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

This Week’s Meeting: Be sure to join us this Wednesday at noon in the Boxer Pause Room in the University Center at Pacific University. This week, we welcome Anne Hayes who will introduce us to Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals.

Upcoming Meetings: All of our Wednesday meetings through the end of September will take place in the Boxer Pause room in the University Center at Pacific University. Please remember that we will not have a noon meeting on the third Wednesday of the month (Sept. 17).

Change To Lunch Procedures For Meetings At Pacific: As we return to Pacific, we will be taking lunch through the dining commons in the University Center. The university’s food service provider, Bon Appetit, had updated the way lunches are purchased for our meetings. Beginning on August 27, all members and guests will need to check in the treasurer before going through the commons to purchase a lunch voucher.

• If you are billed for lunch, you will still need to check in to receive your voucher.
• All guests will also need a voucher to enter the commons.
• The cost for lunch remains at $10.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we transition to this new process. If you have questions, please contact President Andrea Stewart or Treasurer Sharon Olmstead.

Community Service Coordinator: Our thanks to one of our newest Rotarians, Amanda Hartmann, who has stepped forward to assume the role of our community service coordinator. If you have ideas for ways that our club can provide service to our local communities, please talk with Amanda.

It was decided that our club will not do a booth for this year’s Corn Roast, but club members are strongly encouraged to volunteer for the event through the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce (see below under Service Opportunities).

Membership Committee: The club’s Membership Committee is looking for additional club members who want to make the experience in our club the best for current members and to find new members. The committee will be talking about what we can do retain members, the recently completed club member survey, and what we can our members can provide to make this club that we can continue to be proud of.

For more information, or to get involved, please contact Evelyn Orr or Bruce Cummings.

Memorial Service For Rick Kaufmann: We are sad to report that Rick Kaufman, a former member of our club and a longtime volunteer with the Concours d’Elegance, passed away earlier this year. A memorial service is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2 p.m., at the Log Chapel on the campus of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. Our condolences go out to Rick’s family and friends, and we are grateful for his longtime contributions to Concours and to Rotary.

Third Week Social Meetings: Rotary is all about service and fellowship and we’re bringing both to life in a new way. Our club has replaced its noon meetings on the third Wednesday of each month a social evening on the third Thursday of each month in conjunction with our Satellite Club. These socials will take place at Zesti Carts, 2131 Yew St., at 6:30 p.m.

The hope is that these new social meetings will provide a chance for club members to bond better with one another, to better connect those who attend our Satellite Club meetings, and to align better with the fifth point of The Four-Way Test: Is it fun?

Bring your significant other, invite a friend and come ready to meet someone new. Let’s make these evenings a place for fun, connection and the shared purpose that makes Rotary meaningful. We can’t wait to see you there!

Welcome To Our Inbound Youth Exchange Student, Lara!: Our club’s 2025-26 Rotary Youth Exchange inbound student, Lara Bekiroglu from Turkey, was scheduled to arrive in Portland on Saturday. We look forward to having you, Lara, as part of our club and community this year!

Youth Exchange Driver For Weekly Meetings Needed: One of the requirements of the Youth Exchange program is that both inbound and outbound students attend our Rotary meetings. The Youth Exchange Committee is still in need of someone who can pick up Lara and our outbound student, Sophie, from Forest Grove High School weekly at 11:30 a.m., and return them to the school after. This would begin on Wednesday, Sept. 3. While a consistent driver for the semester would be ideal, the committee is open to having people sign up for one-month shifts at a time.

If you are interested in helping out, please contact our Youth Exchange Officer, Sarah Barbour, at 503-597-9355. NOTE: To assist with the transport of Youth Exchange students, you must complete the District 5100 Youth Protection Training and undergone a background check with the district.

Steaks Available For Purchase: Our club has a number of packages of steak left over from the Steak Feed available for purchase. Packs of two choice New York steaks are available for $20 each. If you are interested, please contact Janet Peters.

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 Volunteers Needed: The Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce will host the 61st annual Corn Roast on Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., along College Way and the west lawns of Pacific University. This annual community includes vendors, a welcome to new educators in the community, and the Corn Roast meal for all to enjoy.

Volunteers are needed for both set-up and takedown, corn shucking, helping serve meals, and traffic control. Volunteers are needed for multiple shifts. If you are able to help, wear your Rotary shirt so you can let people know that our club is out helping in the community!

To sign up, please visit the Sign Up Genius site for the Corn Coast. For more information, contact the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce.

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 Monday, July 28. 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
Vibrant Club Workshop: All Rotarians are invited to take part in District 5100’s Vibrant Club Workshop on Saturday, Sept. 27, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The pod for the Western Region clubs (Forest Grove, Hillsboro & Beaverton) will take place at All Saints Episcopal Church, 372 NE Lincoln St., Hillsboro.

This year’s Rotary Vibrant Workshop will provide hands-on club integration of funding, public image and membership. Membership grows and retains Rotarians when clubs have meaningful service projects that are well promoted and provide meaningful community contributions. The workshop will share successful strategies that clubs in our district have used to grow their membership.

Club executive leaders and board members are highly encouraged to attend, but all Rotarians are welcome. There is a $15 per Rotarian fee to cover facility rental and light refreshments. Sign-up for the workshop on DacDB.

For questions or more details, please contact Area Governor Blake Timm at 503-320-3915 or blakertimm@gmail.com.

District Governor Town Halls: District Governor Susanne Holmberg will hold monthly town hall meetings for Rotarians (and those curious about Rotary) on the fourth Tuesday of each month this Rotary year. The Zoom meetings will have an open house flavor — come and go as you please — to hear concerns, ideas, suggestions, or to just visit. This is part of Susanne’s effort to bring Rotary to where Rotarians are. There is no requirement or expectation of attendance, but if you would like to visit with Susanne or other Rotarians across the district, this is an opportunity to do so.

The town halls will take place on the fourth Tuesday is each month, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. A Zoom link will be sent by the district by email prior to the meeting.

Susanne’s Storybook: Click Here to read the latest edition of Susanne’s Storybook, the Rotary District 5100 newsletter.

Last Week’s Program: Keith Buckley, Pacific University
At last week’s meeting, we welcomed back Pacific University Athletic Director Keith Buckley, who gave us an update on Boxer athletics as the 2025-26 school year gets underway.

Keith took a moment to single out a couple of Rotarians who are a critical part of his administrative team: Andrew Stewart, who serves as the athletic business manager, and Mallory Hiefield, assistant athletic director. He is very fortunate to have Andrea and Mallory as part of the administrative team.

The Pacific athletic program is looking to the future of the program with great promise. Pacific welcomed 220 new student-athletes to the university this year. The university has over 600 students involved in athletics, comprising over 40% of the undergraduate student body.

The athletic department is working hard to build more of a base of support, both within the student body and in the community. The department is hard at work in building its student fan group, the Red Den. Hayden Huzekfa, a former football player who is now the department’s director of intramurals and recreation, has taken on the role of building excitement and getting students to support each other. The social aspect of the program is important.

Buckley said that the university is in the fundraising stages for an expansion of the Stoller Center that is designed to benefit not only student-athletes, but the entire university community. The Stoller Center was built in 1970 to accommodate around 200 athletes and, at the time, was a state-of-the-art facility. The Stoller Center now serves over 600 athletes and is needs to be renovated.

Among the upcoming events for the department include the first home football game of the season, against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 6 p.m. Homecoming weekend will take place Oct. 23-25. The weekend will begin with a soccer doubleheader on Friday evening and the football game on Saturday against Willamette. On Saturday, Nov. 1, the department will host a tailgate event focused on the soccer and volleyball programs. All three teams will play that day.

For more information, including latest news and schedules, visit goboxers.com.

Club Calendar
Wed., Sept. 3: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Anne Haynes, Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals

Wed., Sept. 10: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: PDG Renee Campbell, Rotary Foundation

Thurs., Sept. 11: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

Thurs., Sept. 18: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St.

Thurs., Sept. 18: Monthly Social Meeting/Satellite Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St.