Soroptimist International of La Jolla celebrated 70 years of service at the Birch Aquarium on May 13. This second annual Bucket List Bash began with a cocktail reception overlooking a breathtaking view of La Jolla Cove. President Diana Hill welcomed the crowd. Vickie Riggs, vice president, took the podium and announced that Barbara Bry from City Council District 1 was honoring this Soroptimist Chapter with a “commendation” for serving the community. Councilmember Bry was unable to attend and sent Bridger Lanfer from her office to bestow the honor.
During the evening two different awards were given, the Live Your Dream award and the Reboot Ladies award. TV personality Leonard Simpson made the presentations. The Live Your Dream awards were given to three incredible ladies, Haniyyah Haqq, Chuc Le, and Otani Linn Laster. Soroptimist helped these women get back on their feet after the struggles they have endured in their life. This will give them a chance to pursue their careers and help with the raising of their children. Soroptimist has been focusing on women in the military since 2015. The National Veterans Transition Service Inc. provides a three-phase program to help the transition to the civilian world. They call it “Reboot.” Maurice D. Wilson designed the Reboot Workshop to help veterans and was on hand to talk about the program. Six amazing women finished the Reboot Workshop and were honored on this extra special evening. They were Andrea Griffin, Beverly Smith, Clara Bryant, Clairabella Bindoy, Beck Bujaki, and Camille West. All nine of the honorees began the evening by having their make-up done by Karen Delgado from Karoli Make-up School and Cosmetics. Everyone had their hair styled by Whattani of Del Mar Plaza. All the honorees walked down the runway as Simpson commented on their history and goals. Macy’s provided fashions for the women.
The Soroptimist International of La Jolla helps women and girls with programs, such as the Live Your Dream program, which educates and trains women, and the Dream It, Be It program, which gives career support for girls. Soroptimist aims for what is best for women and that is what they have been doing over the last 70 years in La Jolla. In the 1950s, they started a meeting place for seniors that is now the La Jolla Community Center. They also helped build Parker Auditorium at La Jolla High School and convinced the merchants to display American flags for the 1969 San Diego Bicentennial, for which a story was published in Reader’s Digest about this “Avenue of Flags.”
In the 1980s, they raised funds by creating a Vaudeville troupe. Then, in the 1990s, they held a symposium with UC San Diego School of Medicine and founded the Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health. They worked on preventing girls and young women from sexual exploitation in human slavery in 2010. They have now added the Reboot program to their list of accomplishments. I can’t wait to see what they do for the next 70 years! For information, visit www.soroptimistlj.org.