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

This Week: We hope that all of you enjoyed a safe and happy holiday break! We look forward to seeing everyone again for our first meeting of 2026 on Wednesday, Jan. 7, in the Boxer Pause Room in the University Center at Pacific University. Our program will be honoring our December Youth Citizens of the Month. In addition, our community service chair, Amanda Hartmann, will lead a club discussion on potential service projects for 2026. Please plan on joining us!

Upcoming Meetings: All of our Wednesday meetings in January and 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 socials on Jan. 21 and Feb. 18 in lieu of our Wednesday meetings those weeks.

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.

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!

Pickleball Tournament – Jan. 10: Our club’s second annual pickleball tournament, now named the “Build Better Friendships Pickleball Tournament,” is on tap for Saturday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m., at the National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way. The tournament committee is shaking up the format this year to make it more fun and give participants to play with more people. You do not need to register with a partner (you will be paired before play begins) and guests are welcome to attend. Equipment will be available for those who do not have their own paddles.

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the registration form linked in the Rototeller newsletter sent to members or contact Lucas Welliver.

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 Club’s Social Media – Help Us Connect!: Social media is a great way to spread the word about our club and the great things we do in our community. Our club is active on both Facebook and Instagram, but we need your help to expand the reach of our message to both current and future Rotarians.

Our Facebook page currently has 730 followers. Of those, 36 followers are current members and 28 are past members. Our Instagram page has 403 followers, including 17 current members and 12 past members. Both pages are updated on average two to three times per week. In December, we posted on both platforms 24 times. We also have a Twitter/X feed that has been dormant since June 2023 due to lack of engagement. (Please note that the club’s social media accounts and the Concours media accounts are managed by different people.)

Here is how you can use social media to help us spread our message to more people:

Like & Follow Our Pages: If you are on either Facebook or Instagram, and you have not done so already, like our pages and check out the content that we have posted recently.

Comment On Our Content: If you see something that you like, or a recent club meeting or project that we posted about, leave a comment and let the world know! Interaction with our pages helps not only shows that we like what we do in Rotary, but also lets the algorithms know that our pages are active and spreads our message to more feeds.

Share Our Content: Sharing a post on your Facebook wall or Instagram story helps increase the reach of our storytelling. It is the most important way of spreading the word across both platforms. If someone asks you more about our club or Rotary, tell them to check out our pages (in addition to giving them your elevator speech on the good things we do).

Direct Links To Our Club’s Active Social Media Accounts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FGRotary
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fgrotary

If you want to learn more about our social media platforms, or to get involved in helping keep our presence active, please contact our club’s public image chair & social media manager, Blake Timm.

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

New Information: Volunteers are now 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.

Volunteer Opportunity – Tuality Plains High School Mock Interviews: Steven Barnard is looking for volunteers to help conduct mock job interviews for the students of Tuality Plains High School (formerly known as CALC). The interviews will be held Friday, Jan. 9 and Tuesday, Jan. 13. The time commitment for both days is roughly 9:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. with a lunch break. Volunteers will be coached on how to conduct the interviews and what kind of feedback is wanted. For more information, please contact Steven.

Membership Committee: The club’s Membership Committee meets the second and fourth Tuesday at noon in the conference room at the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce. Its next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 13. 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. NOTE: To assist with the transport of Youth Exchange students, you must complete the District 5100 Youth Protection Training and undergone a background check with the district.

Have A Program Idea? Let Javin Know!: Our 2025 program calendar has been filled up, but our 2026 program chair, Javin Frelin, is looking for ideas for engaging programs for January and beyond. If you have an idea for a program, contact Javin.

Concours d’Elegance News
Concours Committee Meetings: Club members are invited to take part in the monthly online meeting of the Concours meeting, which takes place on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. The next scheduled meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The link to the online meeting is available in the Rototeller newsletter sent to club members.

Concours Committee Updates
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.

Judging Assistant Needed: Tom Raabe, who oversees the judging committee at the Concours, is looking for at least one person, ideally from the club, to learn the judging component of the show. You don’t need to be a “car person,” as people in this role will work with the judges who know the cars. The most important skills are good communication, curiosity and energy.

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

Around District 5100
A “Thank You” And “Hello” To Clubs From District 5100 RYLA (by Kyla Marshall, District 5100 RYLA Chair): If we have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Kyla Marshall (she/her) and I am the new chair for RYLA. I participated in RYLA in 2019 and was graciously sponsored by the Sherwood Rotary Club. I have been involved with RYLA since I participated as both a color group facilitator and as the speaker coordinator.

I am a member of the Rotary eClub of the Willamette Valley. In my professional life, I am a kindergarten teacher in Monmouth. I am really excited for the opportunity to serve as the chair and continue to grow and develop this program. 

The RYLA executive team would like to extend a huge thank you to all the clubs and people that were involved in making RYLA 2025 happen. We are so grateful to all the Rotary clubs that sponsored a participant for RYLA 2025! Your support helped young adults grow as leaders, gain confidence, and develop important professional development skills. 

Watch this quick 2025 RYLA Recap Video to see the amazing experiences your sponsorship helped make possible.

We’re excited for RYLA 2026 and will be reaching out soon to share new opportunities to get involved and support the next generation of leaders. Keep your eyes out for our new sponsorship levels for clubs.

NOTE: RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is a leadership development program open to people ages 19-32. It is a one-week intensive program that will take place July 11-17, 2026 at the Menucha Retreat Center in Corbett. If you know of someone who might benefit from the RYLA experience, please give their information to our club’s RYLA liaison, Andrea Stewart.

Club Calendar
Wed., Jan. 7: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Youth Citizens of the Month/Service Project Discussion

Sat., Jan. 10: Build Better Friendships Rotary Pickleball Tournament, 10 a.m.
National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way

Tues., Jan. 13: Membership Committee Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove

Tues., Jan. 13: Concours Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
via Zoom

Wed., Jan. 14: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Pacific Northwest Missing Persons Project

Thurs., Jan. 15: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

Thurs., Jan. 22: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Thurs., Jan. 22: Monthly Social, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove