| Rotarians In Action

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Peace Building

The way to war is a well paved highway and the way to peace is still a wilderness.”

– Paul Harris 

Steel sculpture of children holding hands playing around a globe

Promoting Peace

Rotary is dedicated to causes that build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world to support our peace efforts. Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. Half of them are children. The majority of the other half are women. The Rotary Club of Newberg is actively engaged in promoting peace through a number of initiatives including its active support of Peace Village, Peace Literacy, the planting of peace poles in Newberg and throughout the world, the Newberg Peace Garden, and the Rotary Peace Fellowship.

Making Newberg a More Peaceful Place

The Inaugural Denise Bacon 5K Run/Walk for Peace & Peace Fair brought together runners from the community and beyond. The top three adult winners each received from the Newberg Grocery Outlet a bagful of health foods, and the top three finishers in the children’s division each received a bagful of fun foods, books, and Halloween-related items from the Newberg Grocery Outlet. Look for our announcement of the 2024 5K Peace Run/Walk & Peace Fair.

The Newberg Peace Garden is a community healing project located at the First Presbyterian Church at 501 Mission Street in Newberg. It is organized by Ciaran Hynes. This is a garden that brings together everyone, embraces the natural world and is a place where peace thrives. It’s a work of love and it’s in our community – we are so fortunate to have a place to go to when the world outside gets a little overwhelming and chaotic.

Four runners at a start/finish line of a race.
Rotary peace pole

Photo courtesy of the Newberg Graphic

Peace Poles

The Rotary Club of Newberg joined with Early Birds and community organizations to “plant” Peace Poles throughout Newberg. A Peace Pole is a four sided pole that has the phrase “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four languages. The poles are in Memorial Park, Francis Square, Chehalem Cultural Center, Newberg Public Library, City Hall, Newberg Public Safety building, a number of churches, and at each of the schools. A Peace Path is at North Valley Friends Church.

Peacebuilder Club

The Newberg Noon Rotary Club is a Peacebuilder Club. At the 1921 RI Convention, Rotarians incorporated Peacemaking into its constitution and bylaws. Now, more than 100 years later, there are Peacebuilder clubs in over 32 nations. Rotary District 5100 became a Peacebuilder District in 2011 with a pledge of $25,000 to Rotary Peace Centers.

In 2019, the INTERACT Club at Newberg High School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Newberg, became the first INTERACT Club in the world to become a Peacebuilder Club.

Flag for the Peacebuilder District
Five people standing around a desk talking

Fully Funded Peace Fellowships

Each year, Rotary offers up to 130 fully funded fellowships (tuition, room/board, travel) to those with a passion for peace. Applicants come from the US and around the world to study at one of Rotary’s seven Peace Centers. Graduates go on to work in peace and conflict resolution jobs. Since the program began in 2002, there are more than 1,500 fellows in 115 countries.

Disease Prevention and Treatment

Dentists working at stations on people

Rotarians fighting disease together.

The Rotary Club of Newberg was inspired in 2001 to expand its reach to the international community. One champions, Marni Haley and Auggie Gonzales, inspired others to work internationally, and in a short time we found ourselves teaming with the Rotary Club of Antigua in Guatemala to help remote villages with dental needs. What started as yearly extractions of bad teeth transformed to “no extractions” and improved overall health for the indigenous communities. The program expanded from dental hygiene and education to include water supply and water quality, medical support, building and infrastructure, and micro-banking.

Health workers hold a young girl to examine her

Rotarians fighting against Polio.

When James L. Bomar Jr., then RI president, put the first drops of vaccine into a child’s mouth, he ceremonially launched the Philippine poliomyelitis immunization effort. Rotary’s first Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grant project was underway.

The polio eradication became a top priority. Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985 and was a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Through decades of commitment and work by Rotary and our partners, more than 2.5 billion children have received the oral polio vaccine. Together, we end polio. Today, five cases remain in Afghanistan and two cases of wild polio remain in Pakistan.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Two small kids smile at the camera

Guatemalan smiles

Guatamala Dental Clinic

Guatemala

In Guatemala, our club has partnered with the Rotary Club of Antigua to provide dental clinics and educate the community on proper dental hygiene. Over the years, our dentists went from frequent extractions due to poor hygiene to nearly none. People who come to the clinic now have learned to care for their teeth and they return proudly for basic preventative maintenance and cleaning.

Our club has also partnered with the Rotary Club of Antigua to improve water quality in remote villages. Poor water quality has resulted in dysentery and other health issues. Over the years, our members have replaced broken and leaky pipes often tied together with plastic bags. These types of conditions are breeding grounds for bacteria. With instruction and resources provided by the Rotary Club of Newberg, villagers replaced broken pipes and learned to maintain their water system to reduce infection.

Rota-Dent

Rota-Dent is an international service project of the Rotary Clubs of Newberg, Oregon, USA, and the Rotary Club of Salzburg, Austria. Rota-Dent distributes portable dental equipment donated by A-dec and is a not-for-profit organization.

The Rota-Dent program facilitates dental mission trips and mobile clinics using Rota-Dent equipment in cooperation with Rotary clubs around the world.

Nepal Dam Construction

In 2017 we received a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation to bring water to a village that lost its water source in the 2015 earthquake. Construction of their new reservoir began, and the reservoir is ready to store water to supply clean water to the village.

In all these projects, local villagers, engineers, and Rotarians team with the Rotary Club of Newberg members in a sign of local support and commitment to ensure that the projects are maintained locally and are sustainable for years to come.

Nepal

In Nepal, we provided relief funds to help provide shelter after the April 2015 earthquake, which devastated much of the country. We also were awarded a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation to provide two dental clinics in Kathmandu. These clinics will be sustainable projects. The clinics were held in November 2015. Newberg Rotarian and dentist Eric Bergquam led the mission.

In 2017 we received a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation to bring water to a village that lost their water source in the 2015 earthquake. Newberg Rotarian Dale Welcome visited the water project in March 2017. He was able to meet our partner, Nepal Rotarian Bishnu Subedi, and with villagers and to provide assistance. Newberg Rotarian Laura Tilrico wrote and developed both the Nepal Global Grants.

We have worked with Rotary Clubs within our District on water and sanitation projects in Tanzania and economic development in Colombia.

The Rotary Club of Newberg is accepting donations for the victims of the earthquake which killed 154 people on November 3, 2023. Homes and infrastructure were destroyed and many were injured and left homeless. Our Club is donating designated funds to the Rotary Club of Kathmandu and other organizations helping with the recovery.

“I would just like to say thank you to the entire Newberg Noon Rotary for all of your support! My heart is overjoyed by your gift to the Nepali people! You should all be so proud of your contribution! Because of your support, there is a life line that I’m positive will spread across Nepal and beyond!!!
You’ve all humbled me yet again!” – Patrick Bancke, Project Coordinator
Two men sit working on equipment

Newberg Rotarian and dentist Eric Bergquam (left) in Nepal, November, 2015

People working to build a structure

Building the reservoir

A concrete structure in front of trees on a hill

The reservoir ready to store water for the village

Group of people looking at an object together outside

Newberg Rotarian Dale Welcome looking over the plans for the pipes and reservoir. Nepal Rotarian, Bishnu Subedi has been the local partner with both the dental and water project.

Help in Nepal.

Maternal and Child Care

The Rotary Club of Newberg has also provided medical and microfinancing to remote villages in Guatemala.  Oftentimes, the women have used microfinancing dollars to start specialty businesses, and moms have come to our medical clinics to seek help for their infants.

Every Woman Treaty

Through a Rotary International grant and a collaborative effort with Rotarians in the country of Nepal, the Every Woman Treaty (EWT), and the Rotary Club of Newberg, we financially support training to prevent violence against women and girls. The Rotary Club of Newberg is also working with the country of Nepal to establish an emergency support system and a 102 emergency number dispatch center.

Support for Transiciones

Rotary members have also teamed with a non-profit, Transiciones. For decades, Transiciones has supported paraplegics and those unable to walk by providing them with uniquely designed wheelchairs and offering them a vocation in designing and constructing wheelchairs for those in need.

Basic Education & Literacy

Rotary Scholarships

Locally we provide up to $50,000 in scholarship grants to graduating students in the Newberg area. These scholarships are awarded to outstanding students to help defray the cost of the first year of post high school education.

Woman reading a book to a child

Newberg Library’s Summer Reading Program

Our club contributes to the Newberg Public Library’s summer reading program, which offers fun activities and incentives for children, teens, and adults to read while school is out. This program is designed to address the achievement gap evident in high school due to unequal student access to summer learning programs throughout their education. Over 2,000 children participate each year.

Woman reading a book to multiple children

Rotary Dictionary Project

Newberg Noon Rotary Club provides a dictionary to every 3rd grader in our community through this annual program. These dictionaries not only are a resource for the children for many years, but teachers incorporate vocabulary, spelling, writing lessons, and more when the children receive their dictionary.

Four people stand at a table with bags in front of them, laughing.

Youth Exchange

While Stew Harris was president from 1970 to 1971, the Youth Exchange program began and gave high school students the opportunity to study abroad, and today we continue to support Youth Exchange. To provide consistency, the Early Bird Club manages the program for Newberg InBound and OutBound students with our club providing financial support. Students interested in participating should contact their school counseling office.

Classroom with grade school age students with a teacher pointing to a chalk board at the front of the classroom

SMART Program

Newberg Noon Rotary Club members provide vital reading support and books to Newberg area children through the SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) program. Reading is the gateway to learning, opening doors to faraway adventures, new possibilities, and promising futures. Rotary volunteers read one-on-one with students during the school year, modeling a love of reading and helping to build children’s reading skills and self confidence in a positive environment. SMART volunteers read with students at Edwards and Joan Austin elementary schools.

Rotary members stand behind a bush talking.

Kenya

In Kenya, the INTERACT Club of Newberg together with both the Rotary Club of Newberg and Early Birds and Rotary District 5100 has supported the education of 42 children since 2019.

Community Economic Development

Community Projects

Woman putting a plate of food down for older woman in hat.
Chehalem Senior Meals Program

On the first Tuesday of each month, as part of the Chehalem Senior Meals Program, friendly volunteers from the Noon Rotary help serve lunch to Newberg seniors at the Chehalem Senior Center. Rotarians work in two shifts. The first shift prepares food for delivery to [...]

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Memorial Park Clean Up

Every year, in honor of our nation’s veterans, Noon Rotarians volunteer to “spruce up” Memorial Park, just prior to Memorial Day activities held there. From weeding to spreading bark dust to pruning shrubs, Rotary volunteers help ensure the park is ready and in nice condition [...]

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Community Playgrounds

Newberg Noon Rotarians have supported the construction of playgrounds at Memorial Park, Hoover Park, and other areas around the community. Rotary Centennial Park is a featured space with Noon Club and Early Birds coming together to build a big playground in honor of Rotary’s centennial. [...]

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Murals in Newberg

Check out the murals in Newberg! In 2019, with the support of the Rotary Club of Newberg, George Fox University interns completed a mural on the Library Annex. The mural depicts various forms of the arts.

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Rotarians Worldwide: International Projects

The Rotary Club of Newberg is in service around the world.

The Rotary Club of Newberg was inspired in 2001 to expand its reach to the international community.

Environment

Park cleanup

Throughout the year, Rotarians volunteer to help maintain our parks. Members come to weed, prune, remove trash and do whatever is needed to help, to have fun, and enjoy fellowship with other members and with nature. Photo is of the Memorial Park Cleanup – were Newberg Rotarians, INTERACT, family, friends, and CPRD prepared the park for Memorial Day festivities.

Rogers Landing

A consortium of service clubs got together on September 13 to clear out a section of a local marine park in Newberg that is popular with local swimmers, kayakers, and water enthusiasts. The monumental task, formally known as the Rogers Landing Beach Cleanup Service Project, employed volunteers from Rotary, Kiwanis and Soroptimist clubs in Newberg and was supervised by a staff member from the Yamhill County Parks and Recreation Department. Leading the effort from the Rotary Club of Newberg was Daniel Roberts. Daniel came up with the idea and contacted the County Parks Department and Linda Sandberg with the Early Birds Rotary Club. Linda coordinated with other clubs and a game plan was formed. With 30 volunteers, some chainsaws and equipment, access was improved and friendships formed. Stay tuned for future projects at Rogers Landing.