Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra is a committee-driven organization.  Each member is asked to join a Service and a Technical committee of her choice upon gaining membership.  All monies donated to the club are allocated to the service fund.  Service committees then provide the mechanism by which the club returns the money donated through fundraising back into the community.  All requests for funding are directed to the appropriate committee for review and allocation. 

                             Service Committees                                          

Awards Chairpersons Nancy Gayner and Sandy Williams

Violet Richardson Award

Monetary award to eligible young women ages 14 - 17 years of age who have a passion for volunteerism, supporting women and/or children in some capacity.  There are no restrictions on the type of activity.

Women's Opportunity Award   

Monetary award for women who are heads of households, returning to school or work and need financial support or assistance.  This is a signature project that begins at the local club level, allowing winners to advance to regional and federation levels.                                                            

Elegant Evening Chairpersons Lisa Huard and Laurie Brazil

Economic & Economic Development Chairpersons Cookie Rork and Laurie Brazil
Boys & Girls Club

Financial support to the South Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)

Financial support for the volunteer program of CASA, who work with children involved in the justice system because of divorce, custody issues, or other issues.

Art Education in Schools  

Financial support for an Art Education Program in the elementary schools.   

School Backpacks & Supplies

Supply backpacks and school supplies to local children in need, distributed through the Women's Center and CASA.

Drug Store Project

Volunteer and financial support for a substance abuse education program taught in the local schools through the Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation
Financial support for the various projects that the foundation undertakes.

Summer Reading Program

Every student enrolled in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District's elementary schools, St. Theresa's, Zephyr Cove Elementary, and Kingsbury Middle School, grades pre-K through eighth, receives a book to read over the summer vacation and to add to their home library.

“Shall promote programs to implement Soroptimist goals in physical, mental, and emotional health. Shall promote action to improve our environment, to conserve our natural resources and to plan projects within the community relating to parks and nature.”

Over the years, the HWHW Committee has achieved many important goals. Some of the projects our committee has worked on and contributed to (and had lots of fun at the same time) are:

• Snapshot Day - Water Quality Testing citizen-driven project
• MS Walk in May
• Al Tahoe Bike Trail Clean-up Day
• E-Waste transport
• National Alliance of Mentally Ill program support
• Coastal Clean-up Day
• Community Recycling Brochure
• Latino Family Health Day
• PE Clothes for high school students
• Senior Brown Bag program
• Sports Connection and A Team
• Young Parents Program
• Emergency Preparedness
• Shelterbox

One Voice (formerly IGU and Human Rights/Status of Women)
Chairpersons Wendy David and Pat Papp

Our goal is to support anti-trafficking efforts in alignment with Soroptimist International of the Americas, Federation and Region goals. We specifically support the following endeavors: the Dolphin Project (teaching self-defense skills to young girls), Solar Stoves for the women of Darfur, program support of our local Women's Center and global support for the Heifer project and International Friendship links.i

Project Middle School (formerly Focus Project)
Chairpersons Wendy David and Marcia Sarosik

This is a focus project for our club, focusing our support at South Tahoe Middle School in variety of ways throughout the academic year. We want our support to match our mission of giving youth the skills needed to become productive adults. We also focus on the girls at South Tahoe Middle School. Sample Projects are: the Junior "S" club, the anti-bullying assembly sponsorship, kids day for the sixth grade class, and others as needed.

On Your Way Awards

A $25 Borders gift card and a recognition certificate is presented by committee members to the most improved reader in the third, fouth and fifth grades of each elementary school. Students are nominated by their teachers and interviewed about their favorite book. Books are also presented to the school in each student's name. Presentations are made a school assemblies.

Writing Festival

Language Arts students at South Tahoe Middle School are asked to write an essay on a woman in history whom they admire. Essays are scored by committee members following a rubric. Final evaluation is done by high school English teachers. The first second and third place winners in each grade catagory read their essays before a reception for parents, teachers and students hosted by committee members. Cash prizes and recogniton certificates are awarded to each student. Recognition certificates are awarded to each participant.

Scholarships

Scholarship applications from seniors at both STHS and Whitell HS are evaluated by committee members based on grades, activities, community service and finanacial need. Five scholarships are awarded at a breakfast given by SITS for parents, students and educators. The breakfast is hosted by the commitee. Monetary awards for most improved students at the middle school and high school levels are awarded at the same event. .
Three scholarships are funded for the Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation and awarded to students nominated by the Foundation.

TECHNICAL
COMMITTEES 2011/2012

* = chair/co-chair
ATTENDANCE AND ROSTER

*Joann Tillson
*Phyllis Clifton
Carol Taylor
Irene Radford
Shirley Barr

NEWSLETTER

*Lisa Huard
*Mandy Kendall
Julie Lowe

COMMUNICATIONS
Website/email

*Carolyn Robinson
*Shari Young
Darcie Carpenter

FINANCE

*Doris Groelz
*Kathy Southern
*Shari Young
Sharon Kerrigan
Cookie Rork
Betsy Williams

GRANT WRITING

*Cookie Rork
Wendy David
Collette Wigart

HOSPITALITY/BREAKFAST

*Joanne Shope
Cookie Rork
Irene Morris
Hellen Barclay

PUBLICITY

*Laurie Brazil
Karen Houser

RECRUITMENT/RETENTION

*Wendy David
Sandy Williams
Nancy Rollston
Pat Papp
Maria Del Martinez
Marilyn Pawling
Marcia Sarosik