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

This Week – Monthly Social: It is the third week of the month, which means that it is time for our monthly social! Join us on Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., for an evening of good food, good drink and great fellowship with fellow Rotarians and friends. We hope to see you there! We will not have a noon meeting on Wednesday, May 20.

Upcoming Meetings: Our summer weekly Wednesday meetings are scheduled to be in the Boxer Pause in the University Center at Pacific University with the exception of June 3, which will be held at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ.

Catered Meals Over The Summer: With Pacific University on summer break, our weekly meetings will be catered through late August. Club members should watch their email for a call to RSVP for lunch and deadlines, which will typically be a week and a half ahead of each meeting. If you do not RSVP, you are always welcome to attend the meeting, but you will need to bring your own lunch.

Summer Closure Of College Way: Between now and July 31, College Way (the road on the western edge of the Pacific University campus) will be closed while the City of Forest Grove installs a water main. During the closure, the following Pacific parking lots are closest to our meeting area in the University Center.

• Lot A, at the corner of Pacific Avenue and College Way (accessed from Pacific Avenue)
• Lot C, at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Cedar Street (Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center)
• Lot O, at the corner of Cedar Street and 21st Avenue
• Lot P, accessed from Main Street across from Parr Lumber

View Pacific’s Forest Grove Campus map to plan parking for our meetings at the university.

Habitat For Humanity Work Project Postponed: Due to a lack of sign-ups, the work project with West Tuality Habitat for Humanity’s Home Repair Program, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, was postponed. The club and Habitat hope to reschedule the project for Saturday, June 6. More details will be available soon.

Plates For Passports Coming Up On May 29: It’s the same event, but with a new name and more options. Our annual Steak Feed is now known as “Plates For Passports,” reflecting the event’s goal of raising funds for our involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

The 68th annual Plates For Passports will take place on Friday, May 29, 5 to 8 p.m., at the University Center at Pacific University. It is a great way to inform the community of the great things that Rotary does in our community, as well as the impact that our Youth Exchange program has not only on the participants, but also our community.

In addition to the traditional New York steak and trimmings, we will also offer a veggie burger option for the first time.

Tickets for the 2026 Plates For Passports dinner are $30 each and are now available online. Click Here To Purchase Tickets. Physical tickets to sell to community members have been provided to club members either at meetings or by mail. Each member received eight steak tickets (white) and two veggie burger tickets (green). If members want more physical tickets to sell, please contact Janet Peters. If you have sold tickets, please bring money to our meetings.

And be sure to share our social media posts on the event on both Facebook and Instagram to advertise Plates for Passports to your friends.

Club members are invited to participate in the planning for the event. Please contact Geoff Faris or Jeff Duyck for details.

Click Here To View Committee Work Assignments. If you have questions about your shifts on the day of the event, please contact the committee chair.

If you have not read it yet, check out the feature on Plates for Passports and the Youth Exchange program that was published recently by the Forest Grove News-Times.

Vision To Action Workshop: Thank you to the 11 club members who made time on Saturday, May 9, to participate in the Vision to Action Workshop, facilitated by Rotary District 5100. This was a great day of discussion about what we hope our club will look like three years from now, We brainstormed ideas, developed plans, and started the work to help make our club more vibrant and more relevant in the community. Expect to hear more about what was discussed and the plans being made over the next few weeks.

Rotary Youth Exchange Applications Open: The Youth Exchange Committee is currently accepting applications for the long-term and short-term exchange programs. The application deadline has been extended until Friday, June 12, so please let anyone know that you think might be interested in this exciting study abroad opportunity. Application information is available on the club’s Youth Exchange webpage.

There is also a need for host families for the 2026-27 school year. Families host an international exchange student for about 3.5 months, during which they learn first-hand about another culture and often form life-long bonds. Host families do not need to be Rotarians, but do need to go through Rotary’s Youth Exchange application, background check, and training process.

Please contact Sarah Barbour, Youth Exchange Committee chair, at 503-597-9355 or ForestGroveRYE@gmail.com for an application form or to inquire about hosting.

Board Member Elections: Congratulations to the five Rotarians who have been elected to the club and foundation board of directors: Sarah Barbour, Kevin Harmon, Amanda Hartmann, Mackenzie Johnston Carey and Carla Kimzey. These five will begin their terms of July 1. Thank you all for your commitment and dedication to our club and to Rotary.

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, May 26. For more information, or to get involved, please contact Evelyn Orr or Bruce Cummings.

Have An Idea For A Speaker? Let Mallory Know: Our president-elect nominee and program chair, Mallory Hiefield, is interested in your ideas for great programs that will pique the interest of the club. If you have ideas, please contact Mallory.

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 Friday at 9 a.m. The Google Meets link to the online meeting is available for club members in our email newsletter, the Rototeller.

Concours Volunteer Sign-Ups Open: It is time to start lining up our volunteer teams for the 2026 Concours d’Elegance! This event takes many hands to make work light, and we count on the support of all Rotarians to make the Concours a success. And, of course, we welcome friends and community volunteers to help make this a great event and raise funds for our scholarship program.

If you volunteered last year, there is a good chance that you will already see your name listed for the same role this year. It is okay to remove yourself if you want to take on another role. If you remove yourself, SignUpGenius will notify the volunteer coordinator.

Club members were provided a link for Rotarian Concours duty signups in the club’s weekly newsletter, the Rototeller. Members of the community who wish to volunteer can sign up at https://forestgroveconcours.org/volunteer.

If you are interested in being a car spotter or a registration volunteer, please reach out directly to Mackenzie Johnston Carey, mackenziejohnstoncarey@gmail.com.

If you have questions, or do not see a volunteer role that you are interested in, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Stephanie Magoulas, at smagoulas@pacificu.edu.

Concours Sponsorships: Sponsorship procurement for the Concours is well underway. If you have leads on potential sponsors, please direct those leads to Amy Tracewell, Janet Peters or Stephanie Magoulas. Learn more about sponsorships, including partnership levels and benefits, On The Concours Website.

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 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.

Around District 5100
End Of Year Celebration — June 3: Make your plans to join Rotarians from Beaverton, Columbia County, Forest Grove, and Hillsboro at our West Region End of the Year on Wednesday, June 3, 5:30 p.m., at Rood Bridge Park in Hillsboro.

The event is a family-friendly picnic-style event. Food will be provided Bring yourselves, your family, and maybe a friend who is interested in Rotary. We will have food, games, a short presentation by District Governor Suzanne Holmberg and district awards. It’s a great opportunity to get to know fellow Rotarians from clubs across our region, which includes Rotarians from Beaverton, Columbia County, Forest Grove and Hillsboro. One of our games will also include a drawing for a Paul Harris Fellow!

A sign-up link was provided to all club members via email. The registration deadline is Thursday, May 28. For questions, please contact Area Governor Blake Timm at 503-320-3915 or blakertimm@gmail.com.

Hosts Needed For Upcoming Short Term Exchange: For the past several years, District 5100 has hosted exchange students from multiple districts who provide their students with a three-and-half week railway tour starting in Los Angeles and ending in Washington D.C.

The students will arrive in Portland on Amtrak on Friday, June 19, and leave Sunday, June 21. The students must get on the train on Sunday in Portland or Vancouver.

The district is looking for families who can take at least two students for two nights. The makeup of the exchange group is 25 students, 17 females and eight males.

This is an opportunity to meet and spend time with young people that quite often becomes a lifetime relationship with the students returning on their own to visit or the hosting family traveling to visit them in their home countries.

For more information, please contact Terry Mohr with District 5100 Rotary Youth Exchange at 503-319-0369, or tmohryeo@gmail.com.

Rotary Friendship Exchange Next April: A Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) has been arranged between Rotary District 5100 and Rotary District 6840!  You ask: Where in the world is District 6480!!  It’s New Orleans and surrounding areas of Louisiana.

We are expecting a contingent from District 6840 to visit our district in September of this year and a group from our district to visit Louisiana in April of 2027.

District 6840 includes New Orleans, but also adjacent areas!  New Orleans is known for the French Quarter, fabulous restaurants, museums, and a wonderful aquarium!  Parts of the district outside of New Orleans include plantations and bayou country. 

RFE is short for Rotary Friendship Exchange.  This is a program of Rotary International where Rotarians travel to another Rotary district where they are hosted by Rotarians of that district.  While in that district, they stay in the homes of Rotarians and explore the district as arranged by local Rotarians.  It is a true exchange because Rotarians that initially visited that district later arrange the adventure of Rotarians of that district when they come to visit.  These exchanges are not just for Rotarians as they also usually include partners of Rotarians and/or other family members.

The length of an RFE is anywhere from 10 to 14 days and are at no cost to Rotary.  With this RFE, participants will cover their own expenses while visiting the other district.  Expenses will include round-trip airfare to New Orleans, fees for attractions, restaurants, museums, and local transportation.  Also, those wishing to participate as a member of an RFE team should also be willing to host members of the inbound team of District 6840 and have the support of their club with hosting and arranging the visit of the inbound RFE members.

If you are interested in participating in this adventure, an application was sent via email to district Rotarians. Applications to participate are due by May 31. With questions, please contact PDG Dennis Wickham via email.

Last Week’s Program: Erika Diaz Tofaeono & Elena Aguilar, FGSD Family Resource Center
This Rotary year, we have been honored to partner with the Forest Grove School District’s Family Resource Center, housed at Cornelius Elementary School, to help provide food and other essential items for living to students and families. Last week, Family Resource Coordinator Erika Diaz Tofaeono and Elena Aguilar joined us to provide an update on the center’s services and needs.

Tofaeono thanked the club for its continued contributions through the course of the year, which included a District 5100 matching grant and the proceeds from our annual wreath sales, and for the hours of volunteer effort that helped the center operate through much of the year.

The center continues to receive a lot of referrals for families that are facing financial trouble or facing eviction. More families are coming into the center to pick up food, clothing and other items. Thankfully, they are not delivering as much food directly to family homes with a decrease of detention activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Additionally, the center has received some funding from the City of Forest Grove to assist families with the payment of utility bills.

The Family Resource Center will be closed over the summer. There has been discussion about providing limited summer hours in upcoming years. Before the school year ends, the center is providing information on other food banks in the area.

Tofaeono anticipates a continued need for volunteers in the upcoming year. There is no established sign-up or assignments, simply contact Tofaeono when you have some time to spare. District background checks are required for all volunteers and can be completed online.

You can learn more about the Family Resource Center at the Forest Grove School District website.

At the end of the meeting, our club presented a collection of personal hygiene items for use by the center. Hygiene and household items are not among the items provided to the center by food banks.

Club Calendar
Thurs., May 21: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Thurs., May 21: Monthly Social, 6:30 p.m.
Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St., Forest Grove

Fri., May 22: Concours Steering Committee Meeting, 9 a.m.
Online

Tues., May 26: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., May 27: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Youth Citizens of the Month (Banks), Plates For Passports Prep

Fri., May 29: Concours Steering Committee Meeting, 9 a.m.
Online

Friday, May 29: Plates For Passports (Steak Feed), 5 p.m.
University Center, Pacific University Forest Grove Campus
Website | Order Tickets

Wed., June 3: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Club Assembly – Budget Presentation

Fri., June 5: Concours Steering Committee Meeting, 9 a.m.
Online

Sunday, July 19: Concours d’Elegance
Pacific University Forest Grove Campus
Website | Order Tickets