The Latest Updates

Club Membership Mixer at Shadowbrook Rock Room was a success!

Our most dedicated Club members met at at this fun mixer at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, in the fabulous Rock Room at Shadowbrook Restaurant, 1750 Wharf Road, Capitola. We mingled, sipped and munched while we shared all the great things our Club does for women and girls in Santa Cruz County—and in fact—around the world!

Our next Club meeting set for June 13th, at 4 p.m. at United Way of Santa Cruz, 4450 Capitola Road, Suite 106, Capitola. We’ll be planning for our upcoming Region Conference and our major fund-raising effort at this summer’s Santa Cruz Shakespeare festival where we manage and operate the rental booth at every performance. Hope you can join us at both of these events!

Live Your Dream Winners Honored

Four of our five Live Your Dream winners were presented with checks and certificates of congratulations from various elected officials at an awards ceremony on March 28 at the United Way of Santa Cruz County. One winner was unable to attend due to a death her family and will be honored at the April Club meeting.

Here are the winners and their stories:

• Amanda, 28, is the divorced mother of two children, 11 and 2 years old, both of whom have special needs. She is currently a nursing student at Cabrillo College. Nursing runs in her family—her great grandmother, grandmother, an uncle and an aunt, are or were nurses. “I want to be able to give my children more opportunities and help families in need one day—people like me,” she wrote in her application. “I am a single mother, but I don’t want my kids to think anything can stop you from pursuing your dreams.”
• Tammi, 52, calls herself a late bloomer who never had career goals as a young woman. But when her now 11-year-old daughter was born, her point of view changed significantly. She is pursuing a business training certificate program, which she believes will give her greater career opportunities. “By going back to school, I can really see how pushing myself is bringing up my self-esteem,” she said. “Having job security is something I strive for and I want my daughter to see the hard work that goes into achieving a dream.”
• Renee, 39, has a 10-year-old son, and is pursuing an Associates Degree in Human Services at Cabrillo College in the hope of helping others make changes in their lives and find resources and services they need to thrive. “Being a first generation college graduate means everything to my son and me,” she wrote. “I really want to show him how important education is while also building a stable future for us.”
• For Nanci, 27, working full-time, taking liberal arts with communication classes part-time at Cabrillo College and raising her 9-year-old daughter alone are serious challenges But, she is not deterred. “My dream is to become a lawyer one day and help as many people by continuing my school journey,” she wrote in her LYD application. “…receiving my associates degree will allow me to qualify to apply to law school and achieve my dream,” she added.
• Similarly, Camilia, 35, mother of a 5-and-a-7 year-old, had been working full-time and raising her two children while attending Cabrillo College’s nursing program, until the contract under which she was working expired. Since then she has exhausted her savings, receives no child support, is looking for work and is unsure how she will continue her educational pursuit. “I am in the second semester of the four-semester program,” she wrote. “My savings has carried us through the first semester of nursing school, but that has run out. I live in a very expensive area and am struggling to find ways to pay for my bills while attending the program.”

Support our non-profit organization by making a tax-deductible contribution!

Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.  We are a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Tax ID 94-9771973.