SI Fond du Lac
President: Dawn Nelson
Our club here in Fond du Lac has been around since 1952, and ranges from 35-45 members. We have membership dinner meetings the first Wednesday of each month from September to June and host a variety of social, service, and fundraising activities throughout the year. Our social and membership committees have been on fire lately! Activities include trivia, hatchet throwing (yup, you read that correctly), painting and screen printing nights, book club discussions, dinners/smoothie parties, museum outings, and more.
Major fundraisers:
Club 300 Raffle - Each year we invite our local and worldwide community to support women and girls at the bargain-basement rate of $1 per week, paid all at once to receive a ticket to our Club 300 Raffle. Only 300 tickets are sold. We give out $100 each Wednesday of the year until the final Count-up Countdown in the final four weeks, where the prizes grow to $200, the $300, then $400, then $500! Every ticket is returned to the drum for multiple chances to win all year.
Hundredx - Our newest journey is with hundredx, where supporters complete surveys about favorite (or not) products and services. The max is 75 per supporter, with progress saved so one or two can be done at a time: commercials, waiting rooms, in line, at kid pick-up—anywhere, on smartphones or computers. Watch for details about how to help.
Landmark Ornament Sale, 30 years old, features a local Fond du Lac landmark on an ornament that we sell around the holidays. Competition can be fierce for our more popular choices, and many people hold complete sets and await the newest revelation each year.
Brat Fry allows us to add to our totals for the scholarships we give out.
The Bazaar is looking like it could be a long-running fundraiser. This giant rummage sale has been successful multiple years, with donations of unsold items to targeted communities like teen mothers, interview closets at a nearby university, and school caring closets. Just when we think we've run out of stuff, we find more.
After 25 years of success with Chocolate Fantasy, we and our chocolate-loving partners are taking a break due to logistics. Watch this space for our next adventure.
Major events:
Dream It, Be It is a single-day conference that we run for 8th grade girls which features the SIA curriculum molded to meet our local needs. Girls experience introductions to career mentors, and keynote speaker, journal work, STEM challenges, and a business brainstorming session followed by a gallery walk to share all the ideas.
Women's History Month has become a partnership with our local library where we feature a speaker or performer during March, focused on women's issues past and current. Sometimes there is a tie-in with one of our other activities, such as our ornaments.
We currently give out 3 Live Your Dream and 3 Virginia Wagner awards each year, plus 3 DreamCasters, our new high school award. More information about DreamCasters is at https://fdlsoroptimists.wixsite.com/bestforwomen/dreamcasters.
SI-FDL around town:
We have also participated in many local partnerships with organizations that match our mission, including Habitat for Humanity, Team Trivia and the Scrabble Bee to support FDL Literacy, the Boys' and Girls' Club SMART girls program, Girls on the Run, Mahala's Hope (addiction recovery), girls' soccer sponsorship, Family Resource Center and New Beginnings (supporting mothers/families in need), Teen Parent Life (supporting unwed teen mothers through to graduation), the Women's Empowerment Series, Relay for Life and many more! These change in exciting ways as the city changes and members shift focus.
SI-FDL around the world:
We have made connections with clubs in England and Hungary, and Soroptimists (thanks to the Internet) all around the globe! We also partner with organizations abroad such as Adelante Mujer, through which we are sponsoring a female medical student so that she can graduate and serve the needs locally in Nicaragua. We are active in Days for Girls, providing reusable feminine hygiene items to girls in developing countries so that they can remain in school. Another example is supporting a program for orphans of AIDS in Africa to learn sewing skills for self sufficiency. And of course, through Club Giving, there is an even greater impact.