Friday, July 30, 2010
News
History: (for the information of new members)
S.I. of Edmonton participates in a program of international goodwill and understanding
by corresponding and interacting with other Soroptimist clubs throughout the world.
This is done both informally and formally by establishing a Friendship Link with
another club. Currently we have 2 friendship link clubs in Japan (S. I. Nayoro and
S. I Saitama), and one in England (Bath). The Japan clubs are within our Federation
of North and South America, while Bath is in the Federation of Great Britain and
Ireland.
Club Action Items:
- The Club History Project is underway for completion in 2011, the club’s 75
anniversary. A gathering will be held at 6 pm Friday, June 11, 2010 at the
home of Jaynne to plan and organize the history book. All members are encourage
to come and bring a potluck dish. For further information please contact Jaynne at
jaynnecarre@gmail.com.
- SI Edmonton has adopted Soroptimists Stop
Trafficking as its signature project. The first action was to host an
educational/awareness evening on September 26, 2009 in conjunction with the
event held by Soroptimists in BC. The information available to attendees and
the speech by Victor Malarek were superb. The evening was a great start to our
campaign and $16,000 was raised for the Salvation Army towards the provision of
more safe beds for trafficked women.
- Continuing our efforts in Soroptimists Stop
Trafficking, club members had been circulating a petition calling for a change
in the Criminal Code to decriminalize the sale of sex and to criminalize the
purchase of sex, using the Swedish Model. On January 2, club members have a
table at Strathcona Farmers’ Market to raise awareness of the issue and to
obtain more signatures. Members deemed this a huge success and look forward to
doing it again later in the year.
- In partnership with the Maple Leaf Project, SI
Edmonton hosted a fundraiser dinner at The Taste of Ukraine on Jasper Ave. on
January 22. The purpose is to continue raising awareness of human trafficking
in Alberta, to raise funds for use in the assistance of trafficked persons and
to open discussions about starting a safe house in Alberta. The evening
exceeded expectations. All proceeds from the event will go to support the safe
house in Ukraine
-
Members attended our annual Western Canada Region Conference in Banff, April 20
to May 2 where Human Trafficking was further established as our major focus.
Members attended the Salvation Army "What's human about trafficking luncheon" on
May 7 where we were able to pass on our willingness to collaborate in advocacy.
Soon we will begin in earnest our new Soroptimist year although our work continued
over the summer for many of us. The past year has had some significant challenges
but we have persevered and come out the other side with several new members and
a renewed sense of purpose and direction. Following is a sampling of some of the
events and actions of this year to date:
- In January 2009 we had the pleasure of hosting the Western Canada Governor, Angela,
who helped us strategize for the coming year and shared with us her vision for our
Region.
- On March 8 we held our International Womens’ Day and Awards Brunch at Highland’s
Golf Course. After being treated to a wonderful meal we heard from local author,
Jean Crozier, talking about her latest book. The Women’s Opportunity Award winner,
K. B. was in attendance and told us some of her background and what the award will
mean in her life. We liked it so much, we have already booked for next year.
- At the end of April, nine club members attended the Western Canada Region conference
at Sun Peaks Resort outside of Kamloops. The theme of the conference was empowerment
and were we ever. The excellent presentation and discussions about Human Trafficking
are what led us to adopt this SIA initiative as our signature project. SI Edmonton
was recognized as a Renaissance Club and we won the Joyce Blake Visitation Award,
again. Also, again, our winner of the Womens’ Opportunity Award won at the Region
level. Conference 2010 is to be held in Banff. It is my hope and challenge to club
members to double or more our attendance. Conference is such a worthwhile undertaking
for all Soroptimists as it is the perfect opportunity to begin to realize the vastness
and impact of our organization; to learn , to meet and to share.
- Throughout the year we have been meeting at a variety of locations with a view to
finding one that suits us well. We have visited the YWCA, the downtown, the Lois
Hole and the Bonnie Doone libraries and have had a meal catered. This fall we will
vote on a permanent meeting venue. The catering left something to be desired and
was costly for the quality so dinner meetings have been suspended for the foreseeable
future although many members wish to meet for a meal prior to the meetings.
- The year wrapped up with our AGM held at the home of a member who put on a fabulous
spread. We were treated to slide presentations with dialogue on the Agape Orphanage
Foundation by the current business manager and a Rotarian supporter. Both of these
people had recently been at the Orphanage in Malawi. We also inducted out two newest
members to our club which is always an exciting and rewarding activity. Welcome
V.H. and W.H.
It has been a busy and productive year so far and I anticipate a rewarding balance
of the year. I hope everyone has had a great summer, despite the hm….hm…weather.
See you soon.
Carell