SATURDAY OF SERVICE ~ 1st Saturday in March

The Programs of Service Committee each year chooses a project that will benefit the community. Soroptimist members from the Fort Bragg clubs gather to do the project chosen. In recent years we’ve dug out and replanted the gardens around the Fort Bragg Post Office, purchased picnic tables and mowed, trimmed and weeded the yards around the Harrison Home for Women, redesigned and planted the gardens around Project Sanctuary, redesigned and planted one of the cactus gardens at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, repainted curbs, and many other projects.

*See history of Saturday of Service below

click here to see Saturday of Service photographs

YOUTH FORUM ~ March 26th, 2008

9 am ~ 2:30 pm, Hill House, Mendocino. The event is being hosted by Soroptimist International of Mendocino, with Georgina Jones being the representative from our club.

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The Soroptimist International Youth Forum is a platform for high school young men and women to discuss both international and local topical problems for a day.  Soroptimists provide support with a great breakfast, lunch and guidance by an adult moderator. The brightness and intuition of today's youth is given voice.

from Marilou Brewer, Chair 2007 Youth Forum

SALMON BARBECUE ~ Labor Day Weekend

Each year SIFB members volunteer their time to prepare and grill garlic bread for the Salmon Barbecue that takes place in Noyo Harbor during the 4th of July weekend.

LADY WOLVES BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ~ Dec.

SIFB has been supporting the Lady Wolves for over 13 years, monetarily and womaning the ticket booth at their year-end basketball tournament.  Our donated funds have gone toward basketballs, practice jerseys, uniforms and other necessities that support and encourage women’s sports. Lady Wolves Basketball coach Dave Goble joins us once a year at our luncheon meeting, along with members of his team to talk about the team and where monetary funds are needed.

GIVING TREE & HOLIDAY WREATHS ~ December

The Giving Tree is placed in Washington Mutual and wreaths in the Savings Bank of Mendocino County.  The wreaths have tags for the Senior Center and the others are placed on the tree.

**see history of the Giving Tree below

HISTORIES OF SOME OF THE PROGRAMS

*History of Saturday of Service

The idea of a global day of service was born in 2001 in Phoenix, AZ when nine clubs decided to join together for a service project.  They presented their idea at their Region conference with the goal of all 63 clubs in Golden West Region to participate.  Later that year the idea was presented at Federation Convention in San Diego and soon after clubs in Australia were emailing for information on doing their own projects.  In February, 2003 over 150 clubs participated with 70 clubs from SI South West Pacific. At the Federation Convention in Calgary the idea was adopted by SIA and is now recognized as a Federation project.  The date is chosen as the one that is closest to National Woman’s Day; this year March 1.  On that date Soroptimist clubs all around the world will be working on visible, one day community service projects making it a 24 hour, global day of service.

**History of The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree began in 1997 when a member of SIFB suggested that instead of giving each other gifts at out Christmas party we should find a way to provide gifts for those in our community who were less fortunate.  At that time an Open House was held each year in the Grey Whale Inn and local organizations chose a theme and decorated a Christmas tree for one of the rooms in the Inn.  That year we placed ornaments with the age and sex of Senior Citizens and clients of Project Sanctuary on our tree and community members took an ornament and purchased a gift for that person.  The ornaments that were left were placed on a tree at a local bank.  When the gifts were received we wrapped them and delivered them to the Senior Center and Project Sanctuary.

Since then the idea of the Giving Tree has been warmly accepted by our community and the tree is placed in Washington Mutual and wreaths in the Savings Bank of Mendocino County.  The wreaths have tags for the Senior Center and the others are placed on the tree.  

We receive requests from women and children from Project Sanctuary, an agency that serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. These are women who are currently in counseling on a regular basis.  Safe Passage is a family resource center; their goal is to strengthen and empower families to help their children from birth to age 18 have a safe passage through school.  They offer classes in parenting in both English and Spanish and work closely with the schools to identify students who are eligible for Healthy Families insurance and help the parents fill out the forms required.  There are also gift requests for children in the Safe Passage program on the tree. From the Senior Center we have gift requests for those seniors who receive Meals on Wheels and others who are in the Day Care Program.  In past years we’ve also hung requests for the places like the Women’s House, a shelter for women currently in alcohol and drug rehabilitation, who can live there for up to two years while they are in the program.   

from Jeanne Kinney