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

This Week: After a week off, we hope that you will join us this Wednesday, Dec. 3. We will meet at the United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way (across the street from Pacific University). We will be joined by students from the Forest Grove High School drama program, who will provide some performances for us to enjoy.

This meeting has a catered meal. A head count of meals to be ordered is due by Saturday, Nov. 29. To RSVP for lunch, please email Secretary Claire Agner. If you do not RSVP, you are still welcome to attend the meeting, but we ask that you bring your own lunch.

Upcoming Meetings: Our remaining Wednesday meeting on Dec. 10 will be held at the United Church of Christ when we will be joined by the Forest Grove High School orchestra. We will not meet on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. We will have our third week social event on Thursday, Dec. 18.

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 Gathering: 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.

Holiday Social & Ugly Sweater Party – Dec. 18: Join us for an evening of holiday fun at our monthly social meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18. Meet us at 6:30 p.m. at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., and bring your significant other as we celebrate the season and fellowship. It will be an “ugly sweater party,” so wear your finest (or hideous) holiday attire as well as fun holiday games and a raffle. We hope to see everybody there!

Save The Date & Get Ready For Pickleball: Time to stretch those muscles and get your paddles ready. Our second annual Rotary Pickleball Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Forest Grove National Guard Armory. Save the date! More details will be coming soon.

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.

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.

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, Dec. 9. 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.

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

Club Calendar
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. 10: 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. 11: 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