Rotarians took part of their Saturday morning to clean up parts of Gales Creek and Thatcher Roads and doing maintenance on the club’s McDougall Garden. Photos by Janet Peters and Claire Agner.

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

This Week: We look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday at noon in the Boxer Pause Room in the University Center at Pacific University. This week we will hear a presentation from the Green Grove Cohousing Community, presented by John White and Emily Harper.

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: Oct. 14, Nov. 11, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9. Remember that on the third week of the month, we do not meet on Wednesdays. That week, we encourage everyone to attend our monthly social on Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Zesti Food Carts, 2131 Yew St.

Garden Cleanup & Road Pickup: It was a Saturday morning full of service to beautify our community. Thank you to all of our Rotarians and friends who participated in both our McDougall Garden maintenance project and our semi-annual road cleanup. We had a great turnout with 16 Rotarians and three friends of Rotarians who participated. When you drive by the garden, located between Pacific and 19th Avenues at the big flagpole, or along Gales Creek and Thatcher Roads at the west end of Forest Grove, thank your fellow Rotarians for their service!

McDougall Garden Project Participants: Hector Mendez-Colberg and his son, Gustavo, Melinda Fischer, Beth Hardy, Carl Heisler, Geoff Faris, Sharon & Adrian Olmstead, Howard Sullivan, Claire Agner, Blake Timm and Carla Kimzey.

Road Cleanup Project: Cole Thursam and Maddie, Greg Nemchick, Jill Verboort, Stephanie Magoulas, Lucas Welliver and Janet Peters.

A special thank you to Geoff Faris and Melinda Fischer for coordinating work on the McDougall Garden, and Rus & Janet Peters for coordinating work on the road cleanup.

More On The McDougall Garden: The club is committing more money to the maintenance of the garden, which is due for replanting after many years. This week’s work party will include spreading fresh bark dust in the garden and planting some new plants. There are big plans to refurbish the garden over the next year. Stay tuned for details!

Pickleball Is Back Nov. 2: 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, contact Steven or visit the Forest Grove Pickle Ball Group Facebook page.

Meal Coordinator: A big thank you to one of our newest Rotarians, Beth Hardy, who has agreed to handle meal coordination duties for the club. This ensures that we will continue to have meals available when we meet off-site or when Pacific is not in session. Thank you, Beth!

Outbound Youth Exchange Applications Still Open: Our club is still looking for its 2027-28 Rotary Youth Exchange outbound student. Opportunities are available for both long-term and short-term exchanges for the upcoming Rotary year.

For more information, and to fill out an application, please visit the Rotary Youth Exchange page on the Rotary Club of Forest Grove website.

Looking For Our Next Treasurer And Bookkeeper: 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.

Additionally, the club is looking to identify a new bookkeeper. Julie Schmidlkofer, who has served the club in that role for many years, is reducing her client load as she moves towards retirement.

The treasurer is a club officer and must be a member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove. The bookkeeper is a hired position and that person does not need to be a member of the club. 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. 13. 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.

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.

Rotary Basics
The History Of Rotary In Oregon
The world’s first Rotary meeting took place in 1905, and it did not take long for Rotary clubs to start popping up worldwide, uniting businesspeople in friendship and service.

That included the West Coast, where five of the first 10 Rotary clubs were organized. The world’s second Rotary club was chartered in San Francisco on Nov. 12, 1908. Seattle chartered Rotary Club No. 4 on June 15, 1909, and Tacoma established club No. 8 on Feb. 3, 1910.

The first Rotary Club in Oregon, and in what is now Rotary District 5100, was the Rotary Club of Portland. Club No. 15 was chartered on May 25, 1910, predating the formation of the National Association of Rotary Clubs, which is now Rotary International, by three months (established Aug. 18, 1910).

It would be 10 years before a second Rotary Club was established in the Beaver State, with the Rotary Club of Salem established on Jan. 1, 1920. Salem was followed by Astoria (Feb. 1, 1920), Pendleton (May 1, 1920) and McMinnville (May 1, 1921), all of which are now in District 5100.

The first club is what is now District 5110, which encompasses most of the rest of Oregon, was founded in Roseburg on Feb. 1, 1922, followed closely by Coos Bay-North Bend on Mar. 1, 1922.

The first Rotary Club in Washington County was Hillsboro, established on Mar. 13, 1923. The Rotary Club of Forest Grove was chartered on Sept. 2, 1924, the eighth club established in what is now District 5100.

As of Sept. 1, 2026, 13 Rotary clubs in Oregon have celebrated their centennials.

District 5100’s newest club is the Chehalem Valley Rotary, which chartered on May 3, 2023. District 5110’s newest club is the E-Club of the State of Jefferson, chartered on Mar. 18, 2013.

Rotary Glossary
District: A district is a Rotary International administrative unit designed to organize and lead clubs. There are currently 546 Rotary districts worldwide. Our district, District 5100, includes all clubs in northern Oregon (from approximately Salem north) along with a handful of clubs in southwest Washington. There are currently 62 clubs in District 5100.

Around District 5100
Introducing Our Region’s Upcoming Collaborative Project: The Rotary Club of Forest Grove is excited to join fellow Rotary clubs from across Western Washington County and Columbia County in a new collaborative service initiative focused on community hygiene needs.

The West Region of Rotary District 5100 includes five clubs in Beaverton, Columbia County, Forest Grove and Hillsboro.

Under the leadership of Area Governor Blake Timm, the clubs are coming together to explore ways to provide hygiene products and support to individuals and families throughout our communities. Collaborative projects between multiple clubs, like this one, are a specific focus of District Governor Renee Fontenot during the 2026-27 Rotary year.

As part of District 5100’s larger service efforts, each region of the district is focusing on projects that address specific local needs. In the West Region, club leaders identified access to hygiene products as an opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting difference.

Each club will work with local partners, both existing and new, to better understand community needs and develop solutions that fit their area. While local approaches may differ, the clubs will collaborate by sharing successful ideas, coordinating efforts where appropriate, and pursuing joint fundraising opportunities.

A steering committee, with representatives from each club, will meet in October to establish a timeline and overall framework for the project. The goal is to establish those by Nov. 1. This initial planning phase will allow clubs to connect with community organizations, identify needs, and build partnerships before launching project activities.

The district needs at least one Rotarian from each West Region club to serve on this steering committee. Tasks will include identifying and evaluating the needs of potential partner organizations, outreach to potential financial or in-kind partners, preparing community grant and district grant applications, and hands-on support in delivering items to the selected partner organizations.

The steering committee includes Blake Timm and Stephanie Magoulas from Forest Grove and Sherrie Ford from Columbia County.

This regional partnership demonstrates the power of Rotary collaboration and our shared commitment to Service Above Self. We look forward to sharing updates as the project develops and opportunities emerge for members and community partners to get involved.

Together, we can help ensure that essential hygiene products are available to those who need them most.

Email Phishing Alert: Recently, some Rotarians have received unexpected emails that appear to come from someone in District 5100. Perhaps the sender’s name looks familiar, but the message seems unusual. Maybe the subject line feels odd. Perhaps there is an unexpected attachment or a vaguely described document—and an invitation to click.

We have seen reports of malicious emails circulating, so this is a good time for all of us to sharpen our awareness.

The Federal Trade Commission warns that phishing emails and text messages are designed to trick people into revealing passwords, account numbers, and other personal or financial information. The FTC recommends being especially cautious about unexpected messages asking you to click a link or open an attachment.

A few simple habits can help:

• Look beyond the sender’s name. Check the actual email address. Is the name spelled correctly? Is the domain what you would expect?
• Be suspicious of unexpected urgency. Is someone suddenly insisting that you act immediately on something you knew nothing about?
• Pay attention to unusual wording. A typo happens to all of us, but repeated errors or awkward phrasing can be warning signs.
• Check before you click. Hover over a link with your cursor—or tap and hold on a phone—to see where it actually leads.
• When in doubt, verify another way. Call the person or create a new email or text message using contact information you already know to be legitimate. Do not simply reply to the suspicious message.

The FTC similarly recommends contacting the person or organization through a phone number or website you already know is legitimate rather than using the contact information contained in a suspicious message.

Technology changes. Scams change. Our best defense remains remarkably simple: slow down, look carefully, and verify before you click.

Or, in the memorable words of Sgt. Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues: “Let’s be careful out there.”

Last Week’s Program — Rotarian of the Month, Sarah Barbour
At last week’s meeting, we continued our new Rotarian of the Month program, where we had a chance to get to know Sarah Barbour.

Sarah joined the Rotary Club of Forest Grove in 2023 and is a member of our satellite club. She currently serves as the club’s youth exchange officer.

Sarah was raised in Connecticut, went to college in Virginia and took her first job in New York. At 24, she accepted a job to teach English in Japan for a year through the JET Program, which she called the best job ever. It was while in Japan that she met her husband, Al Weiss (who also joined the club in 2023).

After finishing her teaching commitment in Japan, Sarah and a friend spent a few months backpacking around southeast Asia and India. While in India, Sarah volunteered for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.

Once married, Sarah and Al moved to Illinois, where Al was employed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After 13 years, they moved to Forest Grove for Al’s current position at Pacific University. They have lived in Forest Grove for 15 years and enjoy being members of the community.

Today, Sarah is employed as a freelance editor, primarily for companies in the financial sector. In the past, she has also been a book editor. One of her past clients was a fantasy writer who named one of the villains in a book after her.

While living in Connecticut, Sarah came to know a man in her neighborhood that was wheelchair bound after contracting polio. It was her first experience knowing someone who had the disease, something she later encountered in India. Because of those experiences, Sarah loves seeing the count of polio cases in each week’s edition of the Rototeller. She is proud to be associated with an organization that is working to end polio.

While Sarah was familiar with Rotary’s work to eradicate polio, she didn’t become involved with Rotary until her middle daughter, Blue, went on Rotary Youth Exchange. Since then, their family has hosted several inbound Youth Exchange students.

Sarah encourages everyone in the club to get involved with Youth Exchange, especially in serving as a host family. She says that it is fun, that it is not a difficult thing to do, and it is a chance to make a lifelong connection. She also encourages everyone to make connections with our Rotary Youth Exchange students, which enriches their experience in the U.S.

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing part of your story with the club! Our next Rotarian of the Month presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Club Calendar
Wed., Oct. 7: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Boxer Pause Room, University Center, Pacific University
Program: John White & Emily Harper Green Grove Cohousing Community

Tues., Oct. 13: Membership Committee Meeting, 4 p.m.
Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, 2417 Pacific Ave.

Wed., Oct. 14: Weekly Meeting, Noon
Forest Grove United Church of Christ, 2032 College Way
Program: Clark Mather, Northwest River Partners

Thurs., Oct. 15: Executive Board Meeting, 7 a.m.
Online

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

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

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