Officers 2004 - 2005

President:
Sandy Reed

President-Elect:
Megan O'Donnell

Recording Secretary:
Laurel Bentsen

Corresponding Secretary:
tDale Simon

Treasurer (Service):
Marie Angier

Treasurer (General):
Casey Murphy

Directors: 2 year
Marilyn Hooser

Directors: 1 year
Jane Manzer

Directors: 1 year
Sherry Scubert

Directors: 1 year
Kate Creasey

Past President
Gail Frick

Newsletter Staff
Kathy Purcell
Brenda Dunlap

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Soroptimist Sisters and Friends,

I had an interesting question posed to me about a month ago. Megan and I were sitting in the KONP radio station in front of microphones discussing the Garden Show with KONP talk host, Todd Ortloff, when he turned to me and asked, “Why is it that Soroptimist as an organization is growing and becoming stronger while other service organizations in our nation are losing membership?”

Wow…talk about being put on the spot. I can’t remember what I said other than something about our goals, enthusiasm, etc. However, since then, that question has jumped into my mind many times and having had several weeks to think about it, I am now ready for my reply. I believe our enthusiasm and growth can be directly related to the guidance of the members of our Federation Board. They were the ones who noted this general decline and decided to aggressively take action. The result was the introduction of The Renaissance Campaign at our Federation meeting last summer in Calgary.

I introduced The Renaissance Campaign to you during our brain storming session last September and it has been the invisible backbone to everything we’ve done this year.

First, and foremost, the Campaign involves defining who we are and what we stand for. With a new, very recognizable logo, we state to everyone that as a Soroptimist we stand for women. Best For Women….what could be more succinct or clearer than that? It’s the measuring stick by which we determine all our activities. It’s easy to stay focused and enthusiastic when your goal is clear.

As a club we redefined our goals as well as our committee structure. We focused on what is important as far as bettering the world for women and girls in our local community, the nation, and the world. And, we stopped hiding our light. We’ve bombarded the media with information regarding who we are and what we’re doing. The secret is out….we’re an organization that knows who we are, what we stand for, and where we’re going. Our enthusiasm shows in our voices, our faces, and everything we do. But, most importantly, it’s contagious!!

Yours in the “Sincerity of Friendship”,
President Sandy