President Lisa opened this special breakfast meeting

Lydia's invocation was a reminder that challenges help us discover our strengths and weaknesses. It is important to look deep within when we are challenged, and the best way to confront a challenge is to challenge it and go right through it.

Guests: family members were introduced by our youth presenters

Sunshine continues in full force for our Warrior Wendy. She loves emails and text messages as she cherishes the love, and they are a comfort which brings her strength.

Today was another amazing day as we celebrated the students of our community who were our Challenge Day Essay and Poster Contest winners. Our community has had this program in our schools for over 30 years, thanks to Mr. Larry Lambdin at STMS. Challenge Day is an experiential learning program designed to ignite a shift toward building connection, empathy, and inclusion through fun games, music and large and small group activities. It promotes anti-bullying, inclusion, and tools for making good decisions to Notice, Choose, Act.. Following Challenge Day students were given the opportunity to write an essay or create a piece of artwork focusing on one of the topics such as judgment, bullying, fake images, violence, and isolation.

The Essay winners:

6th grade 2nd place: Kinsley Papandrea

1st place: Gwen Walker

7th grade 2nd place: Charlene Gale Castilla

1st place: Even Marroquin

Honorable Mention: Mira Vij

8th grade 2nd place: Eveleyn Anderson

1st place: Colby Loughlin

The Poster winners:

6th grade 2nd place: Mayeli Perez Ramos

1st place: Amelia Mills

7th grade 2nd place: Julia Paul

1st place: Emma Dross

8th grade 2nd place: Vita Flaherty

1st place: Hanna Martone

Honorable Mention: Camila Luquin Ramirez

Photo of the 7 Challenge Day poster winners

Middle School Projects Committee chairs: Colleen Pence and Margie Kovarik-Maxhimer introduce the program.

6th grade 2nd place essay winner Kinsley Papandrea

7th Grade 1st Place essay winner Evan Marroquin

7th Grade Essay Honorable Mention Mira Vij

8th Grade 1st place Essay: Colby Loughlin

6th Grade 2nd place Poster: Nayeli Perez Ramos

6th Grade 1st place Poster: Amelia Mills

7th Grade 1st Place Poster: Emma Dross

8th Grade 1st Place Poster: Hanna Martone

8th Grade Honorable Mention Poster:

Camila Luquin Ramirez

We want to thank the members of the Middle School Projects Committee who make this opportunity possible, to the staff of South Tahoe Middle School for their support and guidance, and to our Event Sponsor for the day, Barton Health! 

And we'd like to also thank our amazing 2025 Club Sponsors who continue to support all that we do. Our partnerships are the reason we are able to accomplish so much for the women and youth in our community!

Mad Dash to Mad Hatter

Soroptimist SITSters and helpers are encouraged to show up to Valhalla on Sunday May 18th at 8-8:30 to start set up for our event. All hands on deck please!

Set up will be from 8-1:40 (all tables must be completed by 1:40 for Jeanne's team to set food)

Lunch will be provided by Sombreros from 11:30-1:30 for volunteers. Please take at least 20 min. to eat and drink.

Our Event is from 2 - 5. Tear down from 5-7. All hands on deck again please! Wear comfortable clothing, bring your water bottles and cozy shoes!

PLEASE reach out to family and friends and let them know about our auction site. We need people to bid on all the gorgeous items we have worked so hard to obtain and continue to sell the Vacation Stay Raffle tickets.

Quick reminders:

1. NEW and oh so exciting! The 3rd Annual Mt. Tallac PROM will be at Valhalla on May 29th! They need help for a beautiful dessert bar for their celebration. Desserts can be dropped off the morning of the 29th or the afternoon of the 31st. Please email Karen Houser for information and let's get baking!
2. Please get all your auction donations in to Lisa Huard. We go LIVE Friday but can always add donations!
3. Quarterly Member Dues continue to be accepted at this time. These funds are how we pay for our overhead expenses so they are very important. In addition, Happy Dollars can be paid directly online on our website www.sitahoesierra.org on the Donate button. "Note" what the payment is for to help out our team! Make your payment here.
4. Our Soroptimist apparel line is ready for purchase! Liz Prestella's Torq'd clothing line for women is our supporter of this endeavor. Members and appreciators of SITS are now able to purchase apparel and items from her website. See what items are offered and to order go here. Thank you to the SITS team and to Torq'd for all of the hard work.

Our Spring Fundraisers!

It's how we get so much done in our community and around the world.

Our Online Auction opens Friday, May 16 and closes on Friday, May 30, 2024 at 8:00 PM.

Vacation Stay Raffle Winners drawn on May 30th!

Donations for our online auction are gratefully accepted here! You don't have to be a business to help out. Think of a creative experience you can provide, a prepared gourmet meal, boating trip on Lake Tahoe, guided fishing experience, Troop Masters - yard clean up by the troop!, any kind of treat you can provide. We all can make a difference in the lives of others, together! Donations can be added to the site even after our auction opens. Isn't technology amazing!

Vacation Raffle Tickets on sale NOW through May 29th or until they are sold out! Tickets are $50 each and only 200 per property will be sold. You can purchase tickets for a week stay in a Maui condo, or a week stay in a timeshare anywhere in the world. For detailed Information on the properties and how to order your tickets go here. OR just email us at raffle@sitahoesierra.org to get the ball rolling! OR see a member to purchase yours in person. So many options so spread the word! WINNERS are drawn and announced May 30th.

Club Events

Specifically SITS 

Members, mark your calendars for our upcoming Fundraising events: Signups will be happening shortly. Kudos to Jean B and Laurie F for getting the signup.com prepared.

• "Basketizing" of auction items and Mad Hatter items via Cookie, are NOW - May 16.
• Online Auction, May 16 - 30, 2025.
• Vacation Raffle Ticket Sales, NOW - May 29 or until sold out.
• Mad Hatter Tea at Valhalla, May 18, 2025
• Sierra Nevada Region Conference is June 6-8
• Installation, June 19th. Venue TBD
• Celebrity Tournament, July 9-13, 2025

We are a hands on club, and we need all hands on these important projects to raise funds for our community.

Fall conference with SSLT will be held at Lakeland Village on Sept. 20th.

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!

The Lake Tahoe Museum Spring Season is in full swing. The museum will be open from 11-3pm every Saturday. For more information click here.

Fundraiser for Live Violence Free. For more information and for tickets, click here.

Cospire upcoming speaker, Lilah Jones, June 5, 2025! ticket sales open the week of April 21, 2025—you won’t want to miss out!

We can’t wait to see you at Valhalla Tahoe for an inspiring day of learning, growth, and connection.

Our friends at Optimist have activities to calendar! Details are on their website at https://southlaketahoeoptimist.com/

Sawmill Pond Fishing Derby June 7th, and the

Day In Paradise is July 19th 

Between Horses and Humans Fundraiser

The Mane Event

Saturday, June 7th from 2 - 5 pm.

3079 Harrison Ave South Lake Tahoe CA

Blood donations are needed and four are scheduled in our community. Please see details here and make your appointment today!

Zephyr Cove Library's latest programs for adults

They offer so much, check out their website to see all the wonderful opportunities they have to offer.

www.library.douglascountynv.gov

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

TASK's mission is to prevent and reduce youth substance use and related harm - Keeping kids safe in collaboration with our community partners. TASK's mission is to prevent and reduce youth substance use and related harm - Keeping kids safe in collaboration with our community partners. For more information about TASK click here.

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.

TAHOE LEARNING HAVEN: Are you aware of the FREE monthly educational forums that Kathy Haven has set up for students, parents, and all interested community members? These are great! Most TLH forums are the second Wednesday of the month from 6:45pm-9pm at the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe! Go here or tahoelearninghaven@gmail.com. Mark your calendar now

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

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!