Thought for the DaySubmitted by Kris Mueller This year we celebrate two milestones: America’s 250th birthday, and a new president stepping up to lead our own chapter. Both remind us that legacy isn’t just what came before – it’s what we choose to build next. Here’s to 250 years of history, and to the new chapter we get to write.
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A Fun SUDS EventLisa Simone created a successful “potential new member” event at Pizza on the Hill on July 21st. Rain didn’t dampen the excitement of potentially welcoming 5 new members!
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Club VolunteeringSubmitted By Marion Thatch Thank you for Stepping up! Our recent programming meeting (thank you Constance for hosting) highlighting open committee positions was a great success! Thank you to everyone who volunteered to share their time and talents. While most positions have now been filled, there are still a few committees that could use additional help—especially our Communications Committee - specifically if there is anyone who would like to put their Canva talents to good use. Whether you have a lot of time to give or can help with just one specific project, your participation makes a difference. You can find the most recent committee sign-up sheet, along with descriptions of all club committees, in the Member Happenings section of our website. Please take a look and consider where you might lend a hand. Together, we make our club stronger and expand the impact we have in our community. |
Book Club News Submitted by Shirley PhelanThe SITD Book Club gathered in July for a lively discussion of “The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth” by Barbara O’Neal, hosted at Susan G’s warm and welcoming home. This captivating novel follows two women—an adventurous, newly divorced traveler and a resilient former Olympian recovering from injury—who follow a trail of mysterious letters that lead them across continents. As they unravel the secrets behind a celebrated food writer’s mysterious final project, the women confront their own wounds and discover unexpected healing in friendship, travel, and cuisine. Susan sparked an engaging dialogue, with members sharing insightful perspectives and personal stories that echoed the novel’s themes of transformation and hope. |
2025 - 26 SITD Impact Report
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SNR 50th ConferenceSubmitted By Lynn Bodfish & Jeannie Burrows Seven SITD members attended the 50th Annual SNR (Sierra Nevada Region) Conference at the Atlantis on June 5-7, 2026: Marcy Alstott, Susan Horst, Nancy Davis, Lil Schaller, Jeannie Burrows (voting delegate), Kathleen Raber & Lynn Bodfish (voting delegate). Of the 6 Districts that comprise the Sierra Nevada Region, there were 36 of 45 clubs present, 105 voting members registered and total 216 conference attendees.   Star Awards: Website - First Place - SI Tahoe Sierra EBlast/Newsletter - First Place - SI Tahoe Sierra Public Awareness - Second Place - SI Tahoe Sierra Overall - Third Place - SI Tahoe Sierra Celebrating Success Awards: Program - Third Place - SI Truckee Meadows Fundraiser - Second Place - SI Truckee Meadows There was consistent messaging throughout the various programs “every women in this room is a leader and leadership is influence” and support for how we all invest in dreams, serve women and girls facing obstacles and increase their access to education, opportunity and economic empowerment. The conference agenda included keynote speakers from SIA Federation President Sue Riney & CEO/Executive Director Michelle Burnett and many addresses from outgoing Governor Stacy (Jensen) & incoming Governor Elect Kathy (Dunbar) to include rewards for innovative public awareness, membership, fundraising, website, newsletter, social media, etc.  |
SNR Annual Conference 2026Submitted by Marcy Alstott This year's June 5-7 conference is especially meaningful — it marks our 50th as a region. To celebrate, there will be unique opportunities to connect with members from across the organization and engage with Soroptimists on a broader scale. The weekend will also include important regional business and the installation of the Sierra Nevada Region Board of Directors for the 2026–2028 biennium, where our delegates will represent us in the vote. The conference has something for everyone. Browse the Marketplace for Soroptimist-branded items and unique club offerings, or attend the new Friday breakout workshops designed to help Club Presidents and Treasurers hit the ground running in the new Soroptimist year. Friday afternoon brings a Meet the Candidates session and delegate briefing. Our club will contribute a basket to the Endowment Raffle and a Dream Pillow to the Silent Auction. (Thanks Jeannie!) The weekend closes Sunday with a Celebration of Life honoring cherished members of our region whose legacies continue to inspire us — including our own Philippa Nigg. Let's show up strong for her. The Live Your Dream Brunch will also celebrate our club's candidate. A full agenda isn't available yet, but I'll send it along to anyone interested in attending any part of this three-day event. Lil has reserved a table for us at all meals so we can sit together. It's going to be a wonderful weekend — I hope to see many of you there. |
A Well-deserved Honor Submitted by Truckee RotaryOn April 30, SITD member Nancy Wallis was invited to the Truckee Rotary Meeting to present a mini "River Talk" along with Truckee River Watershed Council ED Michele Prestowitz. Unbeknownst to Nancy, this was just a pretext to get her to the Rotary Meeting where she was totally surprised to have been selected to receive a Paul Harris Fellow award for her community service and volunteer efforts since relocating to Truckee in 2013. Nancy was acknowledged for her 40 years of Soroptimist service (both here in Truckee and in San Diego); her role as a volunteer docent at Donner Memorial State Park; her volunteer shifts at the Emergency Warming Center providing shelter and respite for our unhoused neighbors and her continued involvement with the newly-established Truckee Navigation Center; her involvement and support of the Truckee River Watershed Council and where she will assume the position of Board Chair in July; and lastly, her service on multiple Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation Grant and Scholarship Committees. As Truckee Rotary President Richard Anderson explained..."(Nancy is) an exemplar of Rotary's foundational value, which is 'service above self'. Thank you for all you do. Your friends in Rotary noticed!"
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Thought For The DaySpring has a way of reminding us that no matter how long the winter, life always finds a way to start over. In our work with Soroptimist, we see that same cycle in the lives we touch. Growth isn't always a straight line; it's a series of seasons. Life comes at us in waves. We celebrate the "perfect" days—the ones filled with good health, laughter, and easy wins. But we also navigate the tougher stretches, where the energy is low and the path feels steep. A meaningful life isn't about avoiding those downs; it’s about having the grace to move through them, knowing that even the hardest ground eventually softens. Right now, we are in the middle of spring’s magical awakening. All around us, the earth is proving that renewal is possible. It’s a time to shake off the dust, clear out the old, and make room for fresh possibilities. As we work together to support and uplift others, let’s carry that spring energy with us. Whether you are in a season of blooming or a season of resting, remember that you are part of a powerful, shifting landscape of progress. |
SITD's New YearThe 2026-27 Nominating Committee is putting together a slate of candidates for the upcoming SITD year (starting July 1). The Committee members are Susan Gustavson, Lil Schaller, Constance Ledna and Marcy Alsott. If you’re interested in serving on the SITD Board of Directors, please reach out to Susan Gustavson or anyone on the nominating committee. |
Celebrating the Best for WomenSubmitted by Laura Mohun CONGRATULATIONS ALL AROUND! Celebrating the Best for Women was a wonderful success…… Our club shone on Thursday, March 19th, at the Glenshire clubhouse as we gave out over $40,000!! We held a lovely reception with savory bites and drinks and honored 15 women. Susan Horst put together and manned a most excellent power point. Laura Mohun welcomed guests, we sang the National Anthem and Marcy Alstott lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and introduced our past WOD/Ruby award recipients that were present in the audience. Susan Gustavson gave our “Thought’ for the evening.  Angela White as the coordinator for VRA, presented the Violet Richardson Award to two high school Students: Mia Bilbrey and Ella Weingard. ($300 each to each student and $300 to their charity of choice.) We then heard from our guest speaker, Elda Nunez, a past Live Your Dream Recipient and the owner of Mi Pueblito Market. She was so inspired by the evening that she would like to be an award sponsor and would like to join our club!Lydia Carrillo, presenting for Kathleen Raber and Joan Kreamer, presented the Live Your Dream awards to Natalie Diaz, $3000 and Amanda Boutwell, $1000. Natalie is also our regional award winner and will receive an additional award at the SNR conference held the first weekend of June. Teri Boelk and Lydia Carrillo presented the CAS (Career Advancement Scholarships.) These awards went to Natalie Diaz, $5500 (We Love Eyes), who aspires to start a construction management business with a goal of creating affordable housing; Alexa Carrillo, $2,500 (Piper Art Recipient), is a film and graphic artist; Adela Ortiz, $2500 (Craig Rowe), is a data analyst directed at public policy; Kate Hamil, $6000, attends the HSU Leadership Program and soon heads to law school; Marlene Carrillo, $5500 (LF), is a lawyer heading towards civil rights litigation; Danielle Green, $5000, is a nursing student at UNR; Paola Enriquez, $5000, is headed towards a career in Early Childhood Education, Katelyn Cole, $2500, is in pursuit of a Nursing degree and hopes to work in L&D at TFHD; Rheyanna Lopez, $1000, hopes to become a psychologist and work with mental health patients.     Craig Rowe gave us an inspirational speech about how he started the La Fuerza Latina organization to help first generation Latinos successfully apply to college. The final award of the night was our 2025 Woman of Distinction/Ruby award Recipient, MaryBeth Larusson. She received $500 for the charity of her choice. Leslie Dugger introduced the award and last year’s winner, Laura Abbey Brown, presented MaryBeth’s long resume of helping women through her work as a preschool teacher, co-owner of Villager Nursery and her long association with PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization) that helps women with education.  |
2025 Toy Drive was an amazing success!
Submitted by Shirley Phelan Our recent toy drive was a tremendous success, thanks to the generosity and support of our community and our SITD family. Over the course of the campaign, we collected an impressive number of new, unwrapped toys that were distributed to children and families in need on Saturday, December 13th. More than 260 families and 620 children received a gift thanks to the generosity of Truckee and SITD. board games, the wide variety of donations ensured that children of all ages would have something special to enjoy. Thanks to the Toy Drive Committee and all of the Toy Box monitors who made sure that everything was collected and sorted by age and gender, which made filling the family bags a breeze. Their hard work and commitment played a vital role in the day's success.  This toy drive was more than just a collection effort—it was a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together. Because of your kindness and generosity, countless children will experience the excitement and happiness that every child deserves.  |
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Sex Trafficking Awareness
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.
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SOLT - Using ClubRunner and Website
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.
For the website:
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. |
