Soroptimist Pinellas County, Florida, USA newsletter

"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!!!
September
23rd
2008

Tuesday

SCOUP

September,2008

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL
OF UPPER PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA
P.O. BOX 10535 CLEARWATER, FLORIDA USA 33767

Volume 42, Issue, September, 2008 Online Edition #85

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.
At the 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.

THE BEST FOR WOMEN

Calendar
2008-2009

September 23rd Meeting

Oct 10th & 11th
District
Meeting -
We are the hosts

October 28th - Meeting

November 25th
Meeting- Shopping Night at the Silver Queen

December Christmas Party at Martha's

Service Funds
Due:March 31
Dues :April 1

April 23-26
Southern Region Conference Huntsville,
Alabama

Officers:
2008-2009
President:
Mary Louise Scussel
Vice President:
Susan Kinney Lowell
Recording Secretary:
Pat Arbutine
Corresponding Secretary:
Betsi Lewis
Treasurer:
Paula Harvey
Director
2 Year Term:
Mel Chase2009
Director
2 Year Term:
Phyllis Cloman
2010
Delegate:
Terry Sue Turner
Delegate:
Martha Gray

Link to
2007 Bylaws

The
Way We Were
2007 -2008

E Mail Us

Our club museum is upstairs at the Silver Queen.

Committee
Assignments
2008 -2009
Women Honoring Women
Phyllis Cloman
Women
Opportunity
Award
Marsha McGrath
Violet
Richardson
Award
Cathy Wagner
Sunshine

Telephone & Parlimentarian
Terry Sue Turner

Directory
Karen Curry
Publicity
Betsi Lewis
Growth & Development
Linda Tamanini
Scoup -SOLT
Pat Arbutine
Programs
Susan Kinney Lowell

Please remember to bring Toiletries.
Paper Products & other whatnots for the gals
at "Women on the Way".

This Meeting will be a
re-definition of our club. We hope to have an independent facilitator to keep us on track. Please give some thought to why you are in this club and what you want its future to be.

Our club is hosting the District II Meeting on October 10th and October 11th.    Our Betsi is District II Director. This is her meeting. Please plan on attending.

"Decision 2008:Cast Your Ballot For Soroptimists"

Place is the Grand Hotel formerly the Radisson where we hold our regular meetings. Hotel # 727 799 1181
Hotel reservations due Sept. 20^th.    Individual members are responsible for their own reservations

  Below is a quick summary.
Dates Friday- October 10^th 1:30 T0 4:30 Leadership Training with Governor Nidia.

4:30- 5:30 Social Hour at the Bayside Grill
5:30 Optional Dinner at Bayside Grill

Saturday – October 11^th
8:am – 9:00 am Registration and Breakfast
President’s Roundtable

9:00 am – 3:00 pm District II Meeting.

Registration for the Meeting is $40. This includes breakfast and lunch on Saturday.

Friday Night dinner is $35   Reservations must be in By September 27^th. You may mail to Paula or bring to our club meeting On Sept. 23^rd

^{Attachments went out in a separate email
to all those on line with the registration form and the agenda.
Please refer to that.}

Happy Birthday
to Southern Region.
60
Years Old!!

Birthdays

Marsha M 1/06
Pegi M-1/16
Judy P - 1/25
Karen C- 1/27
Jeanne G-1/27
Nancy C.-3/19
Mary Lou A.4/10
Alice S -5/5
Paula H-5/14
Cathy W - 5/15
Ellen J - 6/13
Mary Louise S 6/28
Martha G-7/19
Linda- 9/04
Terry Sue T -9/4P
Phyllis 9/06
Pat A. - 9/13
Susan K-9/23
Mel C. -10/8
Grace S - 11/22
Betsi L- 12/19

Request from
Terry Sue.
Telephone
Committee
Please Get Your
Reservations to
Her.

Soroptimist International of Upper Pinellas County Minutes Meeting August 5th,2008

Present were: President Mary Louise, Corres. Secy. Betsi, Treasurer Paula Plus 6 other members.

Invocation was given by Pres. Mary Louise. Brag Bucket was passed around.

Minutes of the May Meeting were approved. Minutes of the June Meeting were approved.
Treasurer’s report was filed for audit.
Conference Account was filed for audit.

Communications: Women on the Way Newsletter.

Clearwater Times –Merrion Elizabeth was written up.

Mary Lou Ambrose has resigned.

Peg & Ellen were late joiners. Ellen is at The Palms Assisted Living. Betsi will contact her to tell her that her dues are paid.

Betsi: The District Meeting. “Cast your Ballot for Soroptimsts” To be held here at the Radisson which is now the Grand Hotel. Decorations on luncheon table will be a ballot box. Friday afternoon –Starts at 1-4:30. Leadership training. Saturday hours – 9 -3:30PM. Lunch will be part of registration. Breakfast will be on their own. Hotel is $79 per room which includes breakfast. Edgewater room is above the registration desk. Meeting Room is $50 for the day. $50 for lunch room. We must have access to the elevator. Coffee Service only.

New ideas to be sent to Betsi.

Board Resolution #1: Paula moved that that each member be invoiced separately $30 as proportionate cost of the room rent for the current club year. Susan seconded. Passed Unanimously by the board. Presented to the club by Secy. Pat. No second needed. Discussion. Passed Unanimously.
Board Resolution #2: Board Resolution: Betsi moved that The balance of $456.92 left in our Service Fund for 2007- 2008 year be donated to the Women on the Way Emergency Fund. Susan Seconded. Passed Unanimously. Presented by Secy. Pat. No second needed. Discussion. Passed unanimously.

Susan Moved John & Lisa Altintop be invited to our WOA. Linda Seconded. Passed.

Updated Directory_ Susan has the proofs. Requests that We check and verify info. Paula requests cellphone info. Passing to Karen.

Friendship Night. October 28^th. Replacing career night. A social meeting. Discussion. This idea failed.

Karen suggested that people be required to attend 6 meeetings.

Pat suggested that we use our Women Honoring Women event for women to get to know us.

Paula suggested that we dedicate a meeting to ourselves.

Betsi suggested that SIA has a form for members to follow. A night to remember - Discovering ourselves. October 28^th Meeting.

Paula moved that the program focus for the October meeting will be self examination and re- member night. Phyllis seconded. Passed Unanimously.

Women Honoring Women. February 21^st or Feb 28^th. Terry Sue will be parliamentarian and do the bios.

Terry Sue moved that we hold Shopping night meeting at The Silver Queen Inc. seconded. Passed

Christmas Party at Martha Gray’s house at 1:30.

Women’s Opportunity Awards and Violet Richardson Awards. Should it be separate. Move this to September meeting.

Adjourned 9:20PM

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.

Soroptimist Making a Difference for Women Award _ A new name is being sought for this Award. You may submit suggestions ro siahq@soroptimist .org. 5/2008

The Making a Difference for Women Award acknowledges women who are working to improve the lives of women and girls through their personal or professional activities. Their efforts help to promote the issues that are important to the Soroptimist organization. Honorees are women who have worked in extraordinary ways to benefit women and girls. Examples of the type of work honored include: spearheading an effort to open a domestic violence shelter, working to secure health services for low-income women, starting a mentoring program for at-risk girls, or lobbing companies to provide on-site child care. The program enables local Soroptimist clubs and the Soroptimist organization to thank these women and encourage others to explore ways to assist women and girls. The program begins on the club level, where the type of recognition varies. Award winners at the club level are eligible for additional awards at other levels of the organization. The finalist receives a $5,000 donation to the charitable organization of her choice.

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

Project 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 fulfil 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 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./td

"Live Your Dreams" pins are available at our club for sale at $3 each which is our cost. There is more information on "Live Your Dreams" below and at the bottom of the page.
TThe following information is from the Soroptimists International of America Webstie. 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 font size="2">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.

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 sponsored by The Silver Queen