Soroptimist International Of Hamilton-Burlington Programs
“Improving The Lives Of Women And Girls In Local Communities And Throughout The World.”
Past President Theresa Randles receives a plaque from a representative of Good Shepherd on behalf of SI for supporting their Young Women Empowered program
Local Programs
Recipients of SI Hamilton-Burlington awards are recognized during our April Awards Ceremony, which is open to the public. We also invite leaders of community organisations whom we support to talk about their programs.
Live Your Dream, Our Signature Programme
We are grateful to the Hamilton Community Foundation and its Edith H. Turner Foundation for their generous contribution to the program over the past three years, and for making the dream possible for more deserving women.
Also supported by:
Dolled Up Desserts
142 James St. N Hamilton, ON
We are also Grateful to Dolled Up Desserts for their unfailing support and generosity.
Our signature program assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families and face challenges, by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. Live Your Dream Awards recipients may use the cash award to offset any cost associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as school supplies, childcare, tuition and transportation. Presently and yearly, two top place winners receive $2,000.00 each; 2 second place winners receive $1,000.00, and a third place winner receives $500.00. We strive to expand our pool of potential recipients towards greater inclusiveness.
Accessing the application form is easy. Online simply type in Soroptimist International Live Your Dream. Follow instructions to Apply for the Live Your Dream Award. The application deadline is November 15.
We are grateful to the Hamilton Community Foundation and its Edith H. Turner Foundation for their generous contribution to the program over the past three years, and for making the dream possible for more deserving women.
You can contribute by making a donation and also by encouraging women to apply for the awards. Click here to make a donation. Thank you, so much.
What Organisations And Programs Do The Soroptimists Support In The Hamilton-Burlington Region?
The ‘Young Women Empowered’ Program (YWE)
Regina’s Place of the Good Shepherd in Hamilton is made possible solely through our funding. It caters to the needs of young mothers who face life challenges. In this transitional living arrangement they live in their own apartment, and have access to all the programs. The YWE program of workshops and discussions includes: healthy nutrition for mother and child; healthy relationships; empowerment and self esteem; personal safety; housing; child psychology, creative education; educational paths and opportunities; employment opportunities, career goals.
Link: https://www.goodshepherdcentres.ca/services/reginas-place/
Article in the Spectator (June 17 2020):
When I came to program I felt like I belong here and then I went to other places and I felt like I belong there too”- YWE participant
‘Don’t give up’: Young Hamilton moms celebrate high school diplomas, by Cathie Coward
The Regina’s Place Jeanne Scott School is an alternative adult education centre for young mothers 18 and older, who are returning to school to earn their high school diplomas. The school is operated in partnership by the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board and the Good Shepherd Centres Hamilton.
Located next door to Regina’s Place residence, the school offers subsidized transitional housing for young mothers in conjunction with on-site support and programming. Both the school and the residence support young mothers in breaking the cycle of poverty through life skills, goal setting, child development training, and bettering their chances of employment and independence.
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2020/06/18/the-best-reason-to-succeed.html
City Kidz
SI Hamilton-Burlington provide financial support for young girls to participate in the weekly City Kidz Programs.
City Kidz supports “ children living in low-income communities by providing inspirational experiences and nurturing personal relationships, one child at a time”.
Out Of the Cold Program: Monday Meals (Community Service)
SI Hamilton-Burlington members participate in serving hot dinners to the guests on a weekly basis from November to March. Financial assistance is provided as required. We also organize a Winter “Sock and mitten drive”. During the pandemic, two teams distributed pre-packaged meals on three sites outside churches buildings.
https://hamiltonoutofthecold.ca/
Our Winter Wear Drive
Out Of the Cold Program: YWCA Carole Anne’s Place
SI Hamilton-Burlington provides financial support to the Carol Anne’s Place program.
“YWCA Carole Anne’s Place is a low-barrier overnight drop-in centre that offers women a safe, warm place to rest when shelters are full, during Hamilton’s coldest winter months. Services like Carole Anne’s Place are critical as emergency shelters and transitional housing programs for women in Hamilton are consistently full and even operating at overcapacity. In addition to providing a safe place to sleep, Carole Anne’s Place also provides access to withdrawal management services, meals, shelter placement assistance, and winter clothing to women who would otherwise be at risk of freezing to death outside on the coldest nights of the year”.
https://www.ywcahamilton.org/womens-housing-services/#1542650509693-18adca5a-81e0
Summer Reading Program, Hamilton Public Library
SI Hamilton-Burlington provides financial support to the Children’s Summer Reading Programs.
2020 “An e-World of Fun For Everyone”
“That little ‘e’ means Summer Reading Club is all online this year but don’t underestimate that little ‘e’. It starts words such as explore, experiment, entertain and enjoy. HPL has this and more in store for you. Read and learn a new pastime in your downtime. Watch how-to demonstrations, track your reading, play games, watch performers and more on hpl.ca.”
http://www.hamiltonpubliclibrary.org/summer-reading-program.html
The McMaster Midwifery Program
Soroptimist International of Hamilton-Burlington has offered a scholarship every year for five years to a deserving student in the McMaster Mid-Wifery program, who faced challenges.
International Programs
Member Of The United Nations
Soroptimist International is a member of the United Nations. Club Program Focus Reports are regularly submitted through Soroptimist International to the United Nations.
The President Appeal
The President Appeal is a yearly contribution from each member of each Soroptimist Club towards an common international project selected by the President of Soroptimist International.
The SI President 2019-2021, Sharon Fisher, calls for the generosity of our four Federations to support “The Road to Equality Appeal, 2019-2021”; a two-year road trip to empower women and girls who have been left behind.
The Appeal will raise awareness of human rights challenges that prevent women and girls from reaching their full potential and focus on much of SI Advocacy work such as child marriage, FGM/C, the rights of older women, human trafficking, migration, and domestic violence.
For more information on the December 10th, SI President’s Appeal 2019-2021, please refer to the SI website: https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/the-road-to-equality/
Kenya: The Mwihoko Women Group, Kenya and the SI President’s Appeal
The first of five projects to be supported on five continents, the SI President’s Appeal 2017-2019, ‘Women, Water & Leadership’ is to fund the Mwihoko Women Group in Kenya, formed in 2005 with the aim of improving the economic and social livelihood of its membership of 22 women. Kenya has a population of 46 million, and those who live in rural areas are dependent on subsistence agriculture for their food and livelihood. Women constitute 60% of these subsistence farmers. The water supply to these areas is scarce, and the women require education and vocational training to manage their farms effectively, and to ensure continued food security. Focusing on the region of Mitimingi in the Nakuru county, this Appeal project will enhance women’s capacity in leadership, food security, water utility, clean energy and economic development.
For 10 December 2020, we are delighted to announce a superb new Road to Equality Appeal project, supporting the Lugari Youth Leadership and Mentoring Training Camp, in the Lugari District of Kakamega County in Western Kenya.
10 December is traditionally the day Soroptimists join together in support of the SI President’s Appeal; a tradition established by SI President Catharine Salt in 1981. Since 2019, and throughout these testing times, the Road to Equality President’s Appeal has built and maintained partnerships; working with the Global Media Campaign to End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the Free A Girl Movement, on the ‘Voice of Justice’ campaign. Recent months have seen the launch of the highly popular SI Voices series of webinars, where over 2,000 people have registered to hear the thoughts and experiences of expert panellists, together with inspiring stories, which has increased awareness of the Appeal’s six key themes: FGM, Human Trafficking, Rights for Older Persons, Migration, Domestic Violence, and Child Marriage.
SI Hamilton-Burlington chooses to support an International project
The project our club supports is called the Kenya West Mother and Child Health Project. Its aim is to increase community awareness on maternal health issues, and to provide basic medical equipment, medical consumables, and basic medical services in an area where there is only 1 doctor for every 45,000 people. The hope is to reduce the very high rate of new born and maternal deaths, with these added helps to this community.
SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL OF HAMILTON-BURLINGTON
S. I. Hamilton-Burlington
P.O. Box 89013
Westdale Shopper’s Drug Mart
991 King St W
Hamilton, ON L8S 1K9
Email: sihamilton.burlington@soroptimist.net
