Happy Anniversary SITD!
Chartered November 3, 1971
On October 3, 1921, Soroptimist International was chartered in Oakland, California…102 years ago. At that time, women could not join Rotary or any other service organizations, so we started our own. See the picture of the first meeting of the Founders organization.
One of the first SI projects locally was environmental protection of redwoods grove near Crescent City. You can see the bench for SI there. We also helped with vocational training for veterans.
On November 3, 1971, SI-Truckee Donner was chartered. For 52 years we have been supporting women, families and our community.
In 1982, we purchased the first infant monitor at the Tahoe Forest Hospital. And one of our first scholarships was for a woman to become a midwife in 1979.
We and the other clubs worked to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. Because Nevada would not sign it, we stopped holding our annual convention there for several years.
Over 20 years ago, we started the STEPP program for teen mothers to make sure that they could complete their high school education and their children were taken care of.
Our signature programs are:
- Live Your Dream grants to women with dependents to enhance their careers with education or training.
- Career Advancement Scholarships for women past high school who need to advance their education or training.
- High School Graduates Scholarships for education or training.
- Dream It Be It: Program designed by SIA to help high school girls overcome challenges, understand their aptitudes and move toward rewarding careers.
Our efforts have enabled us to award $87,444 this past fiscal year in grants and scholarships, which in turn, impacted 956 women and girls.
From 1990-2023, we have donated over $677,000 to support women, families and our community.
We are able to help so many, because we work together to host successful fundraisers, including the Wine and Restaurant Faire, Soroptishop, See’s candy sales and to receive grants from local organizations who support our mission. Thank you, Soroptimists, for all your hard work and joyful friendships!
Below are a few pictures including the first SI meeting in Oakland with 80 members. And two Soroptimist International pictures that demonstrate our international reach.
It’s fascinating to look at all our SITD albums documenting our work over the past years. We will have a few of the SITD history books at the next meeting for you to view.
Prepared by Pam English
Soroptimist Club of Alameda County
Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, California
(1921 - 80 Founding Members)
