Soroptimist International of Downey

SI Downey Adopts 2 Families for Christmas

2009-12-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

This year, SI Downey members adopted 2 families to assist during the holidays.

First we donated through the Downey Exchange Club to a single mother and her 10 month old daughter. Check out the adorable stuff that the SI members collected and donated:

The second family was a single mother and her 2 boys in need of help. Check out the amazing stuff the SI Members donated and collected:

Soroptimist & Optimists Progressive Holiday Party

2009-12-18T23:02:00.000-08:00

This year Dorothy Pemberton and President Patty Kotze hosted the 1st Annual Soroptimist & Optimists Progressive Holiday Party at their homes. These Soroptimist sisters and neighbors hosted a joint party with dinner at the Pemberton home and drinks, entertainment, and dessert at home of George & Patty Ramos. Everyone was filled with holiday cheer and a good time was had by all!

Alameda School Christmas Project

2009-12-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

Every year, SI Downey brings Santa to the special needs classroom at Alameda Elementary School in Downey. This year, 50 students received a gift of Play-Doh from Santa, along with refresments and mylar balloons.

Optimist and honorary Soroptimister Sam Mathis played the role of Santa and brought much joy to each of the children. Soroptimist member Monica Goel Hornberger purchased the gifts for the club and Whitney Wigle and her elves at Stonewood Mall wrapped each of them. President Patty Kotze purchased the refreshments for the children and several memberes including Monica Goel Hornberger, Beverly Mathis, Whitney Wigle, Pat Heineke, Dianne Lumsdaine, Dorothy Pemberton, and Kari Johnson were volunteers at the schools.

Bell Gardens Manor Christmas Project

2009-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

This morning SI Downey partnered with Janet Mennig and her family to prepare Christmas gifts for the residents at Bell Gardens Manor. This is an annual project that we Soroptimists take pride in. We buy toiletries and the Mennigs donate sweatshirts and socks for each of the residents at Bell Gardens Manor. Stonewood Mall generously donated large gift bags to wrap the gifts in.

Dentists Without Borders

2009-11-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

This morning we had a presentation by Dr. Wayne Wilcox regarding the Downey Rotary's international project of bringing free dentisry to residents in a Mexican village. SI Downey is proud to partner with the Downey Rotary Club in donating funds to support this worthy cause.

Soroptimists were there when Santa Arrived in Downey

2009-11-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

Downey Soroptimist member Whitney Wigle is the Marketting Manager at Stonewood Mall. Last night, Whitney organized a scavenger hunt in honor of Santa's arrival at Stonewood Center Mall in Downey. Fellow Soroptimists Patty Kotze and Monica Goel Hornberger brought their little ones to participate in the scavenger hunt to find Santa. A great time was had by all and Whitney did a great job putting on a fun Christmas event in the City of Downey.

Soroptimist Proclamation at Downey City Council Meeting

2009-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight the Downey City Council honored the Downey Soroptimists with a proclamation proclaiming October/November, “Breast Cancer Awareness/End Domestic Violence” Month.

Our club shall bring the proclamation to the Fall District Workshop this coming weekend where the proclamations will be displayed.

SI Downey Participates in Habitat for Humanity Project

2009-11-06T13:34:00.001-08:00

SI Downey members Dorothy Pemberton, Ellie Eck, and President Patty Kotze were volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity volunteer site in Downey. Member got to do some fun querky things - cleaning the bathroom, putting up siding, caulking, and putting in locks. Today they were pouring concrete for the driveway, porch and sidewalk in. The rooms upstairs are blue and one sage for the kids. Mom will be downstairs in her own little serenity area.

Habitat's Downey Project and the Monroy Family

Habitat for Humanity is currently working on a house on Blodgett Street for the Monroy Family. Betty and her three children currently live in a 3-bedroom house in the city of Downey. Betty has tried to provide as decent a home for her children. There is an immediate feeling of welcome in her home. In attempts to hide the inadequacies of their home, furniture had been strategically placed to disguise badly worn and ripped carpet. The window coverings serve not
only as a way to ensure their privacy, but also to keep the window from falling out of its termite infested window frame. In addition to the visible termite damage throughout the home, the entire interior also has peeling paint. Some of the ceiling and cabinets appear to be held together by spackle that has built up over constant applications to hide the obvious water damage. While there isn’t much visible mold because Betty is constantly cleaning up the mold as much as possible, the smell is still strong, and the strongest mold fumes seem to come from her daughter’s room, a patio illegally converted into a room where the walls are only paneling and surrounds the home’s exterior fireplace. Her little girl can no longer sleep in her bedroom because of the conditions.

Despite the family’s challenging living conditions, Betty’s children have thrived. Betty is very involved in her children’s’ lives both academically and in sports. Although the boys have been in Special Education, no one would know –which attests to the excellent job Betty has done in raising them. She is a role model to her children every day. Betty volunteers as a Religious Education Teacher for St. Raymond’s, she also volunteers as a board member for the Downey Library Advisory Board, and is an active member of countless other organizations. Betty sums
up why she feels so strongly in volunteering by saying, “volunteering is the rent we pay to live on earth”. She further explained that doing sweat equity would be something that she would not just be willing to do but would do with love.
Betty sees herself as “a hard worker willing to do what ever it takes to meet my responsibilities. I am a father and a mother to my children and have proven that even in the direst situations, I have been triumphant."

Contributions By: Dorothy Pemberton and Monica Goel
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Domestic Violence Awareness Program

2009-11-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return. It is estimated that approximately 3 million incidents of domestic violence are reported each year in the United States
~Dianne Fienstein (American Senator)

Today in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month program , we had two speakers: Charlene Dimas-Peinado from Intercommunity Child Guidance and Barbara Samperi from The Exchange Club.

Charlene Dimas- Peinado has been honored by the Soroptimist of Pico Riviera as a Woman of Distinction and received the Woman of the Year Award for 2009. She works closely in counseling, supervising and visiting children who have been abused or neglected. As a pyschologist with double masters she is a woman with a calling.

Barbara Samperi has been a parent aide working with The Exchange Club for 15 years. She is involved in the Downey Unified Board of Education and lives in Downey. She works with the parents of the children who are referred to her by case managers. She guides and teaches parenting skills to create a safe and healthy home life.

Both ladies were able to share with us some stories of the people they work with...

One woman had 7 children from 5 different fathers. She was given notice the home she was renting was going into foreclosure and reached out for help. When they came in they found her living situation was horrendous. The mattress her child slept on had a nest of mice, even the microwave was overrun with cockroaches . Every nook and cranny was filled with pests. They were able to find her a safe, clean place to live where she is able to take care of her family.

A young girl of 16 had her child taken away from her due to neglect. They came in to talk to her and see what was causing her to ignore her child. The young girl was a victim of sexual abuse by her father and was put in the foster care system. Switching from home to home in the system , she never found the connection and love she needed. She ended up in a relationship with an abusive male with whom she had her child and then he left. She was depressed and had suffered severe trauma that she hadn't resolved. Added to that she had a learning disability that had gone unnoticed. She didn't know how to show love for her child or take care of her because she had never learned these parenting skills. Through their help she was able to receive treatment for her own trauma and learn how to care for her toddler.

For anyone interested in reading more about child abuse and neglect, SI Downey members have recommended the novels Kindness of Strangers by Katrine Little and The Glass Caste by Jeannette Walls.

Contributions By: Sonal Mundhra
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Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Halloween brought out the usual “suspects” as the Soroptimists assisted the Optimists with their annual Pumpkin Patch festivities at Apollo Park in Downey.
Thousands of kids had a great time as they played carnival games that were just their size, ate free popcorn, cotton candy, hot dogs and drank free soft drinks. The weather was warmer than the usual Halloween, but that just made it easier to show of great costumes – no coats required.

And there were some really great costumes this year – some were very scary, some absolutely adorable and everything in between.

Soroptimists were stationed throughout the venue, some judging the costume contest, some twirling cotton candy, some bagging popcorn, and the valiant diehards wrapping hot dogs and serving condiments – some for 4 hours straight.

Soroptimist Pumpkin Patch Volunteers
Beverly Mathis, Sam Mathis (Soroptimister), Pat Heineke, Michael Heineke (Soroptimister), Jan Scott, Judy McDonnell, Beth Crawford, Sonal Mundhra, Sudeep Patel (Soroptimister), Lisette Michel, Anne Bayer, Sue Potter, Barb Withrow, Dorothy Pemberton, Lorine Parks, Vicki Spearman, Linda Haines, Patty Kotze, Carol Rowland, Mia Vasquez, Ellie Eck,

Hot Dog Wrapping
How many hot dog buns can you stuff with hot dogs and wrap in foil in 1 minute? Depends on how late it gets.

As always we had a lot of fun, and had a terrific opportunity to serve others.
For a while one of the Soroptimist husbands was handing out hot dogs. He is very much “by the rules,” so no one got more than one hot dog. But several made more than one trip through the line. He commented as he was leaving that one person had a shopping bag that appeared to be full of wrapped hot dogs. He was dismayed that that person was taking advantage of the generosity of the Optimists who purchased all the food and drink products. His wife told him that she thought it unlikely that person was going to take the hot dogs and re-sell them for a profit, so they probably really needed the food. How great that Optimists and Soroptimists were able to assist that person in some small way, and at the same time provide some great fun for kids in the community.

Costume Judging
Tinkerbells, Ninja Turtles, Snow Whites, Dorothys and Aliens were greeted at the Costume Judging stage by our own Vampire Mistress of the Night, aka Dorothy Pemberton. Her spectacular outfit consisted of a tight-fitting long black satin skirt, with a black bustier laced with blood-red cords. A tall crimson collar protected the nape of her neck but left her throat unprotected. Black chiffon veils fluttered from her shoulders, and to top it all, she wore a Marie Antoinette burgundy wig of curls piled on curls, cascading like coiled snakes down her bare arms.

She danced in her black leather boots to the stage music while the rest of the judges were deciding and then took the ribbons to the master of ceremonies. To award as many prizes as possible, we judges decided to give double ribbons from first to fourth in each age group. We chose a glittering Cleopatra and an astronaut whose life-support back pack was nearly as big as he was. Double entries including sleeping twins dressed as an angel and a devil, and a tall pair of condiments, Ketchup and Mustard. One lady pirate had a romantic black tricorne hat trimmed with yards of black Chantilly lace and ostrich plumes spilling over the brim

The prize for the best home-made costume went to a candy vending machine, a boy walking inside a brown box which was cut out in front, with knobs and dials and a coin slot. Milky Ways and Dots and Reese's Peanutbutter Cups were pasted to his metallic chest. We thought Best in Show should be divided between a Tin Man, dressed in an aluminum suit, face painted silver, with a funnel upside down for a hat, who brandished his hatchet at his co-winner, a beautiful big black t. rex museum-class skeleton, his headpiece extending three feet in back of him and his bony tail so long he had to carry the tip in his dinosaur hand to keep people from stepping on it. A very large tottering Frankenstein won his prize in the Adult contest.

After the event was over, we judges thought it would be fun to each take some extra ribbons and wander through the crowd, awarding them randomly. I gave one of mine to a tired couple pushing a Pumpkin in a stroller, and that brightened them up. The other I gave for Best Dressed Dog, a poodle in a striped satin frock with puffy sleeves. The pet's owner, unrecognizable in bloody gooey face make-up and little horns, turned out to be Gary deRemer.

Cotton Candy and Popcorn Bag Stuffing
This year due to it being a Saturday the Optimist were able to get out early and pop an abundance of popcorn before 5pm. Therefore supply was not an issue. At around 6pm demand was high! Though the popcorn bags were being stuffed as fast as possible, and though starting with a tower it quickly became a fast as you can situation. Some kids came through the line 3 times! Always with a smile, and a could I have more popcorn please?

The cotton candy twirlers had 3 long lines waiting for the soft, sticky deliciousness. These brave twirlers were covered in cotton candy from head to toe! But they all happily said it was worth it and they would definitely do it again.

Contributions By: Patricia Heinke, Lorine Parks, and Sonal Mundhra
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TLC and Character Counts

2009-10-29T16:40:00.001-07:00

TLC

Lucy Perez was our speaker this morning from TLC. Lucy was extremely appreciative of our support and wanted us to know that what we give goes for a really good cause.

Lucy said yesterday there was a woman with a little 7 year old girl who walked into their office. The 7 year old girl was a cancer patient and her mother knew the little girl was going to die. The single mother had to take every single Wednesday off from work to take her little girl to chemo and every Tuesday to go for counseling. The mother came in because she heard TLC could help because as a single mother she could not afford to take two days off from work. So though Lucy has a waiting list of 12 people for the counselors and though the mom could only come in at 6pm an hour after her counselors leave she signed her up for Wednesday at 6pm to see a counselor. Her counselor is volunteering her time since TLC does not have the extra money to pay her. This is her example of something that happened yesterday but what every single day is like.

Dr. Jagielski, Director of Pupil Resources, and Lucy also told other stories of girls younger than 10 who were raped by their grandfather who needed counseling. A mother who ran away with her two children from her abusive husband in Chicago and had no paperwork. A middle school boy who they referred everywhere to get a physical because he had no health insurance and finally ended up talking to his couch for.

The real life scenarios that they face every single day tugged at everyone's heart strings.

TLC assist the entire Downey Unified School District their areas of emphasis are:
* Legal Referrals
* School Supplies
* SARB
* Medical Exams
* Counseling
* Case Management
* Vision Exam and Eyeglasses
* Downey Dental Academy
* Parent Support
* Health Insurance Enrollment
* Emergency food, clothing, and shelter referrals

TLC is having a luncheon fundraiser Friday, February 26, 2010 11:30-a
1:00pm at Rio Hondo Event Center... mark your calendars!

Character Counts

The ladies of Soroptimist this morning wore RED to show our support of drug free youth. At the meeting Dr. Jagielski informed us of the Character Counts program the Downey district is now using instead of Red Ribbon Week. The program is so successful that there is a representative from the District speaking in Washington DC about it today. And the Department of Education is coming to Downey next week to see the progress of the program. The 6 pillars of Character Counts are values that are reinforced year round and useful for every single aspect of their lives!

The program is reinforced every single day in numerous ways but a few that Dr. Robert Jagielski used as examples were:
1. Parking under banners for the 6 pillars. So you may be parked underneath Faithfulness or Citizenship.
2. Students who get in trouble and need to visit the Vice Principal write on a piece of paper what they did wrong and which pillar they broke.
3. The homeboys in the schools know each pillar and what it stands for.
4. Students are bringing it home and teaching their parents about it.

Excerpt from Making Ethical Decisions:
The CHARACTER COUNTS! approach to character education doesn't exclude anyone. That's why we base our programs and materials on six ethical values that everyone can agree on — values that are not political, religious, or culturally biased. Use the points below to help young people understand the Six Pillars, and use the mnemonic devices at right to help them remember.

Trustworthiness

Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country

Respect

Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

Responsibility

Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices

Fairness

Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly

Caring

Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Citizenship

Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment

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Annual Village Meeting

2009-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

To start with you may ask...what is the Village?
The Village is low income housing for the elderly. The Village for the last 6 years has been working with the City of Norwalk Housing Authority to accept 100% Section 8 residents. The rent for singles is $552 and for doubles $652 but of this the resident only pays around $145-$250. The resident amount is decided by a ratio or precentage of the income they make.

Downey had eight (8) SI Downey members in attendance.
Bonnie Barler
Beth Crawford
Sue Potter
Sonal Mundhra
Whitney Wigle
Dorothy Pemberton
Judy McDonnell
Patty Kotze

And, as usual, we had a great time. Dinner was yummy - typical turkey dinner with all the trimmings catered by the Bellflower School District.

The finance report was given by Jane Dicus. Even with all the economic upheaval we are not far behind last year and we are repaying our Foundation debt. The debt was incurred when we renovated and updated the property.

The new Board was presented and honored with small token gifts.
President: Amanda Secola, SI Irwindale
Vice President: Laurie Lanham, SI Santa Fe Springs
Secretary: Marilee Marrero Stefenhagen, SI Norwalk
Treasurer: Veronica Thee, SI Alhambra

The premier viewing of the Village Video was awesome. The video prior to that was about 15 years old. We should be able to view the video as a group in January at a program meeting. It's very informative and gives you an appreciation for the Soroptimist village. You get to hear from the residents how appreciative they are for the Soroptimist and how much they enjoy living there.

We had a guest speaker last night! A Soroptimist member who recently passed away, Norma Long, was represented by her daughter, Judy. On behalf of her mother, Judy presented the Soroptimist Village and each participating Club with a cash donation from Norma Longs' estate. A very unexpected but pleasant surprise. Judy asked that each club consider using it towards scholarships because that was a particular passion of her mothers.

Overall a very informative meeting, tasty food, and great company.

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Governor and First Lady's Women's Conference 2009

2009-10-27T22:24:00.000-07:00

Many of us were lucky enough to attend the Women's Conference this year at the LB Convention Center.

It was one of the most amazing experiences. To see that many women and people crowd into the Long Beach Convention Center (20,000+) to discuss and learn about women's issues was touching.

The morning session was hosted by Paula Zahn. Geena Davis has started an organization called See Jane to increase the number of women roles in Hollywood and get rid of women stereotypes.

Robin Roberts, a breast cancer survivor, hosted a discussion with Governor Schwarzeneggar, Sheila Blair (chairman of the FDIC), and Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group). It was amazing to watch these successful individuals discuss tough decisions they have made in their lives and risks they took to reach success.

A very touching presentation was made by Somaly Mam, a sex slave trade survivor from Cambodia. She was especially touching because of her courage and bravery. Soroptimist has a mission to help educate and eliminate sex slave trafficking of women and girls.

At the first morning break, we went shopping at the trade fair. What a trade fair!!

On of the morning break out session that some of us attended was by Dr. Oz on How to Manage your Health so Your Work and Stress Don't Kill You. He provided such useful health information and was so motivating to every man and woman on how to take easy steps toward health, youthfulness, and beauty.

The lunch session was hosted by David Gregory of NBC News who hosted a conversation between Madeleine Albright, Amy Holmes, Valerie Jarret (Obama's Senior Advisor on Women and Girls, and Claire Shipman (ABC News). Loved David Gregory and how he spoke about his successful wife, a partner in a large law firm. Loved how witty, smart, and insightful Madeleine Albright was. Enjoyed Valerie Jarrett and Claire Shipman's discussion on being a successful working mom. What a truly deep conversation about women in the workplace and their success. I LOVED when Madeleine Albright said "there is a special place in hell for women who don't support and help other women."

Next was an inspirational speech by Katie Couric. She brought me to tears as she spoke about her trailblazing journey through journalism and her resilience when facing grief.

That was followed by a presentation on Maria Shriver who gave a sorrowful speech on losing her mother and Uncle Ted Kennedy. She also hosted a gut wrenching discussion with Elizabeth Edwards (who lost her 16 year old son in an accident) and Lisa Neimy, Patrick Swayze's wife. There wasn't a dry eye in the arena. I was sobbing as these women discussed grief and loss and how they overcame it.

Last was an afternoon discussion on How Women Use their Voices to Change the World. Particularly inspirational for me was Lisa Ling.

The entire day and conference left such a resounding impact on each of us. Women are emotional creatures and it's ok. They have different needs than men and don't have to be like men to be successful in the workplace.

As Maria Shriver said "We hope the Women's Conference 2009 has inspired you to see yourself as an advocate for your own life, an activist in your community and an Architect of Change for our World."

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Testimonials

2009-10-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

We asked our members... Why are you involved in Soroptimist? and What does being a Soroptimist or part of Soroptimist mean to you?

"I joined Soroptimist of Downey because I value its ideals and commitment to women and children. Being a member of Soroptimist means that I get to do my part to help my community."
~Alex Gomez

"I joined Soroptimist International of Downey in order to give back to my community. I enjoy the opportunity to give service to others and I love my fellow Soroptimists. They are the most generous and wonderful women I know."
~Patricia Heineke

"Although I had been involved for a long time with other organizations, such as the Downey Symphony and Rotary, and the YMCA and the Memorial Trust Foundation of the Hospital, when the opportunity came along, I joined Soroptimist because I believed in its purpose, women helping women.

There is no other organization with this focus, and the women we help are not the sort who would ordinarily get aid from schools and establishment groups. Our Women's Opportunity Award, for example, is not given to rosy cheeked high school grads who can get many other scholarships.

These women are past the usual threshold age, and have had many bad life experiences. Only Soroptimists care about these women who have fallen and are struggling to get back up and turn their lives around. With our help, they can rejoin the ranks of those who have learned the abilities to get adequate food, clothing and shelter for their children and a sense of being worthwhile for themselves. Just being on the interviewing committee to meet these women has made Soroptism worthwhile for me.

And to fund these scholarships, we have to raise money, and I admire the tremendous energy of my fellow Soroptimitsts who plan and manage the fund raisers. Working together is a great way to form lasting friendships, and I have made new friends through Sroptimist.

Much lies ahead to free women of other cultures abroad, particularly in patriarchal societies where they suffer everything from sexual mutilation, to death for learning to read. But even in the United States much more needs to be done to empower women. The Abuse and Rape Hotline phone number has been a powerful tool for this. There are plenty of projects to keep us going, and that is why I joined Soroptimist."
~Lorine Parks

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1st Annual Chili Cook Off Success

2009-10-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

Soroptimist International of Downey, California hosted the first annual Chili cook-off fund-raiser on October 4th at the Downey Elks Lodge. The event was well attended by the community and 20 chili entries from contestants competed for trophies in four categories along with a Peoples Choice Award.

Soroptimist President Patricia A. Kotze said this was the first ever Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser for the club and it was a huge success. The Contestants were defiantly enthusiastic and are looking forward to next year’s event.

The Judges included Downey Mayor, Mario Guerra, City of Paramount Mayor Diane Martinez and Downey Chamber President Robert Zavala.

Soroptimist Club of Downey is part of an International Organization of Professional Business Women whose mission is to improve the lives of women and children in our community and around the world. The money raised at the event will go to local service projects and scholarships in our community.

October 2009 Board Meeting Honors Vicki Spearman

2009-10-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

At our monthly board meeting last night, we honored long time member Vicki Spearman as a life member. Vicki has been a member of Soroptimist International of Downey since 1988. Members Dorothy Pemberton, Pat Heineke, and Beverly Mathis will also be honored as Life Members later this month.

Soroptimist Hosting Breakfast for Potential Members

2009-09-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Soroptimist International of Downey will host a breakfast meeting Sept. 17 for potential new members.

The breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Rio Hondo Event Center.

Soroptimist is a service organization for women who enjoy volunteering and giving back to their community.

RSVP by calling Mia Vasquez at (562) 806-3217 or e-mail missaywell@verizon.net.

Installation of New President Patty Kotze

2009-06-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight SI Downey proudly installed President Patty Kotze and her new board for the upcoming 2009/2010 year. President Patty's theme for the year is "United in Service."

The Installation dinner was held at Del Rae's in Santa Fe Springs, CA.

Soroptimists members participated in an entertaining murder/mystery skit in honor of our new President, who is the owner and co-founder of Diversified Risk Management, a
thriving business here in Downey. The skit starred Soroptimist members Pat Heineke, Dorothy Pemberton, Mia Vasquez, and Sue Potter.

Camino Real Spring Conference

2009-04-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend several SI Downey members attended the Camino Real Spring Conference in beautiful Ventura. We were stayed athte Crowne Plaza on Ventura Beach.

The meetings were informative and the trade fair a shopper's paradise.

We were proud that our Women Making a Difference award winner Nina Smart was honored by the region for her work fighiting against Female Genitalia Mutilation (FGM).

Women of Distinction

2009-04-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Soroptimist International of Downey recently held its annual women of Distinction breakfast honoring women who have volunteered to make a difference in Downey and (in some cases) the world. First row, left to right: honorees Nina Smart, Dr. Wendy Doty, Carli Ciatti, Mary Zoe Phillips, and Mayor Pro Tem Anne Bayer. Second row: council members Luis Marquez and David Gafin, Mayor Mario Guerra, Camino Real Regional Gov. Cheri Fleming, club president Monica Goel-Hornberger, District 3 director Linda Haines, and Councilman Roger Brossmer. Honoree Katie Hare was out of town and unable to attend.

Stonewood Center Donates to Soroptimist

2009-04-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Stonewood Center in Downey donated a $500 gift card to Soroptimist International of Downey for its upcoming fundraiser, “A Night at the Copacabana Casino,” at the Rio Hondo Event Center on April 17. From left: Stonewood’s Patty Kotze, Charlie Hallums and Whitney Wigle, and Soroptimist members Monica Goel, Jan Scott and Mia Vasquez.

Soroptimist Honoring Local Women

2009-03-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Soroptimist International of Downey will host its annual Women of Distinction award breakfast March 26 at 7:30 a.m. at the Rio Hondo Event Center.

The honorees are Mayor Pro Tem Anne Bayer, director of the LivingHelp Center; Dr. Wendy Doty, superintendent of the Downey Unified School District; Katie Hare, businesswoman and community volunteer; and Mary Zoe Phillips, philanthropist involved with the Medical Books for China program.

Being honored with the Violet Richardson Award for student volunteer of the year is Carli Ciatti.

A new award this year, Making a Difference for Women, will be awarded to Nina Smart, founder of Servicing Wild Flowers International, an organization formed to stop the practice of involuntary female circumcision in the West African country of Sierra Leone.

For information and reservations, call (562) 861-9874.

Working Moms Get Help for School

2009-02-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Soroptimist International of Downey recently awarded three $1,000 scholarships to local women who are “working hard to reach their potential and fulfill their dreams.”

The Women’s Opportunity Award is a scholarship presented to women who are head of their household and who have a desire to return to school. All of this year’s winners have children to support and hold jobs, but need financial assistance to reach their educational goals.

This year’s winners include Hope Jaramillo, a mother of four who is studying to be a family counselor and currently works at Downey Regional Medical Center; Paula La Breche has one son and is currently enrolled full time at Cerritos College studying to become an insurance adjuster; and Zuly Orozco, another employee from Downey Regional, who has two children and is studying to be a registered nurse.

For information about membership in Soroptimist International of Downey, call Dorothy Pemberton at (562) 927-9908.

Soroptimists Bring Santa to Alameda School

2008-12-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Today the Soroptimists took Santa to the Alamenda School special needs preschool classroom. Many children told Santa they wanted "playdo" for Christmas. Each child received a toy, snacks, and drink.

As always, we had a wonderful time bringing gifts and holiday cheer to these sweet children.

Yard Sale

2008-10-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Soroptimist International of Downey held a successful yard sale with plenty of treasures right here in Downey. We successfully raised over $1500. The yard sale is an annual fundraiswer, with money raised going towards scholarships and programs for women and children.

Marvel Dodson

2008-10-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

Marvel Naomi Dodson, a former teacher and past president of Soroptimist International of Downey, has died.

Dodson was born Sept. 30, 1920 to Myrtle and Roscoe Lucas of Verdon, Nebr. After graduating from Verdon High School and attending Peru State College in Nebraska, she taught eight years of elementary school.

She met and married Gerald Dodson, a lieutenant in the United States Air Force, in 1946. Their first residence was in Presque Isle, Maine, but they moved frequently throughout the country, including stops in North Dakota, Kansas, Mather Field, Calif., Waco, Tex., Morocco, Africa, and Long Island, N.Y.

Dodson and her husband had three children, Timothy, Jeffrey and Deborah. When Gerald Dodson passed away on Nov. 22, 1960 at Mitchell Air Force Base, Marvel and her children moved to Downey where her parents, brother and a sister lived.

She worked for 15 years as the director of the Assistance League Volunteer Center, and taught calligraphy for eight years for the Downey Parks and Recreation Department. She then taught for five more years at Downey Adult School.

Dodson was past president of Soroptimist International of Downey, an associate member of the Assistance League, and past coordinator of the South Los Angeles Society of Calligraphy.

She is survived by her sister, Evelyn Snethen; children, Timothy, Jeffrey and Deborah; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at the Moravian Church of Downey, 10337 Old River School Rd., on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.

Installation of President Monica Goel-Hornberger

2008-06-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

On Friday, June 27, 2009, Monica Goel-Hornberger was installed as the new president of Soroptimist. Joe and Dianne Lumsdaine hosted the installation dinner at their beautiful home in Downey with an Indian theme. It included catered Indian food and live Indian dance entertainment.

Many ladies from the club were dressed in the traditional Indian salwar kameez. They all looked so beautiful!

Monica is an attorney at Tredway, Lumsdaine and Doyle here in Downey and will be serving as president of SI Downey for the 2008-2009 year.

Why Do Soroptimist Focus on Women and Girls?

2008-06-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few reason the Soroptimists focus their efforts are helping women and girls in their community:

- One in three women have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime.

- According to a recent report, of the 600,000-800,000 people trafficked across international borders annually, 80 percent are female.

- Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours but earn only 10 percent of the world's income, and own less than 1 percent of the world's property.

- Of a total 550 million working poor, 330 million (60 percent) are women.

- The United Nations estimates that globally women's unpaid care is worth up to $11 trillion annually.

- Two-thirds of the 880 million illiterate adults are women.

- Of the more than 110 million children not in school, approximately 60 percent are girls.

- By age 18, girls have received an average of 4.4 years less education than boys.

- In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls have HIV rates up to five times higher than adolescent boys.

- Pregnancies and childbirth-related health problems take the lives of nearly 146,000 teenage girls each year.

- An estimated 450 million adult women in developing countries are stunted, a direct result of malnutrition in early life.

- Two million girls and women are subjected to female genital mutilation every year, and thousands suffer needlessly from obstetric fistula.

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Background Facts Re: Soroptimist and SI Downey

2008-06-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Soroptimist is a coined word which means “best for women”

Soroptimist International is a worldwide organization for professional women working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.

Downey is a club within the Camino Real Region district 3 – we currently have 31 members. The Camino Real Region is made up of 28 clubs organized in 4 districts with 782 members as of 9/30/07. Camino Real Region is one of 29 Regions within Soroptimist International of the Americas.

Soroptimist International of the Americas is made up of 1450 clubs in 21 countries with over 45,000 members within Soroptimist International. Soroptimst International is made of 4 Territores totaling 120 countries and over 95,000 members.

Soroptimist International (SI) is the world's largest classified service organization for women whose mission is to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.

SI Downey Club History

We celebrates Founders Day annually on October 3, acknowledging the day in 1921 when the first club in Alameda County, California, called to order its first business meeting. Violet Richardson served as Soroptimist first president during that year.

Soroptimist International Club of Downey was chartered in 1951. The charter party was held January 12, 1952 at the Downey Woman's Club. There were 25 charter members according to records from that year.

Today, we have approximately 31 members.