November is a big month for our club!! On November 3 our club turns 51! I hope you can attend our Business Meeting on November 10 as Pam English has put together a short slide presentation commemorating this milestone.
November 11 is our deadline for See’s Candy orders. Order forms and money can be dropped off with Lil Schaller at Dickson Realty, or with me at the November 10 meeting. Thank you Lil for taking on this fundraiser. As you may know, the Club receives a percentage of what we sell with the greatest (50% ) on the small boxes— "Sleigh Box" and "Holiday Llamas Box"— the 2 last candy items on the 2nd page.
And, November 17 is Soroptishop, one of our two major and signature fundraisers. This is a wonderful way to enjoy a glass of wine, shop for artisan treats and wares and get in the holiday spirit. I am always so pleasantly surprised to see how much our local community supports this event. Thank you to our two coordinators, Pati Johnson and Kathleen Rabar and their committees for all of their hard work in making this event so special.
As we get ready for the holiday season, mark your calendar for our annual holiday brunch on December 11 from 11-1pm at Shirley Phelan's home.
I hope this month is filled with warmth and joy for you all.
This is our club’s easiest fundraiser. See’s Candy at this time of year makes for great hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, Holiday and Christmas gifts for clients, family and friends.
So take a few minutes to put your list together and check it twice to be sure you have not missed any of your favorite people, especially those who have been super SWEET this year. Not only are you doing something nice for your friend you are also raising funds for SITD’s programs like Dream It, Be It, Continuing Education Grants, High School Scholarships and many more. For more info and order forms.
This is a casual gathering for current members and those who would like to learn more about Soroptimist membership. Let any interested friends know as it will be a fun time! SUDS = Soroptimist understanding through drinking and socializing
Save the Date
for SITD Holiday Party on December 11th | 11-1pm.
Details to follow.
LIVE YOUR DREAM GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR WOMEN
Soroptimist International of Truckee Donner has annual grants up to $4000 available to a woman or women who are head of household and have a dependent. The grant is for women who want to further their education or training to improve their career opportunities. The application is on-line and the flyer is attached. The money itself may be used for childcare, a car, or whatever is most needed, but she does need to be enrolled in a training or education program. For help, contact LYD@SITD.info. The application portal is open from August 1st -November 15th.
On October 4th, we were fortunate to have five of our SITD funded programs attend our meeting to speak about their programs. It's so inspiring to hear from the people working hard to improve the lives in our community. We were also delighted to have our District 5 Director, Holly Nash, join us.
Speakers included:
Latina Program/ Model UN Craig Rowe, Truckee HS English teacher and Ana Zarate-LaFuerza, THS student
Truckee Community Theater - Delana Ryan
Sierra Senior Services - Sharon Romack
KidZone - Helen Pelster
Headwaters Institute - Megan Seifert
Note in top pictures L-R , Cathey Leibow, Denise and Holly Nash, Dist 5 Director
This month’s award goes to Chris Seitz — Chris is a relatively new member but has jumped in to help the club in so many ways. She is on our board as the correspondence secretary, handling all the club correspondence including communicating with grant requestors and recipients. She also heads the finance advisory committee looking into ways the club can receive grants so it can, in turn, better fund educational scholarships. She also helped Katy with the Club’s beautiful web design. Finally, she is the coordinator for the youth awards and luncheon and, along with Pam English, teaches culinary classes at the high school on behalf of the club, and to aid the school. Hats off to a very energetic and hard-working member!
Soroptishop (SITD’s second biggest fundraiser) will be here before you know it. It is a great opportunity to buy some unique holiday gifts for people on your list and to pick up something for yourself as well.
It is not too early to buy your admission ticket and to SELL SELL SELL to your friends. The cost is only $15.00 and includes a glass of Truckee River Winery wine to enjoy as you peruse what our vendors have to offer. Go to Soroptishop.givesmart.com to buy tickets.
We have 47 vendors so far this year. There are 15 spaces still available. If you know of an artisan who you think should be at our event, direct them to to register. If they can’t be there in person, they can register for a virtual booth.
We need VOLUNTEERS to help with the event. If you have not already done so, please sign up on our webpage. Go to click on the “Members Area” button, Scroll down to the “Events and Volunteers” box and click on “Volunteers”. You will find the link to the Soroptishop Volunteer sign up. And yes, you do need to purchase an admission ticket if you are planning on attending the event - even if you sign up to volunteer.
Finally - you should have received an email about putting up flyers around town. Please contact Pam English for details as to where flyers are needed. Flyers can be picked up at Pam’s house and at Kathleen Raber’s Hair Studio - Reflections.
Contact Kathleen Raber or Pati Johnson if you have any questions.
Chris Seitz and Pam English taught the culinary class at Truckee High School with teacher, Dana Frank. Lots of fun working with almost 90 students in three classes to make marinade for chicken, bread with panko, bake, make pickles from carrots, onions and radishes, mayo sauce with chili. All put together to make chicken sliders and eaten by the students in their 70 minutes per class. The students do everything, including clean up all the dishes and pans. And they learned why we use acids in foods for flavor, preservation and chemical changes. We were so tired we went for tacos and a margarita after class.
Early Saturday morning, October 8, five hardy souls went out to beautify the landscape in town by picking up trash along SITD’s stretch of Interstate 80. They were Brady M, Jeannie B, Marie S, Philippa N, and Sue S. They were taking part in the Adopt-A-Highway Program that our club has been involved with for several years. Among the blooming rabbitbrush along the roadway, the girls found all sorts of interesting things from shiny hubcaps to discarded gifts from the truckers to an intact packet of cheese, and lots of things that looked like bits of white paper. Those turned out to be the dried skins of onions that must have blown out the back of the onion truck as it whizzed by.
Another cleanup day will be scheduled in the spring. Take a look at some of the lovely litter that was collected that fine morning… photo by Philippa.
SITD has been such a wonderful friend to KidZone Museum, bettering the lives of countless women and families along the way. KidZone Museum is our local, grassroots children’s museum, with a mission to inspire learning through creative play and discovery. We are celebrating 30 years of service to community this year! Thank you to each of you who plans to attend our luncheon on Nov. 3 (registration has already closed.)
We have additional opportunities for community members to get involved! Join us for our one-hour THINK BIG experience inside the Museum. The tour showcases our exhibits, our behind the scenes work, and our future plans. We think you’ll be interested to learn how childhood learning through play is vital to building a strong community. This is NOT a fundraiser. Fun, snacks and light refreshments provided. Our next available date is Monday, Nov. 21, at 12 p.m. Please reserve your spot or find additional dates at
I was introduced to the SITD last year by Denise Train-Morris and joined last December.
I’ve lived in Truckee for 4 1/2 years. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and moved to McKinney Texas after we had our first child.
23 years (and 3 kids) later we found ourselves with the opportunity to move to the Bay area. It didn’t take long for us to realize we preferred the mountains and bought a house in Truckee.
We have 3 grown children, 2 working in Texas and our eldest just began Med School in Brazil.
My career started in Canada in Telecom and the early days of cellular in Marketing. I was fortunate to be able to stay at home with my kids while they were young. I did a lot of volunteer work over the years and rejoined the workforce as a contract recruiter. Ultimately, I helped start up a staffing firm and moved from recruiting to account management, and eventually moved into the health care (locum teens) division prior to our move to California.
This seemed like the opportune time to retire and now most of my day is spent taking care of my 90 pound shepherd husky mix who requires ALOT of exercise so we are always out on the trails, hiking, biking or skate skiing in the winter.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
provided by Patti Conk
SOLT provided by Lauren Hudson
This is our Elevator Speech
Soroptimist and SITD
A worldwide service organization that
helps women and girls achieve economic empowerment through
programs,
fundraising,
public awareness
and membership.
Founded in 1971, Soroptimist International of Truckee Donner (SITD) provides volunteer services and financial support locally and internationally. We work to improve the lives of women and children (primarily girls), in an atmosphere of support, friendship and fun. We raise funds which are then donated to programs we support and organizations in need.
Soroptimist International of Truckee Donner (SITD) is a volunteer service organization falling under the auspices of Soroptimist International.
On October 4th, we were fortunate to have five of our SITD funded programs attend our meeting to speak about their programs. It's so inspiring to hear from the people working hard to improve the lives in our community. We were also delighted to have our District 5 Director, Holly Nash, join us.
This month’s award goes to Chris Seitz — Chris is a relatively new member but has jumped in to help the club in so many ways. She is on our board as the correspondence secretary, handling all the club correspondence including communicating with grant requestors and recipients. She also heads the finance advisory committee looking into ways the club can receive grants so it can, in turn, better fund educational scholarships. She also helped Katy with the Club’s beautiful web design. Finally, she is the coordinator for the youth awards and luncheon and, along with Pam English, teaches culinary classes at the high school on behalf of the club, and to aid the school. Hats off to a very energetic and hard-working member!
Soroptishop (SITD’s second biggest fundraiser) will be here before you know it. It is a great opportunity to buy some unique holiday gifts for people on your list and to pick up something for yourself as well.
Chris Seitz and Pam English taught the culinary class at Truckee High School with teacher, Dana Frank. Lots of fun working with almost 90 students in three classes to make marinade for chicken, bread with panko, bake, make pickles from carrots, onions and radishes, mayo sauce with chili. All put together to make chicken sliders and eaten by the students in their 70 minutes per class. The students do everything, including clean up all the dishes and pans. And they learned why we use acids in foods for flavor, preservation and chemical changes. We were so tired we went for tacos and a margarita after class.
Early Saturday morning, October 8, five hardy souls went out to beautify the landscape in town by picking up trash along SITD’s stretch of Interstate 80. They were Brady M, Jeannie B, Marie S, Philippa N, and Sue S. They were taking part in the Adopt-A-Highway Program that our club has been involved with for several years. Among the blooming rabbitbrush along the roadway, the girls found all sorts of interesting things from shiny hubcaps to discarded gifts from the truckers to an intact packet of cheese, and lots of things that looked like bits of white paper. Those turned out to be the dried skins of onions that must have blown out the back of the onion truck as it whizzed by.
I was introduced to the SITD last year by Denise Train-Morris and joined last December.
THOUGHT
SOLT 
