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No. 20 Vol. 4
My Life Publications • 1-800-691-7549
April 2024
800-939-JUNK
Soroptimist International of Hackettstown:
Women Helping Girls and Women
W
by Elsie Walker
“
e are attempting to empower women and girls around the world through providing education and generally imparting knowledge, which is what our programs are about,” explained Jeannie Biehler of Randolph. Biehler is a member of Soroptimist International of Hackettstown, a chapter of Soroptimist International, a volunteer women’s service organization. According to the chapter sitehttps:// soroptimistofhackettstown.org , Soroptimist means, “best for women” and that reflects what the Hackettstown chapter is: women at their best helping women and girls in Warren, Morris, Sussex, and Hunterdon counties to be their best by providing leadership workshops for girls and awarding scholarships each year to single, female heads of household looking to better their lives. In addition, the chapter also gives yearly Youth Citizenship Awards (money to be used toward college) recognizing the community service of boys and girls in high school and helps needy single female head of household families at the holidays through the Warren branch of the NJDCPP in Washington Township. The club meets
once a month for dinner at a local venue to discuss its business. As noted on the chapter’s site, “Approximately 74,000 Soroptimists in over 120 countries and territories support community–based and global projects benefiting women and girls. The organization is particularly concerned with providing disadvantaged women and girls access to education, as this is the most effective path to self-determination.” The two major programs of the organization are Dream It Be it and Be the Dream. Biehler explained that through the “Dream It Be It” program, the Hackettstown chapter gives workshops to groups of girls middle school to high school age (such as Girl Scouts) based on material created by the larger organization. The workshops help girls to see their virtues, learn to be assertive, learn to be involved and be leaders, while also bringing awareness to things such as trafficking and bullying. Through the “Be the Dream” program, single women who are heads of households studying for an undergraduate degree or attending trade school can apply for a scholarship. Applications are taken in the fall and are available at local colleges and
Member of Soroptimist International of Hackettstown preparing to march in a local parade
schools. Biehler explained that applicants are “basically on their own raising their own children trying to lift themselves up with some extra education to get to a point where they can make a career path… and they usually have had some serious issues.” She explained that these women usually have experienced situations such as being in the homeless system, having been through foster programs, having had drug and alcohol problems, been trafficked, etc. Once the applications are in, the group looks at them to make sure they meet the
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qualifications and then gives them to a judge in the community to recommend the recipients. Usually two or more scholarships are awarded each year. However, besides receiving a chapter scholarship, a recipient’s application can be passed on to the district level of the organization for consideration for another scholarship and the process can continue up the line. Biehler shared that the international organization has a “Big dream”. From 2021 – 2031, the organization hopes to see a half million scholarships given out continued on page 6