The name Soroptimist was coined from the Latin soror meaning “sister” and optima meaning “best” indicating the focus of the society by that name: the best for women.

The first Soroptimist society was founded in 1921 in California as a coalition of women who gathered weekly to collectively take action on service projects and educate themselves on worldly issues. These enterprising women decided to Save the Redwoods as their first project. Soon, more and more Soroptimist societies started popping up across the country and the world. Inspired by that first sisterhood, women recognized the power they had together, and they gathered to address issues they saw in their communities and the world, taking it upon themselves to continually broaden their horizons of knowledge and influence. Eventually, all of these disparate groups banded together in Federations all over the world, under the umbrella of Soroptimist International. During World War II a Brittish soroptimist wrote:

“Two things are clear to us in the midst of the bewilderment and distress of these present days. One is that, as a band of women whose aim is the furthering of international understanding, we must stick together and keep in active working order our Soroptimist organisation, the value of which is greater than ever before. The other is that when we emerge from this nightmare and the struggle is over we must be stronger than ever to see that all our influence is cast on the side of a just and lasting peace.”

Soroptimist Portland is a group of local women at their best by helping other women be their best. Their mission is to improve the lives of women and girls through programs that provide resources and opportunities to help them reach their full potential and live their dreams.

Soroptimist Portland works to:

• Enhance the education, health, human rights, and status of all women with our grants and award programs.

• Join with other women to raise awareness about and take action against domestic violence and sex trafficking in our communities.

• Provide girls with guidance, training, and resources that will prepare them for personal and career success.

One of their biggest endeavors is their Live Your Dream award which helps women offset any costs associated with attaining a higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition, and transportation. Many recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, or sexual assault and have overcome obstacles of poverty and substance abuse. It is the hope of Soroptimist Portland that by helping women change their lives and pursue their dreams we can change our greater society.

In addition, Soroptimist Portland partners with sister organizations on far-reaching programs such as:

• ROOT: Reaching Out, One at a Time - a one-on-one mentoring program for 18-23 year-olds with a high school diploma or GED (or working on a GED). The program pairs a team of two club members with a participant who has been identified by a counselor or advocate to create a safe environment and establish a positive, trust-based relationship to over 1-3 years.

• The Human Trafficking Project - SI Portland supports this project through awareness and advocacy. This effort includes supporting organizations that work to end sex trafficking, especially in our I-5 corridor in Portland.

• SAVE: Soroptimist Against Violent Environments - a multi-organizational project in collaboration with local shelters to reduce domestic violence.

In the spirit of sisterhood, this month we have partnered with our current artist, Olivia Oso, to raffle a reproduction of her beautiful piece, In Sisterhood We Rise. All proceeds from the raffle will be donated to Soroptimist Portland. On August 31 we will select the raffle winner to take home this beautiful work of art!