Rotarians enjoy a great meal during the club’s fall social on Sept. 6.

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 Rotary Club of Forest Grove meeting will take place in the Fellowship Hall at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way. Please enter the church through the doors along College Way, either through the main entrance or through the lobby. Join us as Pete Power provides an update on our chartered Scouts BSA Troop 213.

Last Week’s Social: A special thank you to Sharon & Adrian Olmstead for opening their backyard to us for our fall social. Adrian prepared an outstanding brisket as the main dish and all attendees provided sides and dessert. It was a fun evening!

During the social, we had planned to collect brags to help our Rotary Exchange Student, Fareeha, pay for her activity fee to participate in cross country at Forest Grove High School. As it worked out, the full $125 for the fee was donated before the night on the social! We still collected brags and will use those to help pay for other incidentals that she will have during her year with us.

Upcoming Meetings: On Wed., Sept. 20, we will meet at the Speisschaert farm for our meeting on Wed., Sept. 20 (more details to come). A sign-up sheet for lunch from Phil’s 1500 Subs will be distributed at Wednesday’s meeting. Our rescheduled golf tournament will take place on Wed., Sept. 27 at the Sunset Grove Golf Course.

Golf Tournament – Rescheduled: Due to the extreme heat in August, our annual golf tournament has been 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.

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 501c3 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.

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.

Fun Run For Family Justice Center: The Family Justice Center of Washington County, which presented to our club earlier in 2023, is holding a fundraising Run For Hope on Sunday, Oct. 8. The five-kilometer race will begin and end at Hare Field in Hillsboro. The run and walk is free of charge but donations are suggested to help the center’s charge to serve survivors of domestic violence in our community. For more information or to register, Click Here.

Ride For Rotary: Rotary District 3181 is reaching out Rotarians for motorcycle ride/drive event in India to promote international fellowship and exchange of Rotary views. With proceeds benefitting The Rotary Foundation, the first seven editions of the ride raised over $150,000 for the foundation. This year’s event runs from Jan. 5 to 20, 2024. Registration is due by Sept. 30. To learn more or to register, visit rideforrotary.com.

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
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.

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.

Rotary Basics
The exciting world of Rotary can be a little complicated and complex. We are highlighting some of the history and function of Rotary in this Rotary Basics section. We will also present a term from our Rotary Glossary in an attempt to demystify some of the terms and acronyms that may have you wondering. Whether a new Rotarian or a veteran to the club, we hope you will find this informative.

Who Is Paul Harris & Why Should I Care?

Without Paul Harris, there is no Rotary. Born in 1868 in Racine, Wisconsin, Harris moved to Vermont at age 3, where he was raised by his paternal grandparents. He attended both the University of Vermont and Princeton University and received his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1891, In 1896, Harris moved to Chicago and opened a law practice.

Four years later, Harris met a fellow attorney for dinner on Chicago’s North Side. He was impressed that his friend, Bob Frank, was friendly with so many of the shopkeepers. It reminded Harris of growing up in Vermont and wondered if there was a way to channel that camaraderie among businesspeople.

Harris kept the idea and in 1905, he persuaded three other businessmen to join him in such an endeavor. The first meeting of what became Rotary International took place on February 23, 1905. He became president of the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1907 and the first president of the National Association of Rotary Clubs, now Rotary International, in 1910.

Paul Harris died on January 27, 1947, proud of what the organization had grown into. Upon his death, Rotary created the Paul Harris Memorial Fund to solicit donations in memory of its founder. Today, Paul Harris Fellows are bestowed on individuals in honor of lifetime donations to The Rotary Foundation of $1,000 or more.

Learn more about Paul Harris at the Rotary Website.

From The Rotary Glossary
PHF: Paul Harris Fellow. A Paul Harris Fellow is a Rotarian or a friend of Rotary who has contributed $1,000 or more to The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund, PolioPlus or approved Foundation grants. The Foundation recognizes fellows with a Paul Harris Fellow medallion, lapel pin and certificate. Paul Harris Fellows receive recognition for each additional $1,000 lifetime contributions they make to the Foundation.

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. The location for West region clubs (including Forest Grove) is still being determined. 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.

Board Leadership Training: District 5100 is offering a board leadership seminar this fall. This training is geared towards current club officers and board members but is open to any Rotarian who is interested in club or district leadership. The training is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 21, with time and location to be determined. This three-hour long training will touch on financial stewardship, club goals, action plans, management and much more.

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

Around Rotary International
A Solar Energy Divide (by Amy Hoak): The Habitat for Humanity home that Amber Cox moved into in 2020 not only provided a new, comfortable living situation for her and her son — it also helped keep the family’s energy bills low.

That’s because their duplex in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley came with a perk: rooftop solar panels, installed shortly after she moved in. The technology produces enough energy to greatly reduce her electric bill and create wiggle room in her budget. “It pretty much covers what would be my electric bill about three quarters of the year,” Cox says.

Even in the wintertime, when the heat is running and sunlight is less abundant, she saves about $40 a month. This, in turn, makes it easier for her to spend on activities for her 9-year-old son, like registration fees for the swim team or a weekend trip to the zoo. Among residents of affordable housing, she’s one of the fortunate few with solar power.

While the cost of solar panels has plummeted, the technology has not reached everyone equally. Low-income families, which stand to benefit the most from the savings, are among those with the least access to renewable energy. Barriers include high upfront costs, difficulty accessing loans, and disqualification for tax credits.

Environmental justice advocates in the U.S. have pointed to the disparity as an example of how people of color, who often endure more pollution in their neighborhoods, higher rates of asthma, and some of the greatest impacts of climate change, are also shut off from climate solutions. The civil rights group NAACP is among those pressing for greater access to solar power in communities with large percentages of Black or Hispanic residents.

Through their service partnership, Rotary International and Habitat for Humanity International are trying to shrink that solar equity gap, an effort that can have a lasting impact on families and communities. Habitat is a global nonprofit that improves living conditions in more than 70 countries, including by removing hurdles to affordable, adequate housing for families. Read More

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

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

Thurs., Sept. 14: Executive Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
via Zoom

Wed., Sept. 20: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Field Trip To The Speisschaert Farm
Details Coming Soon

Thurs., Sept. 21: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

Wed., Sept. 27: Golf Tournament (rescheduled from August)
Lunch at noon, golf at 1 p.m.
Sunset Grove Golf Course, 41615 NW Osterman Rd, Forest Grove

Wed., Oct. 4: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Location TBA
Program: Chris Regilski, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation