SITS News January 8, 2026

It’s that time of year again!

We are back in business again! We had a wonderful Holiday break and met this snowy morning to have our monthly business meeting.

Our Invocation came from Lydia past: She wrote about New Years being a time of assessment and rediscovering the difference between our wants and our needs.

Henry David Thoreau has a wonderful quote ” Simplify your life. Don’t waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant. Don’t burden yourself with possessions. Keep your needs and wants simple and enjoy what you have. Don’t destroy your peace of mind by looking back, worrying about the past. Live in the present! Simplify!

Sunshine: Positive thoughts and prayers for our dear Lydia and her son Dietrich as he recovers.

Meeting: This was our monthly business meeting and we reviewed our past months minutes, discussed new business and reviewed our finances and correspondence. Due to the weather we had 5 of our members participate through ZOOM.

We received letters from the South Tahoe Middle School thanking us for the lovely gift cards and notes we gave to each member of their teaching and staff. We also got a lovely note from Mt. Tallac thanking our club for our donation to their Healthy Independence Fund, which they can use to help students get their driver’s license, food, or hygiene items.

Quarterly member dues are now payable through Zeffy or at the meetings.

We have some new timelines for our trip raffles and Mad Hatter Auction. The raffle will start on February 12th and the winner will be chosen at the Mad Hatter Tea Party, May 17th. The Auction will start the day of the Tea Party and conclude on Friday May 29th.

The Awards committee is asking for Ruby Award nominees. If you know of a woman who is a superior volunteer that works to support women or youth, and is not a Soroptimist member, please let Nancy Muller know about her.

If you’d like to participate in the Healthy Women Healthy World’s February event, please let Kim Valverde know. ([email protected]) The event will be a gently Yoga class and Sound Bath at OMNI Yoga in SLT from 9 am-10:15 or so. The cost is approximately $25

Our noon Soroptimist club has invited us to participate in a “Plant Based Food presentation January 14th at noon at the STAR building. Jean and Greg Bergner will be presenting along with June Denney and others. Light lunch will be served, please RSVP to Jean so they have enough food.

A very special THANK YOU to Realtor Kim Valverde as she has pledged to be a 2026 Event Sponsor for our club! Thank you for your many years of partnership! We are so excited to again have your support and partnership to enhance the lives of women and youth in our community and the world!

A very special THANK YOU to Barton Health as they have pledged as a 2026 Event Sponsor for our club! We are so excited to again have your support and partnership to enhance the lives of women and youth in our community and the world! Thank you again!

Learn how you can become a 2026 Club or Event Sponsor here!

COMMITTEE HAPPENINGS

• Fundraising is key to the funds we provide back into our community through scholarships, books, life essentials, and so much more. Currently we are asking all members to address the donation signup sheet that has been emailed out to sign up as the club contact for that business. If you need any assistance, contact Lisa Huard at [email protected] or ring her up!
• Donations are already coming in! Go to Sits2026.org to view or donate items.
• HWHW (Healthy Women/Healthy World) is organizing a Monthly Movement series. Each will take place following our business meetings around 9 am. Join us and bring a friend! Save the dates and let’s move! ( Feb. 12, ( Gentle yoga and a sound bath, cost of approx. $25) Mar. 12, ( Ski with a Ranger at Heavenly) Apr. 9, May 14, and June 11….activities will be announced)
• SOCIAL Committee! Jan. 22 at 9 AM, let’s all gather at Elements for breakfast following our meeting. MORE SOCIAL to follow!
• Technology Committee continues to be available to our ladies to learn more about our google account, our mail, and whatever else you need to help you be more efficient. Technology isn’t a fad, so get the amazing assistance that you need! Get a hold of one of the ladies at [email protected]

SITS Member Quick Reminders

Quarterly Member Dues for Jan-March and Happy Dollars: These funds are how we pay for our overhead expenses, so they are very important. Dues are generated by our Treasurers. Happy Dollars can be paid directly online on our website www.sitahoesierra.org on the Donate button. “Note” what the payment is for to help out our team!

SITS Committee Signups~ Go to our signup listing site for this new year of fun committee options here!

NEWS signups are here!

Our Soroptimist apparel line is ready for purchase! Liz Prestella’s Torq’d clothing line for women is our supporter of this endeavor. Members and appreciators of SITS are now able to purchase apparel and items from her website. See what items are offered and to order go here. Thank you to the SITS team and to Torq’d for all of the hard work.

Soroptimist Specific!

SNR conference celebrating 50 years from June 5-7, 2026, in Reno.

Biennial Soroptimist International conference will be held in Incheon, South Korea from July 22-25, 2026.

NON-SITS

Fun and Opportunities in Tahoe

There’s actually so much going on so you’re going to want to check out the EVENTS tab on www.southtahoenow.com, but here’s a few to get you started!

Women’s Fund El Dorado Grant Applications Now Available! Due by Jan. 29th, 2026.

El Dorado County nonprofit agencies serving the western slope of the County are now invited to apply for grant funding from Women’s Fund El Dorado (WFED).

$112,000 is expected to be awarded in grants in 2026. Request for proposals (RFPs) must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on January 29th, 2026. For 2026, WFED’s Inspiration Grant will award a total of $52,000. By design, the Grant does not have a specific focus, thereby inspiring nonprofits to identify and address our community’s most pressing needs. Applicants may apply for up to $26,000. Click here for more info.

To qualify for funding, organizations must have nonprofit status and an established office on the western slope of El Dorado County (El Dorado Hills to Silver Fork).

SAVE THE DATES!

TASK will be having a “Soul Shoppe Family Night on February 25th. Childcare and food will be provided. Volunteers appreciated.

Drug Store Project: This year’s date is March 31st. We will need volunteers so please look for a sign up email soon.

This is the 39th Season of Tahoe Arts Project!

TAP performances include:

Push Physical Theater–Jan 26-30, 2026,

Katie Jane Band-March 2 – 6, 2026,

Living Voices-“Our Revolution” will be presented in our LTUSD schools March 23-27, 2026, with an evening Community Presentation at LTCC on Wednesday, March 25, 2025, hosted by the Lake Tahoe Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution in collaboration with TAP and LTCC.

The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund is having their membership drive! The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund, a philanthropic leadership organization, is dedicated to building and engaging an inclusive and diverse membership of women interested in strengthening our community through the power of collective giving. Be a part of something big!

Vista Rise Collective (previously Live Violence Free) is always looking for volunteers. There are many opportunities, for both direct and indirect services. Cash donations are always welcome, but every Tuesday they accept non cash donations such as furniture, clothing, etc. For more information about volunteering, donations and/or services provided click here.

PETAL KINDNESS is a non-profit organization that rescues flowers to uplift others and helps divert green waste from landfills. They are in desperate need of vases. Drop them off at 2941 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Leave behind wooden pallet wall.

Petal Kindness rescues these flowers from the landfill and provides them to non-profits, hospitals, senior centers, and community-based organizations to bring comfort, joy, and healing to our local community members. Donations and volunteers are always needed!

Blood donations are desperately needed . Please see details here and make your appointment today!

Looking for up to date resources in our community? Barton Health has a list for all of us and it is actively updated! SHARE this link with others!

ALL YEAR LONG!

LTCC Basic Needs Center is looking for food donations. A variety of foods and basic need items are on the list. Click here for full list and drop off details

If you’d like to donate through our club, please bring your donations to the monthly business meeting and Lisa C. or Andie will make sure they are delivered to the college. Please include an estimate on the value as LTCC needs to keep records of that information.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue has a quarterly newsletter to keep us all updated on fire safety info. Their goal is to help people learn about the fuels reduction products they are working on, seasonal fire safety info and other fire dept related news. Click here to sign up for the newsletter

Saint Joseph Community Land Trust has changed their Motel to Home (MTH) program from a loan program to a grant program and we’re hoping this will attract families living in substandard housing, who would like to live in a more permanent and adequate home. Please click here for more details

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless seeks community support in keeping people cared for.

Our South Shore community has been able to sleep better knowing that our homeless population has an indoor option. This winter season marked the 10th anniversary of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) providing warm beds to the most vulnerable in our community.

The office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 12-4 at the Red Lodge, 1137 Emerald Bay Rd.

More details here

Between Horses and Humans continues to grow! If you’re a lover of youth and a lover of horses, this is a program for you! You can keep up on their information by reading their newsletters here! Volunteers and donations are always needed. BHH Update-they are soon relocating to the Amacker Ranch!

Food Assistance Guide for So. Lake Tahoe. If you know of anyone in need, please share this information. Click and print!