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Soroptimist International of Los Angeles
Working to Fulfill Dreams of Women and Girls
Aug/Sep 2017 Vol. 9, Issue 1
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 Dear <<First Name>>,
As we enter our 95th year I want to take time to thank all of the past and present members of our club, as well as those who have supported SILA through donations, involvement in our activities and any other efforts.
Our goal as we enter our new year is to insure that we accomplish not only our club's goals but those of Soroptimist International of the Americas by helping and supporting disadvantaged women and girls and helping them reach their goals and dreams.
Our focus will be on expanding both of our key programs:
· Live Your Dream - for women, and
· Dream It Be It - for girls.
We will be reaching out to the Downtown Los Angeles community to spread our message and elicit involvement from the professional women in the area.
This will be a landmark year for us as we proceed to the hundredth anniversary of Soroptimist of the Americas in 2020 and SILA’s own hundredth anniversary in 2022.
I encourage all of us to work on achieving the strategic outcomes of Soroptimist of the Americas:
· Impact through our Programs
· Engagement through more membership
· Recognition through Public Awareness
· Philanthropy through fundraising
· Mission Support
I look forward a great year for all of us together "Working to Fulfill Dreams of Women and Girls."
Sincerely,
President Jessica
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Jessica takes the lead
- Planning for 2017-18
- Update on 1736
- Breakfast for 94!
- Member News: Our GEM Celebrates her 90th
QUICK LINKS:
SILA's Website
Camino Real Region
Federation (SIA)
International (SI)
2017-18 BOARD:
President: Jessica Washington
1st VP: Joyce Jacob
2nd VP: Amy Poulos
Secretary: Lessie Caballero
Treasurer: Jeri Durham
Director 2016-18: Daphyne Howell
Director 2017-19: Bev Johnson
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For more information about SILA or this Newsletter, please contact:
President Jessica Washington at jessicalou817@gmail.com or 310-292-1602
Editor Janet Elliott at jvelliott88@gmail.com or 310-809-2438
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JESSICA TAKES THE LEAD
 Jessica Washington was installed as the new President of SI Los Angeles for the 2017-2018 year at Tam O’Shanter Restaurant on Wednesday, June 21.
Long time member, Julie Mairs, served as the installing officer.
The full new Board consists of:
President – Jessica Washington
1st Vice President – Joyce Jacob
2nd Vice President – Amy Poulos
Secretary – Lessie Caballero
Treasurer – Jeri Durham
Director 2016-18 – Daphyne Howell
Director 2017-19 – Bev Johnson
The evening included several guests, potential new members and a delicious dinner.
 
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PLANNING FOR 2017-18
SILA members got a head start on planning the 2017-2018 club year (which runs from September 2017 through June 2018) at an all-day Planning Retreat held on Saturday, July 29 at the Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center.
 Attendees included Amy Poulos, Jessica Washington, Julie Mairs, Ginger Cole, Daphyne Howell, Pam Smith, Jeri Durham, Diane Vernon, Joy Jacob and Bev Johnson.
The primary objectives and activities for the year were discussed.
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UPDATE ON 1736 by Joyce Jacob
  As one of her last acts as President of SILA for the 2016-17 club year, President Daphyne Howell was the Program Speaker at the meeting on May 17 and provided updated information on 1736 Family Crisis Center. Daphyne is Director of Administration and Human Resources for 1736.
Daphyne expressed gratitude to SILA for leasing two houses that SILA owns to 1736 for $1.00 per year to support women and their children recovering from issues of domestic violence.
The statistics show the need: from July 2016 to May 15, 2017, 146 clients (91 children and 55 adults) were served. Families are not separated and even young males up to 18 years of age are allowed to stay with their families. Each house serves 20 clients for a total of 40. They can stay for 2 years but protocols must be followed. The staff is 24/7 and Daphyne states they are loyal and dedicated.
The roles of the staff include case manager, therapist, counseling, legal advisor, and CalWORKs advisor (California’s welfare program for low income families and children). Included in the program for residents are weekly parenting classes and play therapy for the children. There are big issues of maintaining and improving the property which has included changing bedding and carpet to avoid the problem of bed bugs.
1736’s goal is to help families transition to permanent housing. There have been many positive responses from families who have been helped by 1736. At present, one client is a human trafficking victim with a story starting as a young girl of being sold by her family.
Several SILA members attending this meeting remember how choices were made years ago to change the houses to provide a safe haven for domestic violence women and their children. Thanks to those members for setting an example to current members and to Daphyne for reinforcing our commitment to supporting all women and children in the Los Angeles area.
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BREAKFAST FOR 94!
Once again, SILA members gathered early on a Saturday morning last May to prepare a healthy breakfast for 94 homeless women who enjoy a meal at the Downtown Women's Center.
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Volunteering at DWC is one of the favorite ways SILA supports the women of Los Angeles. This time they also delivered a box of soap, tooth brushes, and other personal hygiene items that can be distributed to the women who go to DWC for services.
Besides permanent supportive housing, DWC's Day Center provides homeless women a meal, clean private bathrooms and showers, laundry facilities, access phones and computers and a fresh change of clothes. |
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 Women are encouraged to participate in case management, creative workshops, counseling, health clinic activities and job readiness.
Watch a great video about DWC's "Made by DWC" program and product lines by clicking here.
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MEMBER NEWS: OUR GEM CELEBRATES HER 90th
 Barbara Jury, a 50 year member of Soroptimist, three-time president of SILA, and a prior Governor of Camino Real Region (governors are known as "Governors Ever More"- GEMs), celebrated her 90th birthday on July 29, shown here with member Joyce Jacob.
A week earlier, she was also featured in an article in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work magazine. Barbara received her nursing degree from USC in 1950. The article talked about her life-long ambition and subsequent career as a nurse.
As the article points out, Barbara became an innovator in the nursing profession, pioneering specialized procedures for premature babies and an intensive care unit for newborns (now commonly known as a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU) at California Hospital. Over a span of 46 years, she served as director of nursing and as the first director of risk management at California Hospital.
“Risk management was the thing I loved the most,” Barbara said, “because it was looking at all the issues hospital-wide and trying to improve things.”
Over the years, looking at problems like single mothers, battered women and the homeless through her nursing eyes, Barbara said she could see how a medical component would be an asset to social work and vice versa. She’s so supportive of USC’s move to put nursing with the School of Social Work that she recently made a gift to start the Barbara Jury Endowed Scholarship fund for nursing students. This is the first scholarship fund in the school for nurses who wish to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing to become family nurse practitioners.
To read the article in full, click here.
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