Happy Founder's Day

I am writing this two days before the anniversary of the date Soroptimist was founded October 3, 1921. Our organization is turning 104. That is truly an amazing accomplishment. I recently was telling someone a bit about Soroptimist, and she was amazed about our longevity.

As wonderful and amazing as that is, we can’t rest on our past achievements.  As Violet Richardson said, “It’s what you do that counts.”  I think she would be proud of Founder Region.

We have adapted. That is our strength.

When it was impossible for us all to gather in person during Covid, we learned how to do Zoom. We have learned to publicize our projects and fundraisers on Facebook and other social media. We communicate by email and text. Yet, with all that, we still know how to give hugs when we see friends we haven’t seen for a while.

Our Live Your Dream and Dream It Be It programs support women and girls in ways that would have been unheard of in 1921.  We build dreams for 2025 which are different than the dreams of 1921.

We are open in our membership. A potential member doesn’t have to be a business owner or a professional to be a Soroptimist. We even have Soroptimists who are men!

My anniversary wish for all of us is that, in one hundred years, there will be a Governor of Founder Region writing about us and how far Soroptimist has come since our time. That is our legacy.

I hope to see every one of you at one or more of our District Meetings this month.  We will celebrate together. Until then, be a proud Soroptimist.

Governor Elise