August 2015
Issue: 23
Soroptiviews masthead

Who are we, really? 

By Shirley Lorraine
 
The Soroptimist Club of Ventura does a lot of good for women and girls in Ventura County, but who really knows about us? We need to get the word out. How do we do that? We might want to BRAND ourselves. Have a short slogan that invites people to join us. Our mission statement says "Improving the lives of women and girls in our community and throughout the world". That's excellent, but a brand needs to be shorter. Think Nike's "Just Do It". What variation can you think of that would work?
 
We need your help in coming up with a short and sweet message that will entice new members and inquiries. The Public Awareness Committee would like your ideas and suggestions. We'd like to align with the 85th Anniversary if possible, although a brand should be able to carry its own weight in a timeless fashion.
 
Some thoughts to consider -
  • Celebrating the past, anticipating the future.
  • Improving the lives of women and girls (board suggestion)
  • For the worth of women.
  • Strength, unity and power.
  • Marching into the future.
  • Women are worthy!
  • Confidence, not chaos.
Any and all ideas are welcome. Bring to the next meeting or contact Trevor, Cindy or Shirley. We are waiting for your input!

Dayspring School, Jinja, Uganda 
By DeDe Taylor 
     
 In 2001, just after retiring from Ventura County, I went on my first Mission trip to Africa.  When we arrived in Kenya one of the team waiting to teach us their culture was George Muzaale from Uganda.  We hit it off quickly as we worked together in 3 person teams to construct a new classroom for Camp Mwanda that taught the Masaii how to speak English as well as other regular school. 

George told me how he and his wife felt directed  to build a Christian pre-school on the land purchased for their new home.  In 2002 our Presbytery sent a 6 person team to Uganda to help construct a permanent brick building for Dayspring.  Over the period from 2002 to 2008 we sent 10 to 12 person teams and watched the school flourish!  From 22 pre-schoolers to over 450 students from tots to 8th grade well equipped to pass the exam for secondary school.

 I will be sharing some of the fun and serious parts of this growth at the August 26th Program meeting.  Hope you are there! 


If you are interested in attending this meeting please call Cindy Daly at 701-0882 to RSVP by Monday, August 24. The cost is $15. 
July 22nd Program Meeting Launches Committee Planning for 2015 - 2016
We launched our committee activities and planning as a group at the July 22 program meeting. The process began with each Chairperson describing their committee's responsibilities in general and then expanding on to what they hoped to accomplish in order to fulfill these responsibilities.  Every Soroptimist member present had been given sheets for each committee onto which they could write down ideas to pass along to the committee chair.

The process will be revisited in September, after all committees have held their individual meetings, in order to see how their plans have developed and progressed.  Members will then have another opportunity to give their input for each committee.
 
Here are the committees with the chairperson and it's members.

Membership
Chairs:  Cindy Daly, One-Year Director
              Trevor Summerli
n, Two-Year Director
       Ann Hewitt               Sandy Masiel                   
       Dorothy Prairie        Celia Sugden 
 
Service
Chairs: Lorie Balzer, Two-Year Director
             Karen Flock, One-Year Director
              Kay Armstrong          Sherri Bennett 
              Cyndi Damron           Yvonne Nino                             
                      Kellye Patterson

Public Awareness 
Chairs: Trevor Summerlin, Two-Year Director
             Cindy Daly, One-Year Director
              Shirley Lorraine       Donna Nelson
              Pam Pecarich         DeDe Taylor 
    
Fundraising
Chairs:  Cyndi Damron, Vice President
              Kellye Patterson, Corresponding Secretary
       Gina Jaegar             Pam Pecarich                   
       Peggy Ruesink        DeDe Taylor   
Life Skills Program Begins August 27
  
Life Skills Graphic We will be presenting our signature service program, Life Skills, to the City Center residents starting Thursday, August 27th, at 6:30-8:00 p.m. The location will be the Cross Over Building of the River Community Church, 889 E. Santa Clara St.  Ventura, CA 93001.  We are expecting 10 participants, but that could change by the time we begin the session.
 
By combining topics, we were able to pare down the length of the program from 9 to 7 weeks. As a result, the Orientation/Get Acquainted session will be August 27th, followed by Modules 1-5. The Wrap Up and Evaluation session will be on October 8th.
 
We will run another session with the Salvation Army to be scheduled after the City Center classes have concluded.

Please come and participate in this inspiring, hands-on program which is unique to our club. 
Applications for the  
Women's Scholarships 
Now Available

Applications and information about Live Your Dream (formerly called the Women's Opportunity Award) is now available on our website at

Live Your Dream is a scholarship awarded to a local woman who is the primary wage earner in her family to assist with meeting career/educational goals.  Click here to download the application.   

Live Your Dream also requires two reference forms.  Click here to download the reference form.

 

The deadline for the application is November 15, 2015. 

 

Ventura Soroptimists Participate in the
AmazonSmile Program  
 
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to our Soroptimist International of Ventura.

How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com ), you need to select Soroptimist International of Ventura to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at  smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

How much of my purchase does Amazon donate?
The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes, or service charges. From time to time, there may be special, limited time promotions that increase the donation amount on one or more products or services or provide for additional donations to charitable organizations.

AmazonSmile Donations to Charitable Organizations
100% of the donation amount generated from your eligible purchase on AmazonSmile will be donated. The donation amounts generated by your purchases are combined with the donation amounts from all other customers that selected the same organization, and each quarter the AmazonSmile Foundation makes donations to registered charitable organizations by electronic funds transfer. Donations are generally transferred approximately 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter.

Please tell all your family and friends to choose Soroptimist International of Ventura to support in their Amazon online purchases through the AmazonSmile program.

Advertise in Our E-Newsletter and Help Support Our Community Service Fund

 For a donation of $100 to our community service fund, we will advertise your business in our e-newsletter every month for a year. That is a $20 dollar savings over the monthly rate of of $10 per month. 
 
Or, donate $50 to our community service fund and we will advertise your business in our e-newsletter every month for six months. 
 
Mail your donation check to:  Soroptimist, P.O.Box 6133, Ventura, CA 93066 -- Include your ad information and email contact -- or contact us at [email protected] We will contact you to finalize the ad copy.

2015 Pledge & Inspiration Schedule 

 
    

 August 12 Meeting: 

Pledge - Kellye Patterson  

Inspiration - DeDe Taylor       

August 26 Mee
ting:

Pledge - Shirley Lorraine    

Inspiration - Trevor Summerlin  

 

Please email Karen Flock at [email protected] if you would like to lead the pledge or inspire us at a meeting. 
Soroptimist logo
Upcoming 
Events
 
August 12 - Business Meeting - Noon
 
August 18 - Service Committee Meeting -  
5 pm 702 County Square Drive, Vta

August 19 - Fundraising Committee Meeting -
Noon
Toppers, 3940 Main St., Vta
 
August 26 - Program Meeting - Noon 
DeDe Taylor, Day Springs School

August 27 - Life Skills Program - 6:30 - 8 pm
River Community Church, 889 E. Santa Clara St.



SIV to Present a Donation at August 12 Business Meeting

After being impressed with James Panagoti
's presentation at our May Program Meeting, we decided to allocate some of our hard earned funds to his non-profit 1 Family 1 Restaurant. We will present a check to James at the Aug. 12 business meeting. 

1F1R is a uniqu
e web based solution to help solve hunger.
1F1R.com connects restaurants, people in the community, food banks, pantry partners to provide meals from restaurants to food insecure individuals in a unique sustainable manner.  Click here 1F1R.com
to get more information. 
Save the Date

Service Committee Meeting 

Lorie Balzer and Karen Flock, Service Committee Chairs, will hold a planning meeting Tuesday, August 18th, 5:00 pm at 702 County Square Dr., Ventura for all members of the service committee and anyone else interested in attending.

Please enter the building on the north side.
            -----
Fundraising Committee Meeting  

Cyndi Damron and Kellye Patterson, Chairs for the Fundraising Committee will hold a lunch meeting on Wednesday, August 19, Noon at Toppers, 3940 Main St.   

Please attend if you are able. 
SI Ventura is 85 Years old!!!

Coming this fall we will be kicking off the holiday season with an 85th anniversary celebration and fundraising event. 
 
If you would like to help in the planning of this event please contact Cyndi Damron at 216-4728 or email her at damroncyndi@
gmail.com
.

 

Presidents Message

 

Thank you all for your input at the joint committee meeting discussion at our last program meeting.  I would appreciate any of your feedback regarding the format of the meeting and its perceived usefulness.  

 

We have several important dates and events coming up in the near future.   

 

Our Life Skills program starts at City Center August 27th from 6:30-8:00.  I hope many of you are planning to participate!  If you are interested in participating or knowing more please speak with Lorie Balzer.  

 

Planning is in swing for for our 85th celebration. All of your support will be welcomed.  

 

Our annual Trafficking event is starting to be planned.  If you are interested please contact me.  

 

Live your Dream applications are due November 15th.  Please keep in mind any opportunity to reach out to our community for applicants.  

 

"Keeping each other's backs" within our club and in the greater community of women and girls is our gift to ourselves and others.   

 

 

Kay Armstrong 

President

SI Ventura 2015-2016  

 



The SIV Birthday for August is
:

Cindy Daly 8/5

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Support SI Ventura

Advertise your business here and reach over 200 people!!!
Only $10 per month.
 
For Information call Cindy Daly at 
805-647-1554 or email her at


 

2015 AXXess Books are Still Available

 

 
The 2015 AXXess Books are still available for $30.


If you are interested in either selling the books or buying a book for yourself, please contact Lorie Balzer for details and more information at 805-443-8757 or email her loriebalzer@

Club Meetings
  • 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month
  • Luncheon Meeting at 12 noon
  • Ventura Beach Marriott Hotel, 2055 Harbor Blvd., Ventura