As I write this, I am looking at about 9 feet of snow outside my window but there is sunshine! Hopefully, we will see something green sprout up soon! Despite all the weather challenges we have had, our Wine and Restaurant Faire team, headed by Susan Horst and Marie Strassburger, is hard at work preparing for the big event scheduled for June 10th from 5:00-7:30pm at Coyote Moon. Please remember all members are expected to contribute to this event by purchasing a ticket and volunteering in some way as this is our largest fundraiser of the year. The funds raised allow us to make an impact in the community via scholarships and grants to empower women and girls. If you need extra tickets, please swing by Dickson Realty.
Also, we will be electing our new Board at our next business meeting on May 11th. If you are interested in serving, starting in July 2023, please contact Cathy Leibow as soon as possible, but no later than May 8. Finally, please make sure to fill out your proxy form if you will not be able to attend this important meeting in person or via Zoom. You will find the proxy form under our website. Go the the "members only" tab from the home page, then "member happenings" and you will see the form. It only takes a moment to fill out and submit online.
On May 4th, we will have a program meeting to review the committees within our club. This is a great time to meet other members and ask questions about the various committees and positions. Please remember, as part of membership all members are expected to join two committees.
Lots of exciting times ahead as we prepare for our biggest fundraiser, our 2023–24 term, and soaking up some sunshine!
Join us for the Program Committee Meeting – May 4th
Our annual Program Committee Meeting on May 4th from 5:30-7:30 pm at Constance Ledna's house (15444 Kent Dr). Representatives from the various committees will be there to speak about their committees and the tasks involved. We'd love to get a good attendance (especially from new members) so we can fill up the committee roster for the 2023-2024 year.
There is no cost to attend. Food and drinks will be provided!
On April 27th, we held our most important award night of the year. We honored a Woman of Distinction,Megan Seiffert, Headwaters Science Institute, for her many years encouraging and educating youth in science. She founded the Headwaters Science Institute to encourage youth to understand and pursue science. Their mission is “ fostering curiosity through science.” She was given $500 to donate to the charity of her choice, which was Headwaters Science Institute.
Entertainment was supplied by Coco Lowe with her brother Elliot on the guitar. Her powerful and beautiful voice stole the show!
Kim Bateman, Dean, Sierra College Tahoe-Truckee Campus, inspired us with her keynote speech which highlighted the discrepancy of wages between men and women and then shared an ancient fable about climbing a glass mountain and locating the tools or guidance to get to the top. She concluded by noting how the awards given this night helped women achieve our goals.
We gave over $27,000 in financial awards for scholarships and grants.
The Live Your Dream $10,000 was awarded to women with dependents needing financial aid to improve their career opportunities. The winners included Jazmin Garcia, Angele Marie Carroll, Christy Kathleen Goldsworthy, and Sydney Taylor.
Career Advancement Scholarships totalling $16,000 were awarded to women who want to improve their careers through additional education or training. Winners were Malenie Coral, Sabrina Futral, Perla Mendez Mayra Plascencia, Araceli Lopez and Jasmine Sanchez. We were able to increase the amount of money for these scholarships this year because of generous grants from Martis Camp Foundation and the Truckee Airport District.
The Violet Richardson Award is for a high school girl who volunteers in her community. It was given to Zuridey Vazquez-Lopez from North Tahoe High School. She was given $300 for herself and $300 for the charity of her choice, which was the Humane Society of Truckee.
President, Denise Trani-Morrisserved as our Mistress of Ceremonies, and the event was held at the Glenshire Clubhouse.
Shirley Phalen prepared cookies for the participants to enjoy. Joan Kreamer, Pam English, Patti Conk and Kathleen Raber planned the event with Janet Sanzari helping with decorations.
Call To Action! We are in the process of determining the next Board of Directors for 2023-2024. The term is from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Here Is the slate of positions needed:
President-Elect
Serves as liaison to the club's program committees. Schedules monthly program meetings. Supports the President in her absence.
Recording Secretary
Prepares accurate minutes of all board and business meetings and conveys recommendations from the Board of Directors to the club's membership. Attends board & business meetings.
Delegates (2)
Attends all district meetings and regional conferences and votes on behalf of the club, as needed.
Directors (2)
Provides guidance, education, and information to the board and club members. Attends club meetings, board meetings and fills in for delegates at district and regional meetings.
Parliamentarians (3)
Provides guidance on all rules and regulations. Attends board and business meetings.
Please reach out to Cathy Leibow at 925-963-9636 or cleibow2@gmail.com if you are interested in any of these open positions. Guaranteed, we will have lots of fun!
On April 25th, SITD hosted a program on Sex Trafficking. Melissa Holland, from Awaken, and Andrea Chapman and Nancy Settle from Sierra Community House (SCH) presented an overview of sex trafficking and prostitution in Reno and the Tahoe-Truckee areas. They highlighted the services that both groups offer to help women and girls and some boys leave those situations, get into a safe environment and develop skills and confidence to rebuild their lives.
Both Awaken in Reno and SCH have opportunities for SITD members to help. Both groups have homes for women and children to live as they find a new future. Because of the generous grant from Whittier Trust, SITD was able to grant $5000 to Awaken and Sierra Community House. The grants will be used for three projects:
SCH- $2000 will be used to prepare backpacks and the items women who are escaping violence or trafficking and need such as clothes, shampoo, underwear.
SCH- $500 has been used to print STOP TRAFFICKING signs that direct people to a 24/7 hotline manned by SCH.
Awaken - $1500 for a celebration for 7 trafficked high school girls who are graduating from high school.
Contact the above programs if you want to help and let Chris Carroll know if you can help us post Stop Trafficking signs in Truckee on May 6th from 10-11:30 am. Chris can be reached at chris@tahoetruckee.com
Our biggest annual fund-raiser, the 48th Wine & Restaurant Faire, is fast approaching. Along with our wine and beer tastings, we have culinary delights from local area restaurants. While sipping and savoring, you are welcome to bid on a wide assortment of silent auction items worth thousands. Our event will also feature drawings for great raffle prizes. This year’s fund-raiser will be held Saturday, June 10th at the Coyote Moon Golf Course from 5:00 PM. Funds raised at this event enable us to give back to our community through programs, grants and scholarships. Now is the time for all our membership to sell event tickets in advance at a ten-dollar savings! If you have not already picked up your ticket envelope, it’s waiting for you at Dickson Realty.
Every year Soroptimist International of Truckee Donner recognizes students from Sierra High School and Truckee High School who are dedicated to their education and a joy to work with.
Five students were nominated by the staff at Sierra High School. The nominated students were Jasmin Juarez, Jadon Vedock, Anna Pena, Anna Marsanilla and Adan Zepeda.
Soroptimists introduced the 3 students who were able to attend and read the comments from the faculty while eating pizza, chicken wings and dessert. The words were moving tributes to each of the students. Staff, Jill Zapata, Harj Basi and Alicia Lampey, added glowing comments for each student. We also give the students at $30 gift card to Wild Cherries and a certificate of recognition. Cindy Macial also joined us.
Eighteen students were nominated by their departments at Truckee High School.
Six Soroptimists introduced the 13 students who were able to attend and read the comments from the faculty while eating pizza. The words were moving tributes to each of the students. We also give the students at $30 gift card to Wild Cherries and a certificate of recognition. We thank Dana Frank for allowing us to use the Culinary classroom for our lunch and to Erika Murphy for help organizing.
Provided by Susan Horst BIG GOAL Success happens through Committee Involvement. Let me start by saying thank you for being an active part in making our Federation’s Big Goal a success. (Our Federation is Soroptimist International of the Americas aka SIA.) That BIG GOAL is to impact the
lives of a half million girls and women in the decade that started in 2021 going through 2031. Our BIG GOAL success is measured in three ways:
Through our signature Live Your Dream Program which is a unique education award for women who provide the primary financial support for their families. This award gives women the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. We honored SITD’s current recipients at our CBW event that was held April 27th.
Secondly our BIG GOAL success is measured through our signature Dream It, Be It program which provides Career Support for Girls giving girls the tools they need to achieve their education and career goals and empowering them to break cycles of poverty, violence, and abuse.
And lastly, our BIG GOAL success is measured by our Big Goal Accelerator Projects. These are projects beyond our signature programs (LYD and DIBI) which specifically help women and girls overcome obstacles which are inhibiting or creating difficulty in accessing educational opportunities. Examples of these obstacles are: poverty, violence, racism, teen pregnancy, being a foster care youth, trafficking, single parenting and substance abuse disorder. I have been encouraging our Board of Director’s to look at our existing programs and see how we can tweak them to align with Big Goal Accelerator Project requirements or to create totally new programs. My October 2021 SOLT went into more detail on the four eligibility components.
The majority of the programs we do with our local club, SITD, do count toward SIA’s BIG GOAL. But to make this happen, we have to do a whole lot more. This is where all of you come in. Our club structure is organized with four pillars: Membership, Public Awareness, Programs, and Fundraising. They are support each other: It takes members to implement our programs. It takes Public Awareness to bring girls and women into our programs. It takes Fundraising to support meaningful, quality Programs. And it takes Public Awareness and Members to successfully fundraise! Everything is interconnected. Each of our pillars has a board member liaison and is committee driven. You will be hearing from some specific committees later in our meeting. In other words, every committee is part of one of our four pillars.
Each Committee is comprised of an advisor, typically the outgoing Coordinator, a Coordinator or Co-coordinators, a CIT (Coordinator-in-Training) and members. Our goal is to have a full committee slate in place by the time our in-coming President and her slate of officers and directors are installed (usually the third Thursday in June.) Our board consists of a president, president elect, treasurer, treasure-elect, recording and correspondence secretaries, directors, delegate and parliamentarians. Now is the time for each of you to decide on your personal commitment to SITD for the coming year. Please don’t wait to be asked, even though that’s nice, but step forward and volunteer. On May 4th, we will have a social gathering where you will hear more about specific committees and have an opportunity to sign-up. I can guarantee you that your intrinsic reward is well worth the investment of your time and talent. Truly, we are all blessed to be a blessing.
President-Elect, Cathy Leibow, attended the Sparks Ceremony on April 1st for our newest SNR club. "This was the first charter party I ever attended, and it was fabulous! It is so exciting to have another club in our region."
SNR Governor Lisa Fitzgerald presented the club's new charter and SNR District 5 Director Holly Nash helped pin all the new 25 charter members.
SNR President-Elect Stacy Sawyer installed the new board members, and SI Sparks new President Tracy Gale presented her theme for the year - "Building a Strong Foundation....One Member at a Time".
Looking forward to getting to know this club and possibly collaborating in the coming year.
Our annual Sierra Nevada Region Conference is fast approaching and it’s time to register for this amazing event to be held June 2-4, 2023 at the Atlantis in Reno. Rooms are available at a discount for Soroptimist members. Our club has been asked to prepare a skit for the West at its Best Follies, Friday night’s entertainment, and a Truckee themed basket for the Endowment Fund raffle. (You can contribute to the basket even if you are not attending the conference.) The conference is a remarkable experience that will open your eyes to the impact Soroptimist has beyond our community and even beyond our Region at the Federation level. Register now on SNR’s website.
Provided by Keri Harvey We had the pleasure of having David Love join us to share the details about the upcoming Truckee Tahoe Air Show and Family Festival to be held June 24th from 9am-4:00pm. There will be many activities and entertainment for all ages. The Air Show and Family Festival at the Tahoe Truckee Air Show offers free admission and parking! Go to their website for more information at 2023 Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival
April’s “Made It Happen” award went to Lynette Powell for all her hard work with the “Live Your Dream” program, from promoting the event, to organizing, and reviewing applications, to assisting in the selection of the grant recipients. Thanks to Lynette, and all her work with one of the Soroptimist signature programs!
My name is Brady Leigh McClintock and I was born and raised in New York City, in midtown Manhattan across the street from the United Nations, 2 blocks from Grand Central Station and walking distance to Central Park. The area we grew up in was named Tudor City, at that time we were surrounded by 2 private parks, filled with greenery, a children’s sand box and an arbor. Many a weekend you would find the neighborhood kids playing hide and seek using the parks as our hiding places, digging in the dirt, creating horse farms and climbing on the stone walls.
I have 4 siblings, 3 sisters and a brother. I am the second oldest.
My parents were separated in my teenage years and we were pretty much left to our own devices, managing to navigate life with little guidance from our parents. For spending money, I did lots of babysitting and working as an au pair in the summers in East Hampton, Long Island.
While attending Lehman College in the Bronx, NY, I discovered the sport of Foil Fencing. Picking up the sport fast and having the fortune of being coached by the Olympic Fencing Coach at the time, it became my main reason for staying in school.
A national fencing competition brought me out to LA. After the tournament, I traveled to San Francisco and decided that was the place for me. Soon after, I was on my way, with a new suit, $1500 and a temporary place to stay. I had a progression of jobs, from working at a high-end jewelry store, a tennis club, working at The Sharper Image and ending up at MCI Telecommunications managing 33 facilities in the Pacific Division.
I met my husband, Bob, at a local watering hole, in S.F., Embarcadero 3. He proposed on Telegraph Hill/Coit Tower. I moved to Olympic Valley after we were married and a few years later built our first house in Tahoe City.
I started working at Chateau Cadeau in Tahoe City, studying interior design. My next position was project manager and designer for Truckee Riverbank Headquarters Building to be built at the Truckee Airport, which now houses the Town of Truckee Office and other entities. I was also a member of SI Tahoe City for about 10 years, acting as President over 2.5 terms, wine tasting chair for 3 years, and other miscellaneous positions.
During the next 4 years we adopted 2 children, Megan who is now 31, single, living in WY and Morgan who is 27. Morgan was married last summer and works at New Moon, along with his wife Rose.
I have worked in interior design for over thirty years and have retired recently from id.3 Interior Design as a partner, located in Tahoe City. During that time we have built 2 homes and remodeled a commercial building.
My husband Bob has recently retired from and sold his CPA Firm in Tahoe City. Concurrently, during the last 10 years my husband and I along with our partner have been developing The Boulders Condominiums on Deerfield Dr. We are almost at the end of this project. The last 2 fourplexes should be available for sale as well as one single family home in the next couple of months.
I enjoy watching my husband cook, I love playing pickle ball, hiking, reading, downhill skiing and snowshoeing.
My husband and I moved into The Boulders from Tahoe City. It will be 2 years this June. I joined SITD as I want to give back to my community, especially help with young girls and women and to make new friends.
The Live Your Dream $10,000 was awarded to women with dependents needing financial aid to improve their career opportunities. The winners included Jazmin Garcia, Angele Marie Carroll, Christy Kathleen Goldsworthy, and Sydney Taylor.
The Violet Richardson Award is for a high school girl who volunteers in her community. It was given to Zuridey Vazquez-Lopez from North Tahoe High School. She was given $300 for herself and $300 for the charity of her choice, which was the Humane Society of Truckee.
President, 
Call To Action! We are in the process of determining the next Board of Directors for 2023-2024. The term is from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Here Is the slate of positions needed:
Our biggest annual fund-raiser, the 48th Wine & Restaurant Faire, is fast approaching. Along with our wine and beer tastings, we have culinary delights from local area restaurants. While sipping and savoring, you are welcome to bid on a wide assortment of silent auction items worth thousands. Our event will also feature drawings for great raffle prizes. This year’s fund-raiser will be held Saturday, June 10th at the Coyote Moon Golf Course from 5:00 PM. Funds raised at this event enable us to give back to our community through programs, grants and scholarships. Now is the time for all our membership to sell event tickets in advance at a ten-dollar savings!
President-Elect, Cathy Leibow, attended the Sparks Ceremony on April 1st for our newest SNR club. "This was the first charter party I ever attended, and it was fabulous! It is so exciting to have another club in our region." 
SNR Conference Fast Approaching!
April’s “Made It Happen” award went to Lynette Powell for all her hard work with the “Live Your Dream” program, from promoting the event, to organizing, and reviewing applications, to assisting in the selection of the grant recipients. Thanks to Lynette, and all her work with one of the Soroptimist signature programs! 
My name is Brady Leigh McClintock and I was born and raised in New York City, in midtown Manhattan across the street from the United Nations, 2 blocks from Grand Central Station and walking distance to Central Park. The area we grew up in was named Tudor City, at that time we were surrounded by 2 private parks, filled with greenery, a children’s sand box and an arbor. Many a weekend you would find the neighborhood kids playing hide and seek using the parks as our hiding places, digging in the dirt, creating horse farms and climbing on the stone walls. 
