Construction of the stage is always one of the biggest setup tasks at our annual Concours d’Elegance classic car show.

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

This Week – At Pacific University: This week’s meeting, on Wednesday, July 26, will be our last for a while at Pacific University. We will be in the dining commons. Please join us as our own Claudia Yakos provides an update on the Gardens of Hope international service project.

Upcoming Meetings: After July 26, our weekly meetings will take place at the Cornelius Public Library for the foreseeable future. Due to renovations to Pacific Hall (the former library), our usual meeting space in the University Center will be used as classroom space for much of the 2023-24 academic year.

Name Badges – The Rules Have Changed: With the fact that we will be moving to the Cornelius Public Library the next few months, 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.

Save The Date – Golf Tournament: Mark your calendars for Wed., Aug. 16, as we conduct our annual golf tournament at Sunset Grove Golf Course. Join us for this social event and nine holes of golf with some unique rules to make it fun. Lunch for all members will be available at noon with the golf portion of the day commencing at 1 p.m.

A sign-up sheet will be distributed during our weekly meetings. You can also contact Tim Schauermann for more details or to sign up.

Concours d’Elegance – Thank You: Thank you to all of our members who made our 49th Concours d’Elegance another great success! We had a great day at Pacific University with some great weather and over 300 classic cars on campus. We are grateful for all that each of our Rotarians did to make the weekend, from vineyard concert to tour to show, another incredible event. Information on how we did to support our Scholarship Program and community outreach efforts in the coming weeks.

If you are interested in getting further involved with the Concours, the steering committee is always looking for volunteers to prepare through the show throughout the years. 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.

Nyuzen Sister City Recognition: The City of Forest Grove’s Sister City Committee is looking for local businesses who would like to participate in a video celebrating the 70th anniversary of the city’s sister city relationship with Nyuzen, Japan.

The video would involve local businesses holding a 70th anniversary banner and will be presented in Japan to the people of Nzuyen in late September. Filming takes just a few minutes and can be done on August 11 or August 16.

If you are interested in participating with this project, please contact Pat Truax at 503-310-7740 or pattru2003@yahoo.com and she will schedule a time with you. Thank you in advance for your support of the sister city program.

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
Elks Backpack Program: The Elks Backpack Program, which provides food for youth in the Forest Grove School District experiencing food insecurity, is looking for 50 new or gently used backpacks for the program. If you have backpacks to donate, please bring those to a future meeting and we will get them to the appropriate people.

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
District 5100 IDEA Committee – Invitation To Participate: With such great feedback from attendees of our last several trainings, the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee would like to invite anyone who is interested to join us for a short online Diversity and Inclusion training and sharing seminar on August 8, 2023.

We will also discuss how IDEA principles relate to club growth and retention, share resources, and invite all of you to share some of your stories, both successes and failures, related to putting IDEA principles into practice with your organizations.

If you would like to join us, please use the meeting link.

IDEA Committee Meeting
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
6:00pm to 7:30pm

A direct link to the Zoom meeting is available in the District 5100 Newsletter sent to Rotarians earlier in July.

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

Around Rotary International
Rotary-USAID Partnership Amplifies Complementary Strengths: Rotary’s long and successful strategic partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve access to safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) illustrates how public-private partnerships can improve impact in the communities we serve and expand services and support beyond what Rotary members could do alone.

The ability to leverage the strengths of all partners is what determines whether a partner is the right one, says Erica Gwynn, the area of focus manager for water and sanitation at Rotary.

“If you do partnerships right,” Gwynn says, “one plus one shouldn’t equal two. The impact of partnerships should be multiplicative, not just additive.”

For Rotary, partners provide benefits such as permanent staffing, expertise, and a foundation that allows Rotary members to focus on activities that capitalize on their grass roots presence. Ensuring that people have access to clean water is a huge global issue. About 2.2 billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water, and more than a billion more don’t have safe sanitation. The consequences are deadly: Diseases from contaminated water account for one in nine child deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rotary members have worked for decades with local communities and governments to improve access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. Our members have given more than 25,000 volunteer hours, contributing their skills and leadership to building water and sanitation systems, strengthening oversight, and helping communities adopt healthy behaviors.

However, Rotary members also recognize that smart partnerships leverage the resources and expertise of others to reach more people and increase the likelihood that those effects will stand the test of time. Partners like USAID work at the national level, building and strengthening monitoring systems and policy. Together, they assist national and local governments to deliver stronger and more sustainable WASH services.

Ron Denham, a founding member of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Rotary Action Group, understood this. At the 2006 World Water Forum in Mexico, he approached USAID, which is the world’s largest government development agency. USAID could bring more technical expertise such as data collection, monitoring, and engaging with governments to the Rotary members’ expansive community connections that are invaluable in gaining people’s trust and implementing change.

“I told them, a partnership between Rotary and USAID is a natural fit,” recalls Denham. “We could do wonders together.” The idea began to take shape. Rotary had a long commitment to community health and USAID had more technical expertise, funding, and the infrastructure. Two years later, Rotary and USAID made the partnership official.

Since then, the organizations have committed millions of dollars — an estimated US$18 million by 2025 — to help more than 450,000 people gain access to more sustainable clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services. When funding for a program ends, Rotary members continue to work with all involved to ensure that the water and sanitation services are sustained. 

They also keep building alliances that center the needs of communities and their residents.

That spirit and initiative is precisely why Rotary is an ideal partner, says Ryan Mahoney, a water, sanitation, and hygiene adviser at USAID. “The biggest upside has been the [Rotarian] volunteer energy to go out and see projects and engage with local communities on an ongoing basis, while advocating toward the countries’ authorities,” Mahoney says. “Few organizations can bring the same level of scale and breadth.”

It’s the influence of Rotary members, their ability to mobilize all kinds of public and private resources, their local presence and commitment to their communities, and their ability to build creative partnerships that makes it possible to create and expand that kind of relationship.

John Hewko, Rotary’s general secretary and CEO, has spent more than a decade watching the Rotary-USAID Partnership grow, and understands why it continues to succeed. “USAID has missions in most countries,” says Hewko, “but they don’t have deep roots in communities like Rotary has. That’s why this kind of collaborative partnership is so valuable. Each partner brings unique skills and talents to the table.”

Members have skills and talents — including the ability to advocate for communities and their needs and to mobilize community members to accept ownership of, participate in, and monitor the function of acquired services.

“Rotarians may not have resources at the scale and scope of USAID,” says Theophilus Mensah, a Rotary program manager in Ghana. “But our voice is equally valuable. In all partnerships, make sure you know what you bring and what you’ll gain.”

One of the biggest lessons in the Rotary-USAID Partnership stems from Denham’s initiative to begin the conversation early and in earnest. It’s easy to talk, but it’s not as easy to listen and really evaluate how a prospective partner can fit into and amplify the work you’re already engaged in. As Denham says, “Be sure you’re having a genuine dialogue from the beginning. And that means listening to one another.”

To learn more about participating in, launching, or financially supporting strategic partnerships like the Rotary-USAID Partnership, visit rotaryusaidwash.rotary.org or contact Rotary WASH Manager Erica Gwynn at erica.gwynn@rotary.org.

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

Last Week’s Program: Ava Aguilar, Washington County Green Business Leaders
In a recent engaging and informative session, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove had the privilege of hosting Ava Aguilar of the Washington County Green Business Leaders. The program focused on the crucial theme of sustainability, urging us to consider not only recycling but also the importance of reducing and reusing to minimize our environmental impact.

The program began by shedding light on recycling, a well-known practice in waste management. However, the Washington County Green Business Leaders emphasized that to truly make a difference, we must tackle the root of the issue by reducing waste generation. By adopting smarter consumption habits and minimizing unnecessary packaging, we can play a significant role in preserving our environment. Additionally, the program stressed the potential of reusing materials, encouraging us to explore creative ways to extend the life cycle of products and resources.

The speakers’ passion and upbeat approach infused the session with inspiration, leaving the Rotary Club members motivated to embrace greener practices. The program showcased successful sustainability initiatives implemented by local businesses, demonstrating that eco-consciousness can lead to both environmental benefits and economic advantages.

The program’s conclusion highlighted the significance of our local recycling program and the comprehensive sustainability approach adopted by Washington County. Through strategic partnerships with businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations, the county is taking proactive steps towards creating a greener future. As members of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove, we are now equipped with valuable knowledge and a renewed commitment to promoting environmental stewardship within our community. Together, we aim to be drivers of positive change, leading the way towards a more sustainable and thriving Forest Grove.

Special thank you to Dallas Roark for writing the program recap.

Club Calendar
Wed., July 26: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Dining Commons, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Claudia Yakos, Gardens of Hope

Wed., Aug. 2: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Cornelius Public Library, 1370 N. Adair St., Cornelius
Program: William Howe, SAGE Citizen Project

Wed., Aug. 9: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Cornelius Public Library, 1370 N. Adair St., Cornelius
Program: Carl Heisler & Tim Schauermann, Club History

Thurs., Aug. 10: Executive Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
via Zoom

Wed., Aug. 16: Golf Tournament
Lunch at noon, golf at 1 p.m.
Sunset Grove Golf Course, 41615 NW Osterman Rd., Forest Grove