Author Archive: soropadmin

An Outstanding Year of Helping Women and Girls

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I know we are all busy but I urge you to use a coffee break today (or a wine or soda break tonight) and read through the Program Impact Report. Yes, it’s a 6 page report, but we all know that our scope as Soroptimists goes so much farther then our own little bubble here in Dundas/Ancaster/Flamborough and this report truly puts that into prospective.

For those of you less patient, here are some highlites:

  • 1,120 women helped through the Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards and $1,353,463 was disbursed
  • 7,414 women and girls wer reached through the Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls
  • 1,328 women and their families benefited from the Soroptimist Disaster Relief Grants where over $62,100
  • 528 outstanding women were honored with the Making a Difference for Women Award

You can download a PDF copy here »

Recap of our January 9th Meeting

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Thank you to our guest speaker, Leeanne Kilby, E.D. of Elizabeth Fry Society who came to talk about the Sex Trade Alternatives and Resource Services (STARS) Drop in Centre.

They have been providing services to criminalized women since 1971. Leeanne has been with them for 25 years and it is an all female agency. They provide support to women “where they are” via the STARS bus to provide sex health to both trafficked women and women of choice. The greatest issue in Canada will be during the 2010 Olympics: the known path is Vancouver to Montreal to Hamilton. Human rights groups estimate that anywhere between 12.3 million and 27 million people are enslaved in forced or bonded labor, child labor, sexual servitude, and involuntary servitude at any given time.

The Elizabeth Fry Society will submit a grant with SI-DAF for women awards application. Have advanced volunteer training available. Also has recommended the book Sold by Patricia McCormick.

Welcome our newest members!
Welcome our newest members!

This Christmas, two (2) Christmas hampers were put together for local families in our area. The first hamper was for a Mother and two daughters, age 15 and 7. We purchased pajamas for all three plus jean, jazzy t shirts and sweaters for the girls. We also got glamour makeup and perfume for the 15 year old, per her request. For the younger girl we bought Barbies, a Crayola and slider game, plus Scrabble for the family. For mom we also gave her a box of chocolates, a $50 gift certificate to Fortinos and perfume. We were able to buy everything they had put on the list.

The second family was a Mother and her 4 year old daughter. For the Mom we got pyjamas and slippers, 2 sweaters, a beauty package and $50 to Sobeys. For her little girl we also got 2 games, a Dora sleeping bag and Dora dress up chest full of costumes, as well as a Hanna Montana outfit. We were delighted to receive thank you letters from the Salvation Army and one of the mothers.

Baby showers let us know that they don’t need blankets so we will be donating cash for carseats, cribs and twin sheet sets. They would also like gently used items and will come pick them up.

We’d also like to welcome our 3 new members: Alice, Marilynn and Kathy. We are very excited to have you join us. Also, congratulations to our guest, Janet, who won the 50:50 draw!

Making a Difference for Women Award is Being Renamed

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The Soroptimist Making a Difference for Women Award recognizes women who have worked to improve the lives of women and girls through their professional or volunteer work. Each year, clubs honor women around the world with this award and donate more than $90,000 to support their important work.

The SIA Board has decided it’s time to give this great program a new name. “Making a Difference for Women” is a phrase used by many organizations for programs and awards, and therefore does not succeed in setting Soroptimist or the award apart. It is also a long and rather cumbersome name. Soroptimist has asked clubs and members for their suggestions for a new name, and thanks to the many members who responded.

There is an online poll to narrow down the two choices. Soroptimist members, check your email to find out more information about how you can vote!

Walk for Memories 2009

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This is a reminder to those who may want to participate in the “Walk for Memories”  for Alzheimer Awareness month.  There will be 2 locations for the walk, Limeridge Mall and Burlington Mall, January 18th starting at 9 a.m.

We have always had a wonderful representation from S.I. DAF and I would be honoured to have you walk with me.  If you can not walk on that day, would you consider sponsoring one of us in the walk?

Barb McCoy, Alzheimer’s Society

Sandy Gray, Weeks of Waterdown

Shirley McCoy, Lucky Day Nursery

Brooke & Steve Lascos

Margaret Kovacs

For the newer members, you may not know that my Mother has had Alzheimer Disease for the past 25 years.  It has been a difficult journey for all of our family.  I am sure all of you know someone who has been affected by this disease and we can only hope that in time we will find a cure.

You can register at www.walkformemories.ca, call 905-529-7030 for a pledge form, or sponsor a registrant (see the links above).  I have booked us as a Team under Soroptimist Dundas/Ancaster /Flamborough for the Limeridge Mall Walk.  You can register under the team and still collect individual pledges. Thank you for all of your kind support in this area.

Barb, SI-DAF President

Curves Foster Child

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Curves Foster Child

Curves Foster Child

We at each Curves location adopted a foster child. We sent her a package for Christmas and they sent us this lovely picture of her with her gifts.  It came just after the holidays with a letter that said she is doing well.

Our family has had a foster child for years and we have never been given such a personal picture before (only the yearly updated photograph). It was nice to receive this picture and see that we make a difference and enjoy a smile on this childs face, just thought I’d send it brighten your day. Just wanted to share the joy (and her cute picture)!
Have a great day!
Shirley E

Giving Back at Christmas

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It is funny how everything seems to come together at Christmas time!

Newest SI DAF member, Cheri DeMenna was telling a friend Jane about her joining Soroptimist International. It turns out that her friend had a ‘conflicted’ background and she appreciates the work SI and similar organizations do.  Jane, who wanted to ‘give back’, asked Cheri if she would be able to help her by distributing some Avon product gift bags to women who may otherwise not have a gift on Christmas morning.  So Cheri emailed Sandy about where we could direct these.  Sandy first directed Cheri to Drummond House, a local women’s transitional home in Waterdown.  Executive Director Debbie Tigchelaar gratefully accepted 5 of these for their residents and also gave Cheri a tour of the facility.

The ladies of SI-DAF visit Interval House for a tour

The ladies of SI-DAF visit Interval House for a tour

The other place Sandy suggested was Interval House, a crisis shelter for abused women & their children, that serves our communities.  Just so happens that Sandy was needing to visit Clare Freeman, the executive director, with a donation of her own so they decided a visit & tour of that facility was in order.  They were joined by SI DAF member Lynda Switzer who just so happened to have a large number of ‘Franklin the Turtle’  children’s books that needed to be enjoyed by young readers. Clare treated us to a full tour of the facility along with some short informative video’s and we returned the favour by donating $500.00 in cash, 15 gift bags, large number of Franklin books and a number of stuffed animals!

SIA National Disaster Relief Fund

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Recently, the board of directors of SIA approved three $20,000 disaster relief grants to help women and girls to rebuild their lives following disasters. The grants were given to SI/Cedar Rapids/Marion, USA, the Philippines Region, and SI/Kalibo, Philippines.

As a result of recent need, the SIA Disaster Relief Fund is dangerously low. Please help us remain responsive to the special needs of women and girls when the next natural or man-made disaster strikes. Send club or individual donations, earmarked Disaster Relief, to SIA Headquarters (SIAHQ). Find out more »

President’s Appeal

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Soroptimist Appeal Restores Dignity to Women with Obstetric Fistula

Each year on December 10th (United Nations’ Human Rights Day), the Soroptimist International president asks all Soroptimists worldwide to contribute to a project that helps women living in extreme poverty. In 2007 almost £135,000 was raised to help fund the Desta Mender village in partnership with Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid Fund for women with obstetric fistula.

This year’s appeal by Margaret Lobo, Restoring Dignity – Securing a Future, will extend the support provided last year to Ethiopian women suffering from this debilitating condition.

Obstetric fistula occurs as a result of several days of obstructed labor without timely medical intervention, a Caesarean section. The constant pressure of the baby’s head in the birth canal causes a fistula (hole) to form between the bladder and the vagina, and/or between the rectum and the vagina. The baby usually dies and the mother is left with urine and waste leaking from her body.

“Sadly, in Ethiopia, an obstetric fistula can be worse than death,” said Leigh Wintz, executive director of Soroptimist International of the Americas in Philadelphia. “The smell of constantly leaking body fluids results in young women, many of them girls, being rejected and outcast by their community. They are doomed to a life of shame and isolation. This is why our December 10th Appeal is so critical in helping women with this condition.”

An estimated 8,000 to 9,000 women in Ethiopia suffer with obstetric fistula each year and don’t have the money for fistula repair via surgery or the access to medical care that most women in developed nations have. At least 93 percent of fistulas can be repaired, but three percent are so badly damaged in childbirth, they cannot be healed.

Funds from the December 10th Appeal will help women who cannot be fully cured by providing ongoing medical care at the Desta Mender Village of the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In addition, the self-help rural village provides skills and vocational training to the women, encourages their independence and helps improve their morale and self-esteem. Find out more about the hospital and the positive outcomes these women are experiencing »

Christmas Get Together

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On Thursday December 4th, SI DAF member Pauline Hardcastle opened her home in Ancaster to our club members & guests for our Annual Christmas Dinner meeting. In attendance were 18 ladies including 7 guest: Bev & Sharon who were guests of Nancy, Alice who was a guest of Shirley M, Marilyn was a guest of Jane and Zoie who is Pauline’s daughter.

Also in attendance was Cathie Pead, our guest speaker who was there to bring us up to date on the YWCA’s capital campaign to build the new facility on the Hamilton Mountain. SI DAF has made a $40,000.00 commitment to the Hamilton YWCA for the child care facility that will provide affordable day care to working mothers.  We have completed half of that commitment to them, the other half will follow when construction is underway.

We held a condensed business meeting before dinner with the added highlight of inducting our newest member Cheri DeMenna of Waterdown. Cheri is a friend & co-worker of member Sandy Gray who is also from the Flamborough area. Following the business portion of the meeting we sat down to a delicious turkey dinner that was provided by Jane Riddell Catering. Amazingly Pauline seated everyone at a huge t-shaped dining table complete with linens, Christmas decorations and party crackers.

Thank you again to Pauline for being the hostess for our annual Christmas dinner in your beautiful home!