Happy mid-summer! I also want to wish our summer birthday girls a huge happy birthday, me included. Okay, enough about me. What are you focusing on right now – family, personal growth, giving, friends, household projects, fur babies? I hope whatever you’re working on brings you joy. There is so much going on in the world right now that is negative and sad, I am constantly finding myself getting distracted and not in a good way. I try to turn my focus to the good in the world, including my fur babies.

We have one more month before we get back to our regular meetings in September. That means the board will meet this month. The board will have a special board meeting on August 9 via Zoom to nominate a new recording secretary. Look out for a membership-wide vote in your inbox that week. Our first regular board meeting is on August 16 at 12:00 noon.

Speaking of getting back to regular meetings, are you ready to come back? We have arranged a great contract with the Elks Lodge this year. Our first two lunches of each month will be a soup and salad combination with bread and butter on the side. The last lunch of the month will be a full lunch entrée. I hope you can attend our meetings in real life; the Elks serves great food, and we want to hit our minimum attendance requirement of 35 people at each meeting. We will need one or two volunteers to help out with lunch reservations and lunch table. Kathy is ready to train you.

If you’re feeling a little uneasy about coming back, here are some of the measures that are in place at our lunch meetings. All tables will be set up for social distancing with six (6) people per table, masks can and should be worn inside (according to new CDC and California Health Department guidelines), hand sanitizer will be available, and lunch is served plated (no buffet line). Still feeling uneasy? Sit with your pod. Staying close to those who you already share social time with is a great way to minimize your risk. Still not working for you? We will provide a hybrid model for these meetings and will send out Zoom links for you to attend virtually. We miss all of you and hope to see you in person soon!

Turning to club business, I want our club to keep our focus this year on the Soroptimist signature programs, the Live Your Dream award and Dream It Be It Career Support for girls, while continuing our efforts in the local community and abroad. It is our club’s duty to serve women and girls who seek to be great as they achieve their education and career goals.

The Dream It Be It program is near and dear to my heart, and I am looking for a small committee to help set up a one-day conference in the spring instead of the 7-week curriculum we have been doing over the last several years. This DIBI conference committee will work alongside SI Bidwell Rancho to coordinate and split the duties. My hope is to grow the Dream It Be It project to reach more girls overcoming obstacles so that our club can contribute to Soroptimist International of the America’s Big Goal to help a half a million women and girls.

Time for a dance party!

See you soon,

President Sara

Our first edition for this club year, THE SNAIL, will be coming out on September 1. I need your articles by August 15. All club members can submit an article. I sent out notices by email to all board members and Co-chairls on Aug. 1 requesting articles.

Joyce Brown, Editor

joycebrown@sichico.com