Women’s Opportunity Award

This award assists women entering or reentering the workforce to obtain education and skills to improve their employment opportunities. At the local level, applications are delivered to the college, university ther locations were women are upgrading their education. Following competition at the local level, the winner of the local award proceeds to the provincial competition and then at the Federation level.

Violet Richardson Award

The first Soroptimist club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The Founding President was Violet Richardson. Soroptimists have continued to work towards improving the lives of women and girls and seek to be a global voice for women through awareness, advocacy and action. Each year, SI Thunder Bay sponsors an award for a girl between the ages to 15 to 18 and her special project.

Both awards receive a financial contribution.

Business in a Bag

In response to the extreme poverty that our club member Erika Maki found in Cuba, she developed several small business kits such as cake decorating and manicure kits. Vacationers to Cuba from the Thunder Bay area take a suitcase with the kits to contact people arranged by Erika– hence the title ‘Business in a Bag’. In addition to the kits, Erika has sent over 100 wedding dresses donated by Thunder Bay bridal shops and brides to Cuba. She relies on people travelling to take an extra suitcase filled with dresses, which she vacuum packs. Erika has found women in three different communities – Varadero, Mangitto, and Havana – who receive the dresses and operate their businesses renting them to brides to be. The dresses are used over and over, and when they become worn they are made into children’s dresses, and then eventually into doll clothes.

KIVA

KIVA Loans that change lives.

Lets you lend to an entrepreneur in a developing world empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. Each entrepreneur is pre-screened, hard working and wants to create a sustainable livelihood. Loan as little as $25.00.

This message was enough to get members involved in Kiva. Members of SI Thunder Bay made personal donations towards funding projects related to women through the organization Kiva.

We are currently sponsoring 28 projects located in Mexico, Uganda, Guatemala, Nicaragua Peru, Dominican Republic and many others. Members in the club believed that it was important to offer funding support to other women’s groups. The Kiva organization lends money to qualified individuals and groups and we expect to keep the initial donations circulating. We have used our logo and address as the name for our lending group. We believe that this is an opportunity for us to have some publicity as a women’s organization. If you are interested in seeing what we are doing, please go to www.kiva.org.

Foster Child

A new child from Christian Children’s Fund is sponsored every four years. At present the club is sponsoring a 12 year old girl from Managua, Nicaragua. Her mother is the only working person in the family. Sponsorship provides education and nutrition to the child and her family. Welfare of the entire family is enhanced through our sponsorship.

ST Thunder Bay members act as Secret Santas and at Christmas time, provide gifts to needy women and children.

Education

Soroptimist Foundation of Canada:
An annual contribution of $250, is made to the foundation for support of educational programs for women.

Soroptimist International Quadrennial Project 2007 to 2011

Our current Quadrennial Project is called Project SIerra: a Family and a Future. The project supports women caring for children in extreme poverty and provides a caring, secure family home for children who are alone or at risk of abandonment. The project location is Sierra Leone, West Africa. Our project partner is Hope and Homes for Children. Our club supports this project with an annual $200 donation.

President’s Annual December 10 Appeal

Every year, on Human Rights Day (December 10) the President of Soroptimist International selects a project that provides direct assistance to women in extreme need. This year’s project is called ‘Hopes and Dreams for Everyone’. It aims to prevent human trafficking from Moldova by providing life-skill education and sustainable living conditions for vulnerable children. For the 2009 Appeal, President Hanne Jensbo has chosen to adopt a highly successful anti-trafficking project run by the SI Union of Norway with SI clubs in Moldova for the last 4 years. Further funding is urgently needed for the project to continue. At our December meeting, club members offer donations for this appeal.

SI Thunder Bay holds three major fundraising events during the year. In the fall, we have a catalogue sale which is usually devoted to Christmas gifts, candles and chocolate. In late October, we host a Family and Friends Auction (formally Chinese Auction). We are known in town for the best ‘baskets’. All of the baskets in our auction are built on a theme basis. For example, we have had movies and pop corn, pasta and wine, and time for tea. In the spring we host a day of gardening seminars and speakers.

This fall we had a special fund raiser with prizes including a trip for two, anywhere Westjet flies and the other, a weekend stay at the Sheridan Hotel in Toronto with two tickets to a Maple Leafs hockey game. Over $2800 were raised.