Soroptimist Pinellas County, Florida, USA newsletter

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL
OF UPPER PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA

P.O. BOX 10535      CLEARWATER, FLORIDA USA 33767

Volume 46, Issue, May- June, 2010   Online Edition #105

Please note: This Scoup is for 2 months. Please mark your calendar's.

Place:   Sam Seltzer's Restaurant has closed without warning.
This Month we are meeting at:
BALLA'S STEAK HOUSE
776 MISSOURI AVENUE NORTH
LARGO, FL
PHONE: 584-5888
It's just south of Rosery and a little passed Stacey's.
Plan to arrive around 5:30 as the cut off for the early bird specials is 6 pm and they won't waive that part.

Dues of $100 for the Club Year 2010/2011 are now due.
Please bring to our next meeting or
Mail to our treasurer, Linda. Her address is in your directory.

Please mark your calender for this month's meeting on May 25th
and next month's meeting on June 22nd.

Also keep this date open.
June 5th for a joint fellowship meeting with the other Tampa Bay clubs.

President Susan's Letter

President Susan is busy finding a meeting place for this month. You will be notified as soon as possible as to where.
Her letter will resume in our next issue.

THE BEST FOR WOMEN

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

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

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
2008 -2009
If you want to know
our personal history,
Click above.


Officers 2009-2010 President: Susan Kinney Lowell, Vice Pres- Phyllis Cloman, Secretary- Patricia L. Arbutine Treasurer – Linda Taminini, Director - Marsha McGrath Director- Mel Chase Delegate -Terry Sue Turner, Delegate-Karen Curry			Committee Assignments 2009 -2010 Telephone & Parliamentarian: Terry Sue Turner Publicity: Growth & Development: Phyllis Cloman Scoup - SOLT: Pat Arbutine Directory : Karen Curry Club Historian: Betsi Lewis Above the Club: Betsi Lewis Telephone: Terry Sue Turner Audit:Linda, Karen, Susan and Betsi Projects Women Opportunity Award: Mel Chase Violet Richardson Award: Marsha McGrath, The Ruby Award:(Women of Distinction)(on hold) Transitional Living Program-Cathy Wagner and Barbara Janks

Conference Report from Karen Curry Terry, Susan and I are home from the 84^th Southern Region Conference in Deerfield Beach. We had a very good time. Since Betsi was not able to attend due to the death of her beloved mother, we three roomed together. So many participants asked after Betsi, she is well thought of Terry and I decided to divide our comments on the conference into days. I would take Thursday, Friday and Sunday and Terry would write about Saturday, the main day. Friday morning we took off in Terry's car at 9:30 AM from my home and traveled across the state with a couple of stops and arrived at the Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach at 4:00 PM where we promptly registered. We came down for the Embassy Suites nightly Managers Reception for complementary drinks and were driven by Janine Webster (Treasurer) to our evenings buffet dinner at restaurant Oceans 234 , right on the beach. We dined al fresco with former Gov. Connie Desko and her club mates. Friday morning we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel and the Registration table opened for those arriving that day and there was an Officers Workshop and Terry attended an invitation only luncheon to say goodbye to Gov. Nidea, while Susan networked and renewed friendships from past conferences. I took off in a taxi for Mizer Park and the Boca Raton Museum of Art (wonderful). We gathered at 1:45 PM for the Opening Ceremony with a flag presentation from the Florida Atlantic University ROTC, and were welcomed by Mayor Peggy Noland. The business meeting consisted of introductions, reports, and leadership workshops held by Diane Thompson, SIA Board Member, speaking of strategic plans and asked each table to share their best Soroptimist experience. From Philadelphia Soroptimist Membership Director, Nicole Simmons broke us into groups to discuss ten ways to increase membership. We adjourned at 4:30 PM. Back up to the room and down by 5:30 PM to the Managers Reception for drinks and on to Friday's Friendship Dinner – Shipwrecked on Deerfield Beach. Of course it was a nautical theme with many dressing as the characters from Gilligan's Island. Mary Jo Horton was a great Mrs. Howell. Small water pistols were left on our tables and my roommates were shooting their hearts out. Too bad for me, I fell ill and went up to the room. I fared better on Saturday where I made it for the voting and Pat McKay of Huntsville was elected to succeed Gov Pricilla. Terry will report on Saturday, the busiest and truly best day. On Sunday we dressed and went to breakfast and then about 60 of us went down to the beach/boardwalk to honor the members who have died since the last conference. It was entitled Celebration of Life/Devotional Service. A framed picture of our lovely Nancy Cusick sat with the other seven departed ladies and each one was given a fine tribute and we were told a bit of their lives. Soroptimists are truly long lived. Then back to reconvene and close the business session and a movie on Montgomery Alabama the home of the 85^th Conference in 2011. I was told there were 119 in attendance. Many gifts were exchanged and we all held hands to form the circle of friendship and said the pledge and sang a Soroptimist song written by a member. We three were in the car by 10:30 AM and home by 4:30 PM. Terry was a great driver and Susan was an eagle eyed co-pilot. I want to thank the club for sending me. This is my first away conference and my first as a voting delegate. I will remember it always. Karen 5/5/10
Getting Ready to Leave



Birthdays Marsha M 1/06 Nancy C.-3/19 Alice S -5/5 Dede 5/12 Cathy W - 5/15 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 Katie 12/4 Betsi L- 12/19 Gretchen -5/20 Barbara -4/26
Calendar2009 -2010
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 Pat's Home.	June 23rd Regular Club Meeting- Strategic planning meeting. July 28th Club Meeting at Cathy's Home	August 25th Regular Club Meeting Sam Seltzer's Steak House. Corner of Belleair Road and US HWY #19	September 22nd Meeting. Speaker: Terrick Moyer, Supervisor of the Transitional Living Program at FamilyResources, our newly adopted service organization.
Founders Day Oct.3rd October 16 -17 District II Meeting Hostess Holiday Isles Friday and Saturday Meeting Hotel and Location Sirata Beach Center	October 27th Meeting Violence Against Women Presentation Speaker: Courtney Hendrickson Outreach Manager at The Haven	November 24th Meeting Shopping Night at The Silver Queen November 25th International Day to End Domestic Violence	December Christmas Party	January 11th, 2010 National Day of Human Trafficking Awarness January 26, 2010 Meeting Human Trafficking Presentation	February 23rd- Meeting Speaker-David Walker about the Census
March 6th District II Joint Award Presentation Ceremony. March 8th- SIA Live Your Dream Event-International Women's Day	March 23rd Meeting Slate of Officers Presented Our Awards Banquet.	April 27th Election of Officers Service Funds Due March 31st Dues should be paid April 1st	April 29 - May2-2010 Southern Region Conference Deerfield Beach,Florida "S.S. Leg-a-Sea	May 25th-Meeting	June 5th. Save this date for a Joint Installation luncheon with The Tampa Bay Clubs. It will be held at around noon at Treasure Island Yacht and Tennis Club. Ordering will be off the menu. More Details to Come June 22nd-Meeting Wrap Up & Strategic Planning

E Mail Us

A little bit of FUN!!!!
A treat , a short joke
and

"This and That" from Marsha McGrath

The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease

My book club just finished reading The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease, a first time author who spent her career as a librarian. After retiring, she took writing classes and published this 14th century story of life, politics, and religion. Finn is the illuminator of manuscripts of the title. Prior to the Gutenberg press, the bulk of the novel takes place at a manor called Blackingham in East Anglia with Lady Kathryn the head of household. Her two young sons show little promise of taking on the responsibility their father left them due to his untimely death in service to the King. Half Tom, a little person, Julian of Norwich and Sir Guy, the evil Sheriff all combine to make life challenging for Finn and Lady Kathryn. This fiction is tied well to reall historical events, includes mystery, murder, and romances. But, be aware there are graphic scenes of life and death, but throw it in for a quick beach read as you watch the oil roll in...

A medieval illuminator with radical views finds himself sharing quarters with a widow struggling to preserve her independence in this enthralling historical novel set in the 14th century, a time of religious strife. Lady Kathryn, mistress of Blackingham Manor in East Anglia, must be practical to ensure the future of her 15-year-old twin sons. Little as she cares for the money-grubbing worthies of the local abbey, she is happy to do them a favor by taking in a master illuminator as lodger. Finn, a widower with a 16-year-old daughter, proves to be a congenial guest. He is educated, perceptive and kind--and soon, irresistible to Kathryn. Their subsequent passionate affair blinds them to the romance developing between Finn's innocent daughter, Rose, and Kathryn's pious son, Colin. Meanwhile, the unsolved murder of an unscrupulous priest on the manor grounds puts everyone in jeopardy, and Finn's secret sympathy with John Wycliffe and his Lollard followers, who champion an English translation of the Scriptures, endangers his livelihood, not to mention his life. Kathryn's plainspoken fortitude and warring loyalties to lover and sons make her a compelling figure, and Vantrease's secondary characters are brilliantly sketched as well: confused Colin; his carousing brother, Alfred; Agnes, Lady Kathryn's cook and confidante since childhood; Half-Tom, a courageous dwarf. In Vantrease's medieval England, justice is determined by the powerful; violence is a first, not a last, resort; and love must take second place to duty. This is an absorbing, expertly told tale, plainly and forthrightly written and embroidered with plenty of homespun detail.

Happy Mother's Day to All of Us!!

(My husband sent me this joke.)

My husband and I were sitting around the breakfast table one lazy Sunday morning.

I said to him, "If I were to die suddenly, I want you to immediately sell all my stuff.."
"Now why would you want me to do something like that?" he asked.
"I figure that you would eventually remarry

and I don't want some bitch using my stuff..."

He looked at me and said:

"What makes you think I'd marry another bitch?"

Face Book Members: SIA is now on Facebook. Our local club is also on Facebook.

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: A Family and A Future aims to raise £1 million ($2 million USD) to help disadvantaged women and children in Sierra Leone face their futures with confidence. Please see link below to learn more.

> www.projectsierra.org

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
UPDATE - September, 2009 from SIA Headquarters

Dear Soroptimist,
Recent typhoons and earthquakes in Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan, as well as the wildfires in California, have caused devastating effects. To our knowledge no Soroptimists have been affected, but serious damage has been inflicted in these regions. Headquarters expects that applications for disaster recovery grants will be received as soon as the regions can assess the rehabilitation needs of women and girls.

Soroptimist’s Disaster Recovery Fund disburses grants to Soroptimist regions and clubs to help immediate needs and long-term recovery in times of natural catastrophe. The amount of the grants awarded ranges from US$1,000 to US$20,000.

When disaster strikes, women lack mobility and access to resources, have increased family responsibilities and are susceptible to physical danger. Most often the unmet needs of women and girls after a disaster are not known until after the immediate crisis has subsided. For more information, refer to Soroptimist’s White Paper “Reaching Out To Women When Disaster Strikes.”

At present, funds are low in the Disaster Recovery Fund. You can help build the fund and directly help women and girls recover after disaster by donating now. Donate online or send your contribution to SIA headquarters, 1709 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19103 earmarked for the Disaster Recovery Fund. Thank you.
Yours in Soroptimist Service,

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

Thank you for participating in the Live Your Dream Art Contest, which highlights the many contributions and accomplishments of women. The winners have been announced and are posted at LiveYourDreamCampaign.org. Visit the site now to view the winners in each category!

Best Wishes,

Cathy Standiford

SIA President

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's population, 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.

Update from SIA Headquarters - September,2009

Live Your Dream Art Contest

Soroptimist is pleased to announce the second annual Live Your Dream art contest, which invites boy and girl students, ages 4 to 18, to draw a present-day woman who inspires them. SIA encourages all clubs to promote this contest, as it provides a unique opportunity for clubs to engage with schools and generate local publicity. Contest materials are available at LiveYourDreamCampaign.org or in the Live Your Dream Art Contest section at Soroptimist.org.

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

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This newsletter is made from a template. You will find the meeting announcements always in the same place.

Soroptimist International of Upper Pinellas County

This newsletter sponsored by The Silver Queen

"Soroptimist International is an organization of women in management and professions working through service projects to enhance human rights and the status of women."
Meeting!!! May 25th Junes 22nd 2010 This is a 2 month notification.				SCOUP May - June 2010