Keeping you up to date on our Club and Community!

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Enhancing the lives of women and youth

in our community and the world.

Wishing you all good health and happiness this New Year!

Good day to ALL!

President Shelly called our meeting to order with her amazing smile as always. Lydia's invocation today was a very poignant writing that she found in print on the internet. It gave us all a big reminder on just how fortunate we all are. It has us taking the population of the entire WORLD and putting everyone into a village consisting of 100 people maintaining the proportions of all the people living on Earth. A very important read on what that village's people represent can be read here. Bottom line, for those of us here, we should be very, very grateful. Please SHARE.

Sunshine goes out to our community and communities around the world on two fronts:

Fentanyl and Tranc are two drugs killing our community members. Just this week in Tahoe, several deaths have occurred and one (if not both) of these drugs are suspected. We are fortunate here to have several proactive groups who have been working hard to educate all the dangers that are in ALL of our neighborhoods. Please learn all that you can and share this information with family and friends everywhere. Learn what Fentanyl is and what you can do to protect yourself and those you love. Also get educated on Tranc as it's here in Tahoe. Unfortunately, Narcan is not an antidote for this.
Anti-Semitic Hate Speech in our community at a recent City Council meeting over zoom. This just isn't tolerated in our community and shouldn't be anywhere. Free speech and hate speech are NOT the same thing. Read more here.

President Shelly began today with Happy Dollars! We needed it after some heartfelt discussion about Sunshine. It's always so special to be thankful and share the good in our lives with our SitSters!

For our MEMBERS specifically!

We then moved into the FUNdraising efforts our club is working on!

There are several moving parts to this and we do need all hands on deck in one way or another so see what fits for you! AND, we all have those lovely friends who can't commit to an organization right now, but could commit to helping put on a fun affair, so speak with them on joining us as well.

Our MAD HATTER event at Valhalla! Several committees need several ladies.

Mad Hatter Kitchen Crews. DETAILS HERE. Contact Jeanne P at jeanneprestella@sitahoesierra.org directly to sign up. Days and times you are needed are in the details above.
Decorations. We all know how amazing everything looked last year. We'll have that and more! Contact Amy Simons directly at amysimons@sitahoesierra.org to sign up. There are things you will do as a group and also things you can do at home on your own schedule.

Table Hostesses. These are the ladies who ADOPT a table at the event. All quite fun and you get to visit with those party goers at your table as you are their server! YOU provide all needed items to be fanciful: table cloth & runner, centerpiece, 10 of each: teacups/saucers, and plates, 3-tier serving tray, 24 bites for the serving tray, 2 tea pots, sugar bowl, creamer and any extra decor to make your table pop! This is a great job to invite one of your non-sits family/friends to help out with. And if you don't have a lot of items on your own, borrow! Let your inner decorator come out in style! To sign up for your table, contact Lisa Cali directly at lisacali@sitahoesierra.org

Online Auction! Thanks to our Sponsors/Donors and community who purchase our items, we are able to do a lot to enhance the lives of others here and around the world. We are a hands-on club but we also provide financial support throughout. How does this happen? WE secure items and support for our ONLINE Auction. Please add your name to the listing and Lisa H will create individualized letters that you can print out at home. Secure those donations ASAP to ensure that those generous people get all the recognition they deserve on the auction site, on Facebook and on Instagram! Questions? Contact her at lisahuard@sitahoesierra.org and direct all your friends to our fundraiser site www.Sits2024.com . Donation letters are also available here. on our club website.

For our COMMUNITY at LARGE, here's information we'd like you to have!

Our club is a small contingent of women who work hard to get so much done in our community. We are a hands-on group with a lot of our efforts going in to the youth in our schools in both CA and NV. We partner a lot with other groups who share the same mission of enhancing the lives of others in our community and the world. Many of these organizations need both financial assistance and people power to get things done and that's where our annual fundraising comes into play.

We shifted a few years ago (remember that COVID issue?) on how we raise our funds and for our purposes, what we came up with works!

If you are a community supporter as an individual or a business, consider becoming a Club Sponsor or Club Donor. YOU are our partner in ALL of our activities throughout 2024! We'd love to have your logo/URL included on our weekly SITS News and on our website and fundraising website. We'd also love to shout your praises on our very active Facebook and Instagram pages!

If you are a business or you have a talent or ability to create a very cool donation item for our ONLINE auction, PLEASE SHARE by making a donation that we will then turn into money for our work! You can do that right online at www.SITS2024.com or email us at fundraiser@sitahoesierra.org

Our efforts are underway and everyone can join in on all THREE activities!

ONE! Go bonkers with us for the 2nd annual Mad Hatter Tea Party on Sunday, May 19 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Valhalla Grand Hall. Only 120 tickets will be sold, so buy yours soon! Come dressed in your favorite costume - Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, March Hare, or the Grand Duchess! Partake in small food bites, tea, and champagne; enjoy flamingo croquet, a game of corn hole, or find the new photo backdrop! Go down the hole to a fun raffle and see some of our fabulous auction items. Tickets are $60 each and all proceeds go to support women and youth in the community. Only 120 tickets will be sold.

TWO! Purchase Raffle Tickets for either a week stay in a beautiful Maui Condo OR a Timeshare for Anywhere in the World! Tickets are $50 each and only 200 tickets will be sold for each raffle. SITS members are selling tickets or email your request to raffle@sitahoesierra.org and we will make it happen! See details below!

THREE! Register to BID on our amazing ONLINE Auction! Our auction OPENS on May 14 and closes on May 24 at 5 PM.

No matter how you participate, YOUR partnership changes lives so join in our efforts!

REMINDER TO FUN LADIES EVERYWHERE! Looking for something to put your heart into this year? Interested in hanging out with fun and hard working women? Then join us at our meeting from 7:30 - 8:30 AM on Thursdays at the SLT Senior Center. It's a great way to begin your morning! Check out our website to see our fabulous calendar of speakers at www.sitahoesierra.org

SITS Member Items & Our Projects

From our TECH Committee!

If you need tech help, contact: techhelp@sitahoesierra.org

For anyone who wants extra, hands on, help, with all that's going on in town and the holidays, Laurie F will provide a personal, private tech lesson for you! Simply contact our SITSter and she'll get you in the know! Please check your "SITS Calendar" and make sure you can access it, if not, call or email Laurie.

From our HWHW Committee!

Well done ladies! The evening of Bread & Broth with our friends at Lasagna Love was another huge success. We appreciate everyone's time and energy in lifting up our community. Want to know more about Lasagna Love? Go here and get involved!

The Lasagna Love/Bread & Broth/SITs night was a great success!

We set a new record at Bread & Broth by serving 133 1st servings !! Plus 35 full dinners to the homeless. Thank you one and all for your hard work and dedication.

HWHW has a meeting scheduled for February 22nd at the Coldwell Banker office in Zephyr Cove at 4 pm. A zoom link will be provided for those who can't make it in person.

Our fabulous members representing us at recent Soroptimist District V Meeting

L to R: SITS President Shelly Martinez, SISLT member Roberta Benvenuto, SITS members Nancy Muller and Jeanne Prestella, former SITS member Trudy Mills, SITS member Lydia Rogers, former SITS member Doris Groelz

This was given to us by a Mount Tallac student... it speaks to the impact of our involvement and help.

This is why we do what we do...

The Awards Committee want to remind everyone to attend the March 21st Award breakfast where THREE Live Your Dream awards will be given out as well as our Ruby Award and our GIVE Awards (Girls into volunteer experiences) This will be a very impactful ceremony and you will have the chance to rub elbows with some big wigs in the Soroptimist community who are coming to support us.

SITS COMMITTEE Signup Portal!

Our SITS club and all that we do are driven by the committees that we maintain. All members are asked to join at least ONE Service Committee and ONE Technical Committee. Service is what we do and Technical is how we roll! Please signup for your committees here. And remember, you are not limited to participating in any of the fun. YOU can attend any committee meeting or event!

NON-SITS Fun and Opportunities in Tahoe

There's actually so much going on so you're going to want to check out the EVENTS tab on www.southtahoenow.com , but here's a few to get you started!

Fannan Fellowship Now Accepting Scholarship Applications!

All South Tahoe High School seniors planning to attend a 4-year university in the Fall of 2024 are eligible to apply. We will award three $20,000 scholarships. Applications due by February 29, 2024

Click here for full details

ALL YEAR LONG!

LTCC Basic Needs Center is looking for food donations. A variety of foods and basic need items are on the list. Click here for full list and drop off details

If you'd like to donate through our club, please bring your donations to the monthly business meeting and Lisa C. or Andie will make sure they are delivered to the college. Please include an estimate on the value as LTCC needs to keep records of that information.

Important information for your family from TASK (Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids)

A Guide to Healthy and Responsible Practices for Families During the Holidays.

This month TASK www.tahoesafekids.com has collaborated with our partners at Barton Health to share a guide for responsible holiday practices around substances. Aislynn Soave, the Substance Use Navigator at Barton, has put together some tips for parents and children to remember during this holiday season.

Click here for the full article

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue has a quarterly newsletter to keep us all updated on fire safety info. Their goal is to help people learn about the fuels reduction products they are working on, seasonal fire safety info and other fire dept related news. Click here to sign up for the newsletter

How would you like to make 100x the difference with your donation!

Great way to spend your donation tax deduction dollars.

Click here for full details and to donate

Saint Joseph Community Land Trust has changed their Motel to Home (MTH) program from a loan program to a grant program and we're hoping this will attract families living in substandard housing, who would like to live in a more permanent and adequate home. Please click here for more details

Tahoe Learning Haven - Click here for all their information and a link to each month's newsletter.

League to Save Lake Tahoe's Keep Tahoe Blue Volunteer Portal!

For all of those who want to help keep our Lake Tahoe prestene, here's a portal which you can now see the events and programs which are available to volunteer for! SHARE this with your family and friends! Portal here!

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless seeks community support in keeping people cared for.

Our South Shore community has been able to sleep better knowing that our homeless population has an indoor option. This winter season marked the seventh anniversary of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) providing warm beds to the most vulnerable in our community.

They are also in great need for warm clothing items and will accept donations at their office

The office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 12-4 at the Red Lodge, 1137 Emerald Bay Rd.

More details here

Bread and Broth needs volunteers for Mondays and Fridays:

Thank you so much for your current or past involvement with the Bread & Broth organization. Without you, our food outreach services which help ease hunger for hundreds of our community neighbors would not be possible.

Currently, Bread & Broth needs individuals who would be interested in assuming leadership roles in the organization.

Bread & Broth’s Advisory Board is seeking an individual for the position of board Secretary. B&B’s Advisory Board meets quarterly, and the Secretary is responsible for recording the meeting minutes and ensuring that all documentation from the meeting is compiled and filed with the meeting minutes.

Bread & Broth’s Second Serving (weekly Friday meals served at the LT Community Presbyterian Church) serves a simple entrée and a hot soup which are provided by various local community restaurants. Currently B&B is seeking 2 to 3 individuals to coordinate and pickup soups from restaurants and deliver them to the Presbyterian Church on Fridays. The soup coordinator is responsible for interfacing with the existing list of restaurant soup providers to schedule soup donations and drivers are needed to go on Fridays and pick up soup from the week’s designated soup provider.

Second Serving is also looking for assistant cooks to support the Lead Cooks at their Friday meals from approximately 2 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. once a month. The meals are simple entrées like meatloaf, pasta dishes, and sloppy Joes.

For those of you with leadership skills, B&B is looking for individuals to train as Lead Assistants for the Monday Meal dinner (2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.) and the B&B 4 Kids program (Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.) Training is provided and you will be assisting the Team Leads in overseeing and managing the duties of the team volunteers. Lead Assistants are assigned to a Team that volunteers once per month.

If you are interested any of the volunteer positions mentioned above, please contact Carol Gerard at 310-256-1019 or carolsgerard@aol.com

Blood Donations are Needed!

Our Nation continues to have a blood shortage everywhere. Giving blood is giving life. So GIVE!

Vitalant Blood Donations. Click here to find a blood draw near you!

Wed - Mon Carson City Vitalent Donation Center

256 Winnie Lane, Carson City, NV.

Click here to find more dates and locations

Upcoming Blood Drive Locations

Friday, 02/16/2024

Reno - Vitalant Donation Center

1125 Terminal Way

RENO, NV, 89502

Open 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM