SOROPTIMIST
[suh-rop-tuh-mist]

Origin 1920 Latin: sor(or) sister + optima optimist

Soroptimist Club was first formed in 1921 in Alameda County, California with just over 80 business and professional women from Oakland. During this time, women were not permitted to join service organizations, so in an effort to combat this issue, this organization was formed to bring about the vision that women and girls would achieve their individual and collective potential through advocacy work and projects that would help ensure that they would have an equal voice in creating strong and peaceful communities in the present and future . From the first project of "Save the Redwoods" to later earning an awarded Category C Consultative status with UNESCO, this organization went from just a small service club to an international organization with four federations: Soroptimist International of Europe (SIE), Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA), Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) and Soroptimist International South West Pacific (SISWP).

Soroptimist International of El Centro was first established on February 17, 1940 and has served the women and girls of the Imperial Valley community for over 80 years. Our focus has been to provide social and career assistance for all women and girls through mentorships, conferences, educational awards and projects and programs. The signature programs being the "Live Your Dream" educational award and "Dream It, Be It" career support for girls. Our organization also has a rich history of working with and partnering with other local service clubs in our community as well. SI of El Centro is proud to be a part of a 75,000 strong global membership which spans over 122 countries and 6 continents. We are part of the SI of the Americas (SIA) federation which consists of about 30,000 members in 21 countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Guam, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, United States and Venezuela.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT

Soroptimist International Website

www.soroptimistinternational.org

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Soroptimist International of the Americas Website

www.soroptimist.org