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

This Week: Happy New Year! We are excited to welcome everyone back as we hold our first weekly meeting of 2025 on Wednesday, Jan. 8, in the Boxer Pause room of the University Center at Pacific University. While a program has not been announced, we are scheduled to honor our latest Rotary Youth Citizens of the Month from the Forest Grove School District.

Upcoming Meetings: All of our weekly meetings in January and February are scheduled to take place at Pacific University.

Steak Sales Are Back!: Have you missed our steak sales with those delicious cuts from Columbia Empire Farms? They are back! We are offering packs of two choice sirloin steaks for $20 per pack. This time, proceeds will benefit our Rotary Youth Exchange inbound student Laurin von Orelli’s participation on the Forest Grove High School ski team.

To submit your orders, please contact Julia Kollar via text or email. The deadline for orders is Sunday, Jan. 12. Pick-up will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 14, from 4:30-5:30 p.m., outside the warehouse at Main Street and 19th Ave. (adjacent to Forest Grove Coffee Company).

Hope For The Holidays: Thank you to all of our Rotarians, Interactors and friends who made Hope For The Holidays another great success. Our volunteers spent three-plus hours on Monday, Dec. 23, packing holiday food boxes, which were distributed at Forest Grove High School. This year’s project served 103 families, including 217 adults and 122 children.

We are incredibly grateful to Parri Van Dyke and Janet Peters for once again coordinating the effort this year! We are also grateful for our Rotarians who have provided funds for this project, including $1,600 raised through our annual wreath fundraiser. We also extend thanks to District 5100 for the $2,500 matching grant for the project. We look forward to doing all it again in December 2025.

Crab Feed Planning Meeting: It is time for our Crab Feed Committee to get together and start planning this year’s edition of our annual social event. The kickoff meeting for the committee takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 5:30 p.m., at the home of Julia Kollar. If you are interested in taking part in the planning of this event, please plan on attending.

This year’s Crab Feed is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 19. The evening event serves as our club’s chance to honor our new Paul Harris Fellows and those who have given generously to The Rotary Foundation.

Rotary Pickleball Tournament: Our club’s inaugural Rotary Doubles Pickleball Tournament is coming up! Join us on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 10 a.m. for a fun afternoon with fellow Rotarians and our families and friends at the Forest Grove National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way.

There will be brackets for four different skill-levels: I have never played, I’ve played a few times, I play from time to time and I play competitively. You can either sign up with your own doubles partner or be paired with someone by the committee.

If you are interested in participating, Fill Out This Google Form or sign up at an upcoming club meeting. If you have questions, please contact any member of the tournament committee: Steven Barnard, Mallory Hiefield or Cole Thursam.

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 for more information.

Have A Program Idea? Let Hector Know!: Do you have an idea for a program presentation that you would like to see at our meetings? Let our incoming program director, Hector Mendez-Colberg know as he is setting up the schedule for 2025.

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.

Around District 5100
Learn About The Oregon Peace Trail: District 5100 and the Rotary Action Group For Peace invite you to a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 5 p.m., to learn about the Oregon Peace Trail.

The Oregon Peace Trail is a modern rendition of the historic Oregon Trail, focused on building a peaceful world. The initiative will establish a network of “Peace on Earth Zones” (POE Zones) along a 296-mile corridor from Portland to Ashland, connecting communities and promoting peace through Rotary Clubs.

The Oregon Peace Trail is built upon the Peace Game, a transformative process that empowers individuals to practice peacebuilding.

1. Involves seven peace practices.
2. Encourages participants to take Peace Actions in their daily lives.
3. Has already inspired over 1,200 Peace Actions by Rotarians.

Peace on Earth Zones are community-based initiatives that apply the practices of the Peace Game to foster collaboration and address local challenges. Rotary Clubs will play a crucial role in establishing and nurturing POE Zones within their communities.

The Oregon Peace Trail initiative:

1. Makes peace compelling, inspiring, and practical for Rotarians and their communities.
2. Nourishes and brings out the best in Rotarians as peace leaders.
3. Serves as a model for scaling peace across Rotary International and beyond.

To register for the online event, visit the Event Registration Website.

Club Calendar
Wed., Jan. 8: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: To Be Announced

Wed., Jan. 15: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Plaza Encuentro

Thurs., Jan. 16: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

Wed., Jan. 22: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Mallory Hiefield, Pacific Coast Trail Adventures

Thurs., Jan. 23: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Via Zoom

Sat., Jan. 25: Rotary Pickleball Tournament, 10 a.m.
Forest Grove National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way