Soroptimist Insider July-October 2015 Volume 1, Issue 12 Soroptimist International of Santa Clarita Valley
P.O. Box 802275
Santa Clarita, CA 91380-2275
www.siscv.org
From the President
Inside this issue: 2015—2016 Board Installation Dinner
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City of Santa Clarita Valley Proclamation
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Bras For A Cause
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SEW Program Single Mother’s Outreach
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Dancing With Our Stars
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Senior Center Halloween 5 Circle of Hope & Sheila R Veloz Checks
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Member’s Corner
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Dream It, Be It
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SIA - Dream It Be It
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SIA - Why Women and Girls
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Upcoming SISCV Events Feb. 20 10 am —4 pm Dream It Be It Career Support for Girls Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center
Greetings from Soroptimist International of Santa Clarita Valley ~ it is a privilege to serve as President of this fantastic club! Our increase in membership over the past few years has included such a fresh and new energy within our club's ability and commitment to serve women and girls, it's really been an incredible thing to watch. The goals for this year are reflective of SIA's mission. With a committed focus to Membership, Fundraising, Programs, and Public Awareness, our club has continued to increase our presence within the Valley and helped grow our collective impact. SISCV has several key Fundraisers lined up for this year ~ continue to watch our site (www.siscv.org) for the latest updates and if you are searching for connection and want to volunteer with this fabulous collection of ladies, please join us at one of our monthly meetings ~ you are always welcome!! Here's to an exciting year! Amanda Etcheverry
Mar. 6 5:30 pm Gentlemen For A Cause Santa Clarita Activities Center May 13—15 Camino Real Region Spring Conference Pasadena I pledge allegiance to Soroptimist and to the ideals for which it stands. The Sincerity of Friendship, the Joy of Achievement, the Dignity of Service, the Integrity of Profession, the Love of Country. I will put forth my greatest effort to promote, uphold and defend these ideals for a larger fellowship in Home, in Society, in Business for Country and for God.
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2015-2016 Board Installation Dinner The start of our 2015-2016 year began with a casual chic backyard BBQ for members, family, friends, Soroptimist and City of Santa Clarita Dignitaries. We celebrated the evening by first releasing and thanking our 2014 –2015 board for their hard work and dedication to making our club the best it has ever been. Then, we celebrated our incoming board and learned about our new president Amanda’s vision for the club in the coming year. We enjoyed a delicious meal catered by Hidden Havana in a beautiful setting of our very own member Karen Spencer’s home. The decorations were the creative genius of our amazing decorator extraordinaire Kathy Rutherford. Once the evening’s events were concluded, members stayed to visit and roast marshmallows for making their s’mores. We look forward to our new President Amanda at the helm and our new board and their thoughts and ideas for the growth and expansion of our club. Congratulations to our incoming 2015 –2016 Board!!!
City of Santa Clarita Valley Proclamation SISCV received a proclamation from the City of Santa Clarita for our hard work and dedication towards bringing an end to Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer Awareness.
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Bras For A Cause
Wow, Wow, Wow!!! Can I just say WOW!! What an amazing event our co-chairs Denise DaCorsi Placencio and Suzanne Stone put on. The Candy Land theme was magical. The decorations done by Kathy Rutherford and Kassi Yellowitz were amazing. The Bridgeport Clubhouse was transformed into a Candy Land Dream. For the first time ever the event Sold Out before the day of the event. The guests were so excited to see the beautiful dĂŠcor and the fantastic models and items to bid on. Jorge Lopez of J & M Entertainment was our spectacular MC and Auctioneer for the event. Jorge kept the live auction exciting and fast paced. The delicious food was catered by Hidden Havana. The event grossed over $32,000 allowing us to donate $20,000 to Sheila R Veloz Breast Imaging Center and Circle of Hope.
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Soroptimist Empowering Women (SEW) Program - Mending the Lives of Women and Girls One of the agencies that our SEW program supports is the Single Mother’s Outreach (SMO). See the information below about SMO and how they help single mother’s in the Santa Clarita Valley.
SINGLE MOTHERS OUTREACH was founded in 1995 as a support and resource for single mothers struggling through the effects of divorce or the death of a spouse. Since then, over 1600 families have been served. Single Mothers Outreach became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in May 1998. Single Mothers Outreach provides programs and services to single parents living in the City of Santa Clarita and the communities of Canyon Country, Castaic, Newhall, Saugus, Stevenson Ranch, Valencia, and Val Verde.
Core Programs Assist—Give a Helping Hand They give a helping hand to prevent financial setbacks and promote resourcefulness through emergency assistance, resource guides, online and face-to-face support groups, technology center and case management. Grow—Educate to Improve Life Skills They strengthen families so they can become self-sufficient in five life skills: family law, financial literacy, health, career and education, and healthy relationships.
Sustain—Provide Resources to Promote Growth They promote education so single parents reach academic and career goals that improve their family’s economic status. They provide education related subsidies based on need and scholarships based on merit. Inspire—Encourage and Celebrate Success They provide incentives and resources like The Market Place and Make a Mother’s Day event so that parents are motivated to persevere.
Single Mothers Outreach empowers parents and SMO’s event Empowering HeArts is an annual celebration of women who have changed their lives and shaped their communities. It bridges the worlds of social action and artistic expression in an annual arts competition.
their children by providing hope, support, and resources to help families become self sustaining. For more information about Single Mothers Outreach visit their website at: http://www.singlemothersoutreach.org/ Or contact them at: 661-288-0117 24271 Main Street, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
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Dancing With Our Stars Our very own Denise Dacorsi Placencio was our star in Dancing With Our Stars on August 28 at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center. Denise danced on behalf of our club and helped raise over $4,000! The funds received for this event will go to SISCV projects that benefit women and girls. Thank you Denise for your time and dedication to helping our club help other women to be their best.
Senior Center Halloween Celebration SISCV’s Annual Senior Center Halloween Celebration was once again a big success. Our club entertained the guests at the Senior Center Halloween luncheon by dressing up in costumes, talking with the seniors and holding a raffle. And gift bags were given to all the guests. The guests enjoyed dressing up and clowning around with our members and the other guests. What a great way to brighten someone’s day! Thank you to our members Dana MacCaughtry and Lorraine Cruz that helped to set up this fantastic day by shopping for the gift bag items and putting the gift bags together and organizing the day’s event.
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Circle of Hope & Sheila R Veloz Checks Thanks to our very successful Bras For A Cause Fundraiser, we were able to donate $10,000 to Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center and $10,000 to the Circle of Hope. The is the largest donation we have ever made from our Bras For A Cause Fundraiser. Circle of Hope and Sheila R. Veloz will use the funds to help women that are underinsured or have no insurance to receive mammograms and medical treatments for free or at a reduced rate, based on what the women can afford. For more information regarding these organizations, visit Circle of Hope or Sheila R Veloz Breast Imaging Center
Member’s Corner In Memoriam It is with a heavy heart that our club had to say good-bye to some of our member’s family members. In loving memory Janelle’s Husband Jeff Percy Sandy’s Dad Stanley Mintz SISCV Members Denise DaCorsi Placencio, Suzanne Stone and Kathy Rutherford out on the town to help support Circle of Hope at their annual Afternoon Tea.
Tracy’s Mom Carol Hill Dana’s Dad Dave MacCaughtry Julia’s Husband Jay Cappilla
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Dream It Be It Presented by:
If You Can Dream It‌ You Can Be It... February 20th, 2016 Registration Opens at 9:30 a.m. Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center At College of the Canyons AGES 14-17 For more information please contact Vanessa Wilk at 661-313-7093 or email her at vsafo@aol.com
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Soroptimist International Dream It Be It Soroptimist/LiveYourDream.org is pleased to announce the launch of our new global program for girls. Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls will help girls grow up to be strong, successful, happy adults. Dream It, Be It targets girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success. It provides girls with access to professional role models, career education and the resources to live their dreams. Soroptimist clubs will work in partnership with girls in small groups or a conference setting to provide them with the information and resources they want and need to be successful. The topics covered include career opportunities, setting and achieving goals, overcoming obstacles to success and how to move forward after setbacks or failures. Dream It, Be It joins Soroptimist's long-running program Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women (formerly the Women’s Opportunity Awards). The Soroptimist Dream Programs ensure women and girls have access to the education and training they need to reach their full potential and live their dreams.
Why Women and Girls Soroptimist means "best for women" and that's what we strive to be—an organization of women at their best helping other women to be their best. As a volunteer organization of business and professional women we feel uniquely qualified to help women and girls live their dreams. It's true that both men and women live in poverty, face discrimination and must overcome obstacles. But throughout history—in every country in the world—women and girls face additional obstacles and discrimination solely because of their gender.
Why do women and girls need our help?
One in three women have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime. According to a recent report, of the 600,000-800,000 people trafficked across international borders annually, 80 percent are female. Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours but earn only 10 percent of the world's income, and own less than 1 percent of the world's property. Of a total 550 million working poor, 330 million (60 percent) are women. The United Nations estimates that globally women's unpaid care is worth up to $11 trillion annually. Two-thirds of the 880 million illiterate adults are women. Of the more than 110 million children not in school, approximately 60 percent are girls. By age 18, girls have received an average of 4.4 years less education than boys. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls have HIV rates up to five times higher than adolescent boys. Pregnancies and childbirth-related health problems take the lives of nearly 146,000 teenage girls each year. An estimated 450 million adult women in developing countries are stunted, a direct result of malnutrition in early life. Two million girls and women are subjected to female genital mutilation every year, and thousands suffer needlessly from obstetric fistula.
To read more about why we help women and girls, go to www.soroptimist.org/whywomen/whywomen.html To learn more about Soroptimist International, go to Soroptimist International
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Join Us Are you a special woman who wishes to provide volunteer service in an atmosphere of support, friendship and fun? Then joining Soroptimist may be right for you. As a Soroptimist you will not only be helping women and girls in our community and around the world …you will make lifelong friends and have the opportunity to attend region, federation and international events.
Membership Benefits Your membership provides opportunities to: Connect and develop friendships with club members and Soroptimists throughout the world. Develop a sense of pride in helping to improve the lives of women and girls. Be involved in personal and professional growth and leadership development. Experience unity and purpose through working with others to achieve common goals. Gain a sense of achievement through direct involvement with service projects on local, national and international levels.
REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULE Program – 1st Wednesday Business – 2nd Wednesday Friendship – 4th Wednesday Program and Business Meetings are held 6:30-7:30 pm at Wolf Creek 27746 McBean Pkwy, Valencia (661) 263-9653. Friendship meetings are held in members’ homes and various locations. For more information about membership contact
membership@siscv.com
2015 - 2016 Board of Directors President
Amanda Etcheverry
President-Elect
Suzanne Stone
Vice President
Lorraine Cruz
Treasurer
Dana MacCaughtry
Secretary
_________ Imelda Leano
Director of Public Relations
Julia Vose
Membership Chair
Karen Spencer
Parliamentarian
Karen Ilich
Immediate Past President
Kelly Landry
Newsletter Editor: Cyndi Diaz ibcynd@gmail.com Please send any photos, articles, information that you would like to see in the newsletter to me!
Soroptimist International of Santa Clarita Valley P.O. Box 802275 Santa Clarita, CA 91380-2275