At our annual Crab Feed, we honor those individuals who have earned Paul Harris Fellows in recognition of their lifetime giving to The Rotary Foundation, including the individuals pictured who earned Paul Harris Fellows in 2025. This year’s Crab Feed is scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 2. Photo by Hector Mendez-Colberg.

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

This Week: We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, noon, in the Boxer Pause Room in the University Center at Pacific University. Join us as our program will be Tanner Hoskins, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Missing Persons Project.

Remember that the program part of our meetings (announcements, club discussion, etc.) will begin at 12:05 p.m. Please arrive in plenty of time to socialize and grab lunch before the meeting begins.

Upcoming Meetings: All of our Wednesday meetings in February are scheduled to take place in the Boxer Pause Room in the University Center at Pacific University. We will have our monthly Third Thursday social on Feb. 18 in lieu of our Wednesday meeting that week.

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!

Save The Date – Crab Feed: Be sure to join us on Thursday, Apr. 2, for our annual Crab Feed at the Forest Grove Senior & Community Center. Join us for an evening of fellowship with Rotarians and friends of our club. We will honor members who have earned Paul Harris Fellows or their PHF level, and raise some money for The Rotary Foundation too. Spouses and significant others are invited for this social evening.

The Crab Feed Committee is always looking for members who want to help in the planning and execution of the evening. If you want to take part, contact our Crab Feed chair, Julia Kollar.

Save The Date – Club Social With Daybreak & Hillsboro Clubs: Mark your calendars for an evening of fellowship with Rotarians from the Forest Grove Daybreak and Hillsboro clubs on Thursday, Apr. 30, from 5-7 p.m. The location of this social is still to be determined. If you are interested in being part of this social gathering, please let President Andrea know.

Save The Date – Steak Feed: Our annual Steak Feed is scheduled for Friday, May 29, 5 to 8 p.m., at the University Center at Pacific University. The Steak Feed is a fundraiser for our involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange program and a great opportunity to show the local community what we do. More information on tickets and work assignments will be available closer to the event. In the meantime, please contact Geoff Faris or Jeff Duyck with any questions.

For those who are interested in helping with the Steak Feed, or have ideas for promoting the event to the community, a committee meeting will take place this Wednesday after our weekly club meeting.

New Club Nametags Available: Our Membership Committee has reviewed and developed a new nametag for members of our club. The new tag is rectangular in shape with the Rotary logo at the top, the club member’s name, the year that they joined the club, and “Rotary Club of Forest Grove” at the bottom. The name tags are produced by Russell-Hampton, a licensed supplier of Rotary merchandise.

The board has approved purchasing new nametags for all active Rotarians, including Satellite Club members, at no charge to members. If you would like to receive a new name tag, please contact Evelyn Orr via email by no later than Saturday, Feb. 14. Please include how you want your name listed on your new badge.

Pickleball Evenings: Our club is sponsoring the weekly indoor pickleball gatherings for the second straight year. The evening weeknight games (5:30-8 p.m., Monday-Thursday) are in full swing. Follow The Forest Grove Pickleball Facebook group to get all of the details. The armory is located at 2950 Taylor Way, Forest Grove.

Our master of everything pickleball, Steven Barnard, is looking for a regular host for the Thursday night session. If you are a regular host, you are able to play other evenings free of charge for the entire season. To learn more, contact Steven.

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, Feb. 10. 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, at 503-597-9355. NOTE: To assist with the transport of Youth Exchange students, you must complete the District 5100 Youth Protection Training and undergo a background check with the district.

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 Tuesday at 9 a.m. (note the change in time and frequency of meetings). If you wish to take part in this week’s meeting, please contact Concours Chair Bruce Cummings for the meeting link.

Concours Committee Updates: Here are the latest updates in the planning for our 52nd Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance, Sunday, July 19 on the Forest Grove Campus of Pacific University.

• The committee hopes to finalize the design of the 2026 show poster this week.

• The committee is reviewing two different scoring programs to use for this year’s show. This will replace the system that we have used for many years.

• An email newsletter was sent out to the Concours mailing list of car owners, past attendees and car enthusiasts on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Social media posts also advertise the date on both Facebook and Instagram.

• The planning for this year’s car tour is underway. Sharon Olmstead is chairing the planning committee. The goal for the tour in 2026 is to develop partnerships with local businesses that will help finance the tour so that there is no cost to the club.

• Mallory Hiefield and Carla Kinzey will be assisting Tom Raabe with judging this year and learning the process to ensure continuity into future editions of the show.

• Sponsorship procurement for the show has begun. If you have leads on potential sponsors, please direct those leads to Amy Tracewell, Janet Peters or Stephanie Magoulas.

• The Concours has been invited to participate in the Oregon International Car Show, Feb. 19-22 at the Oregon Convention Center.

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.

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 two 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.

Family Resource Center: The Forest Grove School District’s Family Resource Center, located at Cornelius Elementary School, is in 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.

Volunteers are 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.

Around District 5100
Save The Date – Spring Training: This year’s District 5100 Spring Training event will take place on Saturday, Apr. 11. Location and time will be announced soon. Spring Training consists of a number of classes to help Rotarians learn more about how Rotary and the district works, as well as specialized training for presidents-elect, secretaries, treasurers and Rotary Foundation chairs. The event will also have required trainings for clubs that plan to participate in District Matching Grants, Global Grants, Youth Exchange and for any club involved with any initiatives involving youth. Look for registration and class offerings soon.

Save The Date – End Of Year Celebration: 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 at Rood Bridge Park in Hillsboro.

Area Governor Blake Timm is looking for a small committee of Rotarians to help with the planning and execution of the event. If you are interested in assisting, or would like more information, please contact Blake.

Rotary Global Scholarship Applications Now Open: Rotary District 5100 invites scholars who want to create a lasting impact in the world to apply for a 2026-2027 Global Grant Scholarship. The deadline is March 1.

Supported by The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, the Global Grant Scholarship supports professionals with immersive international graduate-level study aligned with one of Rotary’s Areas of Focus. Scholarships fund master’s, PhD, and certificate programs, or research for up to four academic years.

Rotary District 5100 selects one candidate each year to apply to the Global Grant Scholarship program, which provides up to $30,000 of annual support for eligible expenses.

Rotary’s seven Areas of Focus include peacebuilding and conflict prevention, disease prevention and treatment, water, sanitation and hygiene, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, community economic development, and protecting the environment.

“It’s a unique scholarship,” said Tamara Kaufman, the committee’s chair. “It is a high-level study abroad program. The purpose is to immerse the student in another culture while they are enrolled at a foreign university. The selected student will become part of the Rotary family by participating in a club near where they are studying, and be connected to a club here in our Rotary district, which spans northern Oregon and Southwest Washington.”

Candidates must already speak the language in which the coursework will be taught, including the language specific to their area of study. Additionally, candidates must have a letter of admission to the foreign academic institution to begin studies in late summer or early fall of 2026. Their post-education career plan must include a long-term commitment to measurable, sustainable change in their chosen field.

“Our motto is Service Above Self,” Kaufman said. “Our goal is for a Global Scholar to help make a positive difference in the world. We want the recipient to sincerely participate in Rotary International and maintain a lifelong relationship with our organization after the scholarship period.”

A member of the White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club in Washington, Kaufman said there are many ongoing opportunities for local and international service.

“We have a tremendous network to do good in the world,” she said. “Our club is currently working on an environmental project in Guatemala and a community economic development project in Kenya. These opportunities are in collaboration with our partner clubs here in Rotary District 5100 and Rotary clubs on the ground. We are supporting efforts to improve lives and create lasting change, as we foster enduring relationships with our partner communities.”

Rotarians, individuals related to Rotarians, and Rotary employees are not eligible to apply. However, a candidate may be a member of a Rotaract Club, a global service club network for young leaders ages 18 to 30.

Applications will be reviewed, and eligible candidates will be invited for an interview. The candidate selected by the District 5100 Global Scholars Committee will then work with the group to apply to The Rotary Foundation for the Global Grant.

For more information on this graduate-level scholarship opportunity, go to https://rotarydistrict5100.org/global-scholars/. Interested applicants should email a letter of intent, a copy of their CV or resume, and letters of reference to RD5100GlobalScholars@gmail.com. The application period closes on March 1, 2026.

Last Week’s Program – Youth Exchange Student Lara Bekiroglu
Our 2025-26 Rotary Youth Exchange inbound student, Lara Bekiroglu, has been part of our Rotary family since August. Last week, Lara introduced us to her home country of Turkey, her family, and talked about how her exchange has gone so far.

Lara was born and raised in Izmir, located in western Turkey along the Aegean Sea. It is the third largest city in Turkey (behind Istanbul and Ankara) with a population of 4.5 million people. Being along the sea, Izmir has lots of beaches and palm trees.

Lara introduced the club to the history, geography and the cuisine of Turkey. She loves Turkish food. She knows how to make one Turkish dish and has made that dish for all of her host families. Turkish food is often heavy with meat, particularly beef and chicken. Most of the country’s desserts come from the time of the Ottoman Empire, with lots of milk and herbs.

In Turkey, Lara lives with her mom. Her parents are divorced, but she says her parents get along. She also has a younger brother.

Lara enjoys cooking and was part of the culinary class at Forest Grove High School during the fall semester. She also enjoys clay arts and has made some pieces while in the U.S. She doesn’t like to keep her clay artwork, preferring to sell her work or giving it to friends. Lara has been a swimmer since age 6 and is part of the FGHS swim team. She also took up shooting during COVID and also enjoys archery.

Lara chose to participate in Rotary Youth Exchange because she has grown up around other exchange students. She admits to being quite scared and homesick in her first few days on exchange, but now Lara says that she doesn’t want to go back because of all of the great people she has met here, including her host families, her Rotary family and other exchange students. She is particularly grateful to her host families, her exchange sister, Fareeha Nayebare, and Mr. Kirkman at FGHS for helping her through the tougher times.

In a fun twist, our club’s 2026-27 outbound exchange student, Sophia Hallberg, learned recently that we will be going to Turkey for her year. Lara is excited to be able to share her home country first-hand with Sophia.

Club Calendar
Tues., Feb. 10: Concours Meeting, 9 a.m.
Online

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

Wed., Feb. 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Tanner Hoskins, Pacific Northwest Missing Persons Project

Thurs., Feb. 12: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

Tues., Feb. 17: Concours Meeting, 9 a.m.
Online

Thurs., Feb. 18: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Thurs., Feb. 18: Monthly Social Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Tues., Feb. 24: Concours Meeting, 9 a.m.
Online

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

Wed., Feb. 25: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Sarah Barbour, Youth Exchange Program & Youth Citizens of the Month

Thurs., Apr. 2: Crab Feed
Forest Grove Senior & Community Center

Friday, May 29: Steak Feed, 5 p.m.
University Center, Pacific University Forest Grove Campus

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