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
Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
Become a fan of Soroptimist International of Downey on Facebook
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Annual Village Meeting
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.
Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
Become a fan of Soroptimist International of Downey on Facebook
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.
Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
Become a fan of Soroptimist International of Downey on Facebook
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Governor and First Lady's Women's Conference 2009
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."
Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
Become a fan of Soroptimist International of Downey on Facebook
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."
Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
Become a fan of Soroptimist International of Downey on Facebook
Monday, October 26, 2009
Testimonials
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
Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
Become a fan of Soroptimist International of Downey on Facebook
"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
Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
Become a fan of Soroptimist International of Downey on Facebook
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
1st Annual Chili Cook Off Success
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.
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.
Friday, October 2, 2009
October 2009 Board Meeting Honors Vicki Spearman
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.
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