From Local to Global

This year’s Governor’s presentation at our District Meetings is called Dreams Rising: Our Impact for Women and Girls, Local to Global. It is a journey in two directions: a look at what our own clubs have accomplished right here at home and a look at how that work connects us to something much larger around the world.

Where It All Began
We’ll start with our roots. The very first Soroptimist club was chartered in Oakland in 1921. That is why our region carries the name Founder Region and why we hold a special place as the birthplace of Soroptimist worldwide.

We’ll also look at where we fit into the bigger picture. SIA has more than 25,000 members in over 1,200 clubs across 20 countries and territories and is one of the five federations that make up Soroptimist International.

Celebrating Our Local Impact
This is the part I’m most excited to share because it’s your work!
Through the Live Your Dream Awards, Founder Region clubs gave 128 awards during the 2025–2026 club year to women who are the heads of their households. This was our highest year yet!

Through Dream It, Be It, 14 of our clubs ran 12 projects that reached 480 girls through mentoring, career exploration, and confidence-building.
We’ll also highlight our Big Goal Accelerator Projects, which move us toward SIA’s Big Goal of investing in the dreams of half a million women and girls through access to education by 2031.

And we’ll review Soroptimists UpliftHER, SIA’s quarterly advocacy focus: intimate partner violence in October, trafficking in January, single parenting in March, and period poverty in May.

If your club has completed an UpliftHER project, I’d love to hear about it so I can share what you are doing. Remember, UpliftHER projects can also make wonderful Big Goal Accelerator Projects.

From Founder Region to the World
When Violet Richardson agreed to serve as the first club president in 1921, she did so on one condition: that Soroptimist would become a worldwide organization working for the betterment of women.

Today, we continue to carry out her vision.
Soroptimist International spans 121 countries and holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. That gives Soroptimist a voice at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and through its annual report to the UN’s High-Level Political Forum.

We’ll also talk about the Soroptimist International Foundation, established in 2021, which funds projects in education; poverty relief and prevention; and human rights, peace, equality, and diversity.

And don’t forget to mark December 10 — Human Rights Day — as SI Foundation Day. It is a wonderful opportunity for our clubs to give.

I can’t wait to see you at your District Meeting. As we celebrate what our clubs are accomplishing locally and see how that work connects us to women and girls around the world, I hope we are reminded of just how powerful our collective impact can be.

Together, we rise.

With gratitude,
Governor Jackie
Empowering Through Education