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2025 SJI Cares Campaign Results Generous Donations Added to Fair Giving! | |
You did it! Thanks to you, we achieved much more than our summer 2025 SJI Cares funding goal, raising $6,890 for this important program for cancer patients and their caregivers traveling to the mainland for treatment.
Ridership increased dramatically recently. In the first six months of 2025, we purchased 110 car/driver tickets plus 100 passenger tickets. | | | |
Since the end of this June to October, we have purchased an additional 115 car/driver tickets plus 110 additional passenger tickets. That's a 105% increase in ridership demand in only 3+ months. | |
Your donations are greatly appreciated to keep our funding ahead of unexpected increased demand as there is no way to predict how many patients need recurring cancer treatment or the number of new patients. | |
Local Businesses Support Soroptimist Cancer Treatment Transportation Fund on August 18 raising an additional $2500!
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Anna Maria de Freitas, the owner of San Juan Island Inn Collection, which includes Coho restaurant, hosted her second* scrumptious dinner benefiting Soroptimist’s Cancer Treatment Transportation Fund (CTTF) in collaboration with Sweet Earth Farm owner, Amanda Zee, and Dan Darner who provided fresh farm-grown produce paired with locally sourced meat and seafood in addition to a personal donation to our CTTF. Shaun and Amy Salamida from Madrone Cellars also participated providing their naturally fermented delicious wine. * Coho hosted a dinner in May 2025 raising another $2,500 for the Soroptimist CTTF. | |
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2025/2026 Upcoming Post-Secondary Awards | |
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This fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) has approximately $12,000 budgeted for post-secondary educational awards for local San Juan County (SJC) women to be given over the next few months. We and the beneficiaries of these awards greatly appreciate your support to make this happen. - The $4000 Live Your Dream Award was launched this past August with applications being accepted through November 15, 2025. This award helps women who provide the primary financial support for their families gain the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. The applicant needs to be enrolled in or have been accepted to an undergraduate degree program or a vocational skills training program among other eligibility criteria. Winning applicants may qualify for further funding from regional and international offices of Soroptimist.
- Qualified women in SJC can apply for the 2026 Continuing Education Awards valued up to $4000 starting November 15, 2026. The total recipient count will vary based on the applications submitted. Applicants must be enrolled in, or accepted into, undergraduate study at an accredited college, university; or an accredited vocational/trade skills training program. The winning applicants will be announced after the February 15, 2026 application deadline.
- Applications for the 2026 Fellowship Award will also be accepted beginning November 15 through February 15, 2026. This award is valued up to $4000 and will be presented to SJC women who are returning to school for postgraduate study in an accredited college or university leading to an advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.).
Please click the blue button below for details about award eligibility rules and also view the past award recipients. | |
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2025 Dec 2 GivingTuesday Soroptimist Food Insecurity $2000 Goal | |
GivingTuesday is a global day of giving created in 2012 as a simple idea to inspire collaboration and celebrate generosity. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. | | | |
Soroptimist of Friday Harbor is dedicating our 2025 GivingTuesday campaign to support San Juan Island FOOD INSECURITY with a goal to raise at least $2000 for the Rotary Foundation of the San Juan Island's "36 Weekends" weekend nutrition program. | | | |
The Rotary's "36 Weekends" program provides weekend food for children who rely on school meals. Volunteers from the community including several members from Soroptimist, join Rotary to deliver weekend food consisting of meals and healthy snacks to currently over 70 SJI kids year-round. The program has also instituted "Snack Pantries" at all SJISD schools plus the SJI Public Library. | |
The program started in the elementary school, but Rotary have now expanded the reach to transition to kindergarten, middle and high school children. Teachers have reported improvements in children’s reading skills, math skills, and ability to focus in class. When kids return to school on Monday being hungry, they can also be "hangry" which is a real physiological response to hunger making you more prone to negative emotions like anger. Happier fed kids do better in school! | |
Please click the blue button to help Soroptimist add funding for approximately 200 meal bags feeding 70 kids for 4 weekends.
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GivingTuesday begins shortly, however you can donate today!
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The "Accidental" Origin of the Soroptimist Club | |
Stuart Morrow, born in Dublin, was responsible for forming Rotary clubs in the UK starting in 1912. After a falling out with Rotary UK (many members did not like the rules of calling one another by their first names and there was some dissent about how much money Morrow was making), Morrow went on to form the world’s first Soroptimist Club in 1921...somewhat by accident. | | | |
Morrow returned to California with the idea to form an all male service organization called "Optimist". In the spring of 1921, he called upon Parker-Goddard Secretarial School in search of a candidate for membership, presuming that the school was run by two men. On learning that it was operated by women, he sought to excuse himself, but one of the principals, Adelaide Goddard, commented, “When the men admit women as members of their service clubs, I would be interested." | |
This remark sparked an idea for Morrow. He called together several of the outstanding business women in Oakland to pursue the idea of forming a club for women, and the Articles of Incorporation of that first Soroptimist Club, with Adelaide Goddard as one of its founder members, were filed by Morrow in 1921. The chosen name – SOROPTIMIST – was coined from two Latin words: SOROR and OPTIMUS. Soror – Sister: symbol of the bond of comrades. Optimus – the best: the highest good. Hence it became known as “The Best for Women”.
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When first organized, the Soroptimists met as a luncheon or friendship club – but not for long. SERVICE was felt to be the key word for Soroptimists, and has remained so ever since; indeed, Soroptimist International is now the largest women’s service organization in the world. Today, we have over 25,000 members and supporters in more than 120 countries across North America, Latin America and the Pacific Rim.
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Today, Soroptimist International has come a very long way from that first vision of Stuart Morrow’s ‘friendship’ clubs. Soroptimist International now has Consultative Status at the United Nations and accreditation with many bodies, including the UN High Commission for Refugees and The UN Environmental Programme. It also has representatives on a large number of organizations, amongst which are UNICEF, Landmine Action, The Status of Women Commission and the Human Rights Commission. | |
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Thank you for supporting Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor! | |
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SPONSORS of the Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor 2025 A-May-Zing Annual Gala | |
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Contact Us: supporting@sifri.org | |
You are receiving this email because you participated in past fundraising events and/or contributed funds to our online donation site. Past Newsletters can be found here. | |
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