Our Impact

Our impact is measured by the lives we see changed. To do so, Soroptimist International of Huntington Beach supports both signature programs of Soroptimist International of the Americas as well as local and international non profits whose missions are synergistic with ours. We do this through our generous donors and sponsors and our fundraising efforts, resulting in a positive impact in the lives of the women and girls we serve.

Our lofty, big goal, as part of Soroptimist International of the Americas, is to improve the lives of 500,000 women and girls by 2031 and YOU can help us reach our goal by donating today!

Since 2014-25, our club has granted 104 single moms with more than $150,000 with a Live Your Dream Award. The Live Your Dream Award, a signature program of Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA), is a cash grant given to women, financial heads of their household who are pursuing an education to improve their lives and the lives of their dependents.  This year (2024-25), we once again gave 14 awards totaling $21,000.

We are proud to say that the majority of our Live Your Dream awardees have completed their AA degrees and bachelor’s degrees and some have earned master’s degrees and beyond. Our enterprising and resourceful awardees have launched new endeavors including for profit and nonprofit businesses, purchasing homes, securing meaningful and sustainable employment and giving back to their communities. We stay connected to our honorees and track their continued touchpoints through education, careers and life events. I am also proud to say that five awardees are current members of our club.

Along with the Live Your Dream awards, our club participates in the other SIA signature program, Dream It, Be It, Career Support for girls who face obstacles to success. For the past several years, we have partnered with the Newport Harbor Area club to deliver this eight-week program to teen girls and boys at the Newport-Mesa Back Bay Continuation High School. Our club also delivers this program to middle school girls at Higher Ground OC.

As women working together to improve the lives of other women and girls, education is always at the forefront in our minds. In addition to the Live Your Dream awards, our club provides nonrestricted scholarships to female parenting students at both Golden West and Orange Coast Colleges.  And, in honor of a past president, Catou DeFriend, who passed away at the young age of 36 and who had been a professional dancer, we also give a nonrestricted scholarship to a female student at Huntington Beach High School who wants to incorporate dance into her educational journey.

To show our support for the Huntington Beach Youth Shelter run by Waymakers, we purchase a snowflake on Main Street each year. If you are downtown next winter, see if you can find our snowflake and let us know!

Human Trafficking is prevalent in southern California, and our club is involved in bringing awareness and advocacy to our community as well as supporting those organizations with boots on the ground.  We attend Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force meetings, volunteer with Waymakers  and the Salvation Army on specific events and projects, participate in Vanguard University’s Live2Free Fair Trade Fashion Show and the Global Center for Women in Justice’s Conference and Know More, Do Better – a conference for middle school students.  SI Huntington Beach, along with SI Newport Harbor Area, SI Brea-La Habra and SI Westminster, created a coalition, Soroptimists Together Against Trafficking II, that includes clubs from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Ventura Counties.  We host virtual roundtables twice a year, January and May.

In partnership with the Assistance League of Huntington Beach and supported by Jersey Mike’s, SI Huntington Beach hosts an annual Day of Empowerment. a day of pampering, shopping, eating and sharing for single moms in school and survivors of human trafficking which includes an educational workshop and offsite, licensed childcare at no cost to our guests.

Last but certainly not least, staying connected is important to our community of women. Our club hosts a monthly virtual “Happiness Hour,” led by former Live Your Dream honoree and current member, Waukecha Wilkerson, who will receive her master’s degree in May. Everyone is invited to join us, and every month is different. If you would like to join us, please email terrylaurenrose@gmail.com to be added to the invite list.

Everything we do takes time, talent & treasure, and you can join us in our effort to improve the lives of women and girls by becoming a member, being a guest at one of our meetings, like us on our Facebook or Instagram pages, subscribe to our YouTube channel, volunteering at our Day of Empowerment, supporting our fundraisers and/or donating.

We thank you in advance for your support.

The Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards assist women, enrolled in or accepted into an undergraduate program, trade school or certification program, who provide the primary source of financial support for their families, to be more successful.  This award/grant is tax free to the recipient but, she can only receive it once.  The awardees are empowered to spend the money as they need to whether it be for their education, fixing up their car, rent, putting their child or children in an afterschool activity which they otherwise could not afford, etc. Our club gives 14 Live Your Dream awards each year which assists them in living their dreams. To apply for this award, click HERE.

“When I received the Live Your Dream Award, I thought to myself, it is finally all coming together now. Not only was I being reassured that I would be able to be better financially to support myself and my son while still pursuing my personal and professional goals, but I was met with unconditional support and love from the ladies at Soroptimists at Huntington Beach. I was becoming me again. Not just a student or a mom, but I felt so empowered meeting like-minded individuals that genuinely believed in me and were there for me and was also surrounded by resilient mothers that were also pursuing their goals and that helped me to continue in my journey.”   ~ Maria, former Live Your Dream Awardee

Dream It, Be It

Dream It, Be It targets girls in secondary school who face obstacles to success. It provides girls with access to professional role models, career education and the resources to live their dreams. Soroptimist clubs in 19 countries and territories work in partnership with the girls to provide them with the information and resources they need to be more successful. Most noteworthy, the topics include career opportunities, setting and achieving goals, overcoming obstacles, and teaching how to move forward after setbacks or failures.

We continue to team with Soroptimist International of Newport Harbor Area to deliver this invaluable series of workshops to teen girls attending the Back Bay/Newport Mesa continuation high school as well as conducting our own program with 6th and 7th graders at Higher Ground OC.

Dolly Wakeham Memorial Grant Program & The Dream Beyond Program

Each year SIHB adopts single moms who are enrolled in school or a certification program  and their families. Our objective: to support, mentor and, also, to make each holiday and occasion a joyous one. The Dolly Wakeham program is named for a Huntington Beach Soroptimist who passed away and left a small trust fund so that her legacy would live on. The interest from that fund forms the basis for the grant. The fund is augmented (financially and by physical gifts) by the club members and donations from caring people in our community to help women be more successful.  The Dream Beyond Program is the same as the Dolly Wakeham program but is only open to current or former Live Your Dream honorees.  This program is funded entirely by our club and generous donations from people like yourself.

Community College Scholarships

Each year SIHB selects a single mom, head of household with at least one dependent to receive a “Women’s Empowerment Scholarship” from our club. This scholarship is presented at the local community college’s (OCC & GWC) annual Honor’s Night event each spring.

Catou DeFriend Scholarship

Catou DeFriend, former SIHB member & president, left us too soon at the age of 36. She loved to dance so we honor her by presenting a scholarship to a disadvantaged high school girl who has a love for dance like Catou did.

LiveYourDream.org

LiveYourDream.org is a movement fiercely dedicated to ensuring every woman and girl has the opportunity to reach her full potential, be free from violence, and live her dreams.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Annual Fundraisers

Finally, SIHB hosts a variety of fundraising events throughout the year to add to our organization’s impact, including  wine tastings, Murder Mystery Dinners, bunco game nights and more.

OUR SERVICE PROJECTS INCLUDE:

snowflake on pier 2015

To support these and other Soroptimist International of Huntington Beach’s ongoing programs & compassionate projects, please click on our Donate Now button on the top right of this page or send a check to:
SIHB
7131 Yorktown #1077
Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Skip to content