President Lisa Cali opened today's meeting with her usual good nature.

This week, let’s extend our sunshine to: Theresa's sister's boyfriend Chris while he battles serious health problems. Laurie's friend Dave with his continued health issues, Paula's son's girlfriend while she works through stomach issues. And let's give thanks for Shelly's Mom, who is at home after a scary hospital stay with covid and pneumonia, and our Joanne Shope who is recovering from pneumonia as well.

Today's amazing speakers included a dear friend to SITS and also one of our own! Kathy Haven and Wendy David shared information on an organization many of us are members of: the Tahoe Women's Community Fund.

WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET,

 WE MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE

Lisa Maloff, the Angel of Tahoe, donated generously for the first several years. Upon her passing, the community stepped up as Super Sponsors and Operational Sponsors to cover that loss. See the sponsors below.

Kathy Haven spoke eloquently about how this collective giving circle came about and how she loves that everyone who wants to can become a philanthropist. Everyone receives one vote, regardless of their level of giving. This organization supports only non-profits that work on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. Over $728,000 had been given out in 102 different non profit grants over the past 9 years.

Consider becoming a member and helping your community in the simplest way possible. Membership is open to all!

The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund is a collective giving organization created in 2015. Through a simple grant making process, the annual proceeds from membership provide financial support to nonprofits that address pressing issues facing the communities of Lake Tahoe.

Each member receives one vote on our annual ballots. Requests for Proposals are sent to local nonprofits. After the proposals are returned and reviewed by the Grants Committee, members receive a ballot and vote on which grants to fund. The member-selected grants are announced and awarded at our annual Gala. Members choose their level of involvement:

• Do a little: Vote twice a year.​
• Do a little more: Attend our events.
• Do even more: Join a committee or volunteer.
• TWCF is based on an annual membership of all interested community members. The minimum donation to be a voting member is $125 per year.

For more information, please e-mail us at TWCF@eldoradocf.org or call 530.622.5621.

Speaking of GIVING CIRCLES....The El Dorado Community Foundation has started another. The EDCF Scholarship Giving Circle. Only $40 allows you to vote and/or read scholarship applications and help these young people advance their lives.

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 prepared.

• Mistletoe creations for Festival of Lights, Dec. 10. See Shelly for details.
• Festival of Lights, December 13-14 from 4-8pm.
• Annual SITS Holiday Celebration, Dec. 19. Details: BRING A WRAPPED GIFT OF $15 OR LESS, WEAR AN UGLY CHRISTMAS SHIRT
• Bread & Broth with Lasagna Love, Feb. 10.
• 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.

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.

PR/Logo Development: Be on the lookout for this fantastic and fun change so our community knows they can Rise & Shine with SITS! Thank you to the ladies who continue to work on this project. We are all so excited.

SITS Online Auction: Our Auction opens Friday, May 16 and closes on Friday, May 30, 2024 at 5:00 PM.

We just sent out Club Sponsor & Event Contributor requests this week and will follow up with individuals mid December. If you have suggestions, please include them on the google spreadsheet that all members have been sent a link for or contact Lisa Huard. Thank you to the ladies who helped with the sponsor letter and who are working on our club's new logo/tagline that we will include shortly!

Reminder to club members, please use the link to sign up for "follow up" with business donors. Your hard copy letters will be provided in January. Laurie F will also create a hard copy sign up sheet that we can pass around in meeting. Thanks everyone!

Our ONLINE AUCTION site is UP and Running! www.SITS2025.org. Donations are accepted NOW! Sponsorships and Event Contributor positions are accepted NOW!

Mad Hatter Tickets go on sale in January through the website AND we have a return of our Vacation Timeshare Raffle opportunities thanks to the generosity of the Jean Bergner, Cookie Rork, and Jeanne Prestella! Here we go ladies!

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!

LTCC SITSters Happenings

This group of college students have taken the bull by the horns! They recently held their first Women's Symposium which provided participants with the opportunity to speak directly with women of various professional fields. Thank you to the many who organized and participated in this event. We'd also like to thank two of our own who brought their expertise to the event, Paula Peterson and Andie Solis.

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!

Tonight-- TASK meeting on Cyber safety 4-5pm at LTCC in the Lisa Maloff Center or remote link- TASK Meeting link

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

THE FESTIVAL OF TREES AND LIGHTS takes place from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14 in front of the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center at 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

Admission is free, and the festival is open to the public.

New this year, visitors can explore a Gingerbread House Village, which will be showcasing community creations as part of the Lake Tahoe Gingerbread Competition. Attendees can cast their vote for the People's Choice Award. SITS will have a booth, come by and get some mistletoe and buy a raffle ticket for a beautiful Christmas basket.

Sierra Foothills Assistance League does a parade of homes and the proceeds fund Operation School Bell, which helps our kids immensely with snow boots and clothes. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

Make this a family event. Let's teach and remind our community the sacrifices of others.

SISLT Holiday Luncheon and Auction

Mark Your Calendars

Ugly Sweater Theme-Festive, Fun and Lighthearted

Wednesday December 18th at Bally’s 11:30-1:30pm

Holiday Enhanced Buffet

Wine Included

Parking will Be validated

$45.00 or 3 punches for current members

Invite your friends and family

Start planning on an item to donate for the silent or live auction 

(baked goods, baskets, experiences, handmade items for example)

Non perishable items can be dropped off at Carolyn’s Shop or Michelle’s Office

3053 Harrison Avenue The Design Shop or Tahoe Property Management (unit 201)

More Details to Follow

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!

It's almost time for the Drug Store Project- April 1st 2025- Volunteer for the Drug Store Project to help keep our kids off drugs.

Sign up to volunteer for Challenge Day Wednesday, Feb. 5th All day program or Thursday, Feb. 6th Assembly-Volunteer for Challenge Day with Middle School students- Challenge Day Volunteer Sign Up

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 October 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 now.

·       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!

CURLING NOW THAT DAYS ARE SHORTER? Maybe you’ve been waiting until the fall when there’s not sun to keep you on the beaches into the evenings and the temps are dropping? Never tried curling, come out and try some of the best ice in the US! The first dedicated curling ice in Nevada was right here in Stateline! Lessons, games, leagues, group parties, etc! See here