Juliet Prosser, lower left, introduces students from Forest Grove High School’s drama program as they presented performances and speeches about theatre in preparation for February’s Thespians regional competition. Photo by Blake Timm.

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

This Week: We hope that you will join us this Wednesday, noon, at the Forest Grove United of Christ, 2032 College Way. This will be our annual holiday concert event featuring performance groups from the Forest Grove High School Music Department. We will also welcome our friends from the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Department to join us for the festivities. We hope you will join us as well!

This meeting has a catered meal. A head count of meals was due to Secretary Claire Agner on Dec. 6. If you did not RSVP, you are still welcome to attend the meeting, but we ask that you bring your own lunch.

December Social Meeting/Ugly Sweater Party: We hope that you will join us for our final official meeting of 2025, which will be our monthly social on Thursday, Dec. 18, 6:30 p.m., in the solarium at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove. This will be an ugly sweater party, so wear your worst (or best) holiday sweater and join in the fun! We will also have some party games and raffles organized by our Satellite Club members. Bring a significant other and a friend and come enjoy the fun and fellowship!

December Break: Our club will not meet on either Wednesday, Dec. 24, or Wednesday, Dec. 31, as we take a holiday break. We will return to our regular schedule on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Pacific University. At the same time, the editor of the Rototeller will also take a break from the Rotary newsroom. The last issue of 2025 will hit inboxes the weekend of Saturday, Dec. 13.

Blood Drive Is This Thursday: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove will be hosting an American Red Cross blood drive this 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.

It is not too late to sign up for an appointment. To make yours, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter “FGRotary” to schedule an appointment.

Troop 213/Pack 213 Christmas Tree Sales: Still in the market for a Christmas tree? Considering supporting our chartered Scouting American units, Troop 213 and Pack 213, at their Christmas tree stand in the Forest Grove Safeway parking lot, 2836 Pacific Ave. The scouts have Noble and Douglas Firs up to eight feet in height. They can also sell taller Nobles by request and deliver those to your home. If you are still in need of a wreath, they have a selection of sizes from 18 inches to 26 inches.

The lot is staffed on weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m., and weekends from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also stop by during the week, select your tree, and drop your payment off at Maridon’s Café.

Earlier Weekly 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!

Welcome To Rotary, Stephanie Magoulas!: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove is proud to welcome Stephanie Magoulas as its newest member!

Magoulas was sponsored into the club by Evelyn Orr and was inducted during the club’s regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Magoulas joined Pacific University’s advancement team in 2024 and recently moved to the role of associate director of development, major giving. In addition to her work at Pacific, Magoulas is a holistic coach at Ten Moons Coaching and Wellness and is a trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness instructor.

Magoulas’ dedication to service is clear through her wide-ranging volunteer work, making her a perfect fit for Rotary. She serves as an advisory council member for Project Lemonade, which inspires self esteem to help youth in foster care thrive. After becoming a foster parent and seeing such deep impact, she started volunteering for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in Washington County. Her mission for foster youth is to create policy change around how medications could be administered less to youth and young adults in foster care.

As a result of her first visit to our club, Magoulas also works as a volunteer grant writer for the North Plains Food Bank.

The proud parent of two, Magoulas holds a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University. She is an avid writer, reader and researcher, deeply rooted in finding holistic methods of healing trauma. She is a certified life coach and yoga and mindfulness teacher.

In her personal time, Magoulas is a passionate nature enthusiast, spending her time as a nature photographer with a special love for capturing waterfalls, mushrooms and tiny creatures. She is currently dabbling in pottery classes at Valley Art Association.

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.

Additionally, our club is sponsoring the weekly indoor pickleball gatherings for the second straight year. The evening weeknight games will begin soon. Follow The Forest Grove Pickleball Facebook group to get all of the details. The armory is located at 2950 Taylor Way, Forest Grove.

Volunteer Opportunity – Family Resource Center: The Forest Grove School District’s Family Resource Center, located at Cornelius Elementary School, 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. If you want to volunteer or have questions about volunteering, please contact Melissa Timm at 503-310-1084 (phone or text).

New Information: Volunteers are now required to complete a volunteer application through the Forest Grove School District. Visit the District’s Website (Linked Here) To Complete The Application.

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 at 503-597-9355 or aeroplanemedia@gmail.com.

Volunteer Opportunity – Tuality Plains High School Mock Interviews: Steven Barnard is looking for volunteers to help conduct 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 Updates
Merchandise At Willow & Ash: Are you interested in some Concours merchandise, like a poster, a coffee tumbler or a hat? Willow & Ash is offering some Concours merchandise available year-round! Current selections include Concours posters, hats, coffee tumblers and keychains. Items can be purchased online on the Concours website or purchased at Willow & Ash at 2036A Main Street, Forest Grove. Sorry, no shipping is currently available. Items purchased online will need to be picked up at Willow & Ash.

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.

Concours Media Team: Our thank you to Rotarian Jordan Miller, along with Alex Johnston and Jeff Zurschmeide, who will be forming the Concours media committee for this year’s show. This committee will work with our advertisers and other parts of the Concours, coordinating the show’s earned and paid media and social media. Thank you to Jordan, Alex and Jeff for their service to the club and Concours.

For More Information: If you have Concours-related questions or are interested in opportunities, please contact Concours Chair Bruce Cummings.

Around District 5100
Rotarians Spread Cheer & Service In December (By Blake Timm, District 5100 Media Relations Coordinator): In a month known for caring and giving, local Rotarians are pitching in to help spread holiday cheer and hope to their communities in December.

Three clubs will participate in events providing holiday gifts to local families, including two that partner with local law enforcement organizations. The Rotary Club of Milwaukie teamed with the Clackamas County Peace Officers Benevolent Foundation for its annual Shop With A Cop event on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Rotary Club of Three Creeks, Vancouver, will participate in a similar Shop With A Cop event with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, Dec. 19.

East Portland Rotary provided cheer for as many as 400 foster children with its annual Foster Kids Holiday Party on Saturday, Dec. 6. The event provided food, gifts, activities, and a visit from Santa Claus.

Lake Oswego Rotarians put together holiday gift baskets for needy families in their area on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Rotary Club of Dallas will conduct a food drive on Saturday, Dec. 13, to benefit the holiday food box program conducted by Dallas Christmas Cheer. Beaverton Rotary assisted with that city’s Holiday Tree Lighting on Thursday, Dec. 4.

Milwaukie Rotarians continue the district’s fundraising efforts for Rotary International’s PolioPlus fund with a “Pints For Polio” day on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Seven Milwaukie-area breweries, restaurants and coffee houses are participating in the effort, donating $1 to PolioPlus for each pint sold.

Thurs., Dec. 4 | Beaverton Rotary
Beaverton Holiday Tree Lighting

The Beaverton Rotary Club was in full service at the City of Beaverton’s Tree Lighting Celebration. Rotarians were in the middle of magic – literally and figuratively – assisting city staff with set-up and take-down for this annual holiday tradition. Rotarians also staffed a booth showcasing the club’s community service projects and inviting the community to learn about Rotary’s impact locally and globally.

Thurs., Dec. 4 | Rotary Club of Three Creeks, Vancouver
Collection For Vita’s Ark

At their regular club meeting on Thursday, Dec. 4, “Three Creekers” collected donated items for Vida’s Ark, a nonprofit in Clark County that benefits mothers and children in need.

Sat., Dec. 6 | Rotary Club of Milwaukie
Shop With A Cop

Members of the Rotary Club of Milwaukie partnered with Clackamas County Peace Officers’ Benevolent Foundation on its Shop With A Cop event. Rotarians wrapped gifts and shuttled carts for participants.

Sat., Dec. 6 | Lake Oswego Rotary
Holiday Gift Basket Event

Members of Lake Oswego Rotary assembled holiday gift baskets for those in the community. Members provided unwrapped toys and food and join in a morning of singing, delicious treats and providing hope for those in need this holiday season.

Sat., Dec. 6 | East Portland Rotary
Foster Kids Holiday Party

Members of East Portland Rotary continued their annual tradition of making the holidays brighter for foster children. As many as 400 foster kids, along with their resource families and biological siblings, enjoyed a day of food, holiday gifts, sugar cookie decorating, a candy room, face painting, learning games provided by OMSI, a balloon artist, and more. This project was funded in part by a Rotary District 5100 Matching Grant.

Wed., Dec. 10 | 5 p.m. | Rotary Club of Milwaukie
Pints For Polio

As part of Rotary’s ongoing effort to eradicate polio, participating bars, restaurants and coffee shops in Milwaukie will donate $1 to the Rotary Foundation’s PolioPlus Fund for every pint sold on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Participating establishments include pFriem Brewing, The Beer House, Freeman Barrel House, Chan’s, Milwaukie Bowl, B-Sides Records, and Whitehorse Coffee. For more information, visit the event website.

Location: Various Establishments (see above)

Sat., Dec. 13 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Rotary Club of Dallas
Food Collection For Dallas Christmas Cheer

Rotarians in Dallas, Oregon, will be stationed outside Safeway, Grocery Outlet, Walmart and Les Schwab Tire Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 13, collecting non-perishable food items to help provide food boxes to 500 local families. Donated food will be given to Dallas Christmas Cheer for delivery to families on Christmas Eve. Dallas Christmas Cheer has provided holiday meal boxes to needy families in the Dallas community for over 50 years.

Location: Dallas Locations Of Safeway, Grocery Outlet, Walmart and Les Schwab Tire Center

Fri., Dec. 19 | 6-8:30 a.m. | Rotary Club of Three Creeks, Vancouver
Shop With A Cop

Members of the Rotary Club of Three Creeks will partner with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to participate in Shop with a Cop. Rotarians will assist participants and sheriff’s deputies with shopping. The event fulfills one of the Rotary Club of Three Creeks’ areas of focus of helping at-risk youth.youth.

Last Week’s Program: Forest Grove High School Drama Department
At last week’s meeting, we welcomed students from the Forest Grove High School Drama Department and their advisor, Juliet Prosser. The students are members of the high school’s Thespians troupe and presented short performances and presentations that will be presented during the regional Thespians’ competition in February. The short performances included songs and scenes from the musicals Cabaret and Falsettos. Technical presentations included makeup design for Cabaret and sound design for The 39 Steps.

Club Calendar
Tues., Dec. 9: Membership Committee Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

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/Ugly Sweater Party, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

No Weekly Meetings On Dec. 24 or Dec. 31