At our Nov. 20 meeting we honored our November Youth Citizens of the Month from the Gaston School District.

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

No Meeting This Week: We wish all of our Rotarians, their families, and their friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. As per our annual tradition, we will not have a weekly meeting this Wednesday, Nov. 27. We hope that you will join us at Pacific University on Wed., Dec. 4., when our program will be Pacific Athletic Director Keith Buckley.

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.

Wreath Sales: Thank you to all of our Rotarians and friends who took part in our annual wreath sale. Wreaths will be available for deliver on Friday, Nov. 29. Details on how deliveries will work in forthcoming. Please contact Janet Peters with questions.

All proceeds from the wreath sale will benefit our Hope For The Holidays service project, which provides holiday meals to families experiencing food insecurity in partnership with Forest Grove High School’s Food Pantry.

Youth Citizens of the Month: At last week’s 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!

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 will once again have their annual Christmas tree stand in the parking lot of Ballad Town Center (Safeway). The tree stand will open on Saturday, Nov. 30, 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
November Is Rotary Foundation Month (by PDG Renee Campbell, District 5100 Rotary Foundation Chair): It takes donors at every level, according to our capacity, to fund the great work of our Rotary Foundation, and we are blessed in District 5100 with all those donors from Legacy and Bequest Societies, Arch Klumph Society, Major Donors, Paul Harris Society, Paul Harris Fellow, Sustaining Members, and Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) donors. Those EREY donations at $25-$50 raise over $5 million internationally each year. Every donation is welcome and appreciated.

It is so easy to contribute. Head to Rotary.org and there is a DONATE button on every page. There you can make a one-time gift or a recurring gift we call Rotary Direct at $25 or more per month, quarter, or annually. If you sign up for a recurring gift of $85 per month, which is $1,000 a year, you will be eligible for membership in the Paul Harris Society (PHS). You can join the PHS and make that pledge HERE.

May I offer an additional incentive if you are just getting started in your Rotary Foundation giving? If you sign up for Rotary Direct at $25 per month or more by November 30, we will provide 250 Paul Harris points to help you to your first or next Paul Harris Fellow recognition.

And if you join the Paul Harris Society at $1,000 per year, we will provide an additional 250 Paul Harris points toward your first or next Paul Harris Fellow recognition. This can be done with a monthly, quarterly, or an annual gift. Many choose to do this through a Required Minimum Distribution from their retirement account, donor advised fund, or an outright gift, etc.

Let me know if you have done either – or both – and you could receive a total of 500 points.

Last Week’s Program: Boxer Junior All-Sports Camp
At last week’s meeting, we were joined by members of the Pacific University Athletic Department, who presented on their annual Boxer Junior All-Sports Camp program. Making the presentation was director of intramurals & recreation Hayden Huzefka, head men’s basketball coach Justin Lunt, assistant cross country/track and field coach Mackenzie Beeler, and football offensive coordinator Jim Craft.

This is the third year that Pacific has hosted the camp, which runs the last two weeks of June. The department is trying to develop an ongoing community outreach through the camp program, including quarterly newsletters (going out to 1,200-plus families) and a mentoring program.

The 2025 edition of camp will run from June 16-20 and from June 23-27. All five days of the camp run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The camp is open to all first through eighth graders with exposure to 22-plus sports. Pacific’s head coaches and student-athletes work as part of the camp staff. In addition to sport-specific activities, there are traditional camp activities. All campers receive a pass that will admit them to any Pacific sports event during the next academic year.

Crafted noted that a lot of elementary school kids don’t know what they are really interested in. The camp provides an opportunity to try out different sports and find out what they really enjoy. It helps kid expands their mind in terms of sports interest.

This year, the athletic department has developed community outreach programs with Echo Shaw, Fern Hill and Joseph Gale elementaries, with student-athletes appearing at assemblies, doing reading days, and participating with kids during PE classes and at recess.

The department is looking for sponsorships that would help some camp participants defray the cost of attendance. The week-long camp runs $325 per person or $250 to attend a half-day.

For more information on the camps, visit the Camp Website. For further questions, or to inquire about sponsorship, email boxersportscamps@pacificu.edu.

Club Calendar
Wed., Nov. 27: No Meeting – Happy Thanksgiving

Fri., Nov. 29: Wreath Sale Deliveries

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

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