Author Archive: soropadmin

Mentoring Young Women

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The keynote speaker at the Eastern Conference Region Spring Conference came to share with us an opportunity to mentor young women. Susan Gilbey from SI Westminster in California returned to her home town of Montreal to share with our Region the concepts and process to start an S Club for High School Girls or Sigma Societies for College age women.

These charters are different because there is no need to report to SIA nor dues. Instead, it is considered a service project (program focus reports). Events should be funded by the SIA Club as the sponsor and align with the SIA-overview of programs. Some ideas are: Teen-Dating & Violence as a keynote theme, Self Esteem/Self Defense, Career Day workshop with the English & Career Councillors, Leadership skills, and teaching mentorship by connecting to Girl Guides (Brownies or Sparks).

It is critical to build safety and professionalism through mentoring, particularly in parliamentary procedure and committee decorum. Being a member of the club can be tied to their Ontario requirement of 40 hours of service. There are some critical concepts to keep in mind when starting one of these venture clubs:

  • Be Flexible with Expectations & Requirements (i.e. faculty advisor)
  • Promote Civic Engagement, Activism, Community Involvement & Participation
  • Develop Leadership Skills and Compassion
  • Adapt to Local, Specific Situation (i.e. inclusion of boys in a charter to introduce them to women/gender issues)

The outcomes for sponsoring clubs, and the benefits for SI in general are:

  • Source for Violet Richardson, Women’s Opportunity and Ruby Award nominees
  • Increased public visibility and potential source of new members for your club
  • Assistance with/increase in programs
  • Diversity and fresh ideas
  • Promotes volunteerism

For more information about these Venture clubs, contact your club President to get a copy of Susan’s resource guide.

Convention: Montreal 2011

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This year a group of 7 from our club are attending the SI2011 Convention in Montreal.

The Theme for the Convention is Women: Leaders in Civil Society. We have chosen this theme because Civil Society is the buzz word of our time, quite often used, and often misunderstood. Our own organization, Soroptimist International, is accredited to the Commonwealth as a Civil Society Organization. During the course of the Convention, we will explore this theme in depth through various “Sub-Themes” or subsets that will reflect all aspects of our underlying theme of Civil Society.

It is our desire to have Canadian women leaders in their various fields of endeavor come speak to us and not only teach us how to be leaders but to also showcase Canada and Canadian values to the rest of the world. We have chosen various Canadian women leaders that we feel are role models. We believe these women will be able to share some interesting and pertinent insights on global issues and challenges that women face and innovative solutions that could inform and enlighten our membership.

The following are our Sub-Themes:

Women as Catalysts of Change in Human Rights
Women as Role Models in Arts, Entertainment, and Media
Women as Role Models in Commerce and Entrepreneurship
Women as Leaders in Health & Sciences and Sports
Women as Stewards of the Environment
Women as Catalysts of Change in Government

The kickoff is our ECR Conference on Sunday morning, followed by lunch with Western Canada Region. We’ll keep you posted on updates throughout the conference. Here is the program at a glance »

Caring from a Distance

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Former member of Soroptimist, Blanca Pena, is still focussing on outreach. After traveling with Sandy to start a new Soroptimist Club in her native country of Columbia, she is now coordinating a small-scale relief project for flood and mudslide victims.

Pena is appealing to area residents to search through their closets and donate good, used clothing and footwear to the cause. Also needed are blankets and inflatable mattresses. All donations can be dropped off at Pena’s home at 317 Parkside Drive.

For more information, read the full article online »

Breast Cancer Conference

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The 6th World Conference on Breast Cancer began Tuesday June  7 with a silent awareness walk through the streets of Hamilton.

Most of the events will take place at the Hamilton Convention Centre. Session topics include whether self-examination can prevent breast cancer, the decision-making process around mothers with breast cancer, breast cancer in different cultures and countries, and post-cancer treatment symptoms. The YWCA held classes for attendees to introduce them to the Encore program, of which our club is the signature sponsor.

The World Conference is inspired by the vision of a world without breast cancer and moved forward by the passion of individuals determined to eradicate the disease. Through their commitment, co-operation and energy we are able to create an international forum where all aspects of breast cancer can be addressed and immediate action steps taken. The Hamilton Spectator had excellent coverage of individual’s stories »

Seminar Resources

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A group of our Soroptimists held a resource-based seminar on May 26. Topics covered a wide breadth, based on our personal careers and experiences. We have assembled some tips & links that you may find helpful:

Preparing a Resume

The most important things about writing a resume  and cover letter are the small details (like spelling and grammar) and aligning the information you share with the job posting requirements. The Government of Canada has a great site to explain how you can tell about your experiences, skills and interest areas on your resume, even if you don’t have a lot of work experience.

http://www.youth.gc.ca/eng/topics/jobs/resume.shtml
http://www.youth.gc.ca/eng/topics/jobs/cover.shtml

Junior Legal Assistant

There are many other schools that have either a law clerk program or legal administration program, but these are some in the local area:

Fitness and Instruction:
http://www.canadianfitness.net/pro.html (How to get certified in fitness at home)
http://www.canfitpro.com/ (How to get certified by the largest fitness training company)
http://www.ywcahamilton.org/programs-and-services/adult-fitness-and-aquatics (How to get fitness leadership training locally)

Nutrition & Recipes
www.dietitians.ca
www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide

Health Field
http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/calendar/otapa.html (OTA/PTA course, Mohawk)
http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/calendar/personalSupportWorker.html (PSW Course, Mohawk)
http://www.stcharles.ca/psw.html (PSW Course, St. Charles)

Early Childhood Education
http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/calendar/ece.html
http://www.aeceo.ca/ (Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario

Book keeping & Admin
http://c-b-a.ca/ (Canadian Book keepers Association);
http://www.cma-ontario.org/index.cfm?ci_id=4798&la_id=1 (Certified Management Accountant);
http://www.cga-ontario.org/Prospective_Students/Becoming_a_CGA.aspx (Certified General Accountant)
www.simpleplanning.net (budgeting)
http://office.microsoft.com
http://community.alchemex.com (various Microsoft office training)

General References
www.cara.com (Swiss Chalet, Kelsey’s, Milestone’s, Montana’s, Harvey’s)
www.insuranceinstitute.ca (courses at Mohawk College or apply direct to insurance companies as they will ocassionally employ new staff and pay for their training)
www.liaisoncollege.com 1047 Main St E, Hamilton (train to become a chef or cook)

Trivia Night

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We are pleased to announce our club’s 2nd Annual “Are You Smarter that a 5th Grader: Trivia Night” that will take place at St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas on Wednesday April 20, 2011. Tickets are $25 and includes the games, a light dinner, munchies and tons of fun! Tickets are available from any Soroptimist member.

The evening features four rounds of trivia questions which to challenge the knowledge base of teams of 6 players. There will be prizes for the team members from each round as well as Grand Prize team with the highest score. We will also be offering a raffle table of gifts to be won, a 50/50 draw and a cash bar. We will sell out at  24 teams of 6, so get your friends together and get your tickets early!

Of course we hope to have lots of fun at this event but the real reason for our fundraising is to help women and girls in our community that need a hand up. All the money we raise goes back to our women and girls in our community and throughout the world.

Invitation to our Appreciation Night

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Have you ever wondered who The Soroptimists are and what we do in the community? Soroptimist International of Dundas, Ancaster and Flamborough invites you to an evening of fun and friendship to learn more about the club and its work in helping women and girls, both locally and internationally.

RSVP to Barb McCoy at soroptimistdaf@gmail.com

The event takes place on Thursday, Jan. 20, 7-8:30 p.m., St. James Anglican Church Parlour, 137 Melville St., Dundas.
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Hasty Notes for Sale

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Our Soroptimist group has Hasty Note Cards for sale. The box sets are 6 cards, blank inside with envelopes. The images were generously donated by two photographers: Peter Self from Dundas and Gillian Sheldon of Burlington, and the project made possible by a grant from the Rotary Club of Waterdown. No prices are advertised on the box set itself.

We encourage you to get a few sets – they are great as stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, employee gifts, and “grand theft gift” or “secret santa” games, or to be enjoyed as cards to reconnect with a friend.

They are available for sale: $10 each or three sets for $25. Shipping is not included. Cheques can be made to SI-DAF – please send orders by email (soroptimistdaf@gmail.com) and include your contact information to arrange for pick up/delivery.

Annual Christmas Auction

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Our annual Christmas “Loonie Toonie Auction” was held November 17th at St. Thomas Parish Hall in Waterdown, and once again it was a smashing success! With over 180 beautifully arranged gift baskets and prizes, there was something for everyone, including the Christmas shopper in all of us this time of the year. Some of the most sought-after items included a vacation in ski country, theatre tickets, diamond jewellery, and of course wine, wine and more wine! Our Soroptimist sisters worked hard to ensure an organized and fun evening by decorating the hall, greeting newcomers and returning guests at the door (and helping them fill their pockets with loonies and toonies!), calling the auction numbers (a job not for the faint of heart!), and handing out prizes to the winners. Once again this year, we were delighted that the winner of the Wine Fridge was a member of the audience.


This year there was a more open atmosphere, with displays of baskets along the walls, and an undivided hall where everyone could cheer on the winners. And cheer they did! The excitement kept building throughout the night, and it was wonderful to hear the laughter and just plain fun at all of the tables! Many of us heard the positive comments from our tables (especially about the delicious catered hot food and chocolate desserts), and promises to return to the auction next year. What a wonderful opportunity to show the value of Soroptimism to the community.

Many thanks to our young volunteers who helped make the evening a success by shepherding guests to their tables, handing out bottles of water, and clearing the tables as the night went on. You helped the evening go smoothly, and your assistance was much appreciated. Thanks go out as well to Kerry Jarvi, past president and former member of SI-DAF, who once again was the ultimate auctioneer! And to our sponsors and donors, our heartfelt appreciation for their support to SIDAF and programs for women and girls.

Best of all, we surpassed last year’s efforts by bringing in over $15,000; money that will help us support so many wonderful programs for women and girls in our communities!

Congratulations to the members of the Fundraising Committee for a spectacular and successful event. Truly, we are “women at their best, helping other women to be their best”!

FWRC Ladies Night

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BIG MONEY FROM A SMALL EVENT!
The Flamborough Women’s Resource Center came up the big winner at a Ladies Night held on Thursday October 14th at Boston Pizza. The restaurant donated a portion of the evenings proceeds to the FWRC and many patrons also made personal contributions for a chance to win some great raffle prizes which had been donated by local merchants. Kittybeans Jewellery of Waterdown also donated a portion of sales from the evening and the Soroptimist International of Dundas/Ancaster/Flamborough were there with a display profiling their community work and to present a $300.00 club contribution. Nearly $1,000.00 in total was raised for the FWRC as a result of the evening.

(In Photo) Front and centre: holding the big money is Afifa Bhatti of the FWRC along with Christina Wilbur of Boston Pizza (in light pink top) Back row, left to right is Erin Hall (Kittybeans) and Soroptimist members Barb McCoy, Janet Barnard, Sandy Gray, Shirley Eden and Bonnie Treacy.