SITS News June 18, 2026

President Paula opened her last regular club meeting! We appreciate you and your Board for all of the work accomplished this year. It’s been another successful one for our club and for women and youth here and around the world.

THANK YOU PAULA FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR OUR CLUB!

Invocation : Lydia talked of unconditional love and the power it has to make great change in our club and our community.

Sunshine today focused on Lydia and her trip to Fresno for the funeral of an Aunt. Italian families are wonderful, but add family drama to 102 degrees and the stories write themselves.

Today’s meeting was our Soroptimist year in review and boy was it a busy and successful one! Paula pulled together a wonderful power point showcasing month by month what we accomplish! Click HERE to take a quick peak.

Thank you to The Woods!

On Monday, we held a SITS Meet & Greet at The Woods. The good service, atmosphere, and space were fantastic. New Owner Drew Nichols and GM Joe Giagiari, along with the staff, really made us feel welcomed. This evening gave us an opportunity to share what our club does to many new ladies in the community who wanted to learn more as well as thank our donors and auction purchasers. Thank you again for such a great evening.

Paula and Kim were lucky enough to be invited to the Noon Soroptimist groups Installation: It was a gorgeous garden party event, held outside, under beautiful trees. The theme for the year is “Nurturing Friendships and Fostering Sisterhood” Congratulations Carolyn on your Presidency, we look forward to working with you.

Learning to sew!  

SITSter Andie Solis taught the Girl Scouts how to sew gift bags! The girls had a great time learning how to cut fabric, use the sewing machine and iron, and finish the bags with ribbon. The girls plan on making more bags on their own and then selling them to raise money for their troop.

COMMITTEE HAPPENINGS

We’re a busy group!

Installation Committee

• We can’t wait! Our Installation will be on June 25 at 5 PM at the home of Wendy David. The theme of the presentations that evening will be Harry Potter. Please contact Shelly if you’d like to help out with the planning!
• This is a great time to invite prospective members personally. It gives them a chance to meet our members!

Technology Committee

• It’s never too late to gain more skills! The Tech team is 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]

Education Committee

• The Summer Reading Program will be another huge success thanks to the Education Committee and the SITS members who joined Cookie at STMS following today’s meeting. They worked hard on organizing the thousands of books that will be distributed to all kids K – 8 in our school districts prior to the end of school. Thank you ladies.

Students from Bijou Community School cheerfully accept and help to deliver books from Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra’s Summer Reading Program. The goal is that every child in South Lake Tahoe in TK through 8th grade receives a book to enjoy in the summer.

2026-2027 Club Dues are DUE!

Annual SITS Member Dues: Invoices have been sent out. Payment is due now and late after June 30. Please check your email for link to pay electronically. If you didn’t receive yours by email, please contact Lois or Andie asap.

SITS Member General Reminders

Quarterly Member Dues for July – Sept. and Happy Dollars: These funds are how we pay for our overhead expenses, so they are very important. Thanks to our Tech team and Treasurers, we continue to evolve into the most efficient payment and accounting methods. Use THIS LINK or QR Code to PAY YOUR WEEKLY, QUARTERLY, or YEARLY DUES AND HAPPY DOLLARS! *Be sure to use the drop down menu on the service charge and click “Other”, then type in “0”. You will not pay a service fee in doing this.

Happy 50th Board Installation to us! Next year on March 8, 2027, we will celebrate our 50th Anniversary as a club and it will be this new Board that swings us into this celebration.

Our Installation will be on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at the home of Wendy David beginning at 5 PM. The theme of our festivities is Harry Potter so get outside and find a stick on the forest floor to be your magic wand. More details to follow. In the meantime, think of a fun and interesting woman to invite to join in on our fun! NEWS: Governor Stacy Jenson will be coming to our installation.

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 CONFERENCES!

• 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!

Rotary Mobility Program

Rotary of South Lake Tahoe is asking the community to help expand its Rotary Mobility Program. The club is seeking donations of wheelchairs, knee scooters, canes, walkers with seats, and shower chairs.. Donations of gently used mobility and medical equipment are appreciated. Rotary Mobility is a free community program. Community members interested in donating equipment or learning more about the program are encouraged to contact David Kurtzman at 530-545-3283.

Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids is working with the schools to promote bike safety and also to come up with new rules for school cell phone use. They are also constantly involved in actively working to reduce drug and alcohol use among our kids.

Community Safety Tidbit: South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue is linked into a program purchased by El Dorado County. It’s the SMART911 program. Go https://ready.edso.org and create an account. Emergency services can gain important information on your home and who is in it as they are responding. You can provide as much or as little information as you want. Things like an elderly parent, pets, family members, Oxygen tanks in the home, etc., help first responders help you. Please take the time to check it out and SHARE.

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!