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Hello Fabulous Live Your Dream Club Chairs,
You have all been working so hard on the Live Your Dream Awards Program. Most of you are planning on giving 3 or more Live Your Dream awards this club year. Many of you are still in need of extra applications. Please continue to reach out to me if you need extra applications. On the same note, if your club has any extra applications to share, please send them to me as soon as possible. We have Clubs with the funds to give multiple LYD awards; they need more applicants to give the funds to. We are on track to meet our SIA-assigned target goal of 136 LYD awards. Keep up the fantastic work you are all doing, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if I can be of assistance.
Below are some friendly reminders:
A woman may only be awarded the Live Your Dream Award once in her lifetime.
We have women applying for the LYD award this year who were previous LYD award winners. Once a woman has received a LYD award, she is no longer eligible to apply again. She would be disqualified from applying for any future LYD award from all clubs, not just the club she received the award from.
Clubs should keep a permanent record of all previous LYD awards the club has given. SIA is trying to screen and remove all current applications from any previous LYD award recipients. If a woman applies for the LYD award and is not chosen to receive an award, she may reapply in the future. If she is chosen as a LYD award recipient, she may NOT apply again in the future.
Ready to start selecting applicants for judging?
Here are some tips to assist with your selection process.
Verifying References
We recommend reaching out to the applicant’s reference(s) to verify they did indeed write the recommendation and stand by it. This can help catch any fraudulent applications, but it can also be helpful to gather more insight into the applicant and their situation. Depending on circumstances and/or cultural background, details may not be included in the application. Refer to the Sample Reference Phone Script and Sample Reference Email if you’re not sure what to say!
Sharing Applications/Requesting More Applications
If Your Club Needs More Applications
Contact your region chair to see if other local clubs have applications to share—we can transfer them in the online system. If your club is open to non-local applications, we have HUNDREDS of eligible women over 75 miles from a club, and we’d be happy to share them. Please fill out the Non-local Application Request Form.
If Your Club Has Too Many Applications
Reach out to your region chair or other clubs in the region to see if they need additional applications. If they do, request the transfer in the Indicate Your Club’s Decision stage. Please remember that before requesting this, the receiving club must agree to accept the application first. SIA staff will manually move the application. Please allow a few business days for processing.
Leaving Applications in the Indicate Your Club's Decision Stage
It's okay to leave applications in the "Indicate Your Club’s Decision" stage until judging is complete and your online report is submitted, especially if you plan to share them with another club. The receiving club must agree to accept the applications. At the very least, your club is responsible for notifying all applicants about their award status, even those who did not receive a LYD award.
Important Deadlines:
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FEBRUARY 1: District & Region–level judging deadline
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MARCH 15: Federation–level judging deadline
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MARCH (or earlier!) Honor your club recipient by holding and publicizing an awards event.
If you have any questions, I’m here for you!
Happy Holidays,
Billie
Billie Araiza
Live Your Dream Awards
Sierra Nevada Region Coordinator
2024-2026 Biennium
Sierra Nevada Region
LiveYourDream@Soroptimistsnr.org
Soroptimist International of the Americas
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