At Wednesday’s meeting, PDG Jeannine Murrell presented to Club President Hector Mendez-Colberg flags from clubs that she and Pamelajean Myers visited on their recent trip to Europe, including this flag from the Rotary Club Barcelona Millennium. 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 – Monthly Social: It is the third full week of the month, which means it is time for our monthly club social! We hope you will join us this Thursday, 6:30 p.m, at The Growler Garage, 1837 Pacific Ave., for some food, beverages and fellowship with your fellow Rotarians. Bring a friend and introduce them to the magic of Rotary!

Pints For Polio: This Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., The Growler Garage will be donating 15% of their proceeds to Rotary International’s PolioPlus fund. So raise a glass and help us in the quest to eradicate polio.

Upcoming Meetings: All of our weekly meetings this fall will take place at Pacific University with the exception of the following dates, when we will meet at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ: Oct. 14, Nov. 11, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9. Remember that on the third week of the month, we do not meet on Wednesdays in lieu of our monthly socials.

World Polio Day Potluck Social At Waltz Brewing: In observance of World Polio Day on Oct. 24, our club will hold a potluck social on Sunday, Nov. 1, 4-6 p.m., at Waltz Brewing, 1900 A. St., Forest Grove. Plan on bringing a favorite dish to share with everyone. Families (including children) are invited to join us. While we provide the food, Waltz will have its bar open with beverages for purchase. There will also be a chance to raise funds for Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund to continue the quest to eradicate polio. Mark your calendars and we will see you there!

Wreath Sales Are Back!: We thought last year was the last year, but our annual holiday wreath sales are back! This year, we are using a new local provider (Melinda Fischer has retired from the wreath-making business) and will used the proceeds to benefit Mrs. Claus Cares, the nonprofit that presented at our Sept. 2 meeting (read the Sept. 7 Rotary Rewind on the club website to learn more).

Prices remain the same: $35 for a small wreath, $45 for a large wreath. Orders are due to Janet Peters by Friday, Wreaths will be delivered on Saturday, Nov. 28. Payments by cash or check (payable to the Rotary Club of Forest Grove) are appreciated. Contact Janet if you need different options.

Pickleball Is Back Nov. 2: Loosen up your legs and get ready for the indoor pickleball season! Once again, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove will sponsor pickleball evenings at the Forest Grove National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way, beginning on Monday, Nov. 2. Courts will be open Monday through Thursday evenings, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Cost is $5 per person per evening to help cover rental costs.

Each evening will offer three courts for beginner, intermediate and advanced players. Players of all ages and abilities are welcome, and paddles will be provided for people who are new to the sport.

Steven Barnard, our Rotarian pickleball master, is looking for one more volunteer host to cover Thursday evenings. Duties include opening and closing the armory, managing sign-in and money, managing the flow of play and cleanup. Volunteers play for free on other nights.

For more information on all things pickleball, visit the Forest Grove Pickle Ball Group Facebook page.

Looking For Our Next Treasurer And Bookkeeper: After years of service as treasurer for our club, Sharon Olmstead is looking to find her replacement so that she can move forward in her Rotary journey. The treasurer manages the finances of the club and ensures that the club is in compliance with state, federal and Rotary International financial responsibilities. The finances of the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove are handled by our fundraising treasurer.

Additionally, the club is looking to identify a new bookkeeper. Julie Schmidlkofer, who has served the club in that role for many years, is reducing her client load as she moves towards retirement.

The treasurer is a club officer and must be a member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. The bookkeeper is a hired position and that person does not need to be a member of the club. If you have interest in either position, or know someone who might be, please contact Sharon.

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, Oct. 27. For more information, or to get involved, please contact Evelyn Orr or 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.

Volunteers Needed For ORRC Autumn Leaves Race: The Oregon Road Runners Club is looking for volunteers to assist in the operation of its Autumn Leaves 30-kilometer, 50-kilometer and 50-mile races on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Champoeg State Park near Newberg.

Volunteer openings include race day check-in, parking attendants, kitchen and aid station workers, course monitors, timing assistants, and take-down/cleanup. All volunteers receive a $50 towards entry to a future ORRC race (you do not have to be an ORRC member).

For more information on volunteer opportunities, or to sign-up, visit the race’s Volunteer Sign-Up Page online. For additional questions, email the race directors at autumnleaves@oregonroadrunnersclub.org.

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.

Rotary Basics
Rotary & The United Nations
As World War II came to an end in 1945, citizens of the world started setting out to find ways to keep bloodshed of the war’s magnitude from ever happening again. Rotarians were a critical part of that conversation, asking how international questions could be settled without war.

In 1942, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt first used the term “United Nations,” a name given to the coalition of countries led by the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union to defeat Japanese and German aggression. The leaders of those three countries hoped that the coalition could lead to a new international organization to replace the League of Nations that failed to prevent World War II.

Rotary’s first involvement came that same year, when a Rotary conference in London succeeded in assembling ministers of education and observers of 21 nations — many of whom were then in exile in London — for the purpose of considering an organization of education and cultural exchange after the conclusion of the war. This became the basis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In 1944, Rotary produced a booklet, “Essentials for An Enduring World Order,” aimed at stimulating discussion among Rotarians about a new world organization based on proposals from the 1944 Dumbarton Oaks Conference in Washington, D.C., that was the birth of the framework of what is now the United Nations.

In April 1945, the United Nations Conference or International Organization brought together delegates from 50 Allied nations in San Francisco to create the Charter of the United Nations. The United States delegation invited Rotary International to appoint 11 consultants to aid in the establishment of the charter.

Of the 800 delegates at the conference, 49 were active Rotarians. This included Thomas J. Davis, the 1941-42 RI president; Luther Hodges, who served as RI president in 1968; Gabriel L. Dennis, the secretary of state of Liberia; Jan Christian Smuts, the prime minister of South Africa, and Jan Masaryk, foreign minister of Czechoslovakia.

Rotary International continues to have consultative status with the U.N., the highest of any non-governmental organization. Rotary continues to celebrate Rotary Day at the United Nations each year, highlighting collaboration to bring together communities to promote peace, health, education, and sustainable development.

Sources
Rotary and the United Nations, Rotary Global History Fellowship website
Rotary International and the United Nations, Rotary District 7815 (2018)

Rotary Glossary
Global Grant: A Rotary global grant supports large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in Rotary’s areas of focus. Global grants can fund humanitarian projects, scholarships for graduate-level academic studies and vocational training teams. Global grants have a minimum budget of $30,000 and a maximum award of $400,000. A club that applies for a Global Grant must have other clubs, both in their home district and in the district where the project will take place, that agree to support the proposed project.

Around District 5100
Rotary Friendship Exchanges (from this week’s District Newsbyte): One of Rotary’s greatest gifts is the opportunity to build friendships that reach far beyond our own clubs and communities. Recently, District 5100 had the pleasure of welcoming a wonderful group of Rotarians and their partners from District 6840, which includes parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Our guests represented the Rotary Clubs of New Orleans, Slidell, Metairie, and St. John the Baptist Parish, all in Louisiana. They came to experience our beautiful Pacific Northwest through a Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE). While many Friendship Exchanges bring together Rotarians from different countries, this exchange reminded us that there is plenty to discover, learn, and appreciate right here in the United States.

And what an adventure it was!

Over nearly two weeks, our guests traveled from Vancouver to Salem, explored the Oregon Coast, and ventured all the way to Imnaha in northeastern Oregon’s Wallowa County, near the spectacular Hells Canyon.

Along the way, they experienced the incredible diversity of our district here in the Pacific Wonderland. Their travels included Willamette Falls, McMinnville wine country, Salem Riverfront Park, Silver Falls State Park, Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood, and the beauty of the Oregon Coast.

In eastern Oregon, they discovered Pendleton’s rich history and Western heritage through visits to the Pendleton Underground, Hamley’s, the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, the Pendleton Round-Up Grounds, the Happy Canyon Arena, and the Pendleton Round-Up & Happy Canyon Hall of Fame Museum. Their journey continued through Wallowa County, with visits to the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, Wallowa Lake Lodge, Stangel Ranch, Imnaha, the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve, and the town of Joseph.

Other memorable stops included Echo, Oregon’s Painted Barn, Sno Road Winery, Cape Horn Lookout, Hood River, Bonneville Dam, Beacon Rock, Fort Vancouver, Providence Academy, the Clark County Historical Museum, historic downtown Vancouver, and the Vancouver Waterfront, including Rotary Way and the Rotary Children’s Playground. They also enjoyed Portland landmarks such as Pittock Mansion and the Portland Japanese Garden.

And, of course, there were opportunities to enjoy local food, including Miller’s Barbecue, and to learn about the history of our communities at places such as the Salem Heritage Center.

But the most important part of this exchange wasn’t the scenery or the destinations. It was the friendships made along the way.

Our visitors connected with Rotarians throughout the district, including visits to the Rotary Clubs of Keizer, Pendleton, and Wallowa County. Rotarians from Keizer, Salem, West Salem, Pendleton, Wallowa County, Greater Clark County, and Hood River generously opened their homes and hearts to our guests.

The district particularly wishes to thank PDG Dennis Wickham of the Rotary Club of Greater Clark County, chair of our District Rotary Friendship Exchange Committee.

Dennis organized, chauffeured, coordinated, and shepherded our guests throughout this remarkable journey. He even provided some essential Pacific Northwest language lessons, including how to pronounce Willamette (it rhymes with “damn it”) and Oregon (“Orygun”)!

Dennis, thank you for your extraordinary dedication and commitment to making this exchange such a memorable experience.

District Governor Renee’s sincere thanks also go to every club, host family, volunteer, and Rotarian who helped make our visitors feel welcome. You demonstrated Rotary hospitality at its very best.

Here’s her encouragement to you: Don’t think of Rotary Friendship Exchange as something only other Rotarians do. Consider becoming a host, helping plan an exchange, or participating in a future adventure. You may discover that some of your most meaningful Rotary friendships begin with a simple invitation.

To learn more about Rotary Friendship Exchange and opportunities to participate, connect with PDG Dennis Wickham, our District Rotary Friendship Exchange Committee Chair, through district leadership channels.

Last Week’s Program — Clark Mather, Northwest River Partners
At last week’s meeting, we received a program by Clark Mather, executive director of Northwest River Partners, which introduced us to the organization and provided background on hydroelectric power in the Northwest.

Northwest River Partners is an organization of over 100 members, including Forest Grove Light & Power, that advocates for the hydroelectric power system in the Northwest. Mather has been the organization’s executive director for three years after careers working for members of Washington’s congressional delegation and with a municipal utility in Tacoma.

Mather said that there are a lot of challenges facing the nation’s electrical system. There is growth in the demand for electrical power that has not been seen since the 1980s, thanks in significant part to data centers. There is also increased demand to take coal- and natural gas-fired power plants offline to decrease the carbon footprint.

Much of the Northwest’s hydroelectric power comes from 31 federally-owned dams in the Columbia River System that supply the power sold by the Bonneville Power Administration. According to Mather, hydroelectric power accounts for almost 54% of energy overall in the Northwest, and 80-85% of power supplied for the City of Forest Grove.

Mather said that hydroelectric power is very clean. Power produced by the BPA is among the cleanest power supplies in the world.

The organization says that Oregon supports the hydroelectric system on a bipartisan basis and that support for hydroelectric dams is strong. In a recent DHM Research poll, 77% support hydroelectric power. 8% are opposed and 10% have no opinion. At least 3 of 4 residents in Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington support hydroelectric power.

same survey showed that the cost of electricity (88%) is a bigger concern than climate change (75%). Since 2023, residential electric rates in Oregon have increased 15%. Mather believes that hydroelectric power can be a solution to climbing rates.

The organization acknowledges the challenges with spawning fish and the dams, but believes that work is actually improving fish counts. According to the University of Washington, fish returns have nearly tripled since federal dams began operating. There is a narrative that without the removal of dams on the lower Snake River, salmon will disappear. According to UW data, there has been three times the average increase in fish returns since Bonneville was built in 1938. At Lower Granite Dam, counts were 10,193 salmon in 1999 and 91,808 in 2025, an increase of 900%.

To learn more about Northwest River Partners, visit their website.

Club Calendar
Thurs., Oct. 22: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
John L. Scott Market Center, 1936 Pacific Ave.

Thurs., Oct. 22: Monthly Social & Pints for Polio, 6:30 p.m.
The Growler Garage, 1837 Pacific Ave.
There will be no weekly meeting on Wed., Oct. 21

Tues., Oct. 27: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., Oct. 28: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Claudia Yakos, Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce

Sun., Nov. 1: End Polio Now Potluck and Fundraiser, 4 p.m.
Waltz Brewing, 1900 A St.

Wed., Nov. 4: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Jeannine Murrell, Rotary Foundation

Wed., Nov. 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Rotarian of the Month