Local club plants tree to celebrate Soroptimist’s 100th anniversary
Soroptimist of MarysvilleYuba City planted a redwood tree in honor of the Soroptimist’s 100-year anniversary.
Local philanthropists
John and Maggie Nicoletti donated a Redwood tree to the local club and members planted the tree in Yuba City – the club also received a proclamation from the city.
Michele Blake, local club president, read the following speech during the tree planting ceremony:
The name Soroptimist was coined from the Latin soror meaning sister, and optima meaning best. And so Soroptimist is perhaps best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since the founding of the very first Soroptimist, Soroptimist has sought to bring about change to the lives of women and girls worldwide. Through its global network of four Federations and its dedicated volunteer membership of over 75,000, Soroptimist is driven by its mission of transforming lives through
education, empowerment and by enabling opportunities.
Rooted in the vision that women and girls will achieve their individual and collective potential, Soroptimist’s advocacy work and on-the-ground projects seek to drive the realization of these aspirations and ensure that women and girls have an equal voice in creating strong and peaceful communities, now and in the future.
In 1921, 100 years ago, the first Soroptimist club, Alameda County was formed in California with Violet Richardson as the first President, back then the first club, which changed its name to SI Oakland in 1928, met weekly, debating service projects and hearing speakers on various worldwide issues that would broaden members’ horizons.
The first project was to ‘Save the Redwoods’ – the
great ancient trees which were being felled and the club lobbied the legislature, taking on powerful lumber companies, and winning public support, which resulted in a major portion of the forest being set aside as protected land, that still exists today.
In honor of Soroptimist’s 100 years strong – we are here today to plant our promise and pay tribute to our strong sisters before us that Saved the Redwoods. This tree is being planted
to memorialize our strengths, our hopes, our vision and our next