President Lisa Cali opened today's meeting!

Guests today included Leslie Amato and Laurie Kemper. So wonderful have you with us!

Our Invocation was written and read by Lydia Rogers. She spoke of Loss, of a loved one, or a dream, and how to work your way through it. It's hard to believe that the world will ever be right, or keep turning after a huge loss, but it does. Her suggestion is that we come to accept our changed reality, stop second guessing what might have changed the outcome and find at least one good thing to be grateful for each day until our loss makes room for joy again.

Sunshine:

Prayers and positive thoughts go out to all involved in the fires in So. California. Keep our loved ones and the firefighters safe. Also, for Lisa Cali's cousin Jackie who passed far too early.

Today's meeting was very special. We had local teacher and author, Bridey Thelen-Heidel, come speak to us about her incredibly vulnerable tale of survival. "Bright Eyes, a Memoir"

Bridey spoke of the raw experience of writing such a memoir and the repercussions that came with it. One of the good things that came from the 5-year process of writing of her childhood trauma was that she no longer suffers with the triggers she lived with. She has exorcized the demons and can move forward, filling the space they took up with joy and the ability to help others, especially children, that are living in similar situations.

She spoke about going to three of the houses she lived in during some of the worst times and saying out loud, to her 10-, 12- or 14-year-old selves, It' OK, I told our story, and it can be done now. It was amazingly touching to hear how healing it was to be able to release those stories.

Duran Duran played a huge part in helping 12-year-old Bridey develop emotional intelligence. Closing the door to her room, even though right outside the door was hell, she was able to be 12 years old and experience joy, sadness and feel her own feelings" In co-dependent relationships, especially parent/child ones, the child is only allowed to express what the parent feels. It is important for them to learn how to detach and feel for themselves. Music is an amazing tool. Bridey got a chance recently to be onstage with Duran Duran thanks to an article our own Paula Peterson wrote.

Some of the fallout from writing this memoir has been estrangement from family members. She is OK with that and encourages others to write their stories, the therapy and release from the past is worth it. She says she feels unburdened, lighter and with more space for joy as well as additional memory capacity. She says it was like de-fragging a hard drive in her brain.

The book is told from the first person perspective and written with the language and insight of herself at various ages. She also spoke of how she stayed and tried desperately to help and to change those she loved, but ultimately had to leave. Unconditional love won't change them and if you stay at your own peril, you are not loving yourself.

With that extra space she has been working with Tahoe Youth and Family and Live Violence Free to help those dealing with trauma. Thank you, Bridey, for opening up, releasing your demons and sharing this experience with others. You are an amazing part of our community, and we appreciate you!

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.

Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra awarded Venus Castian Cardoza the Mt. Tallac Student of the Month for October. Venus was given a $75 Amazon gift card and was recognized by her teachers and peers on Oct. 25. Congratulations, Venus!

A newly launched Sewing Club at South Tahoe High School sponsored by Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra. They are in need of 2+ yard pieces of fabric tor their projects as well as ironing boards and irons.

Lake Tahoe Community College SITSters volunteering at the Lake Tahoe Marathon this month. Another new club sponsored by SI of Tahoe Sierra.

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.

Social Committee is organizing a SITS Friendsgiving at Laurie Flesher's home on Sunday, November 17th at 4 PM. 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 are limited to 30 people. Sign up here https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/701352080046/false#/invitation 

Healthy Women Healthy World will be sending out its committee financial support checks to organizations we are working with this year, one of which is Live Violence Free. Thank you again to Briana for her important presentation.

SAVE THE DATE

Lasagne Love with Bread and Broth

Monday, February 10

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!

El Dorado County Snow Removal Forum

Many residents are concerned with snow removal for the upcoming winter. The El Dorado County Dept. of Transportation will be holding a public meeting to discuss plans and take questions regarding the unincorporated portions of the basin.

Thursday November 7

6-7 p.m.

Meyers Elementary School Multipurpose Room

The Tahoe Knight Monsters have started their inaugural season . There are lots of games at the Tahoe Blue Events Center to enjoy!

They team with local nonprofits for special Knight nights. Check out their schedule here.

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!

The first NCAA women's basketball game to be played at Lake Tahoe will take place on November 12 at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. The University of Nevada Wolfpack will take on the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Game time is 7 p.m. Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Tahoe Tip Off at Ticketmaster and the Tahoe Blue box office.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District presents " A Veterans Musical Tribute" free music concert Wednesday, November 13, 6:30 pm at the South Tahoe Middle School.

MARCELLA FOUNDATION FRIENDSGIVING The Marcella Foundation's inaugural Friendsgiving will be held at South Lake Brewery Co. on November 20, 2024, 6 - 9 p.m. This will be an unforgettable night of community, celebration, and giving back! What to expect: Potluck-style dinner – bring your favorite dish to share, Table Decoration Contest & exciting Raffle Prizes, $150 per table (seats 6), Live music to set the festive mood. All proceeds will benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library initiative at the Marcella Foundation. Get your tickets here.

St. Joseph's Land Trust invites you to.......

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

American Legion Post 795 of South Lake Tahoe invites community members to join the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion in honoring all veterans this Veterans Day. The Veterans Day ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, at the American Legion Hall, 2748 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. Chuy’s Taco Truck along with light lunch refreshments and cake will be served.

Formerly Armistice Day, Nov. 11 commemorates the anniversary of the 1918 peace agreement that ended World War I. It’s historically significant that this day is observed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month of the eleventh day to commemorate when the guns fell silent at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.

Our local cemetery, Happy Homestead, is the final resting place for more than 700 veterans. American Legion Post 795 members will place American flags on their gravesites to honor them this Veterans Day. Interested volunteers are asked to meet at the cemetery to place the flags on Friday, Nov. 8, beginning at 10 a.m. and on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m. to remove the flags. Happy Homestead is located at 1261 Johnson Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.

The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion are actively seeking new members. If interested, please stop by Post 795, or give us a call at 530-541-8788.

For more information on the Veterans Day ceremony, contact American Legion Post 795 Commander, Tom Millham at 530-308-5215 or tmillham@jps.net. 

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 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:

·       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!

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