Soroptimist Club of Tahoe Sierra celebrates women in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Just as they have for the past 43 years, the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra Club is honoring women and youth in the South Lake Tahoe community. They recently held their annual awards celebration and honored four young women from South Tahoe Middle School and South Tahoe High School as well as four women from the community.

For the GIVE Award, honored were Alexi Haven, Tovah Jordan, Esty Zanetti, and Maiella Riva. The Ruby Award was given to Suzanne Boyer and the Live Your Dream Award was given to Heather Wilson, Olga Zepeda and Kelly Meyer.

Each winner was presented with a check and a certificate during a special breakfast meeting. The GIVE and Ruby Award winners were also given a second check to present to one of the nonprofits they volunteer with.

Live Your Dream - The Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects

Ruby Award - Around the world, many women are working to improve the lives of women and girls. Some women work to improve conditions for women and girls through their personal or volunteer efforts; others do so through professional avenues. The Soroptimist Ruby Award, formerly the Soroptimist Making a Difference for Women Award, is designed to honor these women. Although not Soroptimists, their work helps promote the issues that are important to Soroptimists, while offering inspirational stories about how to make a difference in the lives of women.

GIVE Award - Recognition of girls giving back to their community. GIVE stands for Girls Into Volunteer Experiences. This award recognizes young women in grades 8 through 12 who volunteer in their school or community. The award was previously
named after Violet Richardson, the President of the first Soroptimist club in Alameda County in 1921. She believed in personal responsibility and the motto, “It’s what you do that counts.” Violet Richardson lived her life accordingly, as an active member in her community who was committed to creating opportunities for girls and young women.

Pictured above: L-R top row: Kelly Meyer, Suzanne Boyer, Olga Zepeda. L-R bottom row: Esty Zanetti, Maiella Riva, Alexi Haven, Tovah Jordan. Not pictured is Heather Wilson.

For more information about the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra Club, or to find out how to join, visit https://sitahoesierra.org/. Their annual Elegant Evening fundraiser, originally scheduled for April 18 has been canceled. An online auction that helps award grants such as those given to these women will be held in April. More information is on their website.