Sharon Olmstead packs food donations provided by club members for the Forest Grove School District’s Family Resource Center in early November. Photo by Blake Timm.

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

No Meeting This Week: In observance of Thanksgiving, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove will not meet this Wednesday, Nov. 26. We hope that everyone has a happy, safe and peaceful Thanksgiving.

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.

Be sure to show up on time to both Wednesday meetings, which will feature talent from Forest Grove High School. On Dec. 3, we will be entertained by members of the high school’s drama program. On Dec. 11, which will be a combined meeting with the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club, we will have a holiday performance from the high school orchestra. We look forward to seeing you!

RSVP For Lunches: Our lunches for meetings on December 3 & 10 will be catered, which means we need a head count in advance. Please email Secretary Claire Agner by the following deadlines to confirm your meal purchase.

Dec. 3 Meeting: RSVP by Saturday, Nov. 29
Dec. 10 Meeting: RSVP by Saturday, Dec. 6

If you do not RSVP, you are welcome to attend the meeting, but you should plan to bring your own lunch.

Earlier Meeting Start Time: Because we are packing so much information and discussion into our weekly meetings, please note that the formal weekly 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!

Wreath Delivery Is This Saturday: 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. If you ordered a wreath, they will be delivered this Saturday, Nov. 29. If you have questions, or want to help with distributing wreaths, contact Janet Peters.

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. Thank you to everyone for their support!

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.

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 (contact number provided to club members in the Rototeller).

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.

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.

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.

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 at our meeting on Nov. 12. 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. 23. 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. 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
A Thanksgiving Message From District 5100: November is here, and with it comes the season of gathering, gratitude, and of course — pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving has always been more than a holiday meal. It’s a time to pause, to look around, and to give thanks for the people and moments that make life so special.

In Rotary, our Thanksgiving table is set with stories of service. Friendship that began as handshakes have become true partnerships. Together, we’ve delivered warm coats on cold mornings, stocked pantries, and opened doors for students chasing big dreams. Each act of service is another reason to be grateful.

And just like a holiday feast, gratitude is best when it’s shared. Every project, whether across town or across the globe, is a way we extend the spirit of Thanksgiving all year long.

To all Rotarians in District 5100 — thank you. Your time, talent, and heart unite us for good. Wishing you and your loved ones a warm, joyful, and delicious Thanksgiving!

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

Club Calendar
Tues., Nov. 23: 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

Tues., Dec. 9: Concours Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
Zoom link published in Rototeller

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

Thurs., Dec. 12: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

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

Thurs., Dec. 18: Monthly Club Social, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

No Weekly Meetings On Dec. 24 or Dec. 31