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

Thank You John Schrag: The Rototeller editor extends a special thank you to John Schrag for providing notes this week while he was away from the area.

This Week – Thursday Social: It is the third week of the month, which means we will have our monthly social event this Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove. We will meet in the solarium, keep us out of the elements. Join us for an evening of good food, good conversation and fellowship. This is a great way to introduce a friend to Rotary. There will be no regular weekly noon meeting this Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Upcoming Meetings: Our remaining Wednesday meetings of 2025 (Dec. 3 & Dec. 10) will be held at the United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way (across from Pacific University). We will not meet on the following Wednesdays: Nov. 26, Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. We will have a third week social event on Thursday, Dec. 17.

Earlier Meeting Start Time: Because we are packing so much information and discussion into our weekly meetings, please note that the formal meeting will now be starting at 12:05 p.m., instead of the 12:15 p.m. that we are used to. So please show up earlier to enjoy fellowship with other club members prior to the meeting.

Announcements At Meetings: If you have an announcement that you would like to give at a meeting, please let President Andrea know in advance. This will assist her in planning out our full meetings better. Thank you!

Fareeha Has A New Home: A Rotary Club family has expressed an interest in hosting our 2023-24 Rotary Youth Exchange student, Fareeha Nayebare, as she continues her education at Portland Community College. Fareeha is in need of a new host family so that she can continue to work toward her education. Details are still pending and it’s great to have backups, so if you are interested please contact Sarah Barbour.

Blood Drive Scheduled For Dec. 11: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove will be hosting an American Red Cross blood drive on Thursday, Dec. 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Oregon National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way. Blood is always in demand and this is a good way to be able to give back to our community. If you are an eligible O, B – or A – donor, consider making a Power Red donation to help meet that increasing demand.

To sign up for a donation appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter “FGRotary” to schedule an appointment.

Wreath Sales – Benefitting Family Resource Center: Thank you to everyone who purchased wreaths this year to help benefit the Forest Grove School District’s Family Resource Center at Cornelius Elementary School. With a combination of wreath sales, a District 5100 matching grant and funds from our club, we have been able to raise nearly $7,000 for the center. Orders will be delivered by our club members on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Volunteer Opportunity – Family Resource Center: The Family Resource Center is in constant need of volunteers to assist with sorting donations and preparing food boxes to go out to families in need in our community. The center is generally open and available for volunteers Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You do not need to go through the school district’s background check process to volunteer in the Family Resource Center.

If you want to volunteer or have questions about volunteering, please contact Melissa Timm at 503-310-1084 (phone or text).

If you do volunteer (or have already volunteered) at the Family Resource Center, please report your hours to club secretary Claire Agner. We are working on tracking hours for reporting to Rotary International.

Volunteer Opportunity – Tuality Plains High School Mock Interviews: Steven Barnard is looking for volunteers to help conduct a mock job interviews for the students of Tuality Plains High School (formerly known as CALC). The interviews will be held Friday, Jan. 9 and Tuesday, Jan. 13. The time commitment for both days is roughly 9:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. with a lunch break. Volunteers will be coached on how to conduct the interviews and what kind of feedback is wanted. For more information, please contact Steven.

Road Cleanup: We had a small but powerful group of Rotarians participate in our semi-annual road cleanup on Saturday, Nov. 8, along Gales Creek Road and Thatcher Road. Thanks to the follow Rotarians for their work: Greg Nemchick, Cole Thursam, Pamelajean Myers, John Schrag, Stephanie Maroulas, Janet Peter and Rus Peters. A special thank you again to Rus Peters and Melinda Fischer for taking on coordinating this long-standing project for the club.

Foundation Endowment Update: Bassum Tarazi of Edward Jones gave an overview of the new endowment fund for the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. This advances the club’s goal of creating a financial reserves fund that will grow and, hopefully, in time provide a meaningful source of passive income for the club and foundation. (Note: there is a separate “Rainy Day Fund” used to self-insure the Concours d’Elegance in case of a rainy day on the third Saturday of July.)

Tarazi said the endowment fund started with a cash balance of $35,000. He showed that if the club added $10,000 annually, it would in 30 years grow to $1 million (assuming a 6% rate of growth on the funds over that time). A $1 million balance would generate $60,000 annually, again assuming a 6% return on investments.

He explained that although this is set up as a long-term investment, the funds can be tapped at any time should the club decide to withdraw some or all of the money.

The endowment fund will be set up so that it can accept securities, in addition to cash. All donations are tax-deductible. Tarazi will be back in the spring with an update, which will include a demonstration of an investment calculator to show the impact of various annual donation levels.

The Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove is the 501(c)3 charitable giving arm of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove.

Janet Peters Assumes Fundraising Treasurer Role: Continuing her longtime leadership in our club, Janet Peters has assumed duties as the club’s fundraising treasurer. She succeeds Tom Raabe, who held the position for the last year and a half. The fundraising treasurer oversees the finances for the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove and the budget for the Concours d’Elegance. Thank you, Janet, for your continued service to the club and thank you, Tom, for the service you provided in the role.

Membership Committee: The club’s Membership Committee meets the second and fourth Tuesday at noon in the conference room at the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce. Its next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 25. For more information, or to get involved, please contact Evelyn Orr or Bruce Cummings.

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, 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.

Have A Program Idea? Let Javin Know!: Our 2025 program calendar has been filled up, but our 2026 program chair, Javin Frelin, is looking for ideas for engaging programs for January and beyond. If you have an idea for a program, contact Javin.

Thank you to our president-elect and outgoing program chair, Hector Mendez-Colberg, for his work on scheduling our programs in 2025!

Concours d’Elegance News
Concours Committee Meetings: Club members are invited to take part in the monthly online meeting of the Concours meeting, which takes place on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. The next scheduled meeting will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The link to the online meeting is available in the Rototeller newsletter sent to club members.

Concours Committee Update: Concours Chair Bruce Cummings provided several updates from the last Concours Committee meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

• Swap Meet: The committee decided that it will stop manning a booth at the annual Portland Auto Swap Meet. Instead, the club will be represented at the spring event by David Tauber, who has a contract with the club to help promote and manage Concours. We will be one of three clients that David will be promoting at his booth.

• Judging Assistant Needed: Tom Raabe, who oversees the judging committee at the Concours, is looking for at least one person, ideally from the club, to learn the judging component of the show. You don’t need to be a “car person,” as people in this role will work with the judges who know the cars. The most important skills are good communication, curiosity and energy.

• Budgeting: Janet Peters is looking for a partner from within the club that can assist with better understanding the Concours budget.

If you are interested in these opportunities, or have other questions about the Concours, please contact Bruce Cummings.

Around District 5100
Join The District 5100 Learning & Development Committee: Do you enjoy creating experiences that help people grow? Are you full of ideas for how Rotary members can connect, learn, and lead together?

The District 5100 Learning & Development Committee, co-chaired by our own Amy Tracewell, is looking for new members. This team shapes the way Rotarians in our district engage with learning. You’ll help design content, guide strategy, and bring fresh creativity into our spring training and other district learning opportunities.

It is a chance to collaborate with Rotarians across the district, strengthen your own leadership skills, and make a lasting impact on how we can learn together.

If you’d like to be part of this work, reach out; the committee would love to have your voice at the table. Contact Liz Butson, office@district5100.org, for more information or to join the committee.

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

Last Week’s Program: PDG Larry Hatch, PolioPlus
Past District Governor Larry Hatch, from the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club, was our guest on Nov. 12. Larry gave an update on Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio. He offered some interesting history and context for the effort, which began in 1979 when Rotary International beaning immunizing children in the Philippines.

Larry noted that District 5100 has a “Polio Plus Society” with a goal of every Rotarian pledging at least $100 a year to the cause. He said there are 169 Rotarians from the district who registered, including eight from our club, but he knows there are many Rotarians that are likely giving at or above the required levels. If you want to join or register, please contact Larry.

Our club has consistently given to Polio Plus. In the 2024-25 Rotary Year, our club raised $4,055 towards the cause. This year, our club has so far raised $3,165 towards our goal of $4,000. This includes funds raised in conjunction with the Daybreak Club at our Pints For Polio night at The Growler Garage on Oct. 23.

More on Rotary’s longtime efforts to fight polio can be found on Rotary’s End Polio Now website.

Club Calendar
Thurs., Nov. 20: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Third Thursday Social Meeting/Satellite Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove
There will be no Wednesday meeting on Nov. 19

Tues., Nov. 25: Membership Committee Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., Nov. 26: No Meeting. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sat., Nov. 29: Rotary Wreath Sale Deliveries

Wed., Dec. 3: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Forest Grove High School Drama

Wed., Dec. 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Forest Grove High School Orchestra Holiday Concert
Joint Meeting With Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club