At the recent Annual General Meeting, outgoing President Gwen passed over the President’s chain of office to new President Madeleine for 2017/18. Following the presentation, President Madeleine received agreement from the Club Members for her chosen charity of Mercy Ships for the Club’s fundraising activities during the next year.
A joint awareness campaign was organized by SI Paisley and SI Glasgow City at Braehead Shopping Centre during May which is the Soroptimist Membership month. Members talked with lots of women, gaining contact details and it is hoped that those women may visit a club meeting in the future.
At the club’s recent AGM, President Gwen presented long service certificates to five members of Soroptimist International Glasgow City each of whom had 40 or more years of Soroptimist service. The members had accrued a total of 211 years of service to Soroptimist International.
Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow is an innovative and unique Multi Agency Scottish Government funded Centre based in Gorbals, Glasgow. The staff work with women with complex needs who are involved in the Criminal Justice system. The service offers a safe space to talk about their needs and to address issues that prevent them from living positive healthy lives. Members of Soroptimist International have been supporting TWG since 2013. Over £850 was raised at a recent coffee morning organised by members of Soroptimist International Glasgow City.
President Gwen and 9 members attended SI Paisley’s annual charter dinner this week. A lovely friendly evening, which culminated with a superb speaker! Amal Azzudin is a campaigner for human rights and social justice in Scotland and works for the Mental Health Foundation taking responsibility for the development and delivery of new and innovative work with asylum seekers and refugees. Amal and her family arrived in Glasgow as refugees 17 years ago and she attended Drumchapel High School. Along with six other pupils Amal is also known as one of the 21st century ‘Glasgow Girls’ who campaigned against dawn raids, detention and deportation of asylum seekers in Glasgow. Amal continues to give her personal time in supporting refugees and discussed her recent travel to Greece to assist refugees arriving by sea in small boats. She gave an emotional account of the refugees’ harrowing experiences as they
President Gwen, SI Glasgow City, chose Glasgow Women’s Aid as the focus for the club fundraising activities this year. The Singers Company along with guest artiste Beth Robb Adams presented a fabulous concert of classical pieces, songs from musicals and some fun items to a packed audience in Sherbrooke St.Gilberts Church on 05 March 2017. Kate from Glasgow Women’s Aid thanked the Glasgow Soroptimists for supporting the charity during their 40th year of work in supporting victims of domestic violence which is experienced by 1 in 10 women in Scotland. Soroptimists work to enhance the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and internationally, therefore are delighted to support this local charity.
Glasgow City Soroptimists visited the Glasgow Women’s Library as the venue for Soroptimist International Scotland South (SI SSR) Region’s meeting on 04 March 2017. Following the meeting Soroptimists from across the Region were taken on tours of the library, the only UK accredited library and museum which celebrates the lives, history and achievements of women. What a fabulous resource and it is free! SI SSR President Melanie and Dr Adele Patrick, Director of the library dedicated a shelf to Soroptimists within the ‘violence against women’ section. Adele highlighted the similarity of the ethos of Soroptimist International and Glasgow Women’s Library.
Soroptimist International (SI) Scotland South Region recently celebrated 80 years of Soroptimist service to women and girls locally, nationally and across the world. Past Regional Presidents were invited to attend the celebration and 22 women were in attendance along with Regional President Melanie. Immediate Past President Marian identified that the Past Presidents had given over 600 years of service as members of Soroptimist International to women and girls. SI Glasgow City has 7 Past Regional Presidents within the present membership. A speaker, who is also a Soroptimist, gave a talk about the charity Dress for Success whose mission is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and life. The photos show the Past Presidents with President Melanie, Past President Sheila from SI West Lothian and President Melanie
In celebration of one of our own members, Ann Garvie of Glasgow City Club, having completed a successful two years as Soroptimist International President 2013 – 2015, the clubs in Scotland South Region held an afternoon tea at the Millennium Hotel in Glasgow on 28 August 2015. Ann was guest of honour, and members of clubs throughout the region, and friendship link clubs of Glasgow City attended. In her speech Ann gave those present a flavour of the work involved in leading an international organisation. We are all immensely proud of Ann and the work she had done on our behalf, on behalf of Soroptimist International and for women and girls throughout the world.
Created for World Leprosy Awareness Day: 25th January 2015 :- “Helping Hands Challenge” organised by The Leprosy Mission to care for leprosy patients at Nepal’s Anandaban Hospital. The donation of £50.00 from Glasgow City Soroptimist Club and Glasgow Caledonian University in response to the World Leprosy Day 2015 campaign will help to bring life-changing reconstructive surgery to affected people. Leprosy is a mildly-infectious disease caused by a bacillus called Mycobacterium leprae – a relative of the TB bacillus. It occurs where there is dirty water, bad nutrition and poor standards of living, meaning people’s immune systems are not strong and they are unable to fight the disease. According to the World Health Organisation there are 17 neglected tropical diseases, e.g. Buruli ulcer is one of these and it’s caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans, an organism which belongs to the family of bacteria that causes
