Sierra Nevada Region E-Blast
Soroptimist International

E-Blast Digest

January 1st, 2025

Hello Soroptimist Int'l,


Please take the time to read this week's E-Blast so you can stay up-to-date on happenings around the Region and Federation.


NOTE: When you see at the bottom of this eblast "message clipped view entire message" click on it to see the complete eblast.

January

Soroptimist Stargazer Month

  • January 1 Headquarters office closed (New Year’s Day)
  • January 2 Electronic ballot closes at 11:59 p.m. (EST) for federation board members in regions electing this cycle
  • January 20 Headquarters office closed (Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day)
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Governor Stacey's Message

As we get ready to welcome 2025, I have a question for you...

Who’s ready for the New Year!! The Sierra Nevada Region is! That’s right we are busy already planning our Region Conference in June 2025, our wonderful and talented Region District Directors are busy planning their Winter Roundtables/Leadership Summits.

So, with the beginning of a new year, I start working on my vision board for 2025! How about you? Are you working on your vision board when the new year starts? So, call them “Dream boards”, and I believe it’s important to update it from time to time to make sure, that it still represents your desires and dreams.


So, I wanted to share a few tips on how to create your own vision board for 2025.


1. Gather all your supplies. Pretty much a no-brainer but you will need some

scissors, glue and an empty canvas.

2. Ask yourself what you really want. Before you get started, you need to

become very clear about what you want. I usually start my process a few

weeks ahead by setting out my goals. It’s rather an important step. This is a

really powerful visualization tool, and you don’t want to attract the wrong

things into your life for 2025.

3. Create Sections. I love making sections on my vision board; there is, for

example, business/money, then my goals for health, travel, home and of

course Soroptimists. I usually add 3-5 pictures to each section, representing

my goals.

4. Find the perfect placement. I recommend you choose a location where you

walk by regularly or a location where you sit next to it often, but that is also

somehow private. You should see your goals often and above all, be able to

visualize them consciously and on a regular basis.


And there you have it! Ta-da! Vision Board. – I’ll have to finish mine up and I’ll be sure

to post it on our Social Media pages and maybe include in our next Eblast!


I would be remiss if I didn’t pass along some great information from SIA.


SAVE THE DATES!

  • January 28, 7-8 p.m. (ET)

o The Power of Planned Giving: Leave a Legacy for Women and Girls 

(Please note: This event is for U.S. members only) Register here.


  • March 10, 8-9 p.m. (ET)

o Fourth Annual International Women's Day Tea Party

Register here.

 

  • June 24, 6-9 p.m. (ET)

o 2025 Leadership Round Table

Registration coming soon!

 

  • June 28, 1-4 p.m. (ET)

o 2025-2026 Soroptimist Leadership Fellows Program (first session)

Registration coming soon!


I raise my glass this New Year’s Eve – may we have many successes in the coming

year! Thank you all for all that you do and what you are going to accomplish in 2025!

Yours in Soroptimist,


With gratitude,


Stacey Jensen

Sierra Nevada Region Governor 2024-2026


Soroptimist International of the Americas News Alert
We are excited to announce that SIA will host its 49th Biennial Convention in the vibrant city of Incheon, South Korea, from July 22 to 25, 2026. This four-day event is an excellent opportunity to build lifelong friendships, participate in enriching workshops and celebrate Soroptimist's significant global impact on transforming the lives of women and girls. 

We are committed to keeping you informed as we finalize details for the event. We want to share information regarding the mandatory convention club fee that SIA will invoice clubs for in January 2026 and payable on March 15, 2026. We are providing you with this early notification to assist with your budget planning across multiple fiscal years. 

As mentioned to our region governors, club presidents and treasurers last year, SIA anticipated a similar price point for the mandatory convention club fee for the 49th Biennial Convention. To address the rising costs of hosting in-person events, the declining number of clubs, and to mitigate any potential deficit for the convention, the SIA Board of Directors has approved a $25 increase in the mandatory convention club fee, bringing the total to $825.  

The mandatory convention club fee is a cost-sharing model that helps us cover essential costs associated with organizing this significant event—including the general business meeting, production, venue rental, catering, interpretation services and equipment, registration vendor contracts, and keynote speakers. Without your support, we would be unable to offer this valued member engagement opportunity. The registration of one delegate per club is included to ensure your club is represented at the general business meeting held during the convention. Your voice is highly sought at this important meeting where key decisions about the business of Soroptimist are made. 

As always, please feel free to contact us via email siahq@soroptimist.org if you have any questions.  

We look forward to seeing you in Korea! 

Thank you, 
SIA Headquarters 


Featured Learning Lab: How to view and filter my club roster

Reminder: The member portal is only open to club presidents, treasurers and admins as we move through the new dues renewal process.

 

Club presidents, treasurers and admins can view their roster by logging into the portal and navigating to the Club Profile page. There, you'll find the Affiliated Contacts list,

which shows: (1) everyone ever affiliated with your club and (2) all leadership roles held.

Most users only need to see Current Leaders and Active Members. This learning lab will

guide you on how to filter your roster to display just current leaders and active

members.

 

To print your roster, you have two options:

1. Quickly print a screenshot of your filtered list from the portal.

2. Request a printable PDF by emailing siahq@soroptimist.org.


Please note that due to high demand for dues support, there may be delays in processing, and we appreciate your patience.

Upcoming portal developments will improve roster management for club leaders.

 

Learn more here.

UpliftHER and You!


UpliftHER is a new member engagement initiative empowering women and girls. This exciting concept was first discussed at the 48th Annual Convention in Dublin last July. SIA also provided a PowerPoint Presentation; here is the link. Watch it so you’ll have “all the Deets!” (Details)


The Initiative is to help women and girls overcome a specific obstacle each quarter, as it pertains to them. Here are the four times and focus areas:


 October – Intimate Partner Violence


On January 8th, all of the SIA Federation Program Coordinators will be briefed on January’s UpliftHER materials; watch for more information will be in the January 15th E-Blast!


Watch the UpliftHER video to hear ideas for projects. SIA realizes that you may already have your hands full with existing projects in your community. However, is there some existing program or project that you are currently providing in your community that could be tweaked to fit this initiative? You can contact me at Program@Soroptimistsnr.org or Jackie Schrauger at Program@Soroptimist.org for more information.

Remember to share your projects with #SoroptimistsUpliftHER!



Tracey Edwards

Federation Program Chair

2024-2026

UpliftHER Initiative: Human Trafficking


Once a quarter, we will focus on an obstacle that women and girls face on their path to

formal education and economic empowerment. SIA will share information about the

obstacle, along with suggested projects that count towards our Big Goal. Clubs can

participate in the quarterly project focus by sharing SIA posts and posting their own

projects with the hashtag #SoroptimistsUpliftHER.


For January, we will focus on projects that increase access to education for women or

girls who have experienced trafficking. January 11 is recognized globally as the

International Day of Human Trafficking Awareness, making January a meaningful time

to learn more about this critical issue and how Soroptimists can help through the

Soroptimists UpliftHER initiative.


Human Trafficking is more prevalent than you think

  • For every 10 trafficking victims identified globally, five are adult women and two

are girls.

  • The total number of trafficked individuals is unknown, but estimates range from

28 million to 50 million globally.

  • This crime is often underreported and hard to track as it is the second largest

worldwide criminal enterprise.


The Impact of Trafficking

Human trafficking can happen to anyone, but some people are more vulnerable than

others. Vulnerable groups include recent migrants, those with substance use/mental

health illnesses, people with limited education, and individuals experiencing poverty or

homelessness (especially youth). Traffickers may prey on these vulnerabilities to create

a dependent relationship and make it more difficult for victims to leave. Most frequently,

people are trafficked by someone they know and taken by manipulation rather than

force. This manipulation and coercion often escalate to physical, emotional, and

financial abuse.

Once immediate safety is established, the UN states that “acquiring skills and

competencies for sustainable livelihoods” is an intermediate need and crucial part of a

successful recovery for trafficked individuals. Soroptimists have decades of experience

with providing this intervention through our education awards and other financial

support.

Women and girls who have been trafficked often suffer financially, being forced to rely

on their trafficker or forced to turn over their earnings to their trafficker. Even after they

escape and are safe, they often face unfair societal stigma that can make finding

meaningful employment difficult.


How Soroptimist Can Help

Reducing poverty is a powerful way to lower the risk of trafficking and education is a key

pathway to doing just that. Access to formal education can provide women with the tools

to prevent trafficking and to command better wages after surviving trafficking.

Leading organizations addressing trafficking agree that holistic methods are the best

prevention. One of the most impactful preventative methods is to invest in building the

agency of women and girls through access to education. Ensuring that women and girls

have the opportunity and ability to complete school and earn a livelihood plays a

significant role in reducing vulnerability.

Spread awareness about trafficking on social media with these graphics!


Click here to get access to the graphics below




Big Goal Accelerator Project Eligibility


If your club has the capacity, one way to support the educational needs of survivors is to

provide a scholarship for a woman who has experienced trafficking, and if appropriate,

offer a career or college mentoring program. Be sure to report it as a Big Goal

Accelerator Project (or Live Your Dream Award, if your recipient is a survivor of

trafficking). If your club has another project that provides access to formal education or

economic empowerment to women or girls who have survived trafficking, please report

it as a Big Goal Accelerator Project and help us reach our Big Goal!


Report here

Does your club have a different project that increases access to education for women

and girls impacted by trafficking? We’d love to hear about it! Post about it using the

hashtag #SoroptimistsUpliftHER.

Video Series: President/ President-Elect Workshop


Presenting: Throw Out The First Pitch! By Federation Fundraising Co-Chair Ann Bryant. A delightful discussion sharing tools to lead your club to success!




Enjoy this video series with thanks to all our presenters. 


Danielle Kennedy, Public Awareness Chair 2024-2026

District 6 Winter Leadership Roundtable


Saturday February 1st, 2025

10:00 am to 1:00 pm


Zoom Meeting Only!


Click here for the Call to the District 6 Leadership Roundtable


Click here to Register

Dear Live Your Dream Awards Club Chairs,


As you wrap up the application review and judging process, it’s time to finalize your decisions. Follow these important steps to ensure your club’s choices are properly recorded and communicated.

We reviewed our applications and had them judged—now what?

  • Now it’s time to indicate your club’s decision for EACH APPLICANT! Place the application for your top recipient in the Indicate Your Club’s Decision stage (and her application will be sent to the region chair for further judging). You will complete this step for any additional club recipients as well.
  • Please be sure to indicate your club’s decision for ALL the applications your club receives, including those you marked as No Award. That way we at headquarters know the club’s decision (because we often get applicants who reach out to us for updates!). You can use the automated emails in the application system to communicate the decisions with the applicants.
  • Be sure to download a copy of any applications your club judged and keep it for at least a year (applications that receive funding should be kept securely in club records indefinitely).
  • Don’t forget that in addition to indicating your club’s decision in the online application system, you MUST complete the online reporting form on JotForm! Without this, your club is not considered as participating in the program, so make sure your hard work is known.


Please be in touch with any questions!


Sincerely,

The SIA Program Team



Billie Araiza

Live Your Dream Awards

Sierra Nevada Region Coordinator

2024-2026 Biennium

Sierra Nevada Region

Soroptimist International of the Americas

CONGRATULATIONS to all clubs celebrating a Charter anniversary during the month of January!



January 1 – SI Sutter Yuba Chartered 2017

January 7 – SI Placerville Chartered 1939

January 11 – SI Chico Charted in 1930

January 19 – SI Colfax Charted in 1946


Hopefully I did not miss anyone!

Governor Stacey

SI Bidwell Rancho


SI Elk Grove

  • Avon Flyer
  • Power of the Purse (02/08/25) Flyer
  • Martini Fundraiser (03/15/25) Flyer


SI Citrus Heights

  • 39th Annual Crab Feed Flyer


SI Grass Valley

  • Zero Waste Club Kit Flyer


SI Greater Sacramento


SI Greater Las Vegas

  • Sweet Fantasy 2025 Flyer


SI Lincoln

SI Loomis Basin

  • Olive Oil Flyer
  • It's in the Bag Flyer
  • It's in the Bag Sponsorship Opportunity - Flyer


Si Mineral County

  • Planet Green Recycle Flyer


SI Pahrump Valley

  • Voices of Change Flyer (01/11)



SI Rancho Cordova/GR

  • Print cartridge recycling Flyer
  • e-waste recycling Flyer
  • Tru-Earth Eco-products Flyer
  • Human Trafficking Education Program Flyer


SI South Sacramento

  • "Show You're a Soroptimist" Flyer

SI Bidwell Rancho

SI Chico

SI Davis

SI Elk Grove

SI Grass Valley

SI Folsom/EDH

SI Lincoln

SI Loomis Basin
Find out what's happening with other SI Clubs in our region.

SI Pahrump Valley

SI Rancho Cordova/ Gold River

SI Sacramento

SI Tahoe Sierra

SI Truckee Meadows

SI Woodland
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E-Blast Submission Guidelines

E-Blasts go out the 1st and 15th of each month. Email your articles, flyers or links to blastsnr@soroptimistsnr.org by the 27th of the month for E-Blast going out on the 1st, and by the 12th of the month for the E-Blast going out on the 15th.

A few pointers and notes for a successful E-Blast submission:

  • Submissions should use either Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat or can be typed into an email that I can copy and paste into the E-Blast
  • You may send me a Web Link. Ensure the link you send me works
  • Files can be no larger than 5.0mb. Constant Contact can’t handle it
  • When sending your club's Eblast, please send a direct link or a Pdf file.


I will reply that I received your submission within 48 hours. If you don’t receive my confirmation, check with me. 


Babette Maiss

SNR Eblast Coordinator

Soroptimist International Sierra Nevada Region | 3495 Lakeside Dr. #251 | Reno, NV 89509 US

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