Science Goddess
03-22-2006, 06:48 PM
I started attending Soroptomist Club meetings in my new town of residence last fall, and became a full-fledged member in December. While I am just now getting to know other ladies by name (with something like 75 members that attend lunch intermittently), and I'm just now getting involved in two committees, I can already foresee this to become one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.
Anyway, my local SI (Soroptomist Int'l) Club meets every Wednesday for lunch (in addition to doing numerous acts of charity and fundraising throughout the year). Two weeks ago, I was feeling pretty low but since I work at home full-time, I forced myself out of the house to go to lunch. Thank God!
Our club awarded $50,000 in grants to approximately a dozen and a half local charities that day. It might not sound like much when you do the math but this is a small town and a couple grand for things like school supply kits for extremely low-income students or six months of mortgage payments for a women's shelter can make a big difference. I had tears in my eyes off and on the whole time. When you see and hear the stories of these women and see the tears in their eyes and hear the thanks in their voices, you are SO happy to be part of an organization that works to help these organizations.
At the moment, I am blessed because none of my family members nor myself is seriously ill, I have a roof over my head, and food on my plate. Barring issues like these, my current emotional and financial struggles seemed so small compared to pretty much ALL of the ones I heard about that day.
Today at lunch, we presented SI's "Young Women of Distinction" awards to 10 young ladies (seniors) from one of the two local high schools (we'll present awards to the other school next month). I had a really hard time not just bawling! While we did not present any scholarship funds to these students, these awards are somewhat prestigious, being presented by an organization like SI, and the idea is to support and boost these young women as they move from high school to college - which can be quite a leap even for these amazing girls.
Again, I was so proud to be part of an organization that gets involved in my own community on such a grass-roots level.
It can be difficult to find the time to participate sometimes, and as I become more involved it will become even more demanding but the rewards of GIVING...
SI is an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.
Anyway, my local SI (Soroptomist Int'l) Club meets every Wednesday for lunch (in addition to doing numerous acts of charity and fundraising throughout the year). Two weeks ago, I was feeling pretty low but since I work at home full-time, I forced myself out of the house to go to lunch. Thank God!
Our club awarded $50,000 in grants to approximately a dozen and a half local charities that day. It might not sound like much when you do the math but this is a small town and a couple grand for things like school supply kits for extremely low-income students or six months of mortgage payments for a women's shelter can make a big difference. I had tears in my eyes off and on the whole time. When you see and hear the stories of these women and see the tears in their eyes and hear the thanks in their voices, you are SO happy to be part of an organization that works to help these organizations.
At the moment, I am blessed because none of my family members nor myself is seriously ill, I have a roof over my head, and food on my plate. Barring issues like these, my current emotional and financial struggles seemed so small compared to pretty much ALL of the ones I heard about that day.
Today at lunch, we presented SI's "Young Women of Distinction" awards to 10 young ladies (seniors) from one of the two local high schools (we'll present awards to the other school next month). I had a really hard time not just bawling! While we did not present any scholarship funds to these students, these awards are somewhat prestigious, being presented by an organization like SI, and the idea is to support and boost these young women as they move from high school to college - which can be quite a leap even for these amazing girls.
Again, I was so proud to be part of an organization that gets involved in my own community on such a grass-roots level.
It can be difficult to find the time to participate sometimes, and as I become more involved it will become even more demanding but the rewards of GIVING...
SI is an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.