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In June 2008, Soroptimist members sponsored an international fundraising effort that provided direct aid to a village in Kenya. The idea stemmed from a program meeting presentation by a woman whose brother's family was directly impacted by the ethnic cleansing within 2 Kenyan tribes after the 2007 election. Her brother's livelihood relies solely on tourists for the sale of his homemade jewelry, baskets and purses; however, tourism stopped with the civil unrest. Consequently, her brother's family and his village suffered extreme economic hardship. In an effort to help, Soroptimist was entrusted with an assortment of his Kenyan handcrafts, which Soroptimist sold to local friends and at the 2008 Golden West Region Spring Conference. Over $3000 was raised . . . which will help feed 30 families for a month, provide a wheel chair to a widow, and cover educational expenses for five children for one year.
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Touch of Home |
In November 2006,
Soroptimist members were introduced to Touch of Home Support 4R
Military, a nonprofit community service corporation that supports
deployed military in Iraq with approximately 100 monthly morale-boosting
"love packages" containing
recreational supplies and personal care items.
Soroptimist became quick supporters of this effort, both at a club and
individual level, by donating money and a myriad of "love package"
supplies. Club representatives also helped with packing activities
at the program headquarters in Crestline.
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Kids Kingdom Orphanage |
Soroptimist members annually donate large quantities of miscellaneous school supplies and deliver them to the students at El Reyes de los Ninos (Kids Kingdom) orphanage near Ensenada, Mexico. In addition to the school supplies, Soroptimist donated craft materials and conducted a craft day for the children. The children will send their handmade crafts to their Tia and Tio sponsors at Thanksgiving time. The donation of school supplies enables the orphanage to channel their limited funds to other needs. The hands-on experience of craft day with the children provided an opportunity for Soroptimist to share love and friendship in a more personal way. |
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Festival of Trees |
Soroptimist members designed and donated a Christmas tree entry in support of Riverside County Regional Medical Center Foundation’s annual Festival of Trees fundraiser. At the heart of this event, magnificently decorated trees are auctioned off to community business. The 2006 event raised $441,000 to benefit the neonatal unit at Riverside County Regional Medical Center. |
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Reach Out and Read |
Reach Out and Read is a First Five program that provides support and books for children. Dr. Traci Williams, who uses this program in her Moreno Valley pediatric clinic, believes that poor reading skills lead to lower self-esteem and poor school performance, which in turn leads to higher health costs. By introducing books to pre-schoolers and encouraging parents to read to their children, Dr. Williams hopes to positively impact these issues. Soroptimist supports this project through funding and book donations. |
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Born Free |
Born Free is one of the programs offered by the Riverside County YWCA which provides shelter and support to pregnant women so they can get off drugs and alcohol and subsequently have their baby born free from addiction. Soroptimist helps support this program by donating hand-crafted bags full of gifts and person care items for both mom and baby. |
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![]() Holiday Adopt-A-Senior |
Annually, Soroptimist gets referrals from Moreno Valley Senior Center to adopt low-income seniors for the holiday season. Members assembled gift baskets containing food, personal care items and holiday gifts. Soroptimists added the personal gift of friendship as they delivered the gift baskets and spent one-on-one time visiting with the senior shut-ins. Besides spreading holiday cheer, the program helps ease some of the loneliness felt by the elderly. |
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![]() ADV Mother's Day |
Each year for Mother's Day, Soroptimist donates hand-crafted tote bags filled with gifts and personal care items to the mothers housed at Alternatives to Domestic Violence Shelter. |
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Every year on December 10th, the Soroptimist International President asks all Soroptimists to join her in making a small sacrifice by contributing to a project that will assist women living in extreme poverty. President's Appeal 2007, Restoring Dignity, supports the Hamlin Obstetric Fistula Relief and Aid Fund. The project aims are:
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Soroptimist International 2007-2011 Quadrennial Project
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By strengthening families at risk of breakdown, helping young
children living on the streets return home and empowering
vulnerable young mothers. Project SIerra will enable more
children to grow up in a caring family environment--giving them
the opportunity to fulfill their potential.
Link here for more
information about Project SIerra: A Family And A Future. |
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Slavery's New Face:
One type of slavery and exploitation that continues to proliferate at an alarming rate—and that has a particular relevance to women and girls—is sex trafficking/slavery. In 2007, Soroptimist launched a project to create awareness about this heinous practice with a special event on Sunday December 2, 2007, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. In the United States, the program launched on Friday, January 11, 2008, the first National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness. On both days, club members placed sex slavery awareness cards in visible locations throughout their communities—police stations, women's centers, hospitals, etc. If you suspect an incident of trafficking in the United States, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s 24-hour toll-free hotline number at 888-3737-888. Callers can receive a number of services including crisis intervention, urgent and non-urgent referrals, tip reporting and comprehensive anti-trafficking resources. Visit Soroptimist's Sex Trafficking FAQ and Stop Sex Trafficking sections
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