Warrington Soroptimists raise money each year for a charity nominated by the club president.
For 2012-13, president Margaret Carr nominated World Wide Smiles, a tiny charity dedicated to bringing smiles to those suffering as a result of man-made or natural disasters. Run by clowns, the charity works to raise morale in places where the children and adults have little to smile about.
Past tours have included visits to hospitals and orphanages in Russia, Poland and Romania; working with the Mother Therese Foundation in the Romany Gypsy settlements in Romania, visiting schools, gypsy camps, orphanages and a retreat for battered women in Kosovo, working with homeless children after the tsunami in Sri Lanka and visiting Kolkata, in India, with SEED to help slave-labour children, street children and railway children. Later this year World Wide Smiles plans to visit Kenya.
As a very small charity, fundraising can be difficult and World Wide Smiles needs sponsors and donations to help with the costs of travel, especially when air travel is involved. Soroptimist International of Warrington is helping with a variety of fundraising efforts, including coffee mornings, a supper, a stall at a Christmas market and more.