Enriching the lives of women & children
WE ARE SOROPTIMIST.
Soroptimist International of Greater Davis is a local service club located in Yolo County. Our club participates in District, Regional, and International projects during the year. The club was chartered on September 8, 1985. Phyllis Hunewell, Governor of the Sierra Nevada Region performed the chartering ceremony, installed the first officers, and inducted all the charter members.
Soroptimist means best for women. The mission statement of this club is “Soroptimist International of Greater Davis strives to improve and enrich the lives of women and children.” Another major goal of the members is to forge friendships and to have fun.
The service focus of the club is to financially support the Dream Programs: Live Your Dream and Dream It, Be It. These two programs are more fully described below. Various fundraisers have been done in the past to support the financial projects.
Meetings are held twice a month. Click here to learn more.
We all enjoy meeting and getting to know new friends. If you are not ready to commit to membership, club support for events or donations are appreciated.
SERVICE WITH A SMILE :)
Key to the Dream Programs is the “Live Your Dream” award. This award focuses on women who are head of household and working to better their lives through additional schooling and skills training and have a financial need. Over the years the club has provided approximately $37,000 to this project. We have had some winners be selected for additional funds from our Sierra Nevada Region. www.liveyourdream.org
To reach young adults at risk, the “Dream It Be It” program provides mentoring to high school-age youth. This often includes career exposure, confidence building, and support for those in need. While our club does not have a formal program of our own, the members provide financial support to enhance the programs of other local Soroptimist clubs. Approximately $2,000 has been donated in Yolo County by our club. Additional information can be found at Soroptimist.org
To complement the Dream Programs the club members participate in a grant program for graduating seniors. This award is not academic-based. Rather its focus is on students who have overcome life challenges and demonstrate a financial need. Funds are encouraged to be used for training programs. An estimated $5,000 has been awarded locally.
In addition to financial programs, the members have provided time and effort to hands-on projects. These have included:
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Salvation Army Bell Ringing for the annual Christmas Red Kettle Drive
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Dress a Girl consisted of sewing simple dresses for third-world countries and providing a pair of panties
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Annual Diaper Drives for a local crisis nursery collected over 37,000 diapers; that covers a lot of bums
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Christmas stockings have been made for a local crisis nursery which Santa and Mrs. C deliver
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Christmas stockings have also been made and delivered to a local memory care facility
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Collecting can pop tops for distribution to Ronald McDonald House Charities (235 pounds will support one-night lodging for a family—that is a lot of pop tops!