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 week for our regular weekly meeting on Wednesday, noon, which will take place at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way (across the street from Pacific University). Join us as we hear a program from Laura Rost, introducing us to Bee City USA.

As this is an off-site meeting, an RSVP for lunch was due to secretary Claire Agner on Sunday. If you did not RSVP, you are still welcome to attend, but please plan on bringing your own lunch.

Upcoming Meetings: Our Wednesday, Oct. 22 will also take place at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ. All other Wednesday meetings will take place at Pacific University.

Our club does not meet on the third Wednesday of the month. Instead, we welcome club members to join us for a monthly social, which takes place on Thursday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove.

Road Cleanup Coordinator Needed: Paul Waterstreet is stepping away from coordinating our club’s longtime participation in the Washington County Adopt-A-Road Program. Our thanks to Paul for all of his efforts to keep this service project active in our club after the program’s longtime champion within the club, Jerry Hoerber, passed away.

We are in need of another club member to step up to take on the project. It involves coordinating with the county on at least two cleanup days per year on the two sections of road that the club has adopted: Gales Creek Road between Thatcher Road and Forest Gale Drive, and Thatcher Road between Gales Creek Road and David Hill Road.

Please contact President Andrea Stewart with any questions or if you are interested in taking this project on.

Peace Pole Dedication At Pacific University: Thank you to all the Rotarians who came out for the dedication on a peace pole on Pacific University’s Forest Grove Campus. The pole was installed along the walkway in between Old College Hall and Rotary Centennial Garden/Faith Gabelnick Labyrinth. Members of our club were joined by members of the Pacific University Community and members from the Forest Grove Daybreak and Hillsboro Rotary Clubs. Also in attendance was Larry Strober and Al Jubitz from the Rotary Action Group for Peace.

This was the second peace pole installed on Pacific’s campuses. A third pole will be installed this spring on the Hillsboro Campus. The pole was made possible by contributions from our club, the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club, and the Jubitz Family Foundation.

Change To Lunch Procedures For Meetings At Pacific: Pacific University’s food service provider, Bon Appetit, had updated the way lunches are purchased for our meetings. All members and guests will need to check in with 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. Vouchers can be purchased at each meeting or can be purchased in advance. If you have questions, please contact President Andrea Stewart or Treasurer Sharon Olmstead.

Congenital Heart Walk – Oct. 4: Rotarian Amanda Hartmann is putting together a group of Rotarians to participate in the Oregon/Southern Washington Congenital Heart Walk, raising funds for the Children’s Heart Association. The walk takes place on Saturday, Oct. 4, 10:30 a.m., at Tualatin Community Park in Tualatin. This is a cause that near and dear to one of our newest Rotarians. For more information, contact Amanda, or visit the event website to register and donate.

Vibrant Club Workshop: Our club was well represented at Saturday’s Vibrant Club Workshop, presented by Rotary District 5100. Participating Rotarians were led through an exercise of a potential service project, working together to plan the project with an eye towards fundraising, public image, and how the project could be a driver for membership.

Thank you to Andrew Stewart, Hector Mendez-Colberg, Amanda Hartmann, Jeannine Murrell and prospective member Stephanie Magoulas, for participating.

Youth Exchange Drivers 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. 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. 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.

Rotary Youth Exchange Training – Oct. 4: Are you interested in learning more about Rotary Youth Exchange or getting more involved in the program? District 5100 is hosting a Rotary Youth Exchange training on Saturday, Oct. 4, 9 a.m. to noon at Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie. Anyone interested in the exchange program is welcome to attend. For more information, or if you plan to attend, please contact our Youth Exchange Officer, Sarah Barbour.

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.

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 to 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.

Steaks Available For Purchase: Our club still has 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.

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.

Around District 5100
Tiffany Salzman Named District Governor Nominee Designee: Tiffany Salzman, a member of the Portland Pearl Rotary Club and a longtime leader within the district, has been selected to as Rotary District 5100’s district governor nominee designee. She is in line to serve as district governor in the 2028-29 Rotary Year.

Salzman joined Rotary in 2004 (as a member of the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club) and has served in multiple leadership roles, including club president (twice), area governor, Membership Committee member and Public Image Committee member.

Salzman is president of Candor Concepts, a consulting and marketing firm that partners with organizations focused on leveraging business as a force for good. Salzman also chairs the Pearl Fund Foundation, where she has helped grow assets by 30% through innovative fundraising and business sponsorship.

A strong advocate for leadership development, she has guided professional groups such as LEAP and Empowering Oregon Manufacturing, and is an experienced facilitator at district training events. Salzman’s Rotary journey also includes RYLA and Rotaract.

“Her passion for service, professional expertise, and dedication to building vibrant clubs make her exceptionally well-prepared to take on this role,” said Susanne Holmberg, current district governor for District 5100.

Salzman will follow behind Holmberg, Renee Fontenot (2026-27) and Pat Wolfram (2027-28) as district governor.

District 5100 Featured In Rotary Magazine: Have you read the September 2025 edition of Rotary magazine yet? If you haven’t, you are missing a great story on Janet Chvatal, a 1984 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and a native of Beaverton. Now an internationally known opera singer and stage actress, who played the role of Christine in the Vienna debut of The Phantom of the Opera, Chvatal continues to give back to Rotary through her “home club,” the Beaverton Rotary Club. Her book project, “The Wish Prince,” has distributed 5,000 books dedicated to helping children discover and pursue their dreams. Read The Story On The Rotary Website

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

Last Week’s Program: Larry Strober, Oregon Peace Trail
At last week’s meeting, we were happy to welcome back Larry Strober of the Newberg Rotary Club and of the Rotary Action Group for Peace for another presentation on the Oregon Peace Trail.

Due to technical difficulties, Strober was unable to show his PowerPoint presentation or video on the trail when he presented to our club in July. We were fortunate to welcome him again, this time with tech issues resolved.

One of the leading advocates for peace in Rotary, Strober is a co-founder of the Oregon Peace Trail along with Al Jubitz. He was part of a recent webinar on International Peace Day, hosted by Rotary International Past President Stephanie Urchick, on how Rotary continues to lean into its Area of Focus on peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

The Oregon Peace Trail had its debut at the Rotary Expo in May and was introduced to a larger Rotary audience at the 2025 Rotary Convention in Calgary. The Oregon Peace Trail is a modern rendition of the historic Oregon Trail. It goes from the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretative Center in Oregon City to the World Peace Flame, located in Ashland. It is modeled after the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain, walked by 500,000 people each year. For the 308-mile trail, the goal is to have peace poles planted every five miles with QR codes that introduce followers of the trail to the offerings of the nearest community.

The trail is linked with an online initiative called The Peace Game, which is designed to empower individuals to become peacemakers. It involves seven peace practices: empowerment, oneness, unity, cooperation, abundance, love, and faith.

Another aspect of the effort, the Peace on Earth Zone, extends the Peace Game to the community. The zones are community-based initiatives to apply the practices of the Peace Game to foster collaboration and address local challenges. Rotary Clubs, including Rotaract and Interact Clubs, play a crucial role in establishing and nurturing these zones within their communities. The first Peace on Earth Zone was established over the summer in Boulder, Colorado.

Every Rotarian can contribute to the cause of peace by planting peace poles, playing the Peace Game, and by creating a Peace on Earth Zone.

To learn more about the Oregon Peace Trail, and to see the video presented at the meeting, visit the Oregon Peace Trail website.

Club Calendar
Wed., Oct. 1: Weekly Meeting, Noon
United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Laura Rost, Bee City USA

Wed., Oct 8: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Concours d’Elegance Discussion

Thurs., Oct. 9: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

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

Thurs., Oct. 16: Social Event/Satellite Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Wed., Oct. 22: Weekly Meeting, Noon
United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Beth Huggins & Meghan Roy, Regeneration Field Institute