Soroptimists accepting applications for grants
Published 1:30 am Friday, August 18, 2023
Applications are now open for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women, according to a press release.
Empowerment, education and dreams can all become a reality for women who serve as the primary wage earners for their families and seek financial assistance to continue their education.
This year Soroptimist Oak Harbor will award at least $12,000 to eight women. The top recipient will then advance to other levels of the organization where they may receive up to $16,000 in additional cash grants. Eligibility requirements and applications are available at www.soroptimist.org/lyda-apply.
The application deadline is Nov. 15.
Recipients, many of whom have faced obstacles such as poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction, may use the Live Your Dream Award to offset costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education or additional skills and training, including tuition, books, child care, transportation or any other education-related expense.
Soroptimist invests in women’s education because education is the pathway to economic empowerment and has the potential to transform lives and communities, the organization said in a press release. Since the program’s inception in 1972, more than $41 million has helped more than 41,000 women achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families.
A study conducted by The Fels Institute of Government, a research and consulting organization based at the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed the efficacy and impact of this program. It improves the recipients’ quality of life; builds their confidence; strengthens their self-determination and makes them want to, in turn, help others.
Helping women in this way has the demonstrated effect of leading to stronger communities, nations and the world.
Soroptimist Oak Harbor is part of Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc.,a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. It is a 501(c)(3) organization that relies on charitable donations to support its programs, Soroptimist also powers LiveYourDream.org — an online community offering offline volunteer opportunities in support of women and girls.
