Today's meeting was opened by President Shelly and wow, was our Mad Hatter amazing! Our club did such a fantastic job. Big thanks to everyone who made this event so successful. Our ticket sellers, organizers, decorators, chefs, wait staff, front of house - back of house, LTCC SITSters, and student volunteers, YOU made such a great day for our club and our community! And a special thank you to Mr. John Valverde for his spectacular photo taking of this event. We really appreciate you!

Before we begin today's BIG recap, please let us all take time to focus on Memorial Day this Monday and all that it means. It's important that we honor it properly and teach our youth what it stands for. Enjoy your gatherings for sure, but take time to acknowledge all that others gave for all of us. Here's an event you might like to attend!

Before we begin today's BIG recap, please let us all take time to focus on Memorial Day this Monday and all that it means. It's important that we honor it properly and teach our youth what it stands for. Enjoy your gatherings for sure, but take time to acknowledge all that others gave for all of us. Here's an event you might like to attend! And check this out from Taps Across America. Everyone can do this acknowledgement at 3 PM wherever you are!

Today's invocation from Lydia spoke to the beauty of Spring and all that it brings. We can't get enough of it, so let your spirits sore!

Sunshine goes out to Amy's father-in-law for his upcoming procedure. Here's to a speedy recovery. To Julie Nelson, a big thank you from Shelly and others for your generous donation of the scooters. You have made three family lives easier and better! And Joanne S. is so happy to have her kitchen back in working condition!

Our Guest welcomed today was the amazing Connie Hinton of Connie’s Clothesline Consignment Market Place. We say amazing because she was the most generous of volunteers at our Mad Hatter on Sunday. Thank you Connie!

Special Recognition of our members by our community!

Volunteering is inherant in our members. They don't just volunteer their time and energy to SITS, but many are out an about making this community all if can be through other avenues. We have TWO members who were just recognized by their community for their hard work and compassion! Paula Peterson and Wendy David. We are so proud of both of you.

Tahoe Chamber Blue Ribbon Volunteer of the Year Award sponsored by the Pay It Forward Project: An individual dedicated to making a positive impact on the agency they serve and on the community at large.

Winner: Paula Peterson.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District Hall of Distinction inductees includes our Wendy David for her countless years of dedication to education in our community.

Today's Speaker Program featured two brilliant people, Wildlife Ecologist Tanya Diamond and Wildlife Researcher Ahíga Snyder of Pathways for Wildlife.

Pathways for Wildlife is a research organization developed in 2013. Pathways for Wildlife works with land trusts, conservation organizations, utility companies, cities, counties, and transportation agencies, to help identify important wildlife and habitat linkages for land conservation efforts by conducting wildlife connectivity surveys and implementing connectivity designs for wildlife movement within a landscape. Data collection used to develop wildlife connectivity plans include data from field cameras, roadkill surveys, tracking data, GIS habitat suitability modeling, and linkage analyses.

Several of their projects have resulted in significant funding for land conservation to protect wildlife linkages that animals have been documented using to travel through various landscapes. Pathways also work with Caltrans and local transportation authorities to implement connectivity designs along highways, such as installing culverts as wildlife crossing structures, directional fencing designs to guide wildlife to bridges and culverts, and work on wildlife overpass planning projects.

Tanya and Ahiga have been conducting wildlife tracking workshops in the Bay Area for the past ten years. They have several projects throughout the state which led to safer pathways for animals and you can read about each on their website here. They include US395, South Santa Cruz, SR-152 Wildlife Connectivity, Hwy 17, American Badger & Burrowing Owl, and now Tahoe!

They have only lived in South Lake Tahoe for a few years now and their endeavors have exploded with all the wildlife we have here. Wildlife need connected habitats, they need to be able to roam in order to survive as they follow their food source and water. When animal offspring are old enough, they need to leave the home area of the parent and establish their own. They also need to roam in order to strengthen the genetic integrity of their species when finding a mate. Collecting the data and showing where animals travel and their crossings is vital to developing pathways that work for the animals and communities in which they live.

Cameras are a large format for their collection of data. They operate with four different types of stations throughout our area: Linkage cameras, Road Ecology cameras, Randomized camera stations, and now, Pine Martin camera stations. Here in Tahoe, we have so many waterways adjacent to our roads that safe crossings need to be determined and created. Along Pioneer Trail we do have culverts but often, because of snow melt, those culverts are flooded due to runoff. Animals will use culverts and other forms of crossings if they are available to avoid the roads where they are most vulnerable. Animals crossing our roads are not only dangerous for them, but for drivers as well. Think about the many times you yourself have hit the brakes or swerved on our curvy roads to avoid hitting an animal.

You and your family can be an active participant in their mission by contacting them through the website here on the "Contact" page. If you see an animal killed on the road, provide them with the location. This information is used as they develop crossing data. If around your home you have wildlife crossing, share that information with them as well. It could be they want to add cameras to collect the data.

We are all stewards of Tahoe and we can all help to protect our wildlife. What an amazing talk this morning! Thank you so much for the work that you are doing for our wildlife.

And a bit more fun from Mad Hatter Tea Party, 2024!

AND We're still Fundraising!

Raffle sales end midnight May 23.

Auction closes 5PM May 24.

Why do we do all this crazy fundraising?

Because for others, it makes a big difference in their lives!

So let's get to it!

BUY our Week Stay Condo/Timeshare Raffle Tickets!

Go to www.SITS2024.com to:

• Get your Raffle tickets for 2 fabulous vacation locations. Winning tickets will be drawn on Friday, May 24th. Winners will be notified and also posted on our auction website for all to see.
• ONLY 200 are sold for each drawing so your odds are great! As of today, 127 / 200 sold for the Maui Condo and 70/200 sold for the Anywhere Timeshare.
• Each ticket is only $50 each!
• Learn the details and how to purchase with our club online here.
• Tickets can be purchased through midnight, TONIGHT. Winners are drawn the morning of the 24th and President Shelly will be calling those two lucky people! We'll also have it posted on our auction site that day!

BID in our ONLINE Auction!

• Register to bid in our amazing Auction.
• All the money raised goes right back into our community and the world. See where YOUR dollars go here.
• SHOP your heart out and bid with a purpose as you score something for yourself or you get some special shopping done for someone you love! Go here to see all of the amazing donations!
• Closes promptly at 5 PM, tomorrow, May 24th!
• You can set a Maximum bid or the system will ping you when you need to increase your previous one! It's so much fun!
• And hey, we love CASH donations as well! Go here!
• Our auction closes promptly at 5 PM on the 24th and winners will begin to receive their prizes that week!

Mad Hatter Fun had by ALL last Sunday!

What an amazing time we had! Thank you to everyone who joined us, to our youth groups who helped at the event, our members who made everything happen, our Club Sponsors and Club Donor, who support us all year long, and to Whole Foods, Rose Pedals Florist, and Lake Tahoe Community College-Culinary, and ValhallaTahoe, for their continued support.

Everyone had so much fun. The costumes, games, food, libations, location, and community made for such a special time. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

SITS Member Items & Our Projects

MEMBER Weekly Contribution or Quarterly Contribution can be paid online here! It's fast and easy! It can go through your Paypal or Credit Card. Get er dun!

Healthy Women Healthy World committee members are participating in Bread & Broth on June 3! Our team is established and we're very excited. Reminders will be provided by Shelly as Kim is gone!

Mad Hatter DEBRIEF!

Andie announced that we will have a debrief soon so she's asking ALL members to jot down things that can be improved upon either from their observations or comments from our guests!

2024-2025 SITS Installation will be on Thursday, June 27th beginning at 5 PM at Wendy's. Put it in your calendars now ladies and we'll circle round with details soon.

SITS COMMITTEE Signup Portal!

This is how we get things done.

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!

Between Horses and Humans - Mane Event - June 1st

Join us for an unforgettable day of celebration and giving back at our Mane Event fundraiser and launch! This occasion supports Between Horses and Humans and celebrates the partnership between Untethered and Cowork Tahoe. Be part of the $35k Match program by Untethered and enjoy catering, food trucks, live music, kids' activities, a silent auction, wine raffle, and a kids' raffle. Save the date for a day of fun, community, and making a difference! Proceeds benefit Between Horses and Humans.

Click here for full details.

Western Days, June 1 from 10 - 4 PM. Fun for the whole family!

Read details here.

Here Fishy Fishy!

The South Lake Tahoe Optimist Club is hosting its Annual Kid's Fishing Derby at Sawmill Pond (corner of Lake Tahoe Blvd. and Sawmill Rd. in South Lake Tahoe) on Saturday, June 1st from 8am - 12pm and is open to youth up to 14 years of age! Fishing tackle and bait is available. Expert guidance from Tahoe Fly Fishing. Free fish cleaning table. Hot Dogs, Chips and lemonade will be provided!

Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe is having a Crawdad Festival at Valhalla on July 6 from noon to 4 PM! This will be an amazing event with an amazing view! Details here.

Marcella Foundation Partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Offer FREE books to Local Children

Marcella Foundation is thrilled to announce the launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in El Dorado County. Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will provide an age-appropriate book for each registered child, absolutely free to the family. All 8,000 children ages 0 to their 5th birthday living in El Dorado County can enroll now to receive a free monthly book. Any child in the home can register, and books are available in both English and Spanish. In a show of support for early literacy for all children in our region, First 5 El Dorado, El Dorado County Library, Friends of the Library, El Dorado Community Foundation partnered with Marcella Foundation to help launch Imagination Library. Additionally, United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra is providing the initial funding to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to each of the communities surrounding Lake Tahoe. 

Committed to FEED, READ, and LEAD

Click here for details on how to enroll your child

Looking for up to date resources in our community? Barton Health has a list for all of us and it is actively updated! SHARE this link with others!

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

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.

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 in other areas

Between Horses and Humans continues to grow! If you're a lover of youth and a lover of horses, this is a program for you! You can keep up on their information by reading their newsletters here! Volunteers and donations are always needed. BHH Update-they are soon relocating to the Amacker Ranch!

Food Assistance Guide for So. Lake Tahoe. If you know of anyone in need, please share this information. Click and print!