BEAVERTON, Ore. — Music, peace and service are among the themes of the service projects and events sponsored by
local Rotary clubs in the month of April.
The Rotary Club of West Salem provides music for dancing as it presents a special fundraising concert with the Latin
fusion group De Tierra Caliente on Friday, Apr. 10, at Western Oregon University’s Rice Auditorium. Presented as part of
the university’s Smith Fine Arts Series, $15 from each ticket purchase will be donated to benefit the club’s teacher grant
and scholarship programs.
The Forest Grove, Forest Grove Daybreak and Hillsboro Rotary clubs have combined with the Jubitz Foundation
and the Rotary Action Group for Peace to help install peace poles at Pacific University’s campuses in Washington County.
The second of those poles, on Pacific’s Hillsboro Campus, will be dedicated on Thursday, Apr. 9.
Battle Ground Rotary is spearheading a pair of service initiatives. The club will make a donation to the local Meals on
Wheels program at its meeting on Wednesday, Apr. 8, and will continue its “Rotary At Your Service” program by doing a
yard cleanup and clear-out project on Saturday, Apr. 25.
Throughout April, the Rotary Club of Salem is accepting donations of new and gently-used children’s books for
donation to that area’s Start Making A Reader Today (SMART) program. Donations will be accepted during club meetings
on Wednesdays throughout the month.
Information on these events and projects are provided by the sponsoring Rotary clubs. For more information, please
contact the individual listed with each event. For general district media inquiries, contact Blake Timm at 503-320-3915 or
[email protected].
Wednesdays In April | Noon | Rotary Club of Salem
SMART Book Drive
The Rotary Club of Salem is collecting children’s books during its meetings in April in coordination with the SMART (Start
Making A Reader Today) program. The club is accepting donations of new or “gently used” picture and board books
appropriate for babies and for children of young elementary school age. Culturally relevant books and non-English
language books, especially in Spanish, are particularly welcome. Look through the bookshelves of your children and
grandchildren, and even get older children to help make selections, and let them know that their shared books will go to
other children who don’t have lots of books, or perhaps any at all.
Location: Broadway Commons, 555 Gaines St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
Club Contact: Ann Syrett, 202-352-7400, [email protected]
Wed., Apr. 8 | 5:30 p.m. | Battle Ground Rotary
Donation Presentation To Meals On Wheels
At Battle Ground Rotary’s meeting on Wednesday, Apr. 8, the club will make a $1,000 donation to Meals On Wheels to
benefit its program to feed those are limited in mobility and in need of company and food as shut-ins. The home-delivered
meals program is for adults age 60 and older living in Multnomah and Washington counties in Oregon and Clark County
in Washington. The program provides nutritious meals delivered to the door, a friendly visit and a safety check from a
trained volunteer, all support tailored to their needs. This donation is enhanced by a $500 District 5100 matching grant.
Location: Galeotti’s, 715 E. Main St., Battle Ground, WA 98604
Club Contact: Becky Hanenkrat, 503-705-6491, [email protected]
Thurs., Apr. 9 | 2:30 p.m. | Forest Grove, Forest Grove Daybreak & Hillsboro Rotary Clubs
Peace Pole Dedication at Pacific University’s Hillsboro Campus
Three of Washington County’s Rotary clubs have combined with the Jubitz Foundation and the Rotary Action Group for
Peace to dedicate peace poles on Pacific University’s Forest Grove and Hillsboro campuses. The poles are internationally
recognized monuments, acting as a beacon for hope and a silent prayer for harmony. The clubs will join the university to
dedicate the pole on the Hillsboro Campus on Thursday, Apr. 9. A peace pole on Pacific’s Forest Grove Campus was
installed and dedicated in September 2025.
Location: Pacific University Hillsboro Campus, 226 SE 8th Ave., Forest Grove, OR 97123
Club Contact: Blake Timm, 503-320-3915, [email protected]
Fri., Apr. 10 | 7 p.m. | Rotary of West Salem
De Tierra Caliente Concert
Rotary of West Salem presents the Latin fusion group De Tierra Caliente for a special fundraising concert on Friday, Apr.
10, at Western Oregon University’s Rice Auditorium. De Tierra Caliente is a dynamic Latin fusion band, their music
combines catchy melodies, unaffected lyrics, and a fusion of Latin, Caribbean, Brazilian and American rhythms, resulting
in an unforgettable combination of music and culture.
The evening begins at 7 p.m. with a social hour, and remarks from District 5100 Governor Susanne Holmberg. Tickets are
$30 each. If you enter “WELCOMETOROTARY” at checkout, $15 of the ticket purchase will be donated to Rotary of West
Salem to benefit the club’s teacher grant and student scholarship program. Tickets can be purchased online through
Western Oregon’s Smith Fine Arts Series.
Location: Rice Auditorium, 344 Knox St. N, Monmouth, OR 97361
Club Contact: Bryan Brown, 503-551-4638, [email protected]
Sat., Apr. 25 | 9 a.m. | Battle Ground Rotary
Home Cleanup Project
As part of the Battle Ground Rotary’s “Rotary At Your Service” program, members of the club will assemble and do a yard
clean-up and clear-out project for a local homeowner.
Club Contact: Becky Hanenkrat, 503-705-6491, [email protected]
ABOUT ROTARY DISTRICT 5100
With 62 clubs and more than 2,100 members across northern Oregon and southwest Washington, Rotary District 5100 is
a forward-thinking, Service Above Self organization. District 5100 clubs are where Rotarians in communities across the
region turn everyday actions into meaningful change – both locally and globally – while forging strong connections and
friendships. Learn more at www.rotarydistrict5100.org.
