Teen Wins Soroptimist Award, Gains Inspiration to Get Serious About What She Loves

I was just thinking of my friend D.C,.who not long ago uttered these words to me. When she was in her teens she received a $1000 award from the Soroptimists for her help in the local Animal Care Shelters in our town. Along with that cash award, she was given $1000 to give to the charitable organization of her choice.That kid went crazy helping feed/water/bathe/walk and love the cats and dogs in all the animal shelters around town.

Now she is 24 and is acquiring her five-year post-graduate degree in veterinary school. She spent two grueling semesters in Edinburgh at their veterinary school in Scotland. While there, she also chose to join the Crew Team while in Scotland. For those who have not spent much time in Edinburgh, it is rainy, icy and dark most of the fall and winter semesters. Ugh! Early morning in the dark and rain/ice. No thanks. Anyway, this Scottish vet school only invites five foreigners each year, and she was one of them (at age 21!) . In the UK, veterinary school is one year longer than in the US and they require more in the field time than most US veterinary programs do.

She assisted in countless animal surgeries. She had her GLOVED hand in the black gunk, a cancer growth, in the gut of a dead horse, during its autopsy (she says it looked like TAR.) She worked at a chicken packaging plant where they went from the live chicken to the packaged food you see in stores. She worked in a lab studying animal epidemiology, and fell in love with the study of epidemics. One summer she came home with a two-headed snake.

This summer, she finishes her veterinary degree. Think about it.

Yes, this kid has amazing follow-through, that no one can deny. But she got attention and respect as a teen for her passion-filled work with animals. This, she says, surprisingly fueled her desire to achieve more in the arena of her passion. This all started with that simple $2000 gift from the Soroptimists..

We Stand and Applaud: Well Done,Soroptimists! Well done D.C.!

What 14-17 year-old girl do you know in your community who could get her dreams off the ground, her passion rewarded, with the help of a Violet Richarson Award from the Soroptimists? Or are you a young girl who wants to apply for herself? Or are you an adult who wants to consider becoming a member? Or do you know a woman/mother in need of a $10,000 award to start over?

Well if we are considering these ideas, just who are the Soroptimists?

Who are The Soroptimists?
"The name, Soroptimist, means "best for women," and that's what the organization strives to achieve. Soroptimists are women at their best, working to help other women to be their best. Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world."

How many members contribute to this Organization?
There are close to 95,000 members in 120 countries who donate and/or volunteer with the Soroptimists.

What Do They Do?
Their main goal is to help women by funding the education and training they need to improve their life. But there is so much more. There's the Soroptimists STOP Trafficking Program, a program raising awareness on and helping to stop the trafficking of women. The Soroptimist Live Your Dream Campaign is a program trying to help women reach their dreams and pass it on to others. There are cash grants for women who leave domestic violence and need support in the transition.

There is a program which gives $5000 to the woman who has made the biggest difference for other women this year. There is The Women and Girl's Disaster Relief program, as well as cash grants given to innovative Soroptimist Club projects. There's the Soroptimist Violet Richardson Award program, that gifted my teen friend Diana as well as her favorite charity, for her volunteer efforts.

Think of any girl you know you would like to see honored with a Violet Richardson Award for her volunteering efforts. Nominate her or direct her to apply for the award herself. Apply for one of the other grants they offer. Think of a friend you could help apply for one of their other programs. There are so many programs for which you may qualify. You can help yourself, or others, by looking into it for them and helping them apply. I am certainly glad I did with D.C. seven years ago. Look what she has done with it.