Attend a luncheon meeting on Wednesdays at Noon

MANZANITA PLACE (the Elks Lodge)
1705 Manzanita Ave., Chico

An overview of the Chico club

SI Chico was chartered in January 1930 and inducted 27 members at its first meeting.  (Club history by decades) Currently, we have three Friendship Links to other Soroptimist organizations around the world:  St. Alban’s, England; Nara, Japan; and Makati, Philipines.  Friendship Links are designed to encourage joint projects between clubs.

We meet every Wednesday at Manzanita Place (Elks Lodge) for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00–1:15. The the cost of lunch is $13.00. The first meeting of the month is a business meeting and is very educational to the overall structure and activities of the club.  As a new member, it’s a very informative meeting to attend.  The other meetings are informative or entertaining programs that have a guest speaker or a special event.

Attendance to weekly luncheons is not mandatory, but is certainly helpful and important for you to stay current with the club’s activities and to get to know other members. We “go dark” (meaning, Soroptimist is not officially in session) in July or August, the week of Thanksgiving, or the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s.  Some members do meet unofficially on Wednesdays, for lunch at noon, through the summer, and all are welcome to do so.  The location for these lunches is announced at the end of June. 

The president chooses a committee for you to serve on the year that you join, taking into consideration the needs of the club at the time and areas of your interest and expertise.  The following year, you choose which committee you would like to participate in. (Committee descriptions)

Most committees meet once a month, with the exception of Home, Garden and Antique Show,which meets more frequently.  It’s important to attend your committee meetings to keep informed of its activities, as this is the only time they meet collectively.

Dues are $130.00 a year and are payable each June for the coming year.
When first joining, if you are inducted between February 1st and March 31st, dues are $97.50 (75%).  If you are inducted between April 1st and May 31st dues are $65.o0 (50%). Inductions in June will include you for the following year’s membership, which begins in September and ends June 30th.

There is also a one-time fee of $45.00 when first joining, which covers your pin, name badge, Soroptimist binder and Soroptimist roster.

All new members have a “sponsor” and this is usually the person who recommended you as a member to the club.  If you don’t know someone personally to be your sponsor, we will gladly have a member fill that role for you.  A sponsor will be there for you to answer questions, introduce you to other members and help you get off to a positive start. Feel free to contact the Membership Committee at any time for questions if your sponsor or isn’t available.

Organization Overview

The mission statement of Soroptimist International reads: “Soroptimist is a world wide organization for women in management and professions working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.”  It is the spirit of service that is the underlying motivation for all Soroptimists' activities. 

The organization started in Oakland, CA in 1921, and eight years later, from a Soroptimist in Sacramento it was introduced to Chico—then a small market town of nearly 8,000 residents.  There are now over 100,000 members in 113 countries worldwide and we are represented as a non-governmental organization at the United Nations, as a “global voice for women” working through awareness, advocacy and action.   

The organizational structure of the club consists of: 

• Soroptimist International, which encompasses the world,
  
• Soroptimist International of the Americas, which includes North and South America, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the Philippines,
  
• Sierra Nevada Region, which includes Northern California and all of Nevada

• the District which includes clubs in the North State,
  
• and our Chico Club. 
  
  Soroptimist International is committed to active participation in decision-making at all levels of society and to service in local, national and international communities There are six areas of service in Soroptimist: