Meeting Place is the Grand Hotel,
formerly the Radisson Hotel - Clearwater Central.
20967 US Hwy 19 North Clearwater, Florida. 33767

This is located just north of Perkins Restaurant on the service road. Dinner and social from 5:30 to 7PM. At 7PM we will adjourn to a meeting room nearby on the 1st floor.

Agenda
This is our Awards Banquet Honoring the Recipients of:
Women's Opportunity Awards
Violet Richardson Award
Woman Making a Difference Award.
This is a social meeting. There will be no business meeting.
Please get your reservations in ASAP. We have guaranteed 25 dinners to the hotel.
Dinner will be Buffet Style in The Clearwater Room.
The price is $20. It is important that we know how many are coming.
You may email here or call Mel 785 3339 . Please try to be at this event.
Calls or emails by Tuesday would be greatly appreciated.
Cocktail hour will start at 5:30PM. Dinner at 6:30PM.

"Dress for Success"
It was decided at the April Club Meeting that we would bring items that women could wear to job interviews. This would include suits, dressy pantsuits, dresses, handbags, new undergarments and pantyhose, purses, shoes and costume jewelry. Karen will deliver them to the "Dress For Success" in Tampa. Karen will have tax receipts for anyone desiring one.

President Susan's Letter

I hope all of you have ‘made your reservations’ for our Awards Banquet on the 26^th of May at the Grand Hotel. We have some terrific winners and we can be proud of the cash awards we are presenting at the Banquet. Betsi and Mel are co-chairing the event and Marsha and Cathy are busy preparing introductions of our winners. Sharon Coil from Women on the Way will also be our guest that evening – it’s always good to hear from her. Don’t forget your items for Dress for Success (details below). What a great feeling to be able to share with others and give them a ‘hand up’ toward success.

SI Holiday Isles is hosting our Joint Installation this year on June 6^th (invitation below). Let’s have our usual great showing. We can get together and carpool (and be ‘green’ Soroptimists).

Thank you Karen for representing SI UP at SI Tampa’s Bake Sale at the Centre for Girls. See her report … sounds like she enjoyed herself!! Ask her for more details when you see her. Y

It’s time … start thinking about the 2009-2010 year … put on your thinking caps and get those creative juices flowing. Think about club direction, growth, new projects, improving old projects, what committee you’d like to chair and how we can make SI Upper Pinellas the best ever. This is our only topic for the June meeting – so please come prepared.

Looking forward to seeing each of you on the 26^th,

Yours in Soroptimists,

Susan

Below you will find our Calendar, Lists of our Officers, Committees and Members, Some Committee Reports, Birthdays and other Current Announcements.

A new feature - "A little bit of fun!!!"
We deserve a treat and a laugh once in a while.

At the very bottom of this page are Current SIA and SI International Projects. There are live links to SIA for more info. Please page down to read.

Previous meeting minutes and the treasurer's report will be attachments on the email that brought you the link to this page.

The
Way We Were
2007 -2008
If you want to know
our personal history,
Click above.

We have lost our paper Club Charter!!! Does anyone remember what happened to it? Did anyone take it out to be framed. If anyone remembers please tell us. We would like to have it back.

Other News

A Donation to Kimberly House from SI Stuart was made in Mary Louise’s name..

Soroptimist International of

Holiday Isles invites you to attend the annual

Joint Installation of District II Tampa Bay Area Club Officers on

Saturday June 6, 2009 11:30am

Sam Seltzer's

3500 Tyrone Boulevard

St. Petersburg 381-7267

Menu: 1lb fried shrimp, 7oz taliapia,or 8oz prime rib. Salad, side, dessert, beverage and gratuity

Cost: $21.00

Mail checks to: SIHI - P. O. Box 66073 St. Pete Beach, Fl. 33736 Please mail your reservations individually.

Any questions-Call 347-5457 Cathy Sue Kurant
Club Presidents are report due.
1 vendor table available per club room (room access at 10:30)

Map Of Sam Seltzer's Area.

Report on SI Tampa's Bake Sale at the Centre for Girls from Karen Curry

Just a quick update on the above event I attended this afternoon. I enjoyed myself so much and purchased lots of treats for my colleagues. I was most popular today. I spoke with Jan Puglese. She and two other Soroptimists were actually on a busy trafficked street with enormous color posters flagging down drive-by's. As they said in the movie - you're a better man than I, Gunga Din.

I can readily observe why Tampa Club has picked The Centre for Girls as their charity and meeting place. It's a great building with lots of life and opportunity for the participants. I spoke with the director Stephanie and some of the young ladies who helped with the bake sale. This day/experience truly reminds me of the joy of Soroptimist.

Karen

THE BEST FOR WOMEN

Officers: 2008-2009 President: Susan Kinney Lowell Secretary: Pat Arbutine Corresponding Secretary: Betsi Lewis Treasurer: Linda Tamanini Director 2 Year Term: Mel Chase2009 Director 2 Year Term: Phyllis Cloman 2010 Delegate: Terry Sue Turner Delegate Martha Gray Officers 2009-2010 President: Susan Kinney Lowell, Vice Pres- Phyllis Cloman, Secretary- Patricia L. Arbutine Treasurer – Linda Taminini, Director/Corresponding - Marsha McGrath Director- Mel Chase Delegate -Terry Sue Turner, Delegate-Karen Curry			Committee Assignments 2008 -2009 Women Honoring Women: Phyllis Cloman Women Opportunity Award: Marsha McGrath Violet Richardson Award: Cathy Wagner Telephone & Parliamentarian: Terry Sue Turner Directory : Karen Curry Publicity: Betsi Lewis Growth & Development: Linda Tamanini Scoup - SOLT: Pat Arbutine Programs : Susan Kinney Lowell

Birthdays Marsha M 1/06 Pegi M-1/16 Judy P - 1/25 Jeanne G-1/27 Nancy C.-3/19 Alice S -5/5 Paula H-5/14 Cathy W - 5/15 Ellen J - 6/13 Karen- 1/ 27 Martha G-7/19 Linda- 9/04 Terry Sue T -9/4 Phyllis 9/06 Pat A. - 9/13 Susan K-9/23 Mel C. -10/8 Grace S - 11/22 Betsi L- 12/
Calendar 2008-2009
Women Honoring Women Feb. 21st. Clearwater Country Club	Meeting: February 24th (A nominating committee will be formed.)	Meeting: March 24th (Slate of Officers will be presented) Speaker: Katie McGill from Dress for Success	Service Funds Due March 31st Dues should be paid April 1st. Board Meetings April 19,2009 Everyone is Welcome!! If Interested Email Here.	April 23-26 Southern Region Conference Huntsville, Alabama	Meeting: April 28th: (Election of Officers) This will also be a Strategic planning meeting.
Board Meetings May 17,2009- Place: Mel Chase's Home Everyone is Welcome!! If Interested Email Here.	Meeting May 26th: at The Grand Hotel Presentation of Women's Opportunity Award, Violet Richardson and Making a Difference for Women	June 6 -Joint Officer Installation Meeting Hostess : SI Holiday Isles Place: "Sam Seltzer's"-See Invitation Board Meeting - June 14th at Marsha's Home.	June 23rd Regular Club Meeting- Strategic planning meeting. July 28th Club Meeting.	August	September 22nd Meeting.
October 16 -17 District II Meeting Hostess Holiday Isles	October 27th Meeting	November 24th Meeting	December Christmas Party	January 26, 2010 Meeting

E Mail Us

Link to Southern Region Accent - May, 2009

A little bit of FUN!!!!
A treat and a laugh!

The Three Wishes

Three friends were stranded on a desert island. After several weeks with no food and no drinking water, they were beginning to lose heart.

Suddenly, a bottle floated into the shore and a beautiful genie popped out. She said "I have three wishes to grant. Each of you gentleman can make one wish come true."

Friend number one got excited. He said "I wish I was in Las Vegas with dice in one hand and a drink in the other, surrounded by music, food, and beautiful women." Instantly he was gone, his wish granted.

Friend number two smiled and said, "I wish I was back home right now with my wonderful wife and our two small children, at our log cabin in the woods sitting in front of the fire and singing Christmas carols together." Just like that, he disappeared.

The genie asked the remaining man, "And what do you wish for?"

He answered, "Gee, I wish I had my buddies back to help me decide..."

(There are so many factors in our lives that depend on the actions of others. As Soroptimists we try to be helpful factors in the life of some other women. PLA)

Lead∙er∙ship (noun) 1) establishing a clear vision (2) communicating that vision with others so that they will follow willingly (3) providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that vision, and (4) coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members or stakeholders.

Are your leadership skills all they can be? These days, particularly in this difficult economy, it’s never been more important to upgrade your personal and professional skills. The Soroptimist Women’s Leadership Institute, July 3-4 in Chicago, is the perfect opportunity to improve your skills, and gain new insights and information to help you be your personal and professional best.

Visit the SIA website to take the first step toward becoming a better leader. Visit the Meetings Page to review information on featured speakers, workshop topics, special hotel rates and other travel details. Then, take the leadership self-assessment and determine which skills you need to strengthen. Use the results to choose the workshops that will benefit you most.

Register now before the June 12 pre-registration deadline. All Soroptimist members and non-members are welcome to attend. Attendance is limited to 400. Contact siahq@soroptimist.org with any questions about the Soroptimist Women’s Leadership Institute. Remember, there’s never been a better time to brush up on your leadership skills!

Dedicated to Dorothy Quick who loved to share her Soroptimist wisdom with us.

You may read SIA Annual report at the SIA Website. Go to the newsroom.

S.O.L.T.

Soroptimists STOP Trafficking,

SIA is pleased to announce Soroptimists STOP Trafficking, a new public awareness project addressing the trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation. This new project will provide information cards about sexual trafficking for participating clubs to distribute in the community. In addition, clubs will work to raise awareness through media and public events. The project has been created in response to overwhelming input from clubs and members indicating a desire for an SIA project that addresses this serious global issue.
The project will launch in the United States on Friday, January 11, 2008, the first National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness. The launch will begin with a public event at which clubs are asked to distribute specially designed flyers in transportation centers in their area: airports, train stations or bus depots. The event will focus on the public awareness message: "Someone in this transportation center may be here against her will," and will provide an excellent opportunity for public awareness and to gain media exposure.
Participating clubs will be provided with professionally designed cards and flyers; club instructions for the project and launch event; and public awareness materials to ensure the project is a success. The materials will be available in all SIA languages. If your club would like to participate or has any questions, contact siahq@soroptimist.org

Project Sierra -$80000 has been donated so far for this project. 5/2008

Sierra is a four year partnership between Soroptimist International and Hope and Homes for Children which will transform the lives of some of the most deprived children and women in the world.

Project Sierra: A Family And A Future aims to raise £1 million ($2million USD) to help disadvantaged women and children in Sierra Leone face their futures with confidence.

By strengthening families at risk of breakdown, helping young children living on the streets return home and empowering vulnerable young mothers, Project Sierra will enable more children to grow up in a caring family environment - giving them the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

To learn how Project Sierra will achieve this, visit the Project Overview section.

Disaster Relief Fund for Women and Girls

Soroptimist's Disaster Relief Fund for Women and Girls targets the special needs of women and girls during natural and man-made disasters. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable during disasters and lack access to resources. They also have special abilities to respond to disasters, which is often overlooked. Soroptimist's disaster relief program mitigates the barriers facing women/girls during disasters. In addition, the program honors the commitments made by the United Nations in the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome Statement of the 46th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women. Soroptimist grants funds to local clubs for use in communities needing disaster relief. Funds are pooled from voluntary contributions sent in from Soroptimist members throughout the world. Soroptimist recently disbursed disaster relief grants to: the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to support Iraqi educational programs for returning women refugees; the Ramona, California, Soroptimist club to help women recovering from the fires in Southern California; and women in El Chaco, Ecuador, to help rebuild the community's farming infrastructure following an earthquake.

Service Funds

Service Funds are due on March 31st of each FISCAL year. (These funds are for the currant fiscal year.) Remember that you are responsible each year for $100 in service funds. You may raise these either by writing a check, advertising in our WHW ad booklet, or by using our banner to have your own fundraiser. All funds raised under our banner must come to our service fund. Each person that participates in an ad hoc fundraiser is still responsible for a total of $100 in service funds.
(Example. 3 members hold a garage sale. They raise $310. The total amount must come to our service fund. All 3 members have covered their service funds. But if 3 members raise $270, each member is still responsible for $10 more to cover their service funds.)

Live your dreams

The following information is from the Soroptimists International of America Website. To read more info, Just click here.. Despite much progress during the last century, women and girls throughout the world continue to face serious challenges. While they represent about one-half of the world'spopulation, women suffer disproportionately from many social problems. Approximately 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people who live on $1 a day are women. More women between the ages of 15 and 44 die due to gender-based violence than cancer, malaria, car accidents and war combined. About 90 million girls around the world are deprived of primary education. These are but a few statistics illuminating the obstacles facing women and girls around the world. Soroptimist created the Live Your Dream campaign to raise awareness about these challenges and inspire women from all walks of life to realize their full potential.

Good Search

Contribute through GoodSearch
GoodSearch is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates 50 percent of its advertising revenue (about a penny per search) to the user's favorite charity. Ours, of course, is SIA. The pennies add up quickly. Consider that if only 1,000 members, friends and staff search the Internet just twice a day, Soroptimist could earn $7,300 a year - just for doing something we do every day! If we think bigger, for example, 10,000 users searching twice a day will earn Soroptimist $73,000 a year! All you have to do is visit www.goodsearch.com and download the GoodSearch toolbar. Enter 'Soroptimist' in the 'My Charity' field and then every time you search the net on your computer, don't forget to use GoodSearch! Thank you for using GoodSearch to help Soroptimist fund our programs that improve the lives for women and girls. Let's see how much we can get those pennies to add up!
Note from Pat: This is not Yahoo's standard bar

LINK TO THE UPPER PINELLAS HOME PAGE

LINK TO TAMPA BAY AREA SOROPTIMIST PAGE

Link To SCOUP Index

This newsletter is downloadable. It is best to set your text to the smallest print.
You will find this under VIEW in your top
internet line. This will not print out as a newspaper but rather as a running sheet. You may have to go onto the next page to see a complete item. If you do not want a hard copy, you may save this by clicking SAVE AS in your FILE in your top line. Save to My Documents or make a separate Folder just for Soroptimists'
This newsletter is made from a template. You will find the meeting announcements always in the same place.

Copyright 2009. Soroptimist International of Upper Pinellas County

This newsletter sponsored by The Silver Queen