Some of the crew that conducted cleanup on our club’s McDougall Garden on Saturday, Oct. 18. 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’s Meeting: We hope that you will be able to join us on Wednesday at noon at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way. We will be hearing from Beth Huggins and Meghan Roy about the Regeneration Field Institute.

Upcoming Meetings: The rest of our Wednesday meetings during October and November will be held at Pacific University. Our meetings on Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 will be held at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ. There will not be Wednesday meetings on Nov. 26, Dec. 24 and Dec. 31.

Lunch Procedures Our For Meetings At Pacific: Pacific University’s food service provider, Bon Appetit, had updated the way lunches are purchased for our meetings this Rotary year. All members and guests will need to present a voucher, purchased from our treasurer, to enter the dining commons.

• If you are billed for lunch, you will still need to check in to receive your voucher.
• All guests will also need a voucher to enter the commons.
• The cost for lunch remains at $10.

Additionally, we are encouraging members to purchase a month’s worth of lunch vouchers at a time for our weekly meetings. This small change will make check-in smoother and help lighten the load on our treasurer. If you would like to prepay for your lunches, please see treasurer Sharon Olmstead.

Pints For Polio Event: Join us this Thursday, Oct. 23, as we join with the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club to raise funds for PolioPlus! Our clubs are hosting a Pints For Polio event from 5 to 9 p.m. at The Growler Garage (owned by Rotarian Jill Verboort and her husband, Jarod), 1837 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove. The Growler Garage has generously agreed to donate 15% of proceeds from purchases during the event to PolioPlus. Additionally, a charcuterie-themed prize pack will be raffled off. So please join us on Thursday to raise a pint or two to help eradicate polio!

Our event is one of several across District 5100 recognizing World Polio Day on Friday, Oct. 24. Read about the other events in the “Around District 5100” section of this newsletter.

Wreath Sales Are Back – Order By Nov. 5: It’s that time of year! Once again, our club is selling holiday wreaths, built by Rotarian Melinda Fischer, to raise funds for our Hope For The Holidays Program. Purchase a 20-inch wreath with bow for $35 or a 28-inch wreath for $45. All orders are due by Wednesday, Nov. 5, with greens delivered on Saturday, Nov. 29. To place your order, please contact Janet Peters.

This year, in lieu of the food distribution event that we have conducted in past years, our Hope For The Holidays will partner with the Family Resource Center in Forest Grove to support the growing number of youth and families in our community experiencing housing insecurity.

Road Cleanup Service Project – Nov. 8: Our next semi-annual road cleanup service project is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8. We will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will meet at the Oregon Department of Forestry offices at 801 Gales Creek Road. The project will last between 1 to 2 hours, depending on the number of volunteers.

We are grateful to Melinda Fischer and Rus Peters for stepping up to take over leadership on this project from Paul Waterstreet. Thank you to Melinda and Rus to taking this project on and thank you again to Paul for his longtime leadership.

A standing project for nearly 30 years through the Washington County Adopt-A-Road program, our club cleans up along Gales Creek Road between Thatcher Road and Forest Gale Drive, and Thatcher Road between Gales Creek Road and David Hill Road. This is one of the ways that we contribute to the beauty of our community through service.

McDougall Garden Cleanup: The McDougall Garden is cleaned up and put to bed for the fall. Thank you to those Rotarians who came out for the work party on Saturday, Oct. 18, and helped clean up our garden spot between Pacific Avenue and 19th Avenue, adjacent to the big flagpole on the east end of Forest Grove.

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.

Steaks Available For Purchase: Our club still has packages of steak left over from the Steak Feed available for purchase. Packs of two choice New York steaks are available for $20 each. If you are interested, please contact Janet Peters.

Membership Committee: The club’s Membership Committee is looking for additional club members who want to make the experience in our club the best for current members and to find new members. The committee will be talking about what we can do to retain members, the recently completed club member survey, and what we can our members can provide to make this club that we can continue to be proud of.

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

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.

The Food Pantry is open Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. 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.

Around District 5100
Local Rotary Clubs Raise Pints To End Polio: Rotary Clubs across northern Oregon and southwest Washington are joining clubs worldwlde in celebrating Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio.

World Polio Day is Friday, Oct. 24. The day is a time for Rotary members, public health advocates, and all who want a world free from polio to come together and recognize the progress in the fight to eradicate polio. Nearly 1,600 Rotary clubs worldwide are holding events around World Polio Day to raise funds for Rotary’s PolioPlus fund, including several in District 5100. The public is invited to support these events and learn about Rotary’s efforts to end polio.

Clubs in Forest Grove, Hermiston and Wilsonville are conducting Pints For Polio events on Thursday, Oct. 23. In partnership with local pubs and eateries, a portion of the proceeds of those establishments on the day of the event will be donated to PolioPlus.

On World Polio Day, Friday, Oct. 24, Vancouver Sunrise Rotary will raise funds through a trivia night at the Ghost Runners Brewery while the Clackamas Sunrise Rotary will hold a Pints For Polio event at Portland Cider Company. Clackamas Sunrise’s event is a follow-up to the club’s successful Pints For Polio event held at Breakside Brewing in Milwaukie in September.

Several clubs have already held polio awareness events or are conducting ongoing fundraisers. The Rotary Club of Dallas conducted a “Purple Pinkies for Polio” event on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Dallas Farmers Market. The fundraiser is a nod to the technique used by polio vaccination teams worldwide of coloring the nail on a child’s pinkie finger purple, signifying that they have been vaccinated.

The Beaverton Rotary Club raised $1,000 from its members through a rivalry board predicting the final scores of football games. The Battle Ground Rotary Club distributed red plastic cups to collect change for polio between now and the end of December, with a goal of raising $25 per club member.

Rotary International’s quest to eradicate polio began in 1979 with a multi-year project to immunize six million children against the disease in the Philippines. Rotary made the mission official in 1985 with the creation of PolioPlus, the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support fund for a public health initiative. Since 1985, an estimated 3 billion children have been immunized worldwide through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Thanks to the coordinated effort, the Americas were certified polio-free in 1994. In 2025, just 36 cases of wild poliovirus have been reported worldwide. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only polio-endemic countries in the world.

World Polio Day Events Across Rotary District 5100
Thursday, Oct. 23
Hermiston – Pints For Polio, 4 p.m., Neighbor Dudes, 405 N. 1st St., Hermiston, OR 97838
Presented by the Hermiston Rotary Club, proceeds from the evening will be donated to Rotary’s PolioPlus fund.

Forest Grove – Pints For Polio, 5-9 p.m., The Growler Garage, 1837 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove, OR 97116
Co-sponsored by the Forest Grove and Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Clubs, a portion of proceeds between 5 and 9 p.m. will be donated to PolioPlus. There will also be a raffle for a charcuterie-themed basket with products donated by local merchants.

Wilsonville – Pints For Polio, 6 p.m., Wanker’s Corner Saloon & Café, 8499 SW Main St.,
Wilsonville, OR 97070
Presented by the Rotary Club of Wilsonville, Wanker’s Corner will donate 10% of food and beverage sales all day to PolioPlus. From 6 to 8:30 p.m., you can paint your pinkie purple for $5, with proceeds benefitting PolioPlus, and enjoy live Americana music by Pacific Northwest singer/songwriter Rob Rainwater. 

Friday, Oct. 24 – World Polio Day
Clackamas – Pints For Polio, Portland Cider Co., 8925 SE Janssen Rd., Clackamas, OR 97015
Join Clackamas Sunrise Rotary for this fundraiser benefitting PolioPlus. Purchase a keepsake Rotary/End Polio Now stainless steel pint glass for $25, which includes one free draft pint. Proceeds from the glasses will directly benefit PolioPlus. Additionally, Portland Cider Co. has generously offered to donate $2 for each additional pint sold at the event to benefit the fight to eradicate polio.

Vancouver – End Polio Fundraiser Trivia Night, 6 p.m., Ghost Runners Brewery, 4216 NE Minnehaha St., #108, Vancouver, WA 98661
The Vancouver Sunrise Rotary Club will hold a trivia night to support the polio eradication efforts. $25 admission fee includes entry into the trivia contest and your meal, with the entire admission fee donated to PolioPlus. Drinks are not included. Additionally, raffle tickets will be available onsite for a prize package. Advance online registration is encouraged.

Susanne’s Storybook: Click Here to read the latest edition of Susanne’s Storybook, the Rotary District 5100 newsletter.

Club Calendar
Wed., Oct. 22: Weekly Meeting, Noon
United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Beth Huggins & Meghan Roy, Regeneration Field Institute

Thurs., Oct. 23, Pints For Polio Event, 5-9 p.m.
The Growler Garage, 1837 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove

Wed., Oct 29: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Youth Citizen of the Month Presentation

Wed., Nov. 5: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: David Noyes, Shelterbox

Wed., Nov. 5: Wreath Orders Due To Janet Peters

Sat., Nov. 8: Road Cleanup Service Project, 8:30 a.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry, 801 Gales Creek Road, Forest Grove

Wed., Nov. 12: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: PDG Larry Hatch, PolioPlus