President Lisa Cali opened today's meeting with her amazing smile and warm heart.

Guests today included Deai, the President of the STHS "S" Club and Vanna, who is soon to be a member! We are so grateful you both were here today for this important presentation.

Our Invocation today reminded us as to why our club is so amazing. We are all strong women with different experiences and opinions, yet we always work together to create success in our efforts to benefit our community and the world.

Sunshine: It's with great sadness that we say goodbye for now, to a beautiful community supporter and friend, Karen Martin. Our hearts and prayers are will all of her loved ones, especially Dr. Martin. And a speedy recovery to Jeanne's daughter for her recent wrist surgery.

Today's speaker on this "Purple Thursday" was Briana Vallejo of Live Violence Free. Briana is the Community Relations Coordinator and has worked with LVF since 2016. After working in Alpine County for most of that time, she now works in the South Lake Tahoe office as the Community Relations Coordinator. Briana earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2018, which was paid for by her participation in the Miss America Organization and the Martha Nims Scholarship from SI of Reno! She works in the field of domestic/sexual violence because of her life experience as a survivor of violence.

Her passion to educate the community about the warning signs of domestic violence fuels her commitment to this work. Live Violence Free is an incredible asset to our community providing support, advocacy, transitional housing, counseling, case managers and legal assistance to those in our community who have been subjected to domestic violence, sexual abuse, or child abuse. 

The Barton Health Assessment, a self reporting survey taken b our own community, indicates that 1 in 4 individuals report physical abuse. This does not take into account the other forms of abuse that Briana reminded us about today. Her focus for our presentation helped us to: understand what domestic violence is, know the statistics in our own community, recognize the signs of abuse, learn the TALK Method to support those in need, and learn ways in which we can all help Live Violence Free continue their vital work.

Domestic Violence (DM) is a pattern of coercive, controlling behavior, and it's not just physical. DM happens to all people or all identities, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, and religions. DM can take the form of physical, sexual, emotional, financial, and spiritual abuse.

Signs of DM include: excuse of injuries, personality changes, constantly checking in with their partner, never having money on hand, overly worried about pleasing their partner, skipping out on work/school/social outings, wearing clothing that don't fit the season, etc.

There is a cycle to the violence of the perpetrator from Guilt and Justification (Promises never to do it again or blames you for the reason it's done) to the Honeymoon Stage (Getting back to that feeling of the one you love) to Tension(Yelling, insults, intimidation, and threats) to Explosion. This cycle repeats itself.

For the victim of DM there are many barriers to leaving the situation: fear, guilt, culture, social norms, love, lack of options, physical & social isolation, denial, financial dependence, religion/spiritual, immigration status, shame and blame, stalking, harassments, children, lack of support, victim blaming, loss of belongings.

Many of us, in trying to help family and friends, need the correct skills to helping a DM survivor. Briana shared the TALK Method which is key in helping anyone.

"T" is Thank them for telling you. Talk in private and sit with them at eye level. Control your emotional response and remain calm. Tell them that asking for help is a good thing.

"A" is Ask how you can help. Use language they understand. Don't give advice or demand action. Don't reinforce self blame and don't touch them, even a hug, without consent.

"L" is Listen without Judgement. Provide support and emotional security.

"K" Keep Supporting. Don't try to rescue the victim. Listen and support. There is no quick fix.

Be there for them. don't use leading questions, show shock or disgust at the abuser, try to rescue them, say you understand, become too emotionally involved, give advice or demand action, reinforce self blame or touch them without consent.

How do we break the cycle of this national epidemic? Though education and support. On average, a survivor who is seeking help to leaving, goes through this cycle of attempts seven times before they are actually successful. It's not because they don't want out, it's because the barriers can be overwhelming. Because of the difficulty at the stage of intervention, prevention is key. Briana's passion extends to helping our youth to understand and learn what a healthy relationship is beginning at an early age. Learning early and learning often will help all of us to understand that any kind of abuse is not to be normalized.

LVF is the sole provider offering services to those individuals and families suffering from abuse within the communities of South Lake Tahoe and Alpine County. The Alpine County located at the bottom of Woodfords Grade just off the west side of Highway 88.

All programs and staff are committed to providing culturally and linguistically responsive services, where victims are respected and empowered to make the best choices for themselves.

The agency operates primarily though grants such as VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) which was to be reduced by 44% but for this year, CA agencies were given a reprieve of such. Funding and donations are always needed in order for LVF to continue its important and life saving work. YOU can help by calling the office at 530-264-5314. They have volunteer opportunities and donations are always accepted. Use the QR code for more information or visit the website at https://liveviolencefree.org/

LVF, aside from case workers, counseling and guidance, provides housing assistance through a safehouse, transitional housing, and emergency hotel night assistance. If you or anyone you know needs assistance, begin with a call to their 24/7 Crisis line at 530-544-4444.

Thank you Briana for your compassion and the work that you and your entire team is doing for the women, men, and youth in our community. You are our heroes!

SITS Member Items & Our Projects

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

Festival of Lights, December 13-14 from 4-8pm.

Online Auction, May 16 - 30, 2025

Mad Hatter Tea at Valhalla, May 18, 2025

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.

Please share this opportunity with anyone you know who might be eligible. Our club has budgeted $6000 towards this program to help women with their educational goals. For further information or questions contact SITS member Nancy Muller.

nancymuller@sitahoesierra.org

SITS Committee Happenings!

Reminder: When hosting an event/meeting, please forward a photo and paragraph to techhelp@sitahoesierra.org so we can add it to our website and social calendar.

Technical Committee

.NOTE NEW DATE FOR TECH CAFE! 

Let's help our club become even more tech savvy!  

The Tech committee is holding our second Tech Cafe training meeting for committee chairs (and anyone else who would like to attend). Here's the details:

October 22 4pm to 6 pm

Andrea Solis' house

All are welcome! Please RSVP to tech@sitahoesierra.org to let us know you are coming! 

During this hands on training, you will learn the following;

1. Calendar - how to schedule your committee meetings on the calendar
2. Zoom - how to start up a Zoom meeting
3. Google Drive - how to use the drive for your committee, along with best practices on cleaning it up, creating folders, etc.
4. Tech manual - brief overview of the tech manual for all the things you need for SITS
5. Content - relook committee content to make sure it is up to date

Please prepare by bringing the following with you to the meeting:

1. A computer, iPad, and your phone (whatever you normally use!)
2. List of committee events and meetings
3. list of documents you need to be on the drive for your committee

If you are a committee chair, it would be super helpful if you can come. If you can't make it, please send a representative from your committee. 

Social Committee is organizing a SITS Friendsgiving.

Save the Date! Sunday, November 17th at 4 PM is our first SITs/Friendsgiving! A Friendsgiving is a Thanksgiving-style gathering, but in this case, with SITsters (and spouses/partners!), instead of our families. It will be a potluck, and signups will go out closer to the date. Hope you can attend!  

Healthy Women Healthy World will be sending out its committee financial supports to organizations we are working with this year, one of which is LVF. Thank you again to Briana for today's important presentation.

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!

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! Our Committee Signup portal is ready for members to sign up on! Simply click here! Newsletter Team sign ups are here and all are welcome to learn a new skill and join in!

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!

Time is running out to join the Tahoe women's Community Fund for the 2024 year. For as little as $125 donation, you can direct your contribution to a wide variety of community needs by joining and voting. Click here for the 2024 Impact Report to see how this organization supports our community, then click "Membership" to join!

Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 AM - 2 PM at the American Legion. You don't even have to get out of your car! Details here.

Enjoy a fun night of hockey watching the Tahoe Knight Monsters take on the Jacksonville Icemen at the Tahoe Blue Events Center on October 25 and benefit the South Lake Tahoe Parks Foundation at the same time!

25% of ticket sales sold through this link, will benefit the SLT Parks Foundation and to our new Recreation Center, so buy your tickets now and get ready for an amazing night out! Make it a family affair!

Free Plant-Based Eating Seminar.

For more information, click here.

Find more information here.

Join SISLT for

Diamonds& Denim

on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 from 6 - 9 PM.

Purchase your tickets now by scanning the QR code and get ready for a wonderful evening.

Join TAP as they present Alias Brass on November 8 at beautiful Valhalla Boathouse for a free public performance at 6:30 PM!

Be sure to put this on your dance card. A special performance in a special place!

Soroptimist of Truckee Donor presents...

Soroptishop Artisan Faire is November 21, 2024 in beautiful Truckee. This is an awesome opportunity for Soroptimist and non Soroptimist to shop and have fun with our neighbors. Details here!

There are South Lake Tahoe Community Blood Drives, available for you to participate in, Friday Dec. 6th, 11:30 am - 5:00 PM at the Parks and Rec Center Gym. 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd. To schedule an appointment, call Vitalant at 775-329-6451

For more information, click here.

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)

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.

For TASK's September campaign to keep kids safe, 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! See here or tahoelearninghaven@gmail.com. Mark your calendar:

·       11/13 – College application tutorial

·       12/18 – Student/alumni college panel & fair

·       1/8 – Scholarship application tutorial

·       2/12 – The college track: A-G requirements

·       3/12 – Playing at the next level: Athletics after high school

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!