Soroptimist International of
Moreno Valley
improving the lives of women and girls
in local communities and throughout the world

Throughout the year, Soroptimist members are actively involved in a myriad of projects and fundraisers that focus on 6 areas of service:  economic and social development; education; environment; health; human rights/status of women; international goodwill and understanding.   Some of these projects are identified below.
 

Kenya Fundraiser

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.   

    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.

For more information about Touch of Home, click here

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. 

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.  

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. 

              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. 

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. 

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.  

Soroptimist International

President's Appeal 2007

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:

• To help those women with fistulas who cannot be completely cured and need on-going medical care.

• To encourage independence and improve the morale and self-esteem of the permanent residents of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital through self-help rural village "Desta Mender".

• Improve the health, self-esteem and life chances of thousands of women and children living in abject poverty
• Promote stability in a post conflict society by integrating the most vulnerable children and young women in family and community life
• Provide education, training, small business and life skills support so that families can become self-sufficient
• Build the capacity of local childcare professionals and create models of excellence

Slavery's New Face: 
Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls

Slavery is a harsh reality for millions of people the world over who find themselves trapped in an exploitative and abusive system, bought and sold like objects, and treated with no dignity or human decency.

How extensive is slavery's reach? 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.

Slavery exists in a variety of permutations, but all forms of slavery share some common characteristics: slaves are forced to work; are owned or controlled by an "employer"; are dehumanized and treated as commodities; and are physically constrained and unable to move.

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