SITS News May 7, 2026

President Paula opened today’s beautiful Spring meeting!

Invocation: Lydia took the day off for her birthday!

Guests Ernie Claudio

Sunshine: We join the entire community with sincere and deep condolences for Lake Valley Fire District Engineer Neil Schnaible who passed away from injuries sustained during a heart attack while on duty. A GoFundMe account has been established https://www.gofundme.com/…/emergency-support-for…

Our condolences on the passing of long-time community members Penny Echan and Peter Baumann. Sending love and light to Lois’s sister in law and to Stephanie Peterson.

Announcements for all:

• Lisa C. is still accepting donations to the “Wine Wagon”.
• Kim and Jeanne P. are accepting auction items at Coldwell Banker so they can prepare them for distribution. If you have something that needs to be basketized, please contact Cookie!
• Please continue to request donations from our community. It translates into what our club can put back into the community. Donations go to Laurie F or can be completed by the donor directly at www.SITS2026.org.
• We still have VACA Raffle Tickets to sell. Direct interested individuals to send an email to [email protected]. We’ll take it from there. Club Chairs, please reach out to the many organizations that receive assistance from us and ask them to spread the word to their employees and participants.
• Auction needs help with Distributions after the auction closes! Please contact Jeanne at [email protected] and lend a hand. This would be to organize our items on Sat. May 30 and only involves a couple of hours. Members are also asked to sign up for people to whom you can deliver their winnings. Let’s wrap this event up together!

Today’s Presentation

We welcomed Trudy Mills, former SITS member and Soroptimist since 2004. Trudy has quite a Soroptimist resume:

Sierra Nevada Region District Director for 2 bienniums, Federation Membership chair for 2 bienniums, Sierra Nevada Region Soroptimist Development Retreat workshops chair, and Sierra Nevada Region Celebration of Life Co-chair.

Today she conducted a discussion on Civility and explained a new SIA Code of Conduct to be implemented for all Soroptimists. As Soroptimists we are committed to doing what is right and honorable. We set high standards for ourselves, but we don’t always treat each other kindly. In a recent survey the #1 reason members leave Soroptimist clubs is due to lack of civility and how members treat each other.

This new Member/Code of Conduct describes our expectations of ourselves, articulates our ideals, and defines the behaviors expected as a Soroptimist. A webinar on May 13 will go into depth on the Code of Conduct and how it will be implemented. The purpose of the webinar is to instill confidence and how to become better Soroptimists. Highlights of the Member/Code of Conduct are responsibility, respect, fairness, honesty, and leadership. The Member and Leader Code of Conduct applies to all SIA members, even if they do not sign the Code! The goal is for a safe and ethical community within SIA…this is the behavior we expect. All members are bound and held accountable to the Code and the accompanying processes. The process for the Code of Conduct is outlined below in the 2 charts to ensure due process, fairness, and integrity for all individuals involved in any conflict.

Trudy thank you for taking the time to visit today. You led a great discussion and gave us much needed information.

Our fundraising is in full swing!

Partner with us in any way you can as together we work to enhance the lives of women and youth in our community and around the world.

• Purchase a Vacation Stay Raffle Tickets. See a member to email our team at [email protected]. EMAIL SALES end Saturday at 5PM. Last minute sales will occur at our Mad Hatter event on Sunday if we have any left. Winners are drawn on Sunday, May 17 at 4 PM.

We have two separate raffles and we will sell only 200 tickets for each opportunity, so your odds are great! One raffle is for a beautiful condo stay at Maui Kamaole in Kihei, Maui! It is generously donated by Jean Bergner and Cookie Rork.The second raffle opportunity is an “Anywhere in the World” Timeshare, and we mean it! the winner will select from a timeshare exchange such as RCI or Interval International and choose a timeshare wherever they want to play.

• Donate items or register to bid on Our Annual Online Auction! You don’t want to miss out on this! Bidding launches on May 17 and closes at 8 PM on May 30.

COMMITTEE HAPPENINGS

We’re a busy group!

Fundraising Committee

• ONLINE AUCTION is key to the funds we provide back into our community through scholarships, books, life essentials, and so much more. Members who requested specific donors were given their hard copy letters. Register to bid!!!
• VaCa Stay Raffle! Thanks to the Bergners, Prestellas, and Rorks, we again are selling vacation stay raffle tickets as a big part of our fundraising. Tickets are $50 each and only 200 will be sold for either an “Anywhere in the World” timeshare (thanks Jeanne), or a beautiful condo on Maui (thanks Cookie and Jean). Selling all tickets can net our club $20,000 for the work that we do in the community. Two lucky winners will be drawn at our Mad Hatter event at Valhalla on May 17!. Want to see what we’re talking about? Here’s a video on the Maui Condo.
• Donations continue to come in at Sits2026.org. We need our business community to donate items or certificates! We’d also love for talented people to donate some of their creativity for experiences!!! Are you an expert baker who would create a class for a small group? Craftsman who can build and donate a cool birdhouse or mailbox? Pitch in however you can.

Funds we raise together transform into awards, scholarships, housing, food, basic needs, books, backpack supplies, and so much more!

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! May 14, and June 11….activities will be announced.

Technology Committee

• 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]

SITS Member Reminders

Quarterly Member Dues for April -June 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.

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

NEWS team schedule signups 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 CONFERENCES!

• 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!

Volunteers needed during Bike to School Week for the Middle School Bike Rodeo! Click link below for volunteer information.

Volunteer at the Middle School May 27 & 28 for the Bike Rodeo

Soroptimist International of the Sierra Foothills are inviting you to their Annual Garden Tour. May 16th and 17th in the Grass Valley area. There will be 7 gardens to tour, and one will feature an amazing Garden Shop with a variety of homemade items and Raffle baskets for bidding. Visit www.sierrasoroptimist.org for more info.

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.

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!