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

This Week: Be sure to join us this Wednesday in the Boxer Pause room in the University Center at Pacific University. Our program will be Pacific Athletic Director Keith Buckley, who will talk to us about all things Boxer athletics.

December Meetings: In December, our meetings on Wednesday, Dec. 4 and Wednesday, Dec. 18 will take place in the Boxer Pause. Our meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 11 is our annual holiday concert with Forest Grove High School’s musical groups and will take place at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way (across the street from Pacific University). There will be no meetings on Wednesday, Dec. 25 or Wednesday, Jan. 1.

Meals For Dec. 11 & Dec. 18 Meetings – Advance Sign-Up Required By Dec. 2: With our change in location for our weekly meeting on Dec. 11 and the end of the term at Pacific on Dec. 18, we will be catering meals for those two meetings. As such, advance sign-ups for meals will be needed early. We will need Rotarians to sign up for meals for these by 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2.

A sign-up sheet for both meetings was passed at last week’s weekly meeting. If you were not there and would like to sign up, please email secretary Claire Agner.

If you do not sign up for a meal, you are still welcome to attend the meeting and bring your own lunch.

Youth Citizens of the Month: At our Nov. 20 meeting, it was our pleasure to honor our November Rotary Youth Citizens of the Month from the Gaston School District: Charlie Scott and Scarlett McDonald! Both of these youth received a certificate honoring their selection and a $50 gift card to Frye’s Action Athletics. Congratulations!

Rototeller – Help Wanted: Blake Timm, the editor of the Rototeller, is looking for a club member who would be interested in helping fill in to take notes at meetings on an occasional basis. With his increased duties as area governor and work, he is having to miss more Wednesdays than he did in the past. The job would entail taking notes about any club announcements and a five to six-paragraph recap of that week’s program. Please contact Blake via email or phone/text.

Laurin Is Ready For Ski Season!: Our inbound Rotary Youth Exchange student, Laurin von Orelli, is preparing to compete for the Forest Grove High School ski team after a fun season competing for the Vikings’ cross country team. To compete as part of the ski team, however, he needs to purchase a season pass to Mount Hood Meadows. The cost of the annual pass is $750. He is willing to do work for Rotarians to raise money for the pass. If you are interested in putting to Laurin to work, or to make a donation, please contact Laurin directly at one of our meetings or contact Youth Exchange Committee chair Melinda Fischer.

Hope For The Holidays – Mon., Dec. 23: This year’s Hope For The Holidays food distribution will take place on Monday, Dec. 23, 4 p.m. at the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry. This is the closest that we have ever been able to have our project to Christmas. The plan once again is to provide holiday meals to 100 needy families.

There will be volunteer opportunities both at the actual event and preparing the boxes the day of the event. For more information, or to find out how you can participate with the logistics for the project, please contact Parri Van Dyke.

Troop 213 Christmas Tree Sales: Our chartered Scouting America Troop 213 is once again having their annual Christmas tree stand in the parking lot of Ballad Town Center (Safeway). The tree stand opened on Saturday and run through Dec. 23 or when tree sells out. The troop will have around 400 trees available for purchase. This is the troop’s major fundraiser for the year and primarily assists scouts in being able to attend summer camps.

The Rotary Club of Forest Grove has been the charter organization for Troop 213 for decades. If you can, please support the troop this holiday season.

Pickleball Evenings – Presented By Rotary: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove is helping to sponsor indoor pickleball Monday through Thursday evenings at the Forest Grove National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way. Coordinated by Rotarian Steven Barnard, the evenings run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. There is a $5 fee to help cover facility rental. Players of all ages and ability levels are welcome with reserved courts for beginners and intermediate-level players.

For more information on the pickleball evenings, please contact Steven at 443-454-5177 or sbarnard@fgsd.k12.or.us.

Greeters Are Back: President Lucas is bringing back the role of having greeters at our weekly meetings. This role will not be pre-assigned. Instead, the ninth and 10th Rotarians showing up a meeting each week will serve as greeters. Please be prepared to take on that responsibility and let President Lucas know if you have any questions.

Service Opportunities For Club Members
Do You Know Of Service Opportunities?: Are you aware of service opportunities in our area that our members might be interested in? We can advertise those here! This space is not limited to club-sponsored activities but to any service opportunity in the community. To promote the service activity, please send a detailed description of the project, the date and time, contact information and a link to register to Rototeller editor Blake Timm, blakertimm@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.

The Food Pantry is open Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. 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.

Holiday In The Grove – Volunteers Needed: The City of Club of Forest Grove is looking for volunteers to assist with the annual Holiday In The Grove festivities on Saturday, Dec. 7. Opportunities are available during the day as “Tinsel & Tidings Helpers,” assisting in downtown with events, along with needs for Holiday Light Parade traffic control and the parade staging area. More volunteer opportunities will be added as the event comes closer.

Click Here to view opportunities or to sign up. For questions, please contact Donna Gustafson via email, dgustafsonconsulting@gmail.com.

Bloodworks Northwest Blood Drives: In an effort to build blood supplies in the Pacific Northwest, Bloodworks Northwest is sponsoring a number of blood drives in 2024 in Forest Grove. The next local blood drive will be held on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Forest Grove City Library. To sign up to give and set an appointment, please visit the Bloodworks Northwest website.

Around District 5100
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility On The Road: District 5100 has a committee called IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) that is chaired by Chase Morinaka. Chase recently presented to the Wilsonville RC this important aspect of Rotary Ethics and Code of Conduct. We received the following review of his presentation from the Wilsonville club:

“I want to express our sincere gratitude for your insightful presentation on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility (IDEA) at our Rotary meeting yesterday. It was a privilege to be the first club to receive this new club-level presentation, and I’m confident many others will benefit as much as we did.

“I’d like to share a personal example of the positive impact one of your previous presentations had on our club. My son, who is autistic, recently applied to become an honorary member of our club. It wasn’t until I attended your presentation at another Rotary event that I realized this was a possibility for him. He has been consistently attending our meetings and actively helping with club projects. However, being a regular member would be difficult. Our club suggested the idea of an honorary membership, which turned out to be a perfect fit. He is ecstatic about the opportunity. This experience has been a powerful reminder of how diversity can manifest in many forms, and the importance of creating spaces where everyone feels valued and included.

“We appreciate Rotary’s thought process of adding the “A” for Accessibility to the traditional DEI framework. It underscores the idea that inclusivity must extend beyond awareness of diversity and equity, to actively creating environments that accommodate all members of our community. This thoughtful addition has broadened our perspective and highlighted the ongoing process of learning and adapting to better serve those around us.

“Your personal stories, particularly about your experiences growing up Japanese American, provided valuable insights into the diverse ways people experience and navigate communities. It helped deepen our understanding of the importance of inclusivity. We’re grateful for the opportunity to learn from your expertise, and we look forward to future presentations that continue to guide us on this journey.

Thank you again for taking the time to be with us. – Glenda Walls, Wilsonville RC.”

If you would like to invite Chase to come to your club and present email him at chasemorinaka@gmail.com

Club Calendar
Wed., Dec. 4: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Keith Buckley, Pacific University Athletics

Wed., Dec. 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Holiday Concert With Forest Grove High School Music Groups

Thurs., Dec. 12: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Via Zoom

Wed., Dec. 18: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Sara Schaffner, Open Door

Thurs., Dec. 19: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Via Zoom

Mon., Dec. 23: Hope For The Holidays Service Project, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove High School