanity acquired lots in 2013 for $13,000 and in 2018 for $90,000. Today, with all required fees includes, Habitat’s lots will cost $180,000.

Tim also referenced laws that limit supply. In 1973, Oregon passed Senate Bill 100, which helped to limit urban sprawl in the state. The legislation is unique in the United States as no other state regulates land use to the extent that Oregon does, creating a framework for land-use planning that every city and county must adhere to. While the legislation sought to preserve farmland, and did, it also encouraged cities to be more dense.

In terms of taxes and fees, costs have increased exponentially. In 1975, permits to build a home would have cost $500 (approximately $2,840 in today’s dollars). Today, those fees are approximately $45,000 per house. Much of this increase, Tim says, is thanks to changes in the 1980s to make development pay for itself and place the cost of those improvements on developers. In Forest Grove, there is no break on those fees for non-profits or for builders looking to build affordable housing.

What are the possible solutions? Tim thinks that there really isn’t a good solution unless demand goes down, which also has its own potential issues. Other potential solutions include more non-profit builders, reviewing urban growth boundaries and seeking changes at system development charges. He also advocates for spending money on education so that more people could make a wage that is more in line with housing costs.

Club Calendar
Wed., Aug. 23: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Cornelius Public Library, 1370 N. Adair St., Cornelius
Program: Club Assembly/New Member Induction

Wed., Aug. 30: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Cornelius Public Library, 1370 N. Adair St., Cornelius
Program: Nancy Boyle, How To Support Your Favorite District Governor

Wed., Sept. 6: Fall Social Event, Time TBA
Home of Sharon Olmstead
There Will Be No Noon Meeting On Sept. 6

Wed., Sept. 13: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Pete Bower, Update on Scouts BSA Troop 213