Newberg Noon Rotary Club Newsletter for October 31, 2018
Editor’s note: I was unable to be at this meeting, but Leah took some fantastic notes, presented here just as she wrote them:
Leah
Rotary Meeting on Wednesday, October 31st.
Prez Om started off our meeting reminding us of Rotary’s efforts for peace, especially in light of the recent events in Pittsburgh and North Carolina.
Announcements included Jim McMaster’s plea for lots of service help on Saturday, November 17th in the morning at the Aquatic Center playground to spread three truckloads of bark chips! This will be all hands on deck with both Rotary Clubs, Interact and more. If you can help out, it’s a good idea to bring gloves and if you’ve got shovels or rakes that could be used to move those bark chips, that would be a huge help. Sign up https://signupschedule.com/noonrotary So far 8 have signed up. We need lots more than that. Here’s your chance to put your muscle behind our saying “Service Above Self”. And Jim promised donuts so we know Om will be there!
You’ll be hearing a lot about the Auction, March 23, 2019. It’s the biggest effort our club makes each year and with the downturn in the income from Rota-Dent ($100,000 to $50,000 annually), if we don’t step up and make a lot at the auction, we’ll not be able to give out 50+ scholarships and support all the community projects we’ve been able to do. We need EVERY ROTARIAN TO PARTICIPATE. We’ll work with you to find the right match. Talk to Denise Bacon, auction chair, denisebacon@aol.com or Leah nplleah@yahoo.com to get signed up for a committee. We’ll be connecting with you! Also, Tony Lelack reminded us to ask NOW for contributions from larger companies. They need more time to go through their channels. And if they can’t do it for the 2019 auction, switch it up and ask for the 2020 auction!
Laura Tilrico reported there were some extra funds from the money we sent to Guatemala for earthquake relief and the Rotary Club in Antiqua used them for repairs to the school. The Nepal project is moving along with Laura getting more info to show that the app for medical diagnosis can work. She is really putting a lot of work on this for the people of Nepal. Thank you Laura.
Walter Want shared a special Veterans Day event at Evergreen Aviation Museum on November 11th from 9 am to 5 pm. The Vietnam Air War Experience Exhibit Grand Opening will be held that day. Memorabilia from the era, such as POW/MIA bracelets, flight manuals, flight suits as well as aircraft will be on display. Walter will be sharing his experiences at the event as well.
Tony LeLack and his gym Excell Fitness, is again collecting turkeys for FISH. You can drop off a turkey at the gym, or even give him cash. Over the years they have collected thousands of pounds of turkeys for the community. Make sure you get your turkey to Tony!
Our special guest Mayor Bob Andrews was honored with a Paul Harris award by Mike Caruso. Mayor Bob has embodied Service Above Self in his 12 years as mayor and his efforts are much appreciated.
Denise Bacon, Rotarian and City Councilor, introduced Mayor Bob with just a few tears. He has been an advisor, friend, and father figure to her as she became involved in city government and as she said, she owes so much to his mentorship to her over the years.
Mayor Bob started with “Hi, I’m Bob, a recovering bureaucrat” He worked in state government for 30 years and then in retirement served on Newberg City Council for four years before being elected Mayor in 2006. Service to his community is what he does!
In his years as mayor he has realized that many don’t really understand how local government works and so he shared a bit of a civics lesson with us.
Newberg was incorporated as a town on Feb 21 1889. And four years later on February 10, 1893, it became a city. Today Mayor Bob likes to say we’re a small city, with the best of both sides because of the people in our city. He as seen Newberg recognized as a community of giving and it is groups like Rotary and Kiwanis (he’s a Kiwanian, but we won’t hold that against him!) that enhance that reputation.
The city of Newberg is governed by the city charter which is like the constitution and it is approved by the voters. The Council can enact laws. The Council and mayor are advised by many citizens’ advisory committees; Planning Commission, Library Board, Rate Review Committee and many more. These are all made up of citizens who learn about an issue and make recommendations.
The city’s vision statement; “Newberg will cultivate a healthy, safe environment where citizens can work, play and grow in a friendly, dynamic and diverse community valuing partnerships and opportunity” drives the Council’s actions. And the mission statement: “The City of Newberg serves it citizens, promotes safety, and maintains a healthy community” further defines what the city works towards.
During his tenure, Newberg has grown about 8% in population and it is on the cusp of more growth as we try to meet the demand for affordable housing and homes for people who want to come to our city. There has been a lot accomplished over the last 12 years and here’s a list of a few of those things:
We are now up to date on our strategic plans, the documents that help to shape our community. They are developed with citizen input and they don’t just sit on a shelf.
Newberg hosted Special Olympics for 6 years
We’ve seen lots of growth at George Fox University with their facilities, their students and the programs they offer to students.
PCC opened a campus in town
The Waste Water plant has grown and now provides non-potable water for landscaping.
Newberg Providence Medical Center opened
We are a peace city with peace poles, thanks to Rotary
Library hours and services have increased
Economic development activities need to continue with commercial, industrial, tourism, and retail to support the community residents
The bypass opened and work is starting on continuing that with the next phase
We are still a city that has 19% of our residents in poverty. We need to continue to support those residents in a variety of ways including housing and jobs
You could see the pride in Newberg the Mayor has as he shared what has gone on for this 12 years in office. When asked what he’ll do in “retirement”, he said REST. But he’ll keep busy with hobbies including woodworking, reading and he has promised his wife he would clean the garage.
Thank you Mayor Andrews for your years of service to our community.
Leah’s efforts with this report are typical…for her…examples of Service Above Self…and Rotary in Action!
Thanks, Leah!
AND…..next week’s meeting, November 7, will be the Rotary Classification Talk by Ivan Estrada…at the Cultural Center.
Editor Rick