What We Do

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The name Soroptimist means “best for women,” and that is what the organization strives to achieve. Soroptimists are women at their best, working to help other women to be their best.

Soroptimist International of Elk Grove has an ongoing commitment to the following projects.

What Soroptimist fundraising and participation does right here in our community:

  • Two – $1,000 annual scholarships (one of which is for a foster youth) through the Elk Grove Regional Scholarship Foundation. (Soroptimist Elk Grove Dream and Soroptimist Elk Grove Star Award)
  • Three – $1,000 Live Your Dream Awards, an educational grant for women who provide the primary financial support for their families.
  • Presenting Dream It, Be It; Career Support for Girls – a mentoring program targeting girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success. It provides girls with access to professional role models, career education and the resources to live their dreams.
  • Helping Hands program – Assisting senior women in our community, through the Elk Grove Food Bank, with some “last resort” financial help.
  • “Take Flight” showers for young women who are emancipating from foster care and transitioning to independent living and who need household goods for their apartment/dorm room.
  • International Project: providing annual tuition for 2 Haitian girls to attend school in the Dominican Republic.
  • Furnishing WEAVE with clothing and toiletries for women victims of sexual assault.
  • Assisting current and emancipated foster youth with living necessities, gift cards, and other support to assist them with furthering their education.
  • Providing materials on teen dating violence and human trafficking at Elk Grove Unified School District middle and high schools.
  • Donations of over $8,000 annual in Random Acts of Kindness to assist women and girls who are experiencing hardship.

Monetary support and/or volunteer time has been given in support of:

SI President’s Appeal: Women, Water & Leadership
Hurricane Sandy victims.
Elk Grove Strauss Festival.
Project RIDE therapeutic horseback riding program.
Child Spree shopping event for children before the start of school.
St. John’s Program for Real Change.
Elk Grove Food Bank.
My Sister’s House Shelter for women victims of domestic violence.
Wellspring Women’s and Children’s Center.
Elk Grove Rotary Teen Mentor Program.
Chicks in Crisis.
B Street Theater performance at EGUSD elementary school.
Sacramento Crisis Nurseries.
Sacramento Children’s Home.
High school Sober Grad Nights.
Walk to Remember in support of soldier-heroes.
Old Town Foundation – Chili Cook-Off and Dickens Fair Festival.
Elk Grove Citizen of the Year celebration.
Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce events.
Harvest Festival & other Cosumnes Community Service District (CCSD) events.

What Soroptimist fundraising and participation does outside the community:

  • “Birthing in the Pacific” project supporting healthy mothers and babies in South Asia.
  • Solar cookers provided to refugees in Darfur re-settlement camps where firewood is scarce.
  • Supporting impoverished women in Elk Grove’s sister city, Concepcion de Ataco, El Salvador.
  • Donations to help victims of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami.
  • Fellowship grants within the Sierra Nevada Region to women in Ph.D. programs.
  • Support of Women’s Opportunity Awards for clubs around the world