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“Wendy Lazarus Honored with Ruby Award”
Wendy Lazarus was awarded The Soroptimist Ruby Award: For Women Helping Women for 2010 by Soroptimist International of Los Angeles (SILA).  This award honors women, who through their professional and volunteer work, improve the lives of other women and girls. The “Ruby Award” is presented to a local hero that through her professional and personal efforts is making an extraordinary difference in the lives of women and girls in the Los Angeles area. The “Ruby Award” was presented to Ms. Lazarus at this year’s Women of Distinction Luncheon & Silent Auction on  March 27th at Los Angeles Athletic Club in downtown Los Angeles.  SILA honored Ms. Lazarus for her extraordinary compassion, leadership and commitment in our shared struggle to globally improve the lives of all women and girls.  For 88 years, the business and professional women of SILA have been providing continuous programs of service to the Los Angeles community.  Ongoing programs of service include the provision of shelter, counseling, education and training assistance for women and children who are recovering from the effects of domestic violence, and transitioning to independent family living in the community.

Violet Richardson Award for Volunteer Action
Due Date : December 15
Download Application
The Violet Richardson Award for Volunteer Action: Honoring Young Women, is for girls 14 through 17 who volunteer and “make a difference” in their community. In the past, award winners have submitted very impressive packets with awe-inspiring essays. SILA has had the regional award-winner for several years, many from the Los Angeles area. In fact, last year’s award-winner was a senior at LAUSD’s North Hollywood High School. Her volunteer experiences, and the compelling essay that was written, won the local award and the much coveted Regional Award. I’m sure that you know young ladies who more than qualify for this award.

Women Opportunity Awards
Due Date: January 15
Download Application

Download Reference Form

The Women’s Opportunity Awards program was established in 1972 to assist women with primary financial responsibility for their families to obtain the skills training and education necessary to improve their employment status and standard of living for themselves and their family. Last year, more than US $1 million in club, region, and federation funds were awarded to more than 1,000 women in Soroptimist International of the America’s 19 member countries and territories. The women receiving these financial awards may use them for any costs associated with their educational efforts, including tuition, books, child care, and transportation. Our Club has an Award of $1,000.00 and the winner is automatically considered for an additional award at the Regional level. Applicants must:

1. Be a woman with primary financial responsibility for supporting her family (includes children, parents, siblings, spouse).

2. Attend or have been accepted to a vocational/skills training program or an undergraduate degree program.

3. Demonstrate financial need.

Applications, including two references, are due January 15th. SILA will complete their judging by February 1st and then notify the winner. We will host a luncheon on April 16, 2011 to meet our Winner and present the Club Award. The Region Winner will be announc

Graduate Student Fellowship
Due Date: March 1, 2011
Download Information & Application
Soroptimist International of Los Angeles announces a fellowship award in the amount of $3,500 for a woman in Graduate Study during the 2011-2012 academic year. This award is given by the non-profit corporation, Soroptimist International of Los Angeles, a woman’s Classified Service Club. Soroptimist International’s six programs of service are: Economic and Social Development; Education; Environment; Health; Human Rights/Status of Women; International Goodwill and Understanding.

The Soroptimist Ruby Award:
For Women Helping Women
Due Date: December 15
Download Application
The Soroptimist Ruby Award: For Women Helping Women honors women who, through their professional or personal efforts, are making extraordinary differences in the lives of women or girls. Honorees are women who have worked to improve the lives of other women and/or girls. Their work has had a significant impact on the local or global community and it inspires and encourages other women.

October 6, 2009 Policy Summit
Click here to download a fact sheet on the summit. The programmatic content, logistic and financial leadership for this effort is a working partnership of the Los Angeles Area clubs of three international women’s service organizations: Soroptimist International; Business and Professional Women, International; and the American Association of University Women, International. The local partner group, Project Five-0-Los Angeles, has involved collaborators from not for profit organizations and groups, government agencies, community groups, service organizations, and others to work with us on the development of the content and marketing for the event. This event is a follow-up to a policy summit on the same subject delivered by the partners and collaborators in March, 2008. The fact sheet for the 2008 policy summit is available at http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org

We are proud to announce that SILA member Carole Oglesby has been asked to serve as an expert speaker for a panel by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) in collaborating with the International Working Group on Women and Sport and WomenSport International on women and sport as a parallel event during the fifty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Download Julie Mairs Powerpoint on Human Trafficking
Download Soroptimist International's White Paper on Human Trafficking

Past events