Our own Immediate Past District Governor Jeannine Murrell and current District Governor Susanne Holmberg pose in front of a peace pole that was planted at the Wingspan Conference & Event Center in Hillsboro and dedicated at the Rotary Expo on May 3. 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’s Meeting: We hope to see you at our weekly meeting on Wednesday at noon in the Boxer Pause room of the University Center at Pacific University. This week we will be hearing final updates and preparations for the annual Concours d’Elegance, which is next weekend!

Upcoming Meetings: All of our meetings in July will take place in the Boxer Pause Room in the University Center at Pacific University.

Please note that our meetings on Wed., July 23 and Wed., July 30 require catered lunches. Deadlines for ordering lunches for those meetings are as follows:

July 23 – Saturday, July 12, 5 p.m.
July 30 – Saturday, July 19, 5 p.m.

Please RSVP indicating that you will take lunch to secretary Claire Agner via email. If do you not RSVP, you are still welcome to attend the meeting, but you will need to bring your own lunch.

Rototeller Hiatus: The Rototeller editor will be on vacation next week. There will be no newsletter published the weekend of July 19-20. We will return to our regular publication schedule the weekend of July 26-27.

Rotary New Year’s Message From President Andrew Stewart: I want to start by thanking you, not just for being here today, but for believing in me to lead our club this year. I am deeply honored and incredibly grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me. But let me be clear: this is our club, and I am here to serve you and the community we care so much about.

Thank you for sending me to PELS for leadership training and for giving me the opportunity to represent our club at the Rotary International Convention in Calgary. What an energizing and inspiring way to kick off this new year and a powerful reminder that Rotary is bigger than any one of us, yet made stronger by each of us.

We are a room full of leaders. I am lucky to stand among you, to learn with you, to grow with you, and to dream a little bigger alongside you. As we look ahead, my hope is simple: that we continue to build on the great work we’re doing, maybe shuffle a few things around to keep it fresh and fun, and always look for ways to stay connected, engaged, and inspired.

I want every voice in this room to feel welcome. When we speak up, when we bring ideas, when we share our passion, that’s when our club is at its best. I look forward to reviewing the feedback from our recent survey and working with Hector (Mendez-Colberg) and Javin (Frelin) to set thoughtful, ambitious goals for the next three years! Goals that carry our club’s momentum forward in meaningful ways.

Time moves fast. This Rotary year will fly by, but just look at what we accomplish together! The Concours d’Elegance is just around the corner, and I want to thank every single one of you who makes that event such a success. The funds we raise don’t just go into programs, they go into people.

I was reflecting recently on Izzy’s presentation about her exchange to Argentina, what an extraordinary young woman! We helped open a door for her, and I have no doubt she’ll go on to do amazing things, always remembering that Rotary helped her get there. And Laurin, who has been with us for the past 10 months returns to Switzerland today with stories, friendships, and memories that connect him to Rotary for life. Fareeha, who came and never left, what a gift. The list goes on…

These are just a few reminders of why we gather. Why we meet for lunch. Why we serve. Why we show up, week after week, year after year.

Rotary’s guiding principles are as relevant today as ever: The Four-Way Test: is it the truth, is it fair, does it build goodwill and better friendships, is it beneficial to all concerned, is it FUN? And of course, our motto: Service Above Self.

That service takes shape through Rotary’s seven areas of focus and they’re powerful reminders of what we stand for:

• Promoting peace
• Fighting disease
• Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
• Saving mothers and children
• Supporting education
• Growing local economies
• And protecting the environment

These are not just global causes – they’re our causes. And every time we show up to serve, we’re contributing to something so much bigger than ourselves.

Can we improve? Of course. Can we adapt and evolve? Absolutely. We should be lifelong learners. But let’s never lose sight of the loving hearts we serve with and the impact we have, right here and around the world.

Let’s make this year one of curiosity, joy, inclusion, and momentum. Let’s lead together. Let’s lift one another up. Let’s keep showing up for our “why.”

Thank you for the privilege to lead. I’m honored to walk beside you this year – and as we do, let’s embrace Rotary’s call to action and Unite for Good. Together, there’s nothing we can’t do!

Club Survey Now Available: Last week, club members received an email to a survey that President Andrea and club leadership to help guide the Rotary year. The goal of the survey is to try and reinvigorate our club. While we have 72 members, only 20 to 30 show up to our meetings on a regular basis.

This survey is 10 questions and is designed to help shape the future of our meetings and activities — more energy, more connection, more of what makes Rotary meaningful and fun.

A link to the survey was made available to members in the Rototeller newsletter sent via email. If you prefer a paper version, please contact President Andrea via email.

You can fill out the survey anonymously or you can feel free to add your name if you want to leave additional comments or discuss items with club leadership. Let’s make this year one where we reconnect, reimagine, and maybe even reignite the joy of being in Rotary.

DacDB Updates: If you have not responded to the email asking for updates to your current information for DacDB (District & Club Database), which our club uses for club operations. Please take the time to review the email and confirm that we have the most up-to-date information for you.

If you did not receive an email, or need assistance in updating your information, please contact Secretary Claire Agner at 503-504-3594 or bcnca39@frontier.com.

New Member Orientation: We will hold our quarterly New Member Orientation meeting on Monday, July 28, 4 p.m., at the offices of Moore & Welliver, 2002 Pacific Avenue. All Rotarians are welcome to attend and bring someone that they think might be interested in joining Rotary.

Save The Date – District Governor Susanne Visit: Mark your calendars for Thursday, Aug. 21, when we will have a special evening meeting for the official visit from District 5100 Governor Susanne Holmberg. This will be a join meeting with the Daybreak Club and will involve a fun, social activity for all of us to enjoy together. Time and location will be announced soon.

In lieu of the special meeting, there will be no regular weekly meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 20. This will also serve as the August meeting for our Satellite Club.

Concours d’Elegance News
Volunteers Needed – Sign Up Now!: Our volunteer lists for the Concours d’Elegance are filling up, but still need more hands to make the show run smoothly! As you know, we require “all hands on deck” to make this event a success. We need club members and community members for roles that include campus set-up and takedown, parking lot attendance, ticket-takers at gates, merchandise sales and so much more. It is an expectation that all club members sign up for at least one volunteer shift.

Please visit the Concours Volunteer Signup Page on Sign-Up Genius today to secure your volunteer spot. If you have questions, contact the area director that you worked with last year or email volunteer coordinator Steve Mann at stevemann503@gmail.com.

Concours Weekend Schedule
Saturday, July 19
8 a.m.: Campus Set-Up, Pacific University
9 a.m.: Vineyard Tour departs from Main Street
6 p.m.: Evening of Elegance Dinner, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club (pre-registration required, open to entrants, judges, sponsors, members of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove and special guests by invitation only)

Sunday, July 20
5:30 a.m.: Cars begin arriving to Pacific University
7:30 a.m.: All cars are in place
8:30 a.m.: Gates open
9 a.m.: Car judging begins
1:30 p.m.: Trophy presentation, stage behind Marsh Hall
4 p.m.: Best In Show trophy presentation/takedown begins

Service Opportunities For Club Members
Do You Know Of Service Opportunities?: 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.

FGHS Community Food Pantry: Our club’s support for the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry continues.  Thanks to its partnership with the Oregon Food Bank, food donations are still welcome but are of less need at this time. Of need, however, are toiletries and hygiene products as well as household cleaning materials.

During the summer, the Food Pantry is open Mondays from 2-3:30 p.m. The pantry will be closed on Monday, July 28. The pantry is located along Nichols Lane between the football field and the Basinski Center. Click Here for more information on the FGHS Food Pantry and on other resources for those experiencing food insecurity.

For information on the Food Pantry, please contact Brian Burke, bburke@fgsd.k12.or.us. If you wish to make a cash donation to the pantry, Click Here.

Last Week’s Program: Larry Strober, Oregon Peace Trail
NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to show the PowerPoint presentation to go with this program. You can view the full presentation here.

Last week, were joined by Larry Strober, a member of the Newberg Rotary Club and a member of the Rotary Action Group for Peace, who presented on the District 5100 Peace Pole Project and the Oregon Peace Trail.

District 5100 has been actively involved in planting peace poles around the district since 2017. That year, on the International Day of Peace, District 5100 set out to plant 100 peace poles in Northern Oregon and Southwest Washington. This was in response to a challenge from Portland Rotarian Al Jubitz, a co-founder of the Rotary Action Group for Peace. On that day, 128 peace poles were planted. There are now over 800 peace poles in communities in District 5100.

The peace pole project is meeting with Pacific University President (and fellow Rotarian) Jenny Coyle and Pierre Morton, vice president for strategic relationships, to start the process on planting peace poles on Pacific’s campuses.

A peace pole is a four-sided pole that reads, in multiple languages, “May peace prevail on Earth.” The poles stand anywhere from three to six feet high. On poles that are planted by Rotary Clubs, there is often a Rotary International logo on the pole.

The peace pole initiative was started in the 1950s in Hiroshima, Japan, in response to the city’s continued recovery from the atomic bomb blast and a desire to spread peace. The movement spread to the U.S. in the 1980s. Today, there are an estimated 250,000 peace poles across the globe on all seven continents.

The District 5100 peace group is working on developing the Oregon Peace Trail. Inspired by the Oregon Trail and other pioneer trails, it is a 308-mile pilgrimage from Oregon City to Ashland. Each mile of the journey is designed to take someone deeper into the experience and practice of peace. One ends the journey with an appreciation that peace on Earth is more than a dream, it is imminently possible.

The group is also involved with the development of the Peace Game. Played through an app, the game allows people from across the world to meet and explore making peace possible. It can be played virtually or with in-person groups.

For more information on the Oregon Peace Trail and the Peace Game, visit the Oregon Peace Trail website.

Club Calendar
Wed., July 16: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Prep for Concours d’Elegance

Thurs., July 17: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
via Zoom

Fri., Jan. 18-Sun., July 20
Concours d’Elegance Weekend
See full schedule above

Wed., July 23: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Dave Durocher, Youth Villages Oregon

Wed., July 30: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Donna Gustafson, City Club of Forest Grove

Thurs., Aug. 21: Joint Meeting with Daybreak for District Governor Susanne Holmberg’s Official Visit, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St.
There will be no noon meeting on Wed., Aug. 20