Soroptimist International

Soroptimist International of Huntsville, AL is an organization of business and professional women who volunteer in our local communities and around the world addressing the unique needs of women and girls.

Since 1969, SI Huntsville has focused its energies and skills to contribute our time, efforts and financial support to the Huntsville community helping to improve the lives of women and girls; helping women achieve economic and political equality; serving as a global voice for women; and providing leadership development opportunities for women.

How do we make a difference in our community? By focusing our efforts in areas that directly affect the women and children in the Huntsville area.

        UPCOMING EVENTS

• Madison County Taskforce Against Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault & Human Trafficking meeting, August 12, 2010, Crisis Services, 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m., (Bring your lunch if you wish)
• Madison County Taskforce Community Education & Awareness Committee meeting, June 15, 2010, Crisis Services, 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m., (Bring your lunch if you wish)
• Madison County Taskforce Human Trafficking Committee meeting, June 8, 2010, Crisis Services, 3-4:00 p.m.
• Annual Fundraiser, November 13, 2010, ALL ABOUT WOMEN, Jaycees Building, Airport Road, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., for tickets and vendor information call Terri at 256-503-1254; or email info@soroptimisthsv.org
• Installation of New Club Officers, June 30, 2010, 12:00 noon, Huntsville Country Club. Food reservations must be made no later than Monday, June 28: Call 356-651-4321.
• Attending SIA Federation Convention, San Francisco, CA, July 7-10, 2010
• Next Soroptimist Club Business Meeting, June 9, 2010, at 12:00 noon, at Huntsville Country Club. Food reservations must be made no later than Monday, June 7:  Call 256-651-4321.
• Hosting District IV Meeting, September 24-25, 2010

Here are just some of the ways we serve our community:

• We provide food items, paper products and other assistance (as needed) to Hope Place Domestic Violence Shelter to promote awareness and prevention of domestic violence;
• We collect toiletries and other useful items for Gateway Independent Living residents who are leaving the foster care system and are in need of jobs, a place to live, furniture and more;
• We serve food to the runners in the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run to promote awareness of breast cancer and its devastating effects on women and their families;
• Our new fundraiser, “All About Women” Marketplace (November 13, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Jaycees Building - call 256-503-1254 for information or email at info@soroptimisthsv.org) promises to be an excellent venue for local vendors to present jewelry, clothing, shoes, hats, purses, food, makeup, candy, home decor and more. A shopping extravaganza under one roof!
• Our past Wine on the Mountain wine tasting event held for three consecutive years for charity has helped organizations like Girls, Inc. and North Alabama Crisis Services. In 2008, proceeds benefitted Kids to Love and Gateway Independent Living — two organizations focused on assisting foster children and teens leaving the foster care system.
• We sit on the Madison County Taskforce Against Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault & Human Trafficking to assist in the development of a cross-agency response to these horrific crimes;
• We help organize and orchestrate, along with North Alabama Crisis Services and Hope Place Domestic Violence Shelter, the Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October (which includes Candlelight Vigil, Musicians Against Domestic Violence, DV Awareness Seminar, Walk Away From Abuse Walk-A-Thon, Kiss-A-Cop and more) to promote public awareness and prevention of domestic violence; National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, January 11, 2010; and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, April, 2010 (which includes Jeans for Justice, Lunch & Learn and more).
• We distribute cards in local businesses each year to instruct domestic violence victims where they can call and get help. The End Domestic Violence Campaign is a Soroptimist International project and SI Huntsville participates annually;
• Through our “Boxes for Soldiers” project, we donate socks, stamps, writing materials, snacks and other food items, DVD’s, batteries and more to our soldiers in Iraq. This annual project resulted in 29 boxes of “goodies” being sent to our troops last year to say “Thank You” for all they do to protect our freedom!
• We fill stockings for needy children at Christmas time and donate them to Christmas Charities each year;
• We wrap gifts each Christmas in the local malls for North Alabama Crisis Services’ HelpLine Crisis Hot Line; and
• We send birthday cards to Lincoln Elementary school children to let them know that someone cares about them on their birthday.

We also recognize 3 outstanding individuals in our community each year at our Annual Awards Luncheon through our Awards and Scholarship Programs.

• The Violet Richardson Award recognizes the outstanding volunteerism of a girl ages 14 to 17.
• The Women’s Opportunity Award is given to a woman who has overcome great odds to further her education and enable her to enter or return to the workforce and provide a better means of supporting her family.
• The Ruby Award (formerly the Making a Difference Award) is named for Ruby Lee Minar, the founder of the Soroptimist organization in 1921 and is given to an outstanding woman who volunteers her time and energy to her local community. Past recipients of our local award are Amy George (Melissa George Foundation); Liz Hurley (WAFF-TV); Yvonne Simms (Boeing Corporation); and Lee Marshall (WAFF-TV).

The Soroptimist organization offers a multitude of opportunities to pursue leadership roles at all levels. At the local level, SI Huntsville is no exception. Our Board of Directors is responsible for directing our club’s activities, including recruiting and retaining new club members; maintaining the club bylaws to reflect current business practices; ensuring the club’s financial viability; and monitoring local activities and needs to assess potential involvement by the club.

SI Huntsville is a dynamic group of women trying to “Make a Difference” in the Huntsville community. Through our efforts, we hope to “Make a Difference” in the lives of those women and girls in the Huntsville area who need our help in so many different ways.

To find out more about our club, view our latest newsletter here (you can right-click and select “Save As” to download if your browser does not open this PDF file).

Soroptimist International of Huntsville, Alabama
P. O. Box 18861
Huntsville, AL 35804
256.651.4321 or 256.656.7700
Info@soroptimisthsv.org