The Club held it’s first ever online AGM on 26 April. We were able to look back on a year of great achievements in spite of the challenges of COVID-19. As well as congratulating ourselves on the past year we were excited to be looking forward to the year ahead where we will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Soroptimist International and the 65th anniversary of our Club Soroptimist International St Albans and District.
Normally at the meeting we have the handover of office from one President to another and this year was, of course, a little different…. Katherine (Kat) Clark ended her term of Office in April 2021 but we were unable to have an AGM due to COVID-19. The Club also didn’t have a President in place for last year – instead sharing the Presidency 
as a “rainbow year” with six of the Club’s Officers sharing the work: Kat Clark and Sarah Lichman were in the hot seat through to the end of summer 2021, then Denise Powell and Ameeta Sabharwal took over until the New Year when Barbara and Saunders and Jane Slatter took the reins up to this AGM. Part of the handover is to pass the “chain of office” from one to the other – so Barbara and Kat met up outside ahead of the meeting to take the photos which you can see here.
Kat led the meeting skillfully and was able to use an updated version of the speech she had prepared for last year!
Reports were delivered as follows: Ameeta Sabharwal – Membership, Jane Slatter – Communications and People Team, Helen Byrne – Planet Team, Denise Powell – Peace Team and overall Programme Action Report, Sarah Lichman – Finance. This last year we have been able to donate more than £4000 to the many fantastic charities we support* We have also raised 22 Programme Focus Reports this year which is a record for out Club! For our Members all of the reports from the meeting are in the Members Area of this website www.sigbi.org/st-albans/members
To mark the occasion Denise Powell pre-recorded a 15 minute interview with Joan Williams, our longest serving Member who joined the Club in 1967. “A reflection on my life, our Club and its projects”. The recording took place outside due to COVID restrictions so apologies for the background noise. Just click below to listen and enjoy Joan’s trip down the memory lane of someone who has been a Soroptimist for 54 years:
We also played this excellent 1 minute video produced by Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland to mark the centenary:
Next we heard from Helen Byrne, SI London Chilterns Region President and also a Member of SI St Albans and District. The Region’s year runs from October (the same as the Federation year) so this year we were lucky enough to see our Club Members Helen Byrne take over from Denise Powell. Helen was installed as the Region’s President at the Region’s “virtual” October AGM – with her theme of “Celebrate the Past, Create the future” – recognising that in October 2021 we will be celebrating the centenary of Soroptimist International. Helen was keen to invite everyone to the next Region event on Sat 12 Jun which is being hosted by SI Milton Keynes – SILC Region Meeting/Conference and Celebration of our Soroptimist Centenary Zoom 2-5pm This event promises to be a fun and inspiring Celebration of SI’s Centenary with, among other things, a play about the history of Soroptimist International and a meet up online with founding club SI Oakland in California.
One of the great things about being online is that have been joined, in our Zoom meetings this year, by Members and friends from around the world. It was lovely that Margaret Van Laan Martin, our main contact with our Friendship Link with SI Chico in California, was able to join us for our AGM. Margaret gave us an update on life after the horrendous fires that have affected where she lives (if you do an online news search for fires in Paradise California you will see what she is talking about). Her Club has continued to thrive in spite of COVID-19. One of the ways SI Chico has been fundraising during COVID is though “Bistro Bag” meals that people pay to pick up. Through things like this they have been able to fund new play areas for kids in the local area.
Last but not least Barbara Saunders delivered her first speech as the Club’s new President. The contents of her speech are reflected in the news item about the new Presidentand in thePresident’s Message on this website. Congratulations Barbara – we all wish you every success in the coming year. To get a flavour for what is planned in the year ahead please see the Club’s Programme on the website www.sigbi.org/st-albans/club-programme The future certainly looks bright!
* charities supported by the Club and receiving a share of the £4000+ donated during the year were: the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge, Herts Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre, Homestart Herts, Herts Viewpoint, Cruse Bereavement, Earthworks, Carers in Herts, Radio Verulam, UCL haemotology, The Traveller Movement, Herts Domestic Violence Helpline, Dianne Oxberry Trust. There were also donations to International charities – Steve Sinnott Foundation Period Poverty Project, Toilet Twinning, SIGBI Emergency Relief Fund, SI Road to Equality Appeal and International Peace Initiatives.