The 52nd Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance, presented by the Rotary Club of Forest Grove, is this Sunday at Pacific University’s Forest Grove Campus. Photo by Tim Schauermann.

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

This Week – Monthly Social: As hard as it is to believe, we are already coming up on the middle of July! Join us for our monthly social on Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove. Enjoy some good food and beverages and fellowship with other Rotarians. Do you know someone who might be interested in Rotary? Bring them and introduce them to what People of Action do in our community. We will not have a regular Wednesday meeting on Wednesday, July 15.

It’s Concours Week!: This is also the week of our biggest fundraiser of the year, our 52nd Concours d’Elegance! Be sure to check the Concours d’Elegance News section of this newsletter for final details about this year’s event. We look forward to everyone’s participation on Sunday as we host some of the finest classic cars in the Pacific Northwest and raise funds for our scholarship program and community service outreaches.

Upcoming Meetings: Our summer weekly Wednesday meetings are scheduled to be in the Boxer Pause in the University Center at Pacific University. The location is subject to change, so please watch the Rototeller newsletter for any changes to meeting location.

Modified Rototeller Schedule In July: With the Rototeller editor going on vacation and working two major track and field meets in July and August, the schedule for the member newsletter will be modified. The Rototeller will not be published on the weekend July 25/26. Any items for publication must be emailed to Blake Timm by no later than 5 p.m. on the Friday before the next scheduled publication date.

Happy Rotary New Year – Welcoming Our New Club Leadership: The new Rotary year started on July 1. We are looking forward to Creating Lasting Impact behind our new club leadership this year!

President: Hector Mendez-Colberg
President-Elect/Program Chair: Mallory Hiefield
Immediate Past President: Andrea Stewart
Secretary: Claire Agner
Treasurer: Sharon Olmstead
Fundraising Treasurer: Janet Peters
Board of Directors Members: Sarah Barbour, Michael Cook, Bruce Cummings, Margie Davidson, Kevin Harmon, Amanda Hartmann, Mackenzie Johnston Caret, Carla Kimzey, Cole Thursam
Satellite Club Director: Carla Kimzey
Membership Chair: Evelyn Orr
Rotary Foundation Chair: Lucas Welliver
Youth Exchange Officer: Sarah Barbour
Community Service Chair: Amanda Hartmann
International Service Chair: Janet Peters
Public Image Chair: Blake Timm

Additionally, we want to give a tip of the cap to our club members who are serving in leadership roles for Rotary District 5100.

PDG Jeannine Murrell: Chair, District Rotary Foundation Committee
Amy Tracewell: Chair, District Learning & Development Committee
Blake Timm: Area Governor, Western Region; Media Relations Coordinator, District Public Image Committee
Michael Yakos: Member, District Rotary Foundation Committee

Welcome Lori Birtola!: Lori Birtola believed that joining Rotary would be a great way to honor her husband’s memory.

“In honor of my husband, I decided to join Rotary. He always believed in helping others,” she said.

Birtola is now the newest member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. She was inducted during the club’s July 8 meeting, and was sponsored for membership by Lucas Welliver.

Birtola and her late husband, Jim, were involved with Rotary during their time as real estate brokers in central Oregon. Jim was president of the Sunriver Rotary Club in 2006-07. That same year, they hosted a Rotary Youth Exchange student.

Born and raised in San Jose, California, Birtola married Jim in 1978. The couple moved with their two sons to Sunriver in 1990, where she started her own bookkeeping service. That same year, she and her husband started High Desert Realty. Although she is now retired, Birtola continues to be a part owner of the company.

Birtola’s previous work experience includes administrative work with Mirassou Vineyards and Diasonics, both in the Bay Area.

After Jim’s death in 2024, Birtola moved to Forest Grove to be closer to her eldest son and his family.

Birtola said that she is looking forward to serving the community through Rotary, and we look forward to serving alongside her.

Hops Baseball Night With Western Region Rotary Clubs: Come join our friends from Western Region’s other clubs for a night of baseball as the Hillsboro Hops take on the Eugene Emeralds Eugene Emeralds on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 6:35 p.m. Thanks to Jill Woodworth with the Beaverton club, we have the party deck area of the stadium reserved for an evening of fun. The cost of the event is $71.50 per person and includes game admission, food (including hot dogs, pulled pork, mac and cheese and other ballpark favorites), and non-alcoholic beverages.

This promises to be a great opportunity to enjoy an evening of baseball, fellowship, and connection with fellow Rotarians from across the area.

There are still tickets available for this special regional event. If you are interested in taking part, and you did not already indicate that you are interested in attending, please contact Tom Raabe.

Plates For Passports Steak Sales: The club still has leftover packs of steaks from our Plates to Passports event available for purchase. Each pack of two steaks is $30 each. If you are interested in purchasing a pack or a few, please contact Janet Peters.

Rotary Youth Exchange Host Families Needed: Our club is looking for host families for our incoming 2026-27 exchange student, who will arrive in mid-August. This year, we are expecting to welcome a girl from South Korea.

Students stay with three families over the course of the year: from mid-August to early December, from early December to mid-March, and from mid-March to late June. Hosts must be able to provide a bed, a place to study, and a seat at your table. Hosting is a volunteer commitment, and your exchange student is a member of your family. Many host families develop close relationships with their students, and often stay in contact for life.

Single parents, child-free households, couples with kids of any ages, and LGBTQ+ families are all eligible and welcome. The only requirements are a bed and bedroom (a shared room with a child of the same gender is fine) and a study space.

Please contact Sarah Barbour, Youth Exchange Committee chair, at 503-597-9355 or ForestGroveRYE@gmail.com for an application form or to inquire about hosting.

Membership Committee: The club’s Membership Committee meets the second and fourth Tuesday, 4 p.m., in the conference room at the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce. Its next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14. For more information, or to get involved, please contact Evelyn Orr or Bruce Cummings.

Concours d’Elegance News
It’s Concours Week!: The 52nd Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance is this Sunday. Our thanks to the Concours Steering Committee, co-chaired by Bruce Cummings and Amanda Hartmann, for their hard work to bring this year’s show together.

Volunteer Assignments: Thank you to our wonderful community for stepping up to help us make the Concours roll! We have filled our volunteer positions. For those of you who have volunteered, please check the SignUpGenius Volunteer Page linked to the Concours website to confirm your assignment and shift time. If you have any questions about your assignment and time, please contact Stephanie Magoulas at 360-448-1085 or smagoulas@pacificu.edu.

For More Information: If you have Concours-related questions or are interested in opportunities, please contact Concours Chair Bruce Cummings.

Service Opportunities
Share Your Volunteer Opportunity With The Club: 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.

North Plains Food Bank Kickstart2School Event: The North Plains Food Bank is in need of volunteers on Saturday, July 18, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for their huge back-to-school event, Kickstart2School. The community-driven event provides 700 eligible students with new shoes, school supplies, and essential services to help start the school year confidently. Participants can also receive free vision and health screenings. To learn more about the event, visit the Kickstart2School website.

Volunteers are needed for morning and afternoon shifts to help with set-up and takedown, and to support students as they receive their supplies. For the day of the event, approximately 15 people are needed. Dual-language speakers are a huge plus.

To register to volunteer, sign up online or email Ruben Fonseca, volunteer@npfoodbank.org.

West Tuality Habitat For Humanity: West Tuality Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers to assist both with construction projects at its Countryman Estates build site on 23rd Avenue and at Habitat’s ReStore. The construction site is open most Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The ReStore is looking for both single volunteers and pairs of volunteers Monday through Saturday.

If you are interested in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, please visit their online Volunteer Application. You can also visit Habitat’s Website for more details on the opportunities available. If you are already registered as a volunteer with West Tuality Habitat for Humanity, visit their Volunteer Calendar to see what shifts are currently available.

Questions? Please email volunteer@westualityhabitat.org or call 503-359-8459.

Centro Cultural Volunteer Opportunities: Centro Cultural, located in Cornelius, is in need of volunteers for some ongoing projects.

Centro Mercado Volunteer: Centro Cultural’s Mercado is a free food pantry set up like a grocery store, providing the community a welcoming and dignified space to get free, fresh and local food. Volunteers are needed during the Mercado’s open hours, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m., and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to help staff and maintain the pantry. The Mercado is located at 1216 E. Baseline St., Cornelius. Visit SignUp Genius To Register & See Available Shifts.

Volunteers for Centro Cultural must sign-up for opportunities through SignUp Genius and must be pre-approved before the event. Walk-up volunteers are no longer allowed by the organization. Information on how to register can be found on those pages or by contacting Evelyn Orr, eorr@centrocultural.org.

Around District 5100
Honoring The District’s Award Winners (from the district’s District Newsbyte from July 7): Our first week of the New Rotary Year has been exciting. Many clubs and Rotarians took part in Parades and community Fourth of July Events. Some clubs held their leadership installation/transition ceremonies, and some took time at their first meeting of the year to speak of the year to come and review the year that has passed.

As a district there are a few celebrations, specifically Awards, last year that we should honor as we move into the new year. These were presented by IPDG Susanne Holmberg at the Area Celebrations held through May and June. Let’s take this moment to celebrate Stewart Martin, Al Jubitz, and Tom Crozier.

As you read about the amazing accomplishments of these members in our district, remember that we all have the potential to make a difference as Rotarians. Every Rotary project was started by a Rotarian who saw an opportunity to help someone, their community, or others around the world.

That Rotarian collaborated with others in their club and community and together proved why we are people of action. Let’s be inspired to Create Lasting Impact.

Service Above Self Award – Stewart Martin, Rotary Club of Lake Oswego
Awarded by Rotary International. This is one of the highest honors Rotary bestows. At most, 150 members worldwide receive this honor each year. It recognizes Rotarians who have demonstrated an extraordinary, long-term commitment to humanitarian service — individuals who consistently put the needs of others, and the good of communities, ahead of themselves. It honors those who live Rotary’s motto not just in words, but through a lifetime of action.

And Stewart Martin is a powerful example of exactly that. Stewart understands something fundamental about Rotary: that service is not just about showing up — it’s about building something that lasts.

For decades, Stewart has worked at the intersection of knowledge, systems, and heart. In the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene space, he hasn’t simply participated — he has helped shape how Rotary does this work globally. From community assessments in Tanzania, to global summits, to guiding districts and clubs through complex grants, Stewart has been a steady hand and a thoughtful voice.

But what makes his service extraordinary is how he serves. Stewart brings curiosity. He brings humility. He brings a love of learning — and a willingness to embrace new ideas, new tools, and even new technologies to help Rotary do better. Whether advising on global grants, strengthening learning frameworks, improving access to resources, or coaching clubs and districts through complexity, Stewart doesn’t just ask, “What are we doing?” He asks, “How can we do this better — and how can we help others succeed?”

2025-2026 Citation for Meritorious Service – Al Jubitz, Rotary Club of Portland
The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service honors one Rotarian or Rotaractor per district who has been actively involved in service related to The Rotary Foundation.

Al Jubitz was recognized as a Rotarian who has not only been extremely financially generous, but whose lifelong commitment to Rotary’s Peace Area of Focus has touched our district, our communities, and the world.

Al Jubitz has never simply supported peace in theory—he has invested in it with vision, generosity, and sustained action. In 2017, Al issued a bold challenge to plant 125 Peace Poles across District 5100. Not only was that goal achieved, but through the Jubitz Family Foundation, Al helped make it possible by offsetting a third of the cost of every pole, ensuring that peace would be visibly rooted in our communities. For years he has offered his Paul Harris recognition points to match member contributions as incentives for donations to The Rotary Foundation.

Al has also brought people together in powerful ways. He sponsored and hosted Peacebuilder District dinners, growing from gatherings of dozens to a remarkable event in 2024 attended by more than 400 Peace Fellows, Rotarians, and Foundation donors. That evening featured inspiring voices, including Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick, and reflected Al’s belief that peace grows through connection and shared purpose.

As a speaker, Al has reached nearly every club in District 5100 and many beyond, always showing up, listening deeply, brainstorming, and encouraging action. At our International Conventions, he supports Peace Parks across the globe and co‑founded the Rotary Action Group for Peace, helping strengthen Rotary’s global peace mission.

2025-2026 Rotary Foundation District Service Award – Tom Crozier, Rotary Club of Camas-Washougal
Tom Crozier was serving as a Rotarian long before he actually joined the Camas-Washougal club. He was the recipient of the Club Rotarian of the Year award, and elected Club President in 2015-16, while serving as our district’s First Spouse, twice, when his wife, Barb Crozier, served as District Governor.  He was appointed Assistant Governor to the Columbia Gorge region, while simultaneously serving as District Vision Facilitation Chair. In 2020 through 2023 he became the District Rotary Foundation Chair and is currently in his second term as our Stewardship Chair, while also co-chairing his club’s TRF committee and serving as club Executive Secretary. Those are the stats. Here are a couple of examples of the heart behind the work.

He was part of a District 5100 relationship-building and project-finding visit to Indonesia after the earthquake and tsunami. Stewart Martin recalls: We met many Rotary clubs, listened to their presentations, received project proposals, and had great friendship and cultural experiences. On their return Tom and Stewart spent an entire weekend summarizing and ranking over 70 projects … then circulating them to clubs for their adoption. It was so successful that in the next two years our district spent more funds and had more projects with Indonesia than all of Central America.

Tom and Barb served as the aides for our Rotary International President, Stephanie Urchick when she came to our Shoot for the Moon event in October 2024, which took quite a bit of driving and logistics to make her welcome.

When Tom is asked for something, the answer is always yes. He is the first to say, “How can I help?” whether it is to analyze data, follow up on club reports, or be present for setup, tear down, or answering questions.

Last Week’s Program: Kim Ezell, Forest Grove Assistant City Manager

Forest Grove Assistant City Manager Kim Ezell was the day’s featured speaker.  The Liberty High grad took a circuitous route to Forest Grove, getting her undergraduate and graduate degrees on the East Coast.  Her job, helping manage Washington D.C.’s drinking water supply, led her to the city’s spinoff non-profit, Bloom, which turned a municipal liability, solid waste, into an asset: high-quality fertilizer purchased by local farmers, landscapers and homeowners.

In 2019, she came home to be closer to her four brothers and parents, signing on with Barney & Worth, a local government consultant whose client list included the City of Tigard.

Three years later, she joined the team at Tigard, managing the city’s strategic initiatives. In January she took the job as Assistant City Manager, where her duties include working on the city’s Vision 2040 plan. That makes her a key player on some ambitious projects, including the push for a new police station, the conversation of the former downtown movie theater into a boutique hotel and preparing some large city-owned vacant parcels for development

Her husband, Chris, works in East Portland so, for now, they’re splitting the commute time from their home in Beaverton.

Club Calendar
Tues., July 14: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Thurs., July 16: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Thurs., July 16: Third Thursday Social, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove
No Wednesday Meeting On July 15

Sunday, July 19: Concours d’Elegance
Pacific University Forest Grove Campus
Website | Order Tickets

Wed., July 22: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Lauren Quinsland, Forest Grove Police Department, Scam & Fraud Prevention

Tues., July 28: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., July 29: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: To Be Announced

Wed., Aug. 5: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Alan Bazzaz, Lake Oswego Rotary Global Grant Project