Forest Grove Mayor Malynda Wenzl gave an update on city projects during the club’s August 26 meeting. 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 to see you for our weekly meeting this Wednesday at noon as we return to the Boxer Pause Room in the University Center at Pacific University. This will be a jam-packed meeting. Our program will be Kelly Daily presenting on her nonprofit, Mrs. Claus Cares. We will also have the induction for two new members: Beth Hardy and Derrick Sturgill. We hope to see you there!

New Pacific Lunch Process – Read Carefully!: With the return of our weekly meetings to Pacific University, the club is changing the process of how members will pay for their lunch in the university’s dining commons.

Beginning with our Wednesday, Sept. 2 meeting, club members will pay directly for their lunches as they enter the commons. The cost for the all-you-care-to-eat meals is $9.75 per person, the same as what Bon Appetit charged the club under the previous system. Corporate members and guests will still receive vouchers for lunch.

The goal for this change is to streamline the relationship between the club and Bon Appetit, and to ease the burden of our treasurer, who managed this process simply as a pass-through from the club.

Please contact President Hector Mendez-Colberg and/or treasurer Sharon Olmstead with any questions.

Upcoming Meetings: All of our weekly meetings in the fall, with the exception on Oct. 14 and Dec. 2, will take place at Pacific University. Remember that on the third week of the month, we do not meet on Wednesdays. That week, we encourage everyone to attend our monthly social on Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St.

Club Excellence Award: At Wednesday’s meeting, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove was once again presented with Rotary International’s Club Excellence Award, honoring clubs that work towards meeting its goals for being a vibrant club. Our club has received the honor for several years in a row. Area governor Blake Timm presented the club’s certificate to immediate past president Andrea Stewart.

To receive the Club Excellence Award, clubs must set at least half of the 26 goals provided for clubs annually in Rotary Club Central, and must meet those goals. The goals include metrics on enhancing participant engagement, increasing our impact, expanding our reach and increasing our ability to adapt.

Congratulations to our entire club for moving us forward and helping us to Create Lasting Impact in our community!

New Member Orientation: All members are invited to take part in the club’s next scheduled New Member Orientation on Friday, Sept. 11, 5 p.m., at the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave. This session is for new members, for guests who are thinking about joining Rotary, and current members who would like a refresher on the basics of Rotary or haven’t has an opportunity to attend an orientation before. For more information, please contact membership chair Evelyn Orr.

Meal Coordinator For Off-Campus Meetings Needed: Over the summer, Parri Van Dyke has donated her time to coordinate catering for our lunches for meetings away from Pacific. She is no longer able to fill that role for the club, and we are looking for someone who is willing to assume that responsibility.

This volunteer would be responsible for lining up the food for weeks that we cannot meet at Pacific, securing head counts for meals, and coordinating payment for meals with the club secretary. If we cannot find someone to fill this role, meetings away from Pacific will be ones where everyone must bring their own lunch.

If you are willing and able to take on this role, please contact President Hector Mendez-Colberg.

Outbound Youth Exchange Applications Still Open: Our club is still looking for its 2027-28 Rotary Youth Exchange outbound student. Opportunities are available for both long-term and short-term exchanges for the upcoming Rotary year.

For more information, and to fill out an application, please visit the Rotary Youth Exchange page on the Rotary Club of Forest Grove website.

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.

9/11 Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony – Participation Opportunity: This year marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. To mark the date, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue will read the names of the 412 first responders who lost their lives in the attacks. The ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 11, 9 a.m., at the big flagpole at the east end of Forest Grove (adjacent to our MacDougall Garden).

The department is seeking members of the community to read five to 10 names at a time, followed by a bell ringing, to honor the fallen firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement officers. The event is expected to last an hour.

If you are interested in participating as a reader, please email Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Chief Jim Geering.

Community Forum On Pacific/Willamette Merger: Rotarians and members of the community are invited to join fellow Rotarian and Pacific University President Jenny Coyle on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 4 p.m., for a virtual forum on the upcoming merger between Pacific and Willamette University.

This forum is tailored for local civic, government, and business stakeholders, and will share key insights into the vision driving this merger, provide an update on the transition process, and discuss how Pacific aims to deepen its partnership with local leadership to serve Washington County and the greater region.

The forum will take place via Zoom and is free, but registration is required. For more information and to register, please visit the Pacific University Alumni Association website.

Plates For Passports: Thank you once again to all our club members and to the community for helping make Plates For Passports (formerly the Rotary Club Steak Feed) another great success. We served 290 meals and proceeded to generate over $8,300 in profit, which benefits our involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

If you are interested in being part of the planning for next year’s event, please contact co-chair Geoff Faris.

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, Aug. 25. 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.

Theatre In The Grove – Lobby Volunteers: Theatre In The Grove is looking for volunteers to serve in multiple capacities during its upcoming run of Cabaret, Sept. 11-27. Volunteers are needed to work as ushers (usually five per show), working the box office, selling concessions, and serving at their bar (OLCC server’s permit required).

Volunteer training is provided. If you are interested in being a bar server, TITG will pay for permit and the required OLCC training. All volunteers get the watch the show at they volunteer at for free and receive a free concession or non-alcoholic drink. Concessions, bar and box office volunteers also receive a complimentary ticket to a future show.

For more information, and more details on volunteer roles, please visit the volunteer page on the TITG website or contact volunteer coordinator Victor Cina, volunteer-coordinator@titg.org. To sign up for a volunteer spot, visit the TITG volunteer sign-up page.

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
With so many new members joining the club in the last couple of years, the Rototeller is bring back its Rotary Basics section. This section is designed to educate all of us on some of the basics functions of Rotary, and to demystify some of the things that make Rotary (sometimes) confusing. Have something that you want to know about Rotary? Drop a line to Rototeller editor Blake Timm and he will try to track it down.

The Origins Of Rotary
Rotary International is 1.4 million members strong with 46,000-plus clubs throughout the world. It all started, however, with four men in an office.

The first Rotary meeting took place on February 23, 1905 in room 711 of the Unity Building in Chicago. The founder of Rotary, Paul Harris, an attorney, brought together Gustavus Loehr, a mining engineer; Silvester Shiele, a coal dealer; and Hiram E. Shorey, a merchant tailor. The brainchild of Harris, he brought the business associates together with the idea of fellowship among businessmen.

The name Rotary was chosen because of the intent to rotate meetings between each member’s office or place of business. This lasted all of a year before the long-standing tradition of a standard meeting place was adopted. By October 1905, membership in the Rotary Club of Chicago has grown to 21. By 1910, the number of Rotary clubs had grown to 16. And the organization was just beginning to grow.

Learn more about Rotary’s early history on the Rotary Website.

Rotary Glossary
TRF: The Rotary Foundation. The charitable arm of Rotary International, created for humanitarian and educational purposes. The Rotary Foundation leads the charge in ending polio and promoting peace. Rotarians and friends of Rotary support the Foundation’s work through voluntary contributions. The Foundation works to end polio, funds projects through grants and takes on other global initiatives.

Around District 5100
Vibrant Club Workshop: If you are interested in learning more about the inner-workings of Rotary and using your knowledge to put together a service project, then the 2026 District 5100 Vibrant Club Workshop is for you.

This year’s workshop takes place on Saturday, Sept. 26. The West Region pod will take place in the conference room at the Hillsboro Airport, 3355 NE Cornell Road. Registration is now open on DacDB. There is a nominal $15 per person charge to cover room rental fees and refreshments.

This year’s workshop is being reimagined to provide a more hands-on approach for attendees. Important Rotary education on membership development, Rotary Foundation and public image will be offered, but attendees will put that knowledge to use to plan a service project for the region.

While strongly encouraged for club leadership and board members, the Vibrant Club Workshop is open to all Rotarians who want to learn more, be more involved and create lasting impact.

If you have questions, please contact Area Governor Blake Timm or district Learning & Development Chair Amy Tracewell.

September Is Basic Education & Literacy Month (from District 5100 District Newsbyte): “Education and literacy” is one of the seven areas of for Rotary. Rotary’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. In Oregon, 48% of students fall below a basic reading level; in Washington 39% of students fall below a basic reading level.

Low literacy rates are linked to three important influences that impede children and others from becoming better readers and improve their lives. They are

• Economic conditions limiting availability of books in a community;
• Access to books and resources through educational institutions and libraries; and
• Family and peers that encourage reading and serve as role models from an early age.

Rotarians can move these barriers. Here are a few projects that clubs in our district do:

• Partner with local libraries to support reading activities, sponsor summer reading programs, assist with literacy fairs, participate in story hours, help register students with their local library to get a library card, donate new or used books, or help with book fairs. Contact your local library to find out their needs and how your club can assist. Invite a librarian to speak to your club. They may be a future Rotarian.
  
  
• Reach out to your local schools, ask how Rotarians can help them improve their reading programs. Adopt a grade to become reading buddies assisting students 1-on-1, provide a book for every student in a class/grade that a teacher cannot otherwise include as the subject for their curriculum. Physical dictionaries are still a valuable tool as they “improve students’ literacy by helping them learn alphabetical order, locate words, and discover new vocabulary, which enhances their reading comprehension and spelling skills. “The Dictionary Program” offers a variety of dictionaries to choose from depending upon grade level. The process of searching for words encourages curiosity and independent learning.
  
  
• “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library” provides age-appropriate books monthly to registered children, ages 0-5 years of age, at no cost to the family. Rotary Clubs support the cost of the program for children in their area and can assist in reach families to encourage their enrollment in the program.
  
  
• Build and fill “Little Free Libraries.” Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that provides plans and blueprints for building little libraries and other useful resources. Several Rotary Clubs in our district have built and support Little Libraries. At a recent visit to The Rotary Club of Camas-Washougal, was given a tour of some of the dozen libraries they have built and maintain around their community.
  
  
• Choose a book a week to donate to your local library as a recognition of your weekly speaker. Place a dedication platelet/sticker inside the book that recognizing the speaker by name, their organization, and the date of their presentation at your club. Include your Rotary club logo. It does make a difference.

Last Week’s Program: Forest Grove Mayor Malynda Wenzl
At last week’s meeting, we were honored to welcome Forest Grove Mayor Malynda Wenzl, who provided several updates on key issues that are facing the city. Born and raised in Forest Grove, Wenzl has served as mayor since 2022. Prior to being elected mayor, Wenzl served two terms as a city councilor.

Transportation Updates: Transportation and the safety of streets through the city has been a priority for the city and the council. Through a combination of city funds, the Oregon Department of Transportation and Washington County’s Major Streets Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP), planning is underway for the installation of a traffic light at the intersection of Highway 47 and Maple St./Fern Hill Road. The project is slated for completion in 2027.

Two years ago, the Tualatin Valley Highway corridor between Quince Street and Yew Street was identified for over $21 million of needed safety improvements. Thanks to matching funds provided by ODOT and Congresswoman Susanne Bonamici, the city will be moving forward with the installation of a traffic light at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Yew Street. The partnership also provided for the installation of a mid-block signaled pedestrian crossing along Pacific Avenue at the Rose Grove Mobile Home park. Once utility work is complete, the crossing will be operational. Additional improvements will include the installation of a sidewalk adjacent to Doherty Ford and completing a gap in sidewalk along Mountain View Drive, both improving safety for Neil Armstrong Middle School students.

Data Centers: Data Centers are a hot topic in Forest Grove and Washington County. The Crane Data Center facility is currently under construction along Mountain View Lane, across the street from Neil Armstrong Middle School. While the data center was appealed to both the planning commission and the city council, Wenzl noted that both bodies were limited to evaluating whether the application met city, county and state zoning laws, and subsequently approved the project. With that said, Wenzl noted that the council is using the opportunity to look inward at what the role of the city is in these projects and what tools are at their disposal.

One response to the project was a shift in rates for Forest Grove Light & Power, establishing a large load rate for industrial users. Those users will pay a 40% higher rate than the typical residential customer.

Wenzl also noted that the Crane Data Center is being built in an Enterprise Zone, a tax-incentive development zone that has been in place since 2016. The council allowed the zone to expire in 2026, and is considering if it wants to re-establish the zone, and what types of incentives should be tied to job development.

Downtown Revitalization: The council has paid particular attention to the revitalization of the downtown core the last few years. In the last year, the city has done some landbanking, purchasing the former Woodfold lot on 19th Avenue (former Burlingham Seed warehouse), the Forest Theater building along Main Street, and the gravel lot next to the Jessie Quinn Apartments (formerly the site of Times Litho).

For the Forest Theater building, the city will be putting out a request for query (RFQ) for possible redevelopment, with a preference for a boutique hotel. The city’s vision is for the building’s historic façade and marquee to be remain part of the building, but it is not required. The goal for this RFQ is to develop a property that will create tourism and promote local business.

Wenzl noted the previously advertised effort to try and attract a grocery store to the former Times Litho site. For a number of reasons, she said, it was determined that placing a grocery store in downtown is not feasible.

Senior Center/Parks & Recreation: Wenzl addressed the expiration of Centro Cultural’s contract to operate the Forest Grove Senior & Community Center. She said that the city was happy with the organization’s operation of the center, but due to changes in the federal landscape affecting Centro’s core missions, it has made it very hard for Centro to provide the level of services both it and the city wants to provide.

Moving forward after December, the city will be looking to a hybrid city/partner program to operate the center. The city’s parks and recreation staff will relocate to the senior center, with the goal of developing a plan to partner with community organizations for programming. Over the year, the center’s current programming is expected to remain unchanged.

Club Calendar
Wed., Sept. 2: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Kelly Saylor Daily, Mrs. Claus Cares

Tues., Sept. 8: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., Sept. 9: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Rotarian of the Month

Thurs., Sept. 10: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Online

Thurs., Sept. 17: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Thurs., Sept. 17: Monthly Social, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Wed., Sept. 23: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Forest Grove Police Chief David Marzili