We had a great turnout for our October social at The Growler Garage, which also doubled as a fundraiser for Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund. 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: We hope you will join us for our weekly meeting on Wednesday at noon in the Boxer Pause Room of the University Center at Pacific University. This week, we will get an update from our own Claudia Yakos on what is going on at the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce. We will also have our first Youth Citizen of the Month presentations of the year and an update from our Membership Committee. We hope that you will join us!

When the club meets at Pacific University, club members will pay directly for their lunches as they enter the dining commons. The cost for the all-you-care-to-eat meal is $9.75 per person. Corporate members and guests should receive lunch vouchers from treasurer Sharon Olmstead.

Upcoming Meetings: All of our weekly meetings this fall will take place at Pacific University with the exception of the following dates, when we will meet at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ: Nov. 11, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9. Remember that on the third week of the month, we do not meet on Wednesdays in lieu of our monthly socials.

World Polio Day Potluck Social At Waltz Brewing: In observance of World Polio Day, our club will hold a potluck social on Sunday, Nov. 1, 4-6 p.m., at Waltz Brewing, 1900 A. St., Forest Grove. Plan on bringing a favorite dish to share with everyone. Families (including children) are invited to join us. While we provide the food, Waltz will have its bar open with beverages for purchase.

There will also be a chance to raise funds for Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund to continue the quest to eradicate polio. Mark your calendars and we will see you there!

Pints For Polio: Thanks to our members and friends, including our fellow Rotarians from the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club, who came out to support our Pints for Polio night at The Growler Garage. It was a packed house between 6 and 8 p.m. on Thursday with Rotarians, the run club and many people coming out to enjoy Thursday Night Football and the start of the NBA season. We are grateful to The Growler Garage for donating 15% of their proceeds in that two-hour span to Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund!

Service Day With West Tuality Habitat for Humanity: Come help West Tuality Habitat for Humanity on their next development! We have put together Rotary Club of Forest Grove Volunteer Day on Saturday, Nov. 14, 8:30 a.m., at Habitat’s new development at 2510 Mills Lane, Forest Grove. The task will be planting thousands of plants for the new development’s water collection ponds. If the task can be completed, it will save regular volunteer crews weeks of time, enabling them to keep building homes.

All supplies will be provided. Plan on wearing clothes appropriate for working outside and prepare to get muddy depending on the weather.

All Rotarians and friends of Rotary are welcome. To sign up, please visit the sign-up page on the West Tuality Habitat for Humanity website.

Wreath Sales Are Back!: We thought last year was the last year, but our annual holiday wreath sales are back! This year, we are using a new local provider (Melinda Fischer has retired from the wreath-making business) and will use the proceeds to benefit Mrs. Claus Cares, the nonprofit that presented at our Sept. 2 meeting (read the Sept. 7 Rotary Rewind on the club website to learn more).

Prices remain the same as last year: $35 for a small wreath, $45 for a large wreath. Orders are due to Janet Peters by Friday, Nov. 13. Wreaths will be delivered on Saturday, Nov. 28. Payments by cash or check (payable to the Rotary Club of Forest Grove) are appreciated. Contact Janet if you need different options.

Indoor Pickleball Returns Next Week: Loosen up your legs and get ready for the indoor pickleball season! Once again, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove will sponsor pickleball evenings at the Forest Grove National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way, beginning on Monday, Nov. 2. Courts will be open Monday through Thursday evenings, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Cost is $5 per person per evening to help cover rental costs.

Each evening will offer three courts for beginner, intermediate and advanced players. Players of all ages and abilities are welcome, and paddles will be provided for people who are new to the sport.

Steven Barnard, our Rotarian pickleball master, is looking for one more volunteer host to cover Thursday evenings. Duties include opening and closing the armory, managing sign-in and money, managing the flow of play and cleanup. Volunteers play for free on other nights.

For more information on all things pickleball, visit the Forest Grove Pickle Ball Group Facebook page.

Looking For Our Next Treasurer: After years of service as treasurer for our club, Sharon Olmstead is looking to find her replacement so that she can move forward in her Rotary journey. The treasurer manages the finances of the club and ensures that the club is in compliance with state, federal and Rotary International financial responsibilities. The finances of the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove are handled by our fundraising treasurer.

The treasurer is a club officer and must be a member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. If you have interest in either position, or know someone who might be, please contact Sharon.

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, Oct. 27. For more information, or to get involved, please contact Evelyn Orr or 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.

Dilley Elementary School Carnival: Dilley Elementary’s Parent-Teacher Organization needs volunteers to help put on the school’s annual carnival on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1:30 to 5 p.m.

Volunteers will be assigned a carnival game booth and help run the game, cheer on participating students and distribute prizes to the winners. Each booth will be operated by two people. The carnival helps fund important projects for Dilley, including their STEM room.

Volunteers age 18 and over must submit a background check through the Forest Grove School District.

To sign up for a volunteer shift, visit the Dilley PTO Volunteer Signup Page. If you have questions, please contact Deb Kolb, vicepresident@dilleypto.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 needs you! Despite recent staffing reductions, Centro Cultural remains committed to providing essential services to our community. With your help, we can continue making a difference!

We’re looking for friendly, caring volunteers to lend a hand at:
• Centro Mercado: Monday–Thursday morning or afternoon shifts (2–3 hours). Friday morning shift only.
• Senior Lunch Program: Monday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Whether you have a few hours a week or just occasionally, we’d love to have you join us!

Volunteer Manager Evelyn Orr will provide details and help you find the right fit: eorr@centrocultural.org.

A little of your time can make a big difference in someone’s day! 

Rotary Basics
Rotary & Polio Eradication
For more than 45 years, one of Rotary International’s primary goals has been the eradication of polio.

During the first half of the 20th century, polio, or poliomyelitis, was one of the most feared diseases in the world. The infectious disease spreads from person to person, most commonly through contaminated water, and attacks the nervous system, often leading to paralysis.

The development of the inactive polio vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk in 1955, and the oral polio vaccine, developed by Albert Sabin in 1961, allowed public health officials to curb the spread of the disease. The World Health Organization declared polio eradicated in the United States in 1979, but infections ran rampant across many other countries in the world.

Rotary’s first polio project took place on September 29, 1979, when Rotarians joined delegates from the Philippine Ministry of Health to immunize children in the Manila barrio of Guadalupe Viejo. It was Rotary’s first Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grant project. This started a five-year effort in the Philippines to immunize six million children against the disease at a cost of US $760,000.

The success of the Philippines project was the genesis of Rotary International’s PolioPlus campaign, which began in 1985. Three years later, in 1988, Rotary became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), joining forces with the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF.

When the GPEI started, polio paralyzed an estimated 1,000 children daily. In 2026, GPEI reports just 48 confirmed type 1 wild poliovirus cases, all in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a reduction in cases of 99.9% from 1988.

Thanks to the generosity of Rotarians, RI has contributed more than $2.9 billion in PolioPlus grants and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 3 billion children in 122 countries from this disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $11 billion to the effort.

In 2024 alone, 1 billion doses of the oral polio vaccine were delivered and 270 million children were vaccinated. The cost of those vaccine doses? Fifteen cents each.

The Gates Foundation is a critical partner in the polio eradication effort, providing technical support and funds invested in research to enhance polio vaccines, surveillance and outbreak response. For every $1 donated to RI’s PolioPlus Fund, up to $50 million per year, The Gates Foundation gives $2 for polio eradication.

Learn more about the drive to eradicate polio at endpolio.org, on the GPEI website and the Rotary International website.

Article Sources
Ending Polio – Rotary International Website
Historic Moments – Roots Of Rotary’s Polio Efforts, Rotary Club of Castle Pines
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
End Polio Now

Rotary Glossary
Avenues of Service: Rotary International channels its commitment to service at home and abroad through five Avenues of Service, which are the foundation of club activity. Those are club service, vocational service, community service, international service and youth service.

Around District 5100
What Will It Take To End Polio? (from this week’s District Newsbyte): Two essential commitments will help us cross the finish line: vaccination and awareness.

Vaccination protects children and interrupts transmission. The World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has recently recommended strengthening routine polio immunization through an additional dose. In areas experiencing outbreaks, supplemental vaccination efforts remain especially important.

Awareness keeps the world engaged. Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign is part of a much larger international partnership. Governments, health organizations, donors, and community volunteers continue working together to ensure that polio eradication remains a global priority.

At a recent meeting, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Polio Oversight Board approved a 2027 budget of $778 million (USD), prioritizing efforts to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission in Afghanistan and Pakistan while responding to significant outbreaks elsewhere.

The message is clear: We are closer than ever, but we cannot afford to lose momentum.

A World United to End Polio
Across the globe, Rotary members and partners are finding creative ways to raise awareness, build partnerships, and inspire action in recognition of World Polio Day.

Here are just a few examples:
Mongolia: Approximately 200 Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact members joined together for a 3.5-kilometer End Polio Walk through Mongolian National Park.

Geneva, Switzerland: The World Health Organization and Rotary will bring together Rotarians, government representatives, polio survivors, and eradication partners for a special event highlighting the partnerships that have brought us to the threshold of eradication.

Brussels, Belgium: The famous Manneken Pis statue will wear a specially designed End Polio Now outfit, drawing public attention to the campaign.

London, England: Parliamentarians and polio advocates will gather to reinforce the political commitment needed to finish the job.

Essen, Germany: Rotary members and partners will gather at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Zollverein industrial complex to reflect on the progress made and the determination still needed to make polio history.

From community walks to international gatherings, these events remind us that ending polio requires people everywhere to remain informed, engaged, and committed.

Club Calendar
Tues., Oct. 27: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., Oct. 28: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Claudia Yakos, Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce

Sun., Nov. 1: End Polio Now Potluck and Fundraiser, 4 p.m.
Waltz Brewing, 1900 A St.

Wed., Nov. 4: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: Jeannine Murrell, Rotary Foundation

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

Wed., Nov. 11: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Nick Stier, Malawi Community Health Clubs Golbal Grant Project and Rotarian of the Month

Thurs., Nov. 12: Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Online

Thurs., Nov. 18: Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Location TBD

Thurs., Nov. 18: Monthly Social, 6:30 p.m.
Location TBD
No Wednesday Meeting on Nov. 17