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SI-Ashland
NEWSLETTERDECEMBER 2008
COMING ... This MonthWed Dec 3noon*
Business Meeting
Thu Dec 4noon
Lunch BuddiesHelman School
Wed Dec 10noon*
OSF dramaturg Lydia Garcia & Pillow Booth Celebration
Fri, Dec 126:30 pm
CHRISTMAS PARTY at Peggy’sPotluck & White Elephant
RSVP Peggy or SaraWed Dec 17noon*
Holiday Auction--bring friends or relatives & auction gift
Thu Dec 18noon
Lunch Buddies-MakeupHelman School
Mon Dec 225:30
Board Meeting @ Debbie’s
Wed Dec 24 NO MEETING MERRY CHRISTMAS
Thu Dec 31 NO MEETING HAPPY NEW YEAR
*La Casa del Pueblo1209 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland
Presidentís Message
The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to focus on sharing food and good times with friends and family; giving thanks for what we have in our lives.
Certainly we cannot ignore the difficult times and unbelievably complex choices our nation is facing, but we Soroptimists are making differences in the areas we can control and, in the long run, this will matter and be important. November has been a month filled with international enthusiasm and interest. The Soroptimist International President’s Appeal was introduced. This year’s President’s Appeal is in partnership with the Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid Fund. The Fund supports the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia: the only facility in the world exclusively dedicated to treating obstetric fistulae. As in 2007, we will accept donations on Dec. 3rd and 10th towards “Restoring Dignity – Securing a Future” for the Desta Mender Village. Desta Mendor is committed to bringing women back to the best state of health possible and assisting women in their transition to independent living.
For fun, I invite you to do two things: Clean out your closet and count all the clothes you have not worn in at least one year….pay 10 cents for each item as a donation. This will accomplish two nice things: (1) Fistula center donation and (2) donate the good clothing you no longer wear to those who could really use it. I will bring a box for business clothing donations on 12/3 and 12/10/08.
November was “Violence against Women” awareness month. We heard from Louise Pare, who spoke in a heartfelt way about women and girls in the Ukraine, which has the highest rate of trafficking of women in the world. She spoke to the “feminization of poverty” and the desire to expand opportunities in the labor markets so that women are not pushed into sexually exploited “domestic work.” She brought art work and crafts and shared some history, which was fascinating. Today, self- esteem is the issue and the goal is to reach young girls before they make life choices that forever alter their lives. Mothers and daughters meet at the Women’s Center where the program focus is on “your future, your choice” and leadership training and skill development is emphasized. Society in the Ukraine has experienced a “black out” of information for more than 70 years and they are now incredibly interested in hearing about the day to day lives of others.
Also this month, we were addressed by Russy Sumariwalla who is current president of the United Nations Association – USA Southern Oregon. He focused on three issues: (1) women as advocates of peace, (2) funding and focus on woman’s empowerment, and (3) being active in women’s causes, such as “say no to violence against women.” He was clearly empathetic to the hardships faced by many women in the global arena. He invites all to go on-line to review goals and stories at www.un.org and sign on to support UN causes for women’s rights. Kathy will share more about this via e-mail.
We are continuing to focus on networking in the community and I e-sent you a list of local activities taking place during December. The intention is to encourage you to be involved in the Ashland “neighborhood” and possibly
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DECEMBER 2008 Soroptimist International - Ashland Page 2
Making a Difference for Women
International Goodwill & Understanding
Explore Iceland together with your Icelandic sisters from the Club of Hafnarfjordur and Gardabaer. Share the soroptimist spirit in the wonderful Icelandic nature. We look forward to seeing you.
For further information visit our web site at http://www.soroptimist.is
This Icelandic Soroptimist Week is a wonderful opportunity. I’ve read about past Soroptimist trips on the chat Line and the visiting Soroptimists have a terrific trip.
Start planning now. Kathy Mooney
Do you know a woman in Ashland who, through their professional or per-sonal efforts, are making extraordinary differences in the lives of women or girls?? Think of all the women you know--or maybe heard about--women who are giving of themselves in an ef-fort to improve the lives of women or girls.
Every year our club nominates and honors one
woman, preferably from Ashland.
The Making a Difference for Women award has only a token monetary award at club level ($50 given to the cause of choice for the winner), but, $5,000 if given at Federation level if she advances through region to win at Federation.
Names for this award must be submitted to
Region by the 15th of January !!! Soroptimists or their family members are not eligible Please talk with Peggy Cossolias or Roberta Broadie if you have any questions or wish to fill out a nomination form. P.S. We will share an event with all the other Rouge Valley Soroptimist Clubs honoring the nomi-nees in March.
meet new people or get to know a fellow Soroptimist better while attending one of these functions. The goal is to get out there and enjoy new conversations, let people know you are a Soroptimist, and increase opportunities to talk about what we do.
Also, we are having Mingle & Jingle festivities at Jim & Peggy’s on Friday Dec 12th after work. Bring your significant other, a dish to share and a wrapped white elephant gift to exchange. Our upcoming all club fundraiser is the Holiday Auction December 17th. We hope all can attend and invite co-workers or friends to do a little gift shopping and enjoy some holiday sparkle with us.
Laugh and be happy! Debbie, SI-A President
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DECEMBER 2008 Soroptimist International - Ashland Page 3
November Speaker-Louise Pare Louise Pare, a PhD in Feminist Studies, shared with us her background of having a Ukrainian mother and what that meant in their history of matriarchial lineage until the 11th century, when they accepted Christian-ity. The women have been torn from the fabric of their lineage and lost their grounding. Today,
the Ukraine has the high-est percentage of traf-ficking of any European nation. Efforts are being made to help young girls understand their roots and the value of their arts and symbols, so they might have a chance for a productive life, free from the abusiveness that is destroying them. --Editor
Getting Connected: www.soroptimistNWR.comThe new web site for the Northwestern Region is up and running. Your old log in information to the “Members Only” section will no longer work. I have made sure every member is listed on our club roster. I need you to log in and verify that I have entered your person-al information correctly.
Log in as follows: USER NAME: Last-nameFirstname (Ex: MooneyKatherine) PASSWORD: 1234 After logging on, click on “Manage Your Pro-file” located under your name or the bottom left of the page. Verify that the information I have entered for you is correct
-or- correct it AND per-sonalize your username and Password. The above username and password is meant for one use only.Across the top is drop down menus for Regional Soroptimist information. Have fun exploring! —Kathy with her IT hat on
November Speaker-Russy Sumariwalla UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon recently said: “In women, the world has the most significant but untapped potential for development and peace.” Russy gave us a great overview of the very complex organization that is the United Nations. Two of the 8 UN mil-lenium goals are: gender
equality and maternal health. It is the Economic & Social Council that SI connects with. He went on to discuss the many ngos that say “No” to violence against women. Russy ended with this quote: “All roads lead from women to social change.”
--Editor
DECEMBER 2008 Soroptimist International - Ashland Page 4
Recycle e-waste (TVs, computers, stereos, etc) FREE through December at Val-ley View Trans-fer and Recy-cling Station. This service is for households and businesses with fewer than 10 employees. Clear your house and help the en-vironment!
The committee is pleased to announce the honoring of two dedicated mem-bers by placing a light on the Ashland Community Hospital Foundation’s Lights for Life tree. Mar-ian Forsythe and Helen Seiber are being honored for their length and depth of service to Soroptimist projects.
Helen has been know as the person ‘always there’ and ‘always volunteering’ without regard to what the situation was. With
only one arm, she out worked most of us in the pillow booth! She was very active in the Trees of Joy (back when it was really big) by delivering loads of gifts to Linda Vista and to the Talent area. She always contrib-uted heavily to the book drive. Even though her health confines her, her spirit is with us at every Soroptimist meeting.
Marian, a 25+ year member, was president in ‘88-’89. She actively
participated in district and regional meetings. Mar-ian championed athletic women in Soroptimist as well as in her profession. She was in thirty years a coach, professor and chair of Health and Physi-cal Education at SOSC (SOU). Marian managed the SIA rooster for many years. Her quiet outward demeanor belied a great sense of humor that we enjoyed her sharing. She is living in Medford now.
Health Committee
Holiday FUN! - Dec 17th
The Education Committee will meet on Dec. 17th after the Holiday Auction.
Our holiday auction is coming up on December 17. This is a fun, celebra-tory gathering (let’s don’t even call it a meeting!) that gives us all a chance for Christmas festivities together before we take our holiday break. And we’ll make some money at it as well! We promise a wonder-ful holiday atmosphere - but we need YOU to bring something fun/nice/creative/pretty/crazy for the auction! Think outside the usual box:
you can offer a service (how about some garden advice?), a lesson (cook-ing, baking, underwater basket-weaving etc.), an afternoon tea party or a “happy hour” someplace fun. Or, certainly, bring a more tangible object - we love handmade things or the offer of same (“I’ll provide a pie for your Christmas dinner”). Holi-day decorations or items (such centerpieces) are great, too. And, yes, you CAN re-gift that perfectly lovely Christmas candle that you’re allergic to,
or your family heirloom china... So, put on your holiday thinking cap, come up with an auction item, and get ready for one of the nicest times of the year, when we gather not only as Soroptimists, but as friends in the holi-day spirit. And consider bringing a friend to join in our festivities. Mel
DECEMBER 2008 Soroptimist International - Ashland Page 5
Peggy Cossolias and Sara Brown Invite all Members and Your Significant Other to a HOLIDAY PARTY. Let’s CELEBRATE our great work together and our wonderful friendships.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2008 6:30pmat the home of PEGGY AND JIM COSSOLIAS, 395 Ashland Loop Rd
Bring a dish to share and a Wrapped White Elephant Gift* for a gift exchange.
RSVP - Peggy 552-9292 or Sara 482-5561
Holiday Party
White elephant gifts are traditionally gifts considered extremely tacky, or that do not fit the tastes of the recipient, and that are given by a friend or close relative (such as a mother-in-law) and therefore cannot be returned or exchanged at the store without potentially offending the giver. The thought behind a white elephant gift exchange is to give everyone a chance to rid themselves of these tacky gifts–and invariably gaining a new one!
District Meeting in Coos Bay, Oct 17-19
We sold 9 Umbrellas!
We had fun together! Some (not telling who) even lost money at the casino.
The theme was “B”, and while most of us dressed sensibly in Black, Brown, or Blue, there
were others:
We had the opportunity to spend money on a raffle--this one offered by Alice from SI Camas Washougal club for Laurel So-
ciety pin** and, Surprise!!, Barbara Stout did not win.
**see bottom of next page
Regional Governor Carene Davis-Stitt, Kathy Mooney, Debbie Jones, Cynthia Bennett, Vicki Smith, Sara Brown, Barbara Oldfield, Mel Bailey, Barbara Stout, Linda Anderson, and Sue Riney, Region Governor-
elect, receiving our numerous awards for our work last year.
DECEMBER 2008 Soroptimist International - Ashland Page 6
WOA TestimonyHello. My name is Andria Sherrow. In 2004 I was awarded the Soroptimist Inter-national Scholarship at Southern Oregon University. My name then was Andria Kiernan.
I’m currently living in Athens, Ohio, directing an international educational non-profit that I founded called EDUCATE Foundation, Inc. Because of the Sorop-timist’s help in 2004, I was able to travel to Uganda during my graduate work at SOU and start an orphan education project called the emPOWER Campaign - www.empowercampaign.org. A few weeks ago, during one of our fundraisers in Columbus, Ohio, I ran into a Soroptimist member, Largo Chapter, and she submit-ted the following to her chapter newsletter:
The “Soroptimist Connection”· A fun story from a fellow Soroptimist in Ohio (Helen Fox Bailey): After helping the Soroptimist club pack the Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes, my husband Rex and I went to the International Festival in Columbus, Ohio. I had on my new Soroptimist hoodie that I recently pur-chased at the District Meeting. As we were looking at the jewelry at one of the booths, the lady asked, “Are you a Soroptimist”? I was a bit surprised that she could pronounce it and knew the organization. We chatted a bit and she told us that she had been awarded one of the Women’s Opportunity Awards in Oregon a few years ago, and they had funded her education. She has since founded an organization that provides orphans with educational resources in Uganda! She was there selling jewelry, purses, and other items that the women of the village had made of recycled paper and banana leaves. Here’s the web site in case you are interested in learning more about the organization: www.empowercampaign.org Respectfully Submitted,Shireen Lackey, Editor
I thought your chapter would get a kick out of that!
Thanks again for your support. I want you to know that your scholarship made a world of difference to me and to the women and children I work with in Uganda. Please visit our website and meet the children we serve -- without you the project wouldn’t have started!
Kind Regards,Andria Sherrow, M.A.Executive DirectorEDUCATE Foundation, Inc.www.educatefoundation.org
PO Box 246, Athens, OH 4570740 593 3132 office740 590 3123 [email protected]
Projects: Southeast Ohio Parent MagazineemPOWER CampaignNative Youth Academy
Laurel Society
Membership
Laurel Society is the fund ing source of various So-roptimist Awards. The pin costs $1,000 or more and is proudly worn by members:
Peggy Cossolias Judy FaulknerSally JonesHelen Seiber Vicki SmithVirginia Vogel
DECEMBER 2008 Soroptimist International - Ashland Page 7
RAYMOND JAMESFINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
M e m b e r N A S D / S I P C
BARBARA M. OLDFIELD, ChFCFINANCIAL CONSULTANT
108 E. Hersey - Suite 3Ashland, OR [email protected]
541.488.6768888.549.9672
Fax: 541.482.1460
Soroptimist International of Ashlandmeets at noon on Wednesdays from September through June at
La Casa del Pueblo, 1209 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland.Please contact Debbie Jones at 482-9450 for additional meeting or
club details or send us an email at [email protected] mailing address is: P.O.Box 544, Ashland, OR 97520.
Learn more about us at: www.soroptimistRV.com.
Editor:Linda [email protected]
Clean Your HouseLaurie Rector
541-778-9507
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Kathy Mooney was the first to correctly guess that these are MY wild toenails! --Linda Anderson
MEMORIES
OF FALL
