On April 10, there will be a gathering of note as the Portland Pearl Rotary Club invites its past presidents to assemble. The club, once known as the Portland Industrial Rotary Club before its transformation in 2005 to the Portland Pearl Rotary Club, has had 36 presidents since its charter in 1975.

It is anticipated that some 20 past presidents will attend a celebration of their past service. Plans include an extended meeting, which will include comments from each attending dignitary (in two-minute slots), focusing on something notable in their year albeit: momentous, humorous or calamitous.

Jerry Baysinger and George Wright, themselves past presidents, tracked down as many of our former leaders as possible. The response has been enthusiastic with only those who will not be able to attend being upset. We are urging all of our members to attend this gala event to hear about our club’s history and meet an amazing gathering of the people who led the club for over three-and-a-half decades.

You wouldn’t know it from the amount of favorable publicity Oregon wines are receiving nationwide. But, according to pioneering vintner David Adelsheim, only 1% of wine consumed in the USA originates in Oregon. “By taking a 25- to 35 mile journey, you can buy the best Oregon wines, right at the wineries,” the president of Adelsheim Vineyard boasted.

Still it’s an industry that has grown four-fold in the last dozen years, from about 100 in the late-’90s to over 400 today. One of the oldest in Oregon, located in the North Willamette Valley, bears his name.

Adelsheim, speaking Dec. 13 to Pearl Rotary, said he was “excited but very naive” when he planted his first grapes in 1971. The last four decades have been a continuing education for him on the multiple factors that affect wine production (temperature, rainfall, soil type, sunlight, hillslope, etc.). In addition to working in the field, Adelsheim has dedicated hours to the promotion of the Oregon wine industry, including a stint as president of Oregon Winegrowers Association.

72% of wine produced in Oregon is pinot noir, Rotarians learned. 27% of production is shared by three whites–pinot gris, chardonnay, riesling. The remaining 1% (Adelsheim called them “geek wines”) include pinot blanc and chenin blanc.

Adelsheim’s visit was timed perfectly with the annual PPRC wine exchange, scheduled Tuesday, Dec. 20. Wine enthusiast and Rotarian Mike Rompa will supervise the internal fundraiser. Rotarians and guests must bring $25 to enter and also present a bottle of wine ($25 suggested value and up). It’s helpful to have a couple $5 bills since wines selected by a Rotarian can be bought up to three times (“stolen” may be an accurate word).

The railroad passenger reception area at Portland’s Union Station looked, sounded and felt like a Las Vegas casino when Pearl Rotary staged its fourth annual Bet on the Pearl fundraiser.

The Oct. 22 event included gambling (blackjack, roulette, craps), food and drinks, live music by the Fenix Project, and a silent auction that garnered over $20,000 in value of the contributions.

“This was the biggest and best year for our silent auction thanks largely to the broad participation and generous donations of Pearl District and Northwest Portland businesses and organizations,” said past Pearl Rotary President Don Barney, chair of that event.. “We’re very fortunate to have so many local partners join us and help replenish our charitable fund for another year of Pearl Rotary service to the community.”

An estimated $10,000 from the event will be directed to the club’s non-profit, the Pearl Fund. Monies raised from the annual fundraiser are used to fund a wide array of club projects–including computers for a girls school in Costa Rica, support of Open Meadow non-traditional school, student of the month and other efforts with Lincoln High School, and new partnerships in the Pearl area with the Zimmerman Community Center and the Bud Clark Commons.

President Lou Radja summarized the evening:

“What a great turn out for Bet on the Pearl!–a night of fun while making a difference. Thanks to the support of civic, business and individual leaders in our community, our Pearl Rotary Club is able to make a real difference through our local and international service projects. In Africa we say: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.’ Well, together, we went far that night!”

Other Rotarians who joined Barney and Radja in leadership roles were Greg Mottau, fundraising chair; Duane Cook, tickets; Tracy Vicario and Roger Devine, silent auction. Another partner in the event was the Columbia County Rotary Club; members came to the train station to deal the games. In a reciprocal gesture, Pearl Rotarians will do the same in march for its fundraiser in St. Helens.

Pearl Rotary also announced a follow-up online auction. You can bid on items, while advancing Pearl Rotary’s causes, at the Portland Pearl Rotary Online Auction.

Peace through Education is the theme of the Pearl Rotary Club-Portland Rotaract symposium planned for Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, at Portland State University’s Smith Memorial Hall. The event features many examples of how Oregon leadership and organizations have contributed to peace and education in schools around the world.
This gathering of interested professionals and students was inspired by the work of Portland leaders whose work continues to help prepare students for a peaceful, productive life. Also stories from the field of community foundations, microcredit, peace actions and global action will be illustrated by 21 speakers and two panels. The luncheon keynote speaker is Julie Mancini, director of Mercy Corps Action Center local and global involvement.

Portland Pearl Rotary President Lou Radja, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, will open the conference at 9 a.m., speaking on “The Importance of Schools Today Internationally.”

Also, please see the brochure on the Peace Symposium here.

Rotarians’ efforts at building peace were supported Nov. 2 when the City of Portland passed a resolution, citing Rotary International’s “Respect for cultural diversity and the life and dignity of every person, without discrimination of prejudice; Resolution of conflict within local and global communities; and Reconciliation of differences in pursuit of harmony.”

Also, read Mayor Sam Adams, “the Rotary Peace Committee of Portland and the City of Portland join together to promote peace, understanding and goodwill between our residents in in communities around the world.”

Sharing Rotary’s peace-building seminar with Adams and the city council was Pearl Rotarian Roger Meyer. He was joined in the council chambers by fellow Rotarians Radja and Anne O’Neill (Pearl club) and Al Jubitz, Portland Rotary.

The symposium is open to the public. Student admission is $10 and all others $25, which includes the luncheon, the symposium and the conference syllabus containing resources and speaker summaries. Surrounding the PSU peace-building meeting will be resource tables from the World Affairs Council, Rotaract, Rotary Foundation and Mercy Corps as well as other inspiring groups.

Advance registration may be mailed to Peace Education Symposium, 1220 N.E. 17th Avenue, Suite 11E, Portland, OR 97232. Make checks payable to Pearl Rotary Club. Online registration will open the first week of January.