SI of Victoria-Westshore
Meeting Info
Our club meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 6:15 to 8:00 pm in the Community Meeting Space at Sands Chapel, 317 Goldstream Avenue in Colwood. On the first Wednesday, we conduct a business meeting and on the third Wednesday, we welcome guest speakers on a number of educational topics. We are currently meeting virtually using Zoom and guests are always welcome.
Email: victoriawestshore@soroptimist.net
Website: sivw.ca
Anney’s Closet
SIVW’s signature project is Anney’s Closet, a free store where hundreds of women each year benefit as they select household items to turn their living spaces into homes. Using donated household items, we’ve created a “free store” for women and girls who need household items. The space for Anney’s Closet, 3 storage lockers, is donated to us by the wonderful owners of Westshore U-Lock. Anney’s Closet has become a well-known resource across the Greater Victoria area.
New Beginning Baskets
To further assist women in our community, we have recently created the New Beginning Baskets project which will assist a minimum of 50 women each year who are leaving Cridge Transition House to start up their new home by providing them with a basket of household cleaning supplies. This project was initiated by Norma Brodrick and carries on the legacy program that was run by the former Greater Victoria Soroptimist club.
Menstrual Product Accessibility Project
This year our club partnered with the Camosun College Student Society in the Menstrual Product Accessibility Project with the aim to aid female students in accessing basic menstrual hygiene products. Although these products should be freely accessible at the college, they are not. We distributed 100 packages containing tampons and pads, along with human trafficking information and resources which was inserted into empty lip balm tubes to keep the information hidden from traffickers. We also attached a Live Your Dream Awards brochure to the outside of each package to promote the awards, and Soroptimist, to these students.
Financial Awards
Since the club’s inception in 2010, we have always raised money so that we could give awards to women pursuing further education. We are currently able to provide 3 - $1,500 Live Your Dream Awards, 1 - $1,500 Give Her Wings Award, and 2 - $1,000 scholarships: 1 at the University of Victoria and 1 at Camosun College.
Dream It Be It Conference
Our Dream It Be It Conference, formerly known as ‘Imagining Possibilities’, is an annual 1-day conference for young women aged 15-25 and each year 125 young women attendees get fired up about their potential and their future. Since its inception in 2012, the conference has been an in-person event; however, in 2020, we created a hybrid virtual and in-person event in order to meet strict rules for large gatherings during the Covid-10 pandemic. Feedback from the attendees and school career staff was extremely positive. It’s good to know that we can continue to offer this valuable program in either format.
Seasonal Hampers
Each Christmas, 3 former Anney’s Closet shoppers and their families benefit from Christmas hampers put together by our members and generous contributions from local businesses such as Quality Foods, Red Barn Market, London Drugs, and a group of women from the Royal Colwood Golf Club. We also offer hampers to a second group of women in June each year, when Food Banks are generally low on supplies.
Stella’s Suppers
Stella’s Suppers provide social interaction for seniors who might not otherwise have a social network. Held twice per year, more than 70 seniors enjoy the company of new friends, toe-tapping entertainment and a catered 3-course meal. This project was the brainchild of Stella Moffat, one of our members and a 50+ year Soroptimist! As a senior herself, Stella knows strong social connections and friends lead to a longer, healthier, and happier life. The events receive rave reviews and there is always a waiting list!
Region Activities
On the region level, our club is excited to be hosting the 2022 Western Canada Region Conference at the Laurel Point Hotel in the heart of Victoria Harbour. At this event, clubs in the Western Canada Region will come together in-person (if possible) to handle region business (elections, bylaws, etc.), to learn from one another, and to enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow club members.
International Activities
On the international level, we are proud to have been an integral part of helping a club go into production of women’s sanitary supplies in Masaka, Uganda. We also support a young woman’s educational goals in Makanya, Tanzania, and we regularly provide micro loans to women entrepreneurs throughout the world through Kiva.org. As at Dec. 31, 2020, we have made 257 loans, with 48 countries supported, for a total amount lent of $6,550.