New SITD initiative 'Women Supporting Women' has officially launched. Imagine how much money we could raise to support our CAS and LYD scholarships by having a conversation with women owned and or operated businesses. Our new campaign called Women Supporting Women needs your voice. Starting with a $2500 matching kickstart anonymously donated, we will be going to women owned businesses in the Truckee and north Tahoe area as well as friends and acquaintances sharing our story of how we had over 30 plus women apply for our scholarships supporting women one year post high school. We gave out 7 scholarships but imagine how many more women we could help. Our goal this year is to raise $50,000.
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WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN WE NEED YOU
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Chris Seitz
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2024-09-30 07:00:00Z |
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communitysupport,soroptimistsatwork |
8 lovely SITD ladies were lucky to be able to attend the annual Bucks Lake trip on September 5 – 8, where we rented 3 rustic cabins, each with a lake view. Lauren, Kathy, Nancy, Tanya B., Shirley, Lil, Laura and Lisa S. all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
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BUCKS LAKE 2024
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Lisa Simone
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2024-09-30 07:00:00Z |
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For more than 40 years, Soroptimist International of Truckee Donner has identified a local woman who is worthy of special recognition for her outstanding contributions to our community and with a special emphasis on services for women and girls. Although known in Soroptimist circles as the “Soroptimist Ruby Award”, locally we have utilized the “Woman of Distinction” verbiage for our annual recognition.
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SITD Looking for Nominations for our “Woman of Distinction” Award
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Nancy Wallis
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2024-09-30 07:00:00Z |
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Saturday, September 21, 2024, was a beautiful fall day in Truckee. It was a perfect day for over 40 District 5 Soroptimists and guests to gather together in the Glenshire Clubhouse for a meeting filled with newsy reports, inspirational speakers, fun shopping, and great food, which our club was pleased to host. District 5 Director, Susan Horst, facilitated the meeting, interweaving the theme ‘A Season of Transformation—a time to embrace new opportunities for growth and renewal.’
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SNR FALL DISTRICT MEETING
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Susan Horst
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2024-09-30 07:00:00Z |
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soroptimistsatwork |
We enjoyed a beautiful Installation dinner at Laura Mohun’s home on 6/27/24. President Cathy Leibow gave a lovely thank you to the board and members for the support she received during term as president. She gave delicious looking gift bags to each board member as a thank you. Susan Horst, SNR Federation Program Chair and Conference Celebration of Life Coordinator, was our installing officer and inducted the new board and gave each of them a blooming plant. The officers for the July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 fiscal year are: - President, Shirley Phelan
- President-Elect, Marcy Alscott
- Recording Secretary, Lynette Powell
- Corresponding Secretary, Marie Strassburger
- Treasurer, Nancy Davis
- Treasurer-Elect, Kim Polities
- Director: Denise Trani-Morris
- Director: Chris Seitz
- Delegate: Brady McClintock
- Delegate: Lydia Corrillo
- The appointed Parliamentarians are Lauren Hudson, Pati Johnson, Susan Horst.
Once the new board was installed, former President Cathy gave President, Shirley the beautiful transferable President’s pin. And President Shirley gave former President Cathy a gift from the members for her enjoyment in Las Vegas. Lisa Barr, Membership Coordinator, announced the SITD longevity awardees: Patti Conk, Sue Sage and Cathy Leibow for 10 years, Angela White for 15 years, Lauren Hudson for 20 years and Lisa Swartz for 30 years. After saying the SITD pledge together, we all enjoyed dinner catered by Casa Baeza. Constance Ledna and the Social Committee did a great job arranging the event and were grateful for Laura offering her home with its spectacular view for the evening. On behalf of the members, Constance remarked, “Thank you to Cathy and her board for a great year. Best wishes on your new adventure, Cathy. We’ll miss you! We’re looking forward to a fabulous year ahead with Shirley and her board!”
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Board Installation for 24/25 Fiscal Year
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Pam English
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2024-07-01 07:00:00Z |
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Provided by Marion Thatch Soroptimist International of Tahoe Donner (SITD) held its 49th Annual Wine and Restaurant Faire on June 1st at Coyote Moon Golf Course. The fundraising event netted nearly $50,000 to be used for scholarships, grants and community projects. We thank our sponsors, members, and attendees for making this possible. After two previous years of rain, more than 350 attendees enjoyed an amazing sunny and warm who enjoyed food tastings, and wine and beer from local restaurants, wineries and breweries. The silent auction tables were packed with multiple bids and brought in record donations. Thank you to all of our donors, sponsors, attendees and especially our hard working committee: - Silent Auction: Jill Archer, Marcy Alstott, Susan Gustavson
- Sponsors: Debbie Quement / Pati Johnson
- Wineries: Marie Strassburger
- Restaurants: Lynn Bodfish
- Set Up: Laura Mohun / Susan Horst
- Volunteers: Jennifer Whitman
- Public Relations/Signage: Pam English
- Website / Social Media: Katy Carroll Jones
- Raffle: Constance Ledna
- Tickets: Lil Schaller
- Treasurer: Nancy Davis
- Overall Coordinator: Marion Thatch
SITD President, Cathy Leibow, noted, "This past fiscal year we were able to give more than $84,000 in scholarships and grants, helping women and girls in our community. Now we have a head start for the upcoming year!" A sampling of photos below, with more to come soon.
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49th Annual Wine and Restaurant Faire
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Marion Thatch
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2024-07-01 07:00:00Z |
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Susan Horst, SNR Federation Program Chair and Conference Celebration of Life Coordinator, Cathy Liebow, as SITD’s Club President, Tanya Barron and Lil Schaller, as Delegates, and Jeannie Burrows, as the 5th member representing SITD, enjoyed a weekend of making new Soroptimist friendships, hearing about the results hearing about many Sierra Nevada Region endeavors as well as celebrating the awardees on Sunday. With almost 200 SNR members in attendance, we were humbled and honored to receive a multitude of awards on behalf of SITD: - Honorable Mention for SOLT, thanks Susan
- 2nd place for our E-Blast/Newsletter, thanks Keri
- 2nd place for best practices for Membership, thanks Lisa
- 1st place for Website, thanks Katy & Marion
- 1st place for Social Media, thanks Katy
- 1st place for Best Innovative program (for CAS), thanks Pam & Chris
- 1st place for overall 5 Star Award, thanks to the whole Club!
Our 3 delegates voted to approve the By Law Amendment to add an additional Region Live Your Dream award to the Region Program Committee list and Kathy Dunbar of SI American River was elected as the new Sierra Nevada Region Governor-Elect, along with her new leadership team. Our own Susan Horst was elected as our District 5 Director for the 2024-2026 Biennium, along with new District Directors for the other 5 districts, voted on by their specific District members, almost all unopposed. We appreciate those who step up to serve. In addition to meeting many members from our 6 districts who are part of the Sierra Nevada Region, it was a pleasure to meet and hear from the Official Visitor and speaker, Bobbi Enderlin, President of SIA, whose focus is on empowering women through education along with Governor Stacey's new leadership team. Her vision is to see more women influencing decision-making tables. A great conference, and we encourage more members to join next year to experience the impact of his incredible organization doing meaningful work in an atmosphere of friendship and fun.
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SNR Annual Meeting Conference Report
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Tanya Barron
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2024-06-30 07:00:00Z |
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Thought: A human, being Your worth is you. Your worth is your presence. Your worth is right there. Your worth isn't something you earn. Your worth isn't something you buy. Your worth isn't something you gain through status or popularity or stomach crunches, or having a really chic kitchen. Your worth is your existence. You were born with worth, as all babies are, and that worth doesn't disappear simply because you have grown a little older. You are a human, being. Presented by Tanya
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Thought for the Day May 2024
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Tanya Barron
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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The SITD Book Club book for May was, “The Indifferent Stars Above”, by Daniel James Brown. It never ceases to amaze this reader how much there is still to learn about historical people, places, and events, such as the story of the Donner Party. In his book, Brown follows Sarah Graves on her harrowing journey from Illinois to California. We found it a great read that most recommended, although a few of us hadn’t finished it. We met at Cathy’s lovely home and invited our spouses to join us. They are forming a “Reading Club” of their own and will be reading menus at local restaurants while we talk books in the future.
The SITD Book Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30. All members of SITD are welcome to join. Please reach out to Shirley if you are interested. Our next book, “The Women”, by Kristin Hannah will be discussed at our June meeting on the 5th.
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Book Club in May
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Shirley Phelan
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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The May Made It Happen Award went to Pam, Chris, and all the committee members and volunteers for their dedication to Youth Appreciation Luncheons (YAL). Two events were held in April – one at Truckee High School and the other at Sierra High School. The YAL honors students who are recommended by their teachers and recognized as “good citizens” and students. Lunch is served and each recognized student receives a gift card and certificate. "It’s a great way to highlight the youth in our community." - Cathy, SITD President The YAL team included (l-r) Nancy, Tanya, Chris, Lisa, Pam, Nancy and Cathy. The Coordinators were Chris and Pam.
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Made it Happen May 2024
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Cathy Leibow
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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The SITD Program Committee was held in May at Constance's house. All of the current coordinators were asked to attend and speak for 1-2 minutes about their committee. As incoming President Shirley stated, "The goal of the committee positions are to see a transition from Coordinator to Advisor and CIT to coordinator, and members to CIT. We want to be sure to engage all the committee members and ensure that they feel included. The rotation of members keeps us engaged, but also allows a sharing of knowledge and responsibilities that helps mitigate vulnerabilities when only 1-2 members have the knowledge. Remember, we are a service organization first and foremost and we all commit to serve on TWO committees. Many are very short time commitments and others are longer, but I am sure we can find some that work for all." The current Committee List for the 2024-2025 term can be found here.
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Program Committee Meeting
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Pam English
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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The Sex Trafficking team posted 60 "Stop Sex Trafficking" signs at Truckee local bars, convenience stores, train station, gas stations, etc. The signs are laminated and double sided in English and Spanish. The signs direct victims to help 24/7 in Truckee for housing, safety, money and other support. Sierra Community House manages the support to women, girls, boys and men that need to be rescued from domestic violence or trafficking. This is the third time SITD teams have posted signs; last year in Truckee and then in Kings Beach and Tahoe City. Highway 80 is a significant sex trafficking corridor between the Bay Area and Reno. 
The team included Chris, Pam, Marilyn, Lisa, Leslie, Kathleen and Kitty (l-r)
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Sex Trafficking Awareness
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Pam English
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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Wine and Restaurant Faire - Tonight!
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Marion Thatch
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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SOLT Soroptimist Orientation for Leadership Training Today I was going to speak with you about our upcoming annual Sierra Nevada Region Conference but when I started penning my thoughts, they took a different direction. During today’s meeting, President Elect Shirley, will announce her proposed slate of officers and board of directors. Next Thursday, at our program meeting, we will all be invited to join committees in each of our pillar areas to ensure the smooth functioning of our club in fulfilling our mission of improving the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. Being part of the board and serving on committees requires us to give the gift of time. Time: that curious commodity that measures our very existence. Did you know that there are literally multiple hundreds of words in our language that contain the word time? The giving of time shows you care. It’s one of those things that’s always in short supply. Finding time to do anything, let alone make time for someone or an organization can be difficult. Time is a limited resource: you can’t go back and get more when you run out. This means that giving of your time may be one of the most valuable gifts you can give. This precious commodity can’t be taken away from us. We shouldn’t be forced to spend it on something we don’t want to do and when we do give of our time, it’s giving a gift that will last forever. We all seem to need more time. We spend it, waste it, get bored with it, and wish we had more of it. But truly, the one thing we can do that will always be appreciated and make a difference in the lives of others is to give them some of our time. I am continually humbled at the generosity of our club members in doing just that, giving the beautiful gift of your time. Thank you in advance for continuing to make SI Truckee Donner a shining light in our community, for supporting President Elect Shirley, for serving on her board and stepping up for committee participation in the upcoming year, for giving the gift of your time. Thank you, Susan
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SOLT - The Gift of Time
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Susan Horst
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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At our May Business Meeting, Marilyn (center) was inducted by Lisa (right), Membership Chair, and her sponsor, Nancy (left). Welcome, Marilyn!
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New Member
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Lisa Barr
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2024-06-01 07:00:00Z |
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We had an inspiring Celebrating the Best for Women (CBW) event on March 21st at the Glenshire Club House. Over 80 guests attended, including Soroptimists, awardees, their families and friends. Fourteen awards were given, including to our Woman of Distinction, Phyllis McConn. Guests were greeted with delightful music provided by Heidi Kuzma on piano and Tru Laboissionnier on saxaphone. Volunteer high school students from Truckee and Sierra High served guests delicious appetizers and desserts made and provided by SITD members. Susan Horst, CBW Coordinator, welcomed our guests and recognized all of our past WOD guests including Laura Mohen, Cindy Macial, Karen Eagen, Megan Seiffert and Sandy Horn. Susan gave an overview of our celebratory event and led the audience in the singing of The Star Spangle Banner. President, Cathy Leibow, introduced our honorary guests, Sierra Nevada Region (SNR) Governor Lisa Fitzgerald, SNR District 5 Director, Holly Nash, Trudy Mills SNR Federation Membership Chair, Susan Horst, SNR Federation Program Chair. President, Cathy Leibow, led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, President-elect, Shirley Phelan, presented the Thought for the Day. SNR Governor, Lisa, gave an inspirational message recounting the history of Soroptimists. Brady McClintock, VRA coordinator, presented our two Violet Richardson Awards (VRA) awards to high school girls who volunteer in their community. Each girl received $300 for herself and $300 for the charity of her choice. The awardees were Bryn Kidd and Vallerie Laguna. Lynette Powell, LYD Coordinator, introduced the Live Your Dream (LYD) awardees. These are women with dependents, who provide the primary source of family income and are in a program to improve their career opportunities through education or training. The awardees are Melissa Giannetto, Jennifer Saldana, Veronica Coleman, Maria G. Verduzco Espinoza. The awardees received $10,000 between them. Dr. Tanya Gill sponsored two Career Advancement Scholarships (CAS) at $5000 each. They were Michelle Salas Nevarez and Mariela Bolanos. The other awards were presented by President, Cathy Leibow. They are Crystal Garcia, Jessica Delgado-Mora, Coreen Young, Stephany Alonzo and Melanie Corrall. A total of $26,000 was given to CAS recipients.  Our 2023 Ruby Award, locally called Woman of Distinction, is our most important award and annually given to a woman who over many years has contributed to the empowerment of woman and girls in our community. This year’s award was introduced by Philippa Nigg, Ruby Award Coordinator, and presented to Phyllis McConn. Phyllis was introduced by last year’s winner, Megan Seiffert: Phyllis was persuaded to help out at the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation ‘for a little while’ when she and her husband moved to Truckee 20 years ago – after 11 years as a volunteer she became a member of staff and is still there today, now their Community Impact officer. To use Megan’s words, thru her many roles in our community Phyllis has always “exhibited selfless service, unwavering dedication to the girls and women of this community, with the legacy of making our community a better place for all.”
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Celebrating the Best for Women
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Pam English
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2024-04-01 07:00:00Z |
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Great fun was had at the annual holiday brunch! Constance graciously hosted with the help of the committee. Delicious food, socializing and a spirited gift exchange made for a delightful afternoon.
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2023 Holiday Brunch
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Constance Ledna
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2024-01-01 08:00:00Z |
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Laura presented some helpful tips on how to access the SITD website and app: Go to the app store. Go to the search bar and put in ClubRunner and double click to install. - Once on the app, sign in with your name: Capitalize the first letter of your first name and the first letter of your last name and SITD in all capitals.
For the website: - Sitd.info
- Click on the login tab on the website and click on "new user?" This will direct you to the "Retrieve Login" information on the screen.
- You will be asked to enter your last name and email address. Once done, click the "Submit" button. You will receive an email which will ask you to click on a link to retrieve your credentials.
- Note: The last name and your email address must match what is on the record for security purposes. If you are unable to get your password, please email support@clubrunner.ca with your name and club.
After you retrieve your login credentials, you will be able to access the SITD website and the Administration page. The Administration page is a member's only page where you will be able to edit your profile, email other members and contribute content to the site. You should see your name at the top right-hand corner of the webpage.
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SOLT - Using ClubRunner and Website
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Susan Horst
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2023-10-31 07:00:00Z |
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Happy Anniversary SITD! Chartered November 3, 1971 On October 3, 1921, Soroptimist International was chartered in Oakland, California…102 years ago. At that time, women could not join Rotary or any other service organizations, so we started our own. See the picture of the first meeting of the Founders organization. One of the first SI projects locally was environmental protection of redwoods grove near Crescent City. You can see the bench for SI there. We also helped with vocational training for veterans. On November 3, 1971, SI-Truckee Donner was chartered. For 52 years we have been supporting women, families and our community. In 1982, we purchased the first infant monitor at the Tahoe Forest Hospital. And one of our first scholarships was for a woman to become a midwife in 1979. We and the other clubs worked to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. Because Nevada would not sign it, we stopped holding our annual convention there for several years. Over 20 years ago, we started the STEPP program for teen mothers to make sure that they could complete their high school education and their children were taken care of. Our signature programs are: - Live Your Dream grants to women with dependents to enhance their careers with education or training.
- Career Advancement Scholarships for women past high school who need to advance their education or training.
- High School Graduates Scholarships for education or training.
- Dream It Be It: Program designed by SIA to help high school girls overcome challenges, understand their aptitudes and move toward rewarding careers.
Our efforts have enabled us to award $87,444 this past fiscal year in grants and scholarships, which in turn, impacted 956 women and girls. From 1990-2023, we have donated over $677,000 to support women, families and our community. We are able to help so many, because we work together to host successful fundraisers, including the Wine and Restaurant Faire, Soroptishop, See’s candy sales and to receive grants from local organizations who support our mission. Thank you, Soroptimists, for all your hard work and joyful friendships! Below are a few pictures including the first SI meeting in Oakland with 80 members. And two Soroptimist International pictures that demonstrate our international reach. It’s fascinating to look at all our SITD albums documenting our work over the past years. We will have a few of the SITD history books at the next meeting for you to view. Prepared by Pam English
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SITD's 52nd Anniversary!
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Pam English
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2023-10-31 07:00:00Z |
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soroptimistsatwork |
Interview conducted by Development Advisory Committee Coordinator, Chris Seitz Dr. Tanya Gill has donated $10,000 to the SITD Career Advancement Scholarship (CAS) program. The SITD Development Advisory Committee (DAC) is designed to help SITD develop donor relationships to expand our scholarship programs.
Who is she?
Tanya Gill, Optometrist is all about eyes and female entrepreneurship. From practice owner to national lecturer to founder of We Love Eyes, she is a believer in hard work and making dreams come true. In 2014 she founded We Love Eyes, a collection of completely natural eye makeup removers and eyelid cleansers as a passion project.
A few years later, the passion project outgrew the optometry practice – and the decision was made to sell one of the businesses. Now living full time in Truckee, CA, Dr. Gill enjoys working from home as CEO, founder and formulator for We Love Eyes. Fully embracing the Truckee lifestyle, you can find Dr. Gill XC skiing during the winter and swimming laps in the summer. She lives in Glenshire with her husband and 3 French bulldogs.
What inspired you to donate to the SITD CAS scholarship?
When I heard the words “education is empowerment,” I knew I was in the right place. As a 1st generation American, and the first person in my family to graduate from college, I am living proof that education IS empowerment. It is a tremendous honor to be given this opportunity with Soroptimist International Truckee Donner. My dream with the We Love Eyes Foundation is to change somebody’s life, so that one day, they come back to SITD to donate and pay it full circle.
What piece of advice would you want to give to our scholarship applicants?
Luck doesn’t happen, it’s made. Putting yourself in a position to receive opportunity is essential to achieving your dreams. So, take that extra credit assignment. Work those extra hours. Save that extra dollar. You got this!
Any message to other female entrepreneurs out there?
If you too are a female entrepreneur living and breathing this beautiful life in Truckee, CA. I invite you to reach out to Soroptimist International Truckee Donner. I can’t do this alone. Let’s change the world together, xo.
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Interview with CAS Donor
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Chris Seitz
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2023-08-01 07:00:00Z |
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Written by Marie Strassburger, Soroptimist International of Tahoe Donner (SITD) held its 48th Annual Wine and Restaurant Faire on June 10th at Coyote Moon Golf Course. The fundraising event netted over $40,000 to be used for scholarships, grants and community projects. We thank our sponsors, members, and attendees for making this possible. The rain did not discourage the 300 attendees who enjoyed food tastings, and wine and beer from local restaurants, wineries and breweries. The silent auction tables were packed with multiple bids. SITD President, Denise Trani-Morris, noted, " This past fiscal year we were able to give over $82,000 in scholarships and grants, helping women and girls in our community. Now we have a head start for the upcoming year!" To view more photos of the event click here.
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2023 Wine and Restaurant Faire - Huge Success
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Marie Strassburger
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2023-07-02 07:00:00Z |
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