Positive Parenting Award:

Honors individuals who are working toward economic independence, improving parenting skills, building self-esteem, and eliminating negative coping skills. Includes a cash grant of $1000 for 3-4 individuals.

• Deadline in April 2010
• Presentation: May 26, 2010
• Contact: Kris Johnston at shoppermom@gmail.com 566-9563

Dottie Locke Imagining Possibilities Award:

Recognizes outstanding and achievement -oriented young women who have been in foster care and who are being emancipated from these programs. Award in the amount of $1,500 will is contributed from the Dottie Locke Fund.

• Deadline: March 31, 2010
• Presentation: May 26, 2010
• Contact: Amy Hawes a_planner@yahoo.com 342-9003

Interesting Factoid: Dottie Locke was an RN who drove ambulance in World War !! and returned to Chico after the war. Dottie lived with the owner of KHSL and started 2 programs for SI/Chico. 1. “Teen Talk” a short weekly program on KHSL giving high school students the opportunity to talk on KHSL briefly about the world as they saw it. 2. Dottie organized a county wide conference of outstanding high school senior graduates to meet and discuss a topic of current national interest that would involve their future lives. Students met for lunch on Saturdays and came from Oroville, Paradise and Chico and elsewhere in the county.

Hand Up Award:

Recognizes women over forty years of age who have completed, or are in the process of completing a training program, and who are entering the workforce. It includes a cash grant of $1,000 for one or two selected awardees.

Criteria for Selection:

• Must be a woman age 40 or above.
• Must be a resident of the Butte Community College District.
• Must be in or have completed her final semester or session of education.
• Must show she has the qualifications to apply for the job she is pursuing or has recently started.
• Must show she has a financial need in order to get started in her job.
• Must have the recommendation of an instructor or job placement counselor.
• Application Deadline: February 26, 2010
• Presentation: May 26, 2010
• Contact: Jill Cooper jillc@crbr.com 570-1965

Hester Patrick Women’s Opportunity Award:

This award is designed to provide assistance, through a cash grant, to women who serve as primary breadwinners for their families and who are seeking to improve their employment status by gaining additional education and skills.

Criteria for Selection:

• Nominee is nominated and application is filled out
• Person is to be the primary financial responsibility for supporting her family (which may include children, spouse, siblings and/or parents).
• Attend or been accepted to a vocational/skills training program, or an undergraduate degree program.
• Have financial need.
• Be motivated to achieve her educational and career goals.
• Reside in one of the Soroptimist International countries.
• Nominee is ineligible to apply if she is a Soroptimist member, employee or immediate family or has received Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Award in the past.
• Application Deadline: February 9, 2009
• Presentation: April 7, 2010
• Contact: Jill Cooper jillc@crbr.com 570-1965

Interesting Factoid: Hester Patrick, born in Chico, graduated Chico High where she met and dated Garrison Patrick. He asked her to marry him and her mother disapproved. They did not marry until her mother died many years later. Hester, as a career, attended business college in Chico and joined Soroptomist in 1931 as an employee of a water company. Her slogan was “WELL, WELL, WELL,”. She moved on to become the secretary of Chico State College and was very active in community concert programs, the republican party and was the first to propose the renovation of the Carnegie Library into the Chico Museum – an Soroptimist International of Chico 50th Anniversary Project.

Garrison Patrick dreamed of having his ranch with its 3 generation history created into a historical site. Upon her death Hester carried out Garrett’s wishes and donated the Ranch to the Chico Museum which ultimately became the Far West Heritage Association.

Violet Richardson Award:

Given to young women, 14-17 years old who contribute significantly to their community through volunteer efforts which reflect at least one of the Soroptimist areas of service. Recipients’ and their choice of volunteer organizations share a cash grant. 3 recipients each receive $600. The top recipient is eligible for further awards from the Federation (S.I.A.)

• Deadline: January 27, 2010
• Regional Deadline: February 1, 2010
• Presentation: April 28, 2010
• Contact: Jill Cooper jillc@crbr.com 570-1965

Download the Violet Richardson Award PDF and read more here.

The Ruby Award – For Women Helping Women

Acknowledges women who, through their personal or professional activities, are working to improve the lives of other women and girls. Examples include: spearheading an effort to open a domestic violence shelter, starting a mentoring program for at-risk girls, or lobbing companies to provide on-site childcare. The program begins on the club level, where the type of recognition varies. Award winners at the club level are eligible for additional awards at other levels of the organization. The finalist receives a $5,000 donation to the charitable organization of her choice.

Eligibility Requirements for Ruby Award
Women who are improving the lives of other women or girls through their professional or personal activities are eligible for the Soroptimist Ruby Award: For Women Helping Women. These women have identified and focused on a need in their communities, which has significantly contributed to the improvement of women and girls’ lives. Although Soroptimist clubs are free to honor a woman for a lifetime of good work, the majority of the work should have occurred within the past two years. Email Jill Cooper for more information – jillc@crbr.com

Recommended guidelines for choosing a candidate should include all or most of the following:

1. The candidate shows characteristics of maturity in that she is motivated to improve her overall living situation and that of her child(ren).
2. The candidate has in someway altered the economic status of her family by working, advocating for child support or otherwise obtaining financial support for herself and her child(ren).
3. The candidate has demonstrated a change in her parenting behavior (if applicable) by
   • a. Attending parenting classes.
   • b. Utilizing effective child discipline, praise, and role modeling.
   • c. Abstinence from drugs and alcohol.
   • d. Participating in her child’s classroom or other child-oriented activities.
4. The candidate has worked toward building her self-esteem by obtaining counseling services for emotional growth, life skills, money management, time organization, and/or advocacy skills.
5. The candidate is working toward meeting her career goals by:
   • a. Attending school (GED, college, etc.)
   • b. Participating in a vocational or technical training program (PIC, GAIN, State Dept. of Rehab, etc.)
   • c. Participating in a job placement or internship program.