Members of the Forest Grove, Forest Grove Daybreak and Hillsboro Rotary clubs joined with Pacific University to dedicate a peace pole on the university’s Hillsboro Campus on Thursday, April 10. Photo by Thomas Lal/Pacific University.

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

This Week – Social Event: It’s the third week of the month, which means that we are gathering for our monthly social event. Join us on Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove, for some good fun, drink, and conversation with your fellow Rotarians. This is also our Bring A Friend Challenge social! Bring someone who you think would love to be part of Rotary. We will have some special activities as part of the evening. We hope to see you there! There will be no regular noon meeting on Wednesday, April 15.

Upcoming Meetings: Our Wednesday, Apr. 22 meeting will also be at the Forest Grove UCC. We will return to the Boxer Pause at Pacific for meetings on April 29, May 6 and May 13.

In Memoriam – Pat Truax: We extend our deepest sympathies to our friends in the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club upon the passing of Pat Truax, who died on Saturday, Apr. 11. A Rotarian since 2005, Pat was the president of the Daybreak club in 2013-14. She was active in many other community organizations, including PEO and West Tuality Habitat for Humanity. Please keep Pat’s husband, Pete, and their family in your thoughts and prayers.

Change In Club’s President-Elect Nominee: After being an active member of our club since 2024, Javin Frelin is moving back to Anchorage, Alaska, in May. With his move, Javin will be unable to fulfill his commitment as our president-elect nominee (to become president of the club in 2027-28). We wish Javin all the best on his new adventure and thank him for all that he has contributed to the club.

We are excited to announce that Mallory Hiefield has agreed to fill the president-elect nominee position and will be our club president during the 2027-28 Rotary year. Mallory has been a member of our club since 2024. She is a member of the club’s board of directors and was sponsored by our club to attend RYLA in 2025. We are excited for Mallory’s leadership over the next few years.

Nominations For Board of Directors: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove invites nominations for five open positions on the club’s board of directors:

• Three full-term positions (2026-2029), replacing Sarah Barbour, Pamelajean Myers and Evelyn Orr, who are completing their terms
• Two two-year positions (2026-2028), completing vacated terms for Mallory Hiefield and Steve Mann

Board terms begin on July 1. Selected individuals serve on both the club board and the foundation board. Regular meetings for both boards take place on the third Thursday of the month, 5:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts.

Under club bylaws, candidates for director positions must have been club members in good standing for at least one year at the start of the following Rotary year. Self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged. Departing board members and those who have served on the board in past years are eligible for nomination.

Nominations for board positions are due by Wednesday, April 22 at 5 p.m. The club will vote for the five positions at our meeting on Wednesday, April 29. Digital voting will be made available for those members who cannot attend the meeting.

To nominate a club member or yourself, please email secretary Claire Agner.

Road Cleanup Scheduled For April 25: Our first semi-annual road cleanup project for 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 8:30 a.m. We will meet at the Oregon Department of Forestry offices, 701 Gales Creek Road. Bring clothes suitable for work and the weather, and work gloves. We will provide all of the rest, including trash bags, grabbers, high-visibility vests, and some treats before we set off to work.

Our club has been involved with the Washington County Adopt-A-Road Program for nearly three decades. We will clean up Gales Creek Road between Thatcher Road and Forest Gale Drive, and Thatcher Road between Gales Creek Road and David Hill Road. For more information, please contact Rus Peters.

Rotary Youth Exchange Nominations Open: The Youth Exchange Committee is currently accepting applications for the long-term and short-term exchange programs. Applications are due May 1. Application information is available on the club’s Youth Exchange webpage.

We are also looking for host families for the 2026-27 school year. Families host an international exchange student for about 3.5 months, during which they learn first-hand about another culture and often form life-long bonds.

Please contact Sarah Barbour, Youth Exchange Committee chair, at 503-597-9355 or ForestGroveRYE@gmail.com for an application form or to inquire about hosting.

Steak Feed Is Now “Plates For Passports”: It’s the same event, but with a new name and more options. Our annual Steak Feed is now known as “Plates For Passports,” reflecting the event’s goal of raising funds for our involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

Plates For Passports will take place on Friday, May 29, 5 to 8 p.m., at the University Center at Pacific University. It is a great way to inform the community of the great things that Rotary does in our community, as well as the impact that our Youth Exchange program has not only on the participants, but also our community.

In addition to the traditional New York steak and trimmings, we will also offer a veggie burger option for the first time.

Tickets for the 2026 Plates For Passports dinner are $30 each and are now available online. Click Here To Purchase Tickets. Physical tickets will be provided to club member soon to sell to friends, clients and community members.

Club members are invited to participate in the planning for the event. Please contact Geoff Faris or Jeff Duyck for details. Work assignments for the day of the event will be provided soon.

RYLA Applications Open: Do you know a young leader age 19 to 32 who could benefit from a weeklong inspiring leadership experience? Applications are now open for the 2026 District 5100 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), which takes place July 11-17 at the Menchua Retreat & Conference Center in Corbett. For seven powerful days, participants dive into immersive leadership training, relationship-building, and personal growth that has sparked countless Rotary journeys. It’s not just a program—it’s a launch pad.

To learn more about the impact of RYLA, read the recap of our Mar. 11 program presented by Mallory Hiefield, who attended RYLA last year. If someone is interested in applying, please contact Andrea Stewart.

Vision To Action Workshop – May 9: Help us shape the future of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. Club members are invited to a Vision To Action Workshop, facilitated by District 5100, on Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Boxer Learning Center in Pacific University’s Stoller Center (athletic complex). The workshop is designed to help us think about how we want our club to progress and grow into the future, and help shape our club’s three-year action plan (something that Rotary International is now requiring for all clubs). All club members are invited to participate. More details coming soon.

Peace Pole Dedication: Thank you to our club members who attended the peace pole dedication on Pacific University’s Hillsboro Campus on Thursday, April 9. The pole is located in the courtyard of the campus’ HPC2 campus, located on the northeast corner of SE 8th Avenue and SE Washington Street. Funds for the pole were contributed by our club, the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club, the Hillsboro Rotary Club and the Jubitz Family Foundation.

The peace pole in Hillsboro was the second our club has helped fund for Pacific University. The first, located on the Forest Grove Campus near Old College Hall, was dedicated in September 2025.

Saluting Our Paul Harris Fellows: At the Crab Feed, we honored our members and friends who have earned Paul Harris Fellows or have attained their next Paul Harris Fellow level. Paul Harris Fellows are presented to Rotarians who have donated at least $1,000 or more lifetime to The Rotary Foundation. Through recognition points or donations, individuals can also gift a Paul Harris Fellow to another individual.

This year, seven club members reached another level of Paul Harris Fellow recognition, and three friends of our club were gifted Paul Harris Fellows. Thank you to our club members for their continued support of The Rotary Foundation and congratulations to those friends who were honored.

Paul Harris Fellows (Gifted By Club Members): Lara Bekiroglu, Duncan Stewart, Melissa Timm

Paul Harris Fellow + 1: Pete Van Dyke
Paul Harris Fellow + 2: Margie Davidson
Paul Harris Fellow + 3: Michael Yakos
Paul Harris Fellow + 4: Pamelajean Myers & Chuck Pritchard
Paul Harris Fellow +4 and +5: Blake Timm
Paul Harris Fellow +7: Andrea Stewart

Thank You Michael Yakos: At the Crab Feed, our club also took time to salute our outgoing Rotary Foundation chair, Michael Yakos. In his eight years as chair, our club has exceeded its goals for both Rotary Foundation Annual Fund and PolioPlus Fund giving. Michael will be stepping down from that role at the end of the Rotary year and will be joining the district’s Rotary Foundation Committee, helping to oversee Paul Harris Society recognition. Thank you, Michael, for your leadership in this role and for your commitment to Rotary!

Lucas Welliver will become the club’s new Rotary Foundation chair on July 1.

Satellite Club Plant Sale – Pots Needed: Our Satellite Club is in the planning stages for a spring plant sale. They will be dividing up the bulbs that are currently in the Victory Garden at Tuality Plains High School and selling any excess bulbs to benefit the club. For the sale, we need a number of one-gallon flower pots. If you have some, please hold them aside. More details coming soon.

Membership Committee: The club’s Membership Committee meets the second and fourth Tuesday, 4 p.m., in the conference room at the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce. Its next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 14. For more information, or to get involved, please contact Evelyn Orr or Bruce Cummings.

Concours d’Elegance News
Concours Committee Meetings: Club members are invited to take part in the weekly online meeting of the Concours Committee, which takes place each Friday at 9 a.m. (note the change in time and frequency of meetings). The Google Meets link to the online meeting is available for club members in our email newsletter, the Rototeller.

Concours Sponsorships: Sponsorship procurement for the Concours is well underway. If you have leads on potential sponsors, please direct those leads to Amy Tracewell, Janet Peters or Stephanie Magoulas. Learn more about sponsorships, including partnership levels and benefits, On The Concours Website.

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.

Additional Concours Updates
• Registration for judges for this year’s show is now closed. This year, for the first time, all applications for judges were handled electronically.
• Registration of cars entering the show continues under the watchful eye of Mackenzie Johnston Carey. She reports that several unique or significant vehicles have registered for the show, including one coming from as far as Texas.

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

Service Opportunities
Share Your Volunteer Opportunity With The Club: 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.

West Tuality Habitat For Humanity: West Tuality Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers to assist both with construction projects at its Countryman Estates build site on 23rd Avenue and at Habitat’s ReStore. The construction site is open most Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The ReStore is looking for both single volunteers and pairs of volunteers Monday through Saturday.

If you are interested in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, please visit their online Volunteer Application. You can also visit Habitat’s Website for more details on the opportunities available. If you are already registered as a volunteer with West Tuality Habitat for Humanity, visit their Volunteer Calendar to see what shifts are currently available.

Questions? Please email volunteer@westualityhabitat.org or call 503-359-8459.

Centro Cultural Volunteer Opportunities: Centro Cultural, located in Cornelius, is in need of volunteers for some ongoing projects.

Centro Mercado Volunteer: Centro Cultural’s Mercado is a free food pantry set up like a grocery store, providing the community a welcoming and dignified space to get free, fresh and local food. Volunteers are needed during the Mercado’s open hours, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m., and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to help staff and maintain the pantry. The Mercado is located at 1216 E. Baseline St., Cornelius. Visit SignUp Genius To Register & See Available Shifts.

Volunteers for Centro Cultural must sign-up for opportunities through SignUp Genius and must be pre-approved before the event. Walk-up volunteers are no longer allowed by the organization. Information on how to register can be found on those pages or by contacting Evelyn Orr, eorr@centrocultural.org.

Volunteer Opportunities With TrackTown USA: Do you like track and field? Do you like being a part of a world-class sporting event? TrackTown USA is looking for volunteers to assist with several large-scale track and field meets to be held this year at Hayward Field in Eugene. Volunteer roles are open in several areas, including event operations, athlete services, partnerships, logistics, media operations and more. You can volunteer for one meet or all of them.

This year’s meet schedule includes:
• OSAA State Championships, May 28-30
• NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, June 10-13
• USA Track & Field U20 Outdoor Championships, June 18-19
• Nike Outdoor Nationals, June 18-22
• The Prefontaine Classic, July 3-4
• World Athletics U20 Championships, Aug. 5-9

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, and to register to become a volunteer, visit the TrackTown USA Website.

Around District 5100
End Of Year Celebration Is On June 3: In lieu of a district conference, District Governor Suzanne Holmberg plans to visit each region in the district for an evening to celebrate our clubs over this Rotary year. The End of Year Celebration for the Western Region (clubs in Beaverton, Forest Grove and Hillsboro) will take place the evening of Wednesday, June 3, 5:30 p.m., at Rood Bridge Park in Hillsboro.The event is designed to be a family-friendly picnic-style event. Bring yourselves, your family, and maybe a friend who is interested in Rotary. We will have food, games, a short presentation by District Governor Suzanne Holmberg and some awards. It’s a great opportunity to get to know fellow Rotarians from clubs across our region, which includes Rotarians from Beaverton, Columbia County, Forest Grove and Hillsboro.

More details will be coming soon. In the meantime, if you have questions or are interested in helping plan and execute this celebration, please contact Area Governor Blake Timm.

Last Week’s Program: Bassam Tasani, Foundation Endowment
Last week, we received an update from Bassam Tasani of Edward Jones on the progress of the new endowment fund that was established within the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. He also led a discussion about the goals for growing and using the endowment, and how people can become involved in donating to the foundation.

The endowment fund was established in October 2025. The value of the account has stayed fairly flat during that time, which is expected due to the small amount currently in the endowment and the volatility in the stock market. The endowment’s portfolio is set up to be growth focused, with the majority of funds invested in the market.

The purpose of the endowment fund is to be able to provide a steady source of funding so that, eventually, the Concours d’Elegance isn’t the only source of funds that we can use to do good in the community. This could include supplementing our scholarship program, youth exchange, community funding, service projects, and more.

The Foundation Board of Directors is committed to contributing $5,000 annually to the endowment. To that end, treasurer Sharon Olmstead presented Tasani with a $5,000 check as the club’s 2026 contribution. However, a $5,000 contribution is truly not enough to accelerate the impact of our dollars. For example, if we had a goal of $750,000 in our endowment by 2044, we would need contributions of at least $23,000 per year.

How can we accomplish this? We want to find ways that we have people, both Rotarians and non-Rotarians, contribute and help increase our impact. The endowment can accept cash contributions, gifts of appreciated securities, charitable distributions (for individuals age 70.5 and older), donor-advised fund grants, gifts from trusts or estates, and beneficiary designations.

The club used that as a starting point for a discussion of how we can attract people to donate. Discussion also centered around balancing potential donations to the club endowment and to The Rotary Foundation, an annual focus for all Rotary clubs.

Club Calendar
Tues., Apr. 14: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

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

Thurs., Apr. 16: Social Meeting/Bring A Guest Challenge Social, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Fri., Apr. 17: Concours Meeting, 9 a.m.
Online

Wed., Apr. 22: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Frank Roth, Boxer Marketing Group

Wed., Apr. 29: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Elle Griego, History of Forest Grove Gay 90s Festival

Sat., May 9: Club Vision To Action Planning, 9 a.m.
Boxer Learning Center, Stoller Center, Pacific University Forest Grove Campus

Friday, May 29: Plates For Passports (Steak Feed), 5 p.m.
University Center, Pacific University Forest Grove Campus

Sunday, July 19: Concours d’Elegance
Pacific University Forest Grove Campus