May might have been the wettest on record but it certainly wasn’t a washout for our Club!   Watch our brilliant video about why we’re members of Soroptimists!   Enjoy reading about Lin’s amazing Moonwalk in the pink.

May stands for Membership month in the Soroptimist calendar

Amina, our newest member, and Julie P, our current president, with the help of Anita’s son Tom, have created a fantastic video.   It brilliantly sets out exactly why we are members of this women’s organisation.   And why it’s so important still in the 21st Century to Stand Up For Women.

Sit back and watch it by clicking on this link Membership Video

Always keen to raise our profile of our members in Kenilworth & District, Julie also appeared in our local paper The Courier.   Setting out her for her presidential year.

In the Pink – Moonwalking around Kenilworth

Well not quite by the light of the moon!   Due to Covid, last year’s annual Moonwalk to raise money for for Breast Cancer Charity walk was cancelled 🙁    So this year the event was a virtual one.   Ever one to take up the challenge and celebrate being 10 years plus breast cancer free, Lin and her daughter plus friends walked a marathon distance around Kenilworth.   The weather wasn’t kind but the pink wigs and tutus got them off to a great start.   Doesn’t everyone walk in pink?   And of course the bubbly at the end went a long way to help their recovery!   Lin and team raised a magnificent £3,500 for this worth women’s charity.

And what do our Sisters in Remscheid and Arnhem Oost do about membership?

At what has now become a regular feature during Covid, we met up via Zoom with our sister in Remscheid and Arnhem Oost.    The topic this time was how can social media help keep membership vibrant and relevant in Clubs.    We have been very lucky as we had a lot of support last summer from Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland about websites and social media.   Our European sisters seem to use newsletters twice a month as Facebook is felt rather old fashioned these days.    They also use Linkedin on their professional profiles.   Something for us to discuss with our Club members still in employed work.

What’s your perception of women in paintings?

Indeed have you ever thought about it?   Local bookshop owner and Art history expert Victoria Mier took 26 us on a journey on how women are portrayed, especially in the Renaissance period.   From Eve as a temptress in both body and mind to Venus as a fallen woman.    Paintings then progressed to idealising women to represent goodness and on to the Virgin Mary as the redeemer of mankind.   So thankfully from a rather worrying beginning, the talk finished on a positive note about women in art!

And how about a trip out this summer?

What better excuse once the Covid restrictions get lifted could there be to visit the National Arboretum in Staffordshire?  To see the newly unveiled statue representing Soroptimists.    You can watch how it was built by clicking on this link

It really does look fabulous and we can’t wait to see it in person.