Past District Governor Jeannine Murrell wants all Rotarians to contribute to The Rotary Foundation and utilize the foundation to leverage funding for club projects. 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 you will join us for our weekly meeting on Wednesday at noon at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way (across the street from Pacific University). It will be a programming doubleheader as we hear from our Rotarian of the Month and we will also head from Nick Stier, who will present on an international health project in Malawi.

As this meeting is away from Pacific University, an RSVP is required for lunch orders. Please RSVP to Beth Hardy by no later than Sunday, Nov. 8. If you do not RSVP, you are welcome to attend the meeting, but you will need to provide your own lunch.

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: 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.

Service Day With West Tuality Habitat for Humanity: Come help West Tuality Habitat for Humanity on their next development! We have put together Rotary Club of Forest Grove Volunteer Day on Saturday, Nov. 14, 8:30 a.m., at Habitat’s new development at 2510 Mills Lane, Forest Grove. The task will be planting thousands of plants for the new development’s water collection ponds. If the task can be completed, it will save regular volunteer crews weeks of time, enabling them to keep building homes.

All supplies will be provided. Plan on wearing clothes appropriate for working outside and prepare to get muddy depending on the weather.

All Rotarians and friends of Rotary are welcome. To sign up, please visit the sign-up page on the West Tuality Habitat for Humanity website.

Congratulations Councilor-Elect Mallory Hiefield!: Our congratulations to our club’s president-elect, Mallory Hiefield, who was elected last week to a four-year term on the Forest Grove City Council. Mallory received the highest total votes of all seven candidates on the ballot. We appreciate Mallory’s heart for service to our community and to our club.

World Polio Day Potluck & Pints For Polio: We had a great turnout of Rotarians, friends and family for our World Polio Day potluck at Waltz Brewing on Sunday, Nov. 1! If you didn’t make it, you missed out on a great evening of food, beverage, conversation and some fun games that raised funds for Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund. By the end of the night, we had raised $1,000! Thank you to everyone for their generosity! A special thank you to Sharon Olmstead and Parri Van Dyke for being the social together and to Lucas Welliver for the fun games.

Between the two events, our club raised almost $1,400 towards our club’s fundraising goal of $4,500 for PolioPlus. Thank you to everyone who contributed to help make our world polio free.

Wreath Sales – Deadline Is Coming: The deadline is coming up to get your orders in for our annual wreath sale! Proceeds this year will 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 are $35 for a small wreath, $45 for a large wreath. Orders are due to Janet Peters by Friday, Nov. 13. 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.

Indoor Pickleball Is Back: The weather is turning cool, but the pickleball is getting hot! Rotary Club of Forest Grove is sponsoring pickleball evenings at the Forest Grove National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way, beginning on Monday. 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.

For more information on all things pickleball, including volunteer opportunities, contact Steven Barnard or visit the Forest Grove Pickle Ball Group Facebook page.

West Region Hygiene Drive Project: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove is teaming up with other District 5100 West Region clubs (Beaverton, Columbia County, Forest Grove Daybreak and Hillsboro) for a collaborative hygiene drive project to benefit regional food pantries and resource centers.

The goal of the project is to work together as our five clubs to identify needs in the community, to collect hygiene products for distribution, and to raise the visibility of Rotary in the area. This project had its genesis at the Vibrant Club Workshop in September.

For the Forest Grove clubs, the project will benefit the Forest Grove School District’s Family Resource Center and the North Plains Food Bank.

This project is being led by a steering committee comprised of members from four of the five clubs in our area, including Blake Timm from Forest Grove, Greg Oakes and Matthew Moeller from Beaverton, Sherrie Ford of Columbia County, and Judy Willey of Hillsboro.

More information will be forthcoming. If you are interested in helping with the steering committee, or in forming a sub-committee for our club, please contact Blake.

Looking For Our Next Treasurer: 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.

The treasurer is a club officer and must be a member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. If you have interest, please contact Sharon.

Membership Committee: The club’s Membership Committee meets the second Tuesday of each month, 4 p.m., in the conference room at the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce. Its next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10. 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.

Dilley Elementary School Carnival: Dilley Elementary’s Parent-Teacher Organization needs volunteers to help put on the school’s annual carnival on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1:30 to 5 p.m.

Volunteers will be assigned a carnival game booth and help run the game, cheer on participating students and distribute prizes to the winners. Each booth will be operated by two people. The carnival helps fund important projects for Dilley, including their STEM room.

Volunteers age 18 and over must submit a background check through the Forest Grove School District.

To sign up for a volunteer shift, visit the Dilley PTO Volunteer Signup Page. If you have questions, please contact Deb Kolb, vicepresident@dilleypto.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 needs you! Despite recent staffing reductions, Centro Cultural remains committed to providing essential services to our community. With your help, we can continue making a difference!

We’re looking for friendly, caring volunteers to lend a hand at:

• Centro Mercado: Monday–Thursday morning or afternoon shifts (2–3 hours). Friday morning shift only.
• Senior Lunch Program: Monday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Whether you have a few hours a week or just occasionally, we’d love to have you join us!

Volunteer Manager Evelyn Orr will provide details and help you find the right fit: eorr@centrocultural.org.

A little of your time can make a big difference in someone’s day! 

Rotary Basics
Rotary & The United Nations
As World War II came to end in 1945, citizens of the world starting 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 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 the 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
EREY: Every Rotarian, Every Year. This is a fundraising initiative designed to encourage support for The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund. The program encourages members to contribute at least $100 every year to the Foundation.

Around District 5100
When Tragedy Strikes, Rotarians Respond (from District Newsbyte by DG Renee Fontenot): One of the things I admire most about Rotarians is that when something terrible happens, our first instinct is often the same:

“What can we do to help?”

That spirit of compassion and action was evident following the heartbreaking shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. On the day of the terrible shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, the Rotary Club of Gladstone Oak Lodge, led by President Bob Everett, called the Executive Committee to say, “We need to do something to help.” They brainstormed about actions they could take to help. 

And they got to work.

The club began exploring ways to provide meaningful assistance. Bob reached out to Area Governor Stephanie Edenburn, who helped connect them with Rotary leadership in the Bend area. Through conversations involving the local area governor and the president of the Bend-Mt. Bachelor Rotary Club, the Gladstone Oak Lodge members identified several opportunities to help and chose where they wanted to direct their support.

As it happened, that evening was the club’s monthly Rotary-sponsored community Bingo night. What better opportunity to invite the community to join them in helping others? 

The response was heartwarming. Through the generosity of those attending Bingo, $700 was raised that evening. The Rotary Club of Gladstone Oak Lodge committed to matching that amount, bringing the total contribution to $1,400 to support those affected by the tragedy.

Think about that for a moment.

A club heard about a community in pain. Its members reached out, built connections, invited others to participate, and turned compassion into meaningful assistance. I want to thank President Bob Everett, the members of the Gladstone Oak Lodge club, the Area Governors and Bend-Mt Bachelor area Rotarians who helped make connections, and every community member who contributed.

No gift can erase the heartbreak experienced by families and a community after such a tragedy. But acts of kindness remind people that they are not alone.

This is Rotary at its best, not waiting to be asked, but stepping forward when someone needs help.

Service Above Self is more than our motto. It is how we show up for one another.

Last Week’s Program: PDG Jeannine Murrell, The Rotary Foundation
For the second straight week, we had the honor of hearing a program from one of our fellow Rotarians. Last Wednesday, it was Past District Governor Jeannine Murrell, who is the chair of District 5100’s Rotary Foundation Committee. In recognition of Rotary Foundation Month, she presented a program titled, “Rotary in the 24th Century.”

Rotarians are people focused on making change in the world, using their time, talents and treasure to contribute to projects around Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus. The Rotary Action Plan has four major priorities: Increase impact, expand reach, enhance engagement and increase adaptability.

The Rotary Foundation is the funding mechanism that allows those projects to take flight. The foundation helps Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace by improving health, providing quality education, and eliminating poverty. Murrell believes that Rotary is the best-positioned organization to change from chaos to harmony in the world, and noted that Rotary is the only non-governmental organization that has a standing seat at the United Nations.

The sooner we can get new members engaged in projects and TRF, she said, helps keep those members engaged. We need to think about our projects, where we put our money and where we want to go moving forward.

Murrell encourages all Rotarians to get involved Every Rotarian Every Year, making a $100 contribution to the annual fund each year. Every dollar contributed helps our club meet its Annual Fund contribution goal, which for the 2026-27 Rotary year is $8,000, and helps our club qualify for district matching grants to help towards our projects.

Learn more about The Rotary Foundation’s power in creating good in the world on the Rotary website. You can sign up for online giving, either for a one-time contribution or a regular recurring contribution, by visiting rotary.org/donate.

Club Calendar
Tues., Nov. 10: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., Nov. 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Nick Stier, Malawi Community Health Clubs Global Grant Project and Rotarian of the Month

Thurs., Nov. 12: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Online

Thurs., Nov. 18: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Location TBD

Thurs., Nov. 18: Monthly Social, 6:30 p.m.
Location TBD
No Wednesday Meeting on Nov. 17

Tues., Nov. 24: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., Nov. 25: No Meeting. Happy Thanksgiving!