President Lisa opened our meeting on this beautiful spring morning. In Lydia's absence, she also gave the invocation. "Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one." -Stella Adler

Guests included Elizabeth Stork, Chief Administrative Officer at Barton Hospital, who discovered our club at the LTCC Earth Day celebration. Mei-Yun Lee, incoming President of Tahoe Douglas Rotary and owner of the skin care company Ageless Zen. Mei-Yung's business also partners with a 501c3 giving foundation to donate part of her proceeds to worthy non-profits. Check out her work here. Jenay Aiksnoras from the Lake Tahoe Chamber and Lake Tahoe Yoga also joined us. What an impressive lineup of ladies! We are so glad you engaged with us this morning and welcome you back anytime!

Sunshine continues in full force for our Warrior Wendy who hopes to be on home on Friday. Please text her first if you want to visit. She is still recovering from surgery and needs her rest. Also for Julie C. who injured her knee and hopes to avoid surgery with 3 months of rehab. And for Andie's husband who had a nasty cut to his head. Healing and sunshine to all!

Today's presentation was amazing! Our guest speaker today was Shelley Zentner, an amazing artist that we are lucky to call our neighbor! Born in Wales, Shelley began figure drawing at age 11, staged her first exhibition as a professional artist at 20, and became a gallery owner at 25. After a career hiatus involving burnout, travel, falling in love, becoming a mother, teaching art, and surviving cancer, Shelley is making art full time again.

Studying art with the force of nature Peter Prendergast in the ’90s, Shelley discovered that her family’s strong work ethic also applied to art. Prendergast’s shouted mantra to his students was to KEEP LOOKING!

That advice stuck. Whether painting landscapes, yogis, wildlife, victims of war or psychologically challenging portraits, Shelley’s willingness to confront the complicated truth of existence with a sense of hope is the hallmark of her work. After the Caldor fire of 2021, the landscape of the Sierra Nevada range was changed forever. Shelley saw beauty in the char that was left behind. She worked with the burnt wood to create amazing charcoal works of art that she shared with us today. Absolutely stunning. She uses her work to help heal our community. Here is a video report from KCRA that you can fully understand how she channeled her talent into scenes of substance.

Thank you Shelley for joining us today and sharing your talent and passion. Check out her website here as her gallery of work is just beautiful.

Shelly is on a mission to rehumanize the world by helping us connect with our sense and the real world. Tactile experiences are important to her and one reason that she works with charcoal and pastels rather than a paint brush. Art has the ability to connect us to things that we can relate to in the natural world. Shelly has partnered with Jaime Orr to connect art to physics. They have already done a presentation at Untethered on Art and Gravity, and plan to do one on Art and Water. We can help Shelley amplify her mission by checking out her work on line or in one of her galleries, subscribing to her newsletter, coming to openings and talks at her gallery, and sharing her story. This month 10% of her sales will be donated to Live Violence Free. Shelley has a strong feeling that "Because now, more than ever we need to take care of each other." Shelley has graciously donated this Limited Edition Giclee print of Echo Summit reflected in the river that you see above for our fundraising auction that begins on May 16-30! Thank you, Shelley, for sharing your story and inspiration with us.

Mad Dash to Mad Hatter

Soroptimist SITSters and High School helpers create a giant Delphinium for the Mad Hatter Tea.

Quick reminders:

1. NEW and oh so exciting! The 3rd Annual Mt. Tallac PROM will be at Valhalla on May 31st! 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. This week's donation collector is Vanna Bells, so please forward everything to her asap.
3. Quarterly Member Dues are due 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.

Club Sponsor & Event Sponsor; For community business leaders or anyone who wants to go that extra mile in supporting our efforts! This is a position which helps us all year long to enhance the lives of others. Please go to SITS2025.org for details and sign up now! This support is for the entire calendar year!

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!

Vacation Raffle Tickets on sale NOW through May 30th 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!

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 12.
• Challenge Day Essay Celebration, May 15 Breakfast Potluck at the STAOR building. Set up is at 4pm on Wednesday for anyone who can help.
• Online Auction, May 16 - 30, 2025.
• Vacation Raffle Ticket Sales, NOW - May 30 or until sold out.
• Mad Hatter Tea at Valhalla, May 18, 2025
• Sierra Nevada Region Conference is June 6-8.
• 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.

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 starts its spring season this Saturday, May 3. The museum will be open from 11-3pm every Saturday. For more information click here.

Join Tahoe Valley Elementary School in their fabulous fundraiser on May 3, 2025! It the Run for Roses Kentucky Derby Fundraiser! The fun is from 2 - 5 PM. Learn more and purchase your tickets here!

"CRAM a CRUISER to benefit our Bread and Broth for Kids program. Help with food insecurity on Saturday, May 3. Details here.

LTUSD PTAs are having a soiree on May 3rd! Join them for the School Community Gala Fundraiser and Auction at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Details here!

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

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

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 

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.

Between Horses and Humans Fundraiser

The Mane Event

Saturday, June 7th from 2 - 5 pm.

3079 Harrison Ave South Lake Tahoe CA

For more information on how to participate or be judge, click here.

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!