FOUNDATION GRANTS

Congratulations to Soroptimist International of Patterson and Soroptimist International of Turlock for receiving Foundation Grants!

Congratulations to all the members of SI Patterson who just received notification from Federation that they will be a recipient of a $5,000 Making a Difference for Women Grant for their new project Infant Care and Responsibility Education (ICARE). The purpose of the ICARE project is to heighten the awareness of the challenges facing girls, who become teen parents, and to provide a hands-on education covering the realities of infant care and responsibility for teen girls aged 15–19 enrolled at Patterson High School. ICARE is designed to provide hands-on infant care experiences for young women focusing on reality-based experimental learning of infant care, infant needs, and the responsibilities of being a parent, for approximately 40 girls each school semester. The goal is to give young women not only increased skills and knowledge that would aid them in assuming the responsibility of parenthood, but also allow them to recognize the need for being prepared to accept these responsibilities before becoming parents.

The project will feature Real-Care Baby Think It Over (BTIO) computerized dolls and a comprehensive curriculum dealing with infant care and responsibilities. Patterson High School will provide a teacher, who is certified to teach family living and parent/child development, and a classroom for the project. The project will become part of the high school’s curriculum through the Home Economic Department. SI Patterson will use the grant money to purchase eight BTIO dolls and the accessories. Club funds will provide the support services for the project and maintain the project costs in the future. For more information on the project, please contact Gigi Wharton or Geri Azevedo.

Soroptimist International of Turlock

Congratulations to SI Turlock who will be awarded a $10,000 Making A Difference for Women grant from S.I.A. Foundation. The grant will be used to support their new service project, Girls Unlimited, a community-based training program for young girls aged 12–15 years. The project is a unique educational program designed to shape today’s young women into tomorrow’s leaders and will be free of charge to the participants. The project will be coordinated with the City of Turlock’s Community Services Division. The objectives of the new program are to 1) heighten awareness of challenges facing young girls 12–15 years old in the areas of poverty, sexual abuse, teen pregnancies, eating disorders and; 2) to expand opportunities for positive experiences and activities to build leadership skills and enhance self-esteem in young girls.

Approximately 50 young girls will participate in each of eight monthly sessions held on Saturdays at the Turlock Salvation Army Corps Center. The goal of each session is to involve the girls in topics and activities that will enhance their positive self-image and personal development. Girls Unlimited will focus on building self-esteem, enhancing communication, peer-pressure issues, increasing problem-solving and decision-making skills, personal safety, and preparing each girl to be a leader in our society. The program will also include goal setting, volunteerism, and job-seeking skills. The program will provide mentoring from both Soroptimist members and City of Turlock staff. For more information about the project, contact Alicia Stephens.

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