Soroptimist of Winfield receives Community Cornerstone Award

CornerBank has announced that Soroptimist of Winfield is the Community Cornerstone Award recipient for the month of October. In recognition of their accomplishments, CornerBank will contribute $100 to Soroptimist of Winfield. A reception honoring Soroptimist of Winfield will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, October 28, in the CornerBank lobby, 900 Main. The public is invited to attend the reception.

Soroptimist of Winfield was chartered on April 21, 1951, under the sponsorship of Soroptimist of Arkansas City, Ks. Since then the women of Soroptimist have worked to support local charities and give a helping hand to women in need. Today their mission is to focus on improving the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.

In the past, Soroptimist has furnished the ICU waiting room at William Newton Hospital, purchased numerous Lifeline units, collected old cell phones to be reprogrammed to call 911 and given to victims of abuse, donated televisions, stands, DVD and VCRs to the Kansas Veteran’s Home, and were the original host of the Hospice Tree of Life annual ceremony at Baden Square.

Today Soroptimist give annual recognition and monetary awards to young women volunteers, women who help other women succeed, women who are the head of household returning to school to improve their earning potential, and provide two scholarships to young women graduates of Winfield High School who are pursuing a college degree.

The club has purchased equipment, sweat suits and helped provide training for SANE-SART (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Response Team) at William Newton Hospital. The women make “trauma bears” donated to local law enforcement and emergency service agencies to be given to traumatized children, ring bells for the Salvation Army, volunteer at Eagle Nest, support the Winfield Food Pantry, sing Christmas Carols at local nursing homes and the Veteran’s home and continuously provide support to SafeHomes.

In October Soroptimist has a Day of Unity candlelight ceremony at Memorial Park and Domestic Violence Awareness banners are hung in downtown Winfield to raise awareness of Domestic Violence.

For the past 27 years, the women of Soroptimist have provided a community Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day for those who would otherwise be alone.

The club provides lunch for the women of the American Legion Auxiliary who wrap presents for the residents of the Veteran’s Home. The club designed and printed their own version of the Teen Violence Bookmarks to raise awareness of teen dating violence and they are available for members to distribute in the community.

Soroptimist continues to help our community with food baskets, donations to local charities and giving our time to those who need a helping hand.

Soroptimist was founded on October 3, 1921, in Almedia County (Oakland) California with 80 charter members. It resulted from the efforts of Stuart Morrow, an organizer of men’s service clubs, and Adelaide Goddard, head of a secretarial school in Oakland. Eighty women in professions including medicine, laboratory technology, education and printing formed the first Soroptimist club to “foster the ideal of service.” The founder president was Violet Richardson Ward.

Soroptimist is a name coined from two Latin words: “soror” (sister) and “optima” (the best)– Best for Women. Soroptimist has grown to include nearly 100,000 women in 112 countries and territories throughout the world.

Soroptimist of Winfield was selected for the award by the Community Cornerstone Award selection committee, which includes Cindy Goertz, Ralph Hanna, Rose Hanna, Mary Jarvis, Roger Lungren and Mildred Sherrard. All are previous recipients of the Cornerstone Award. Volunteers are the cornerstones of healthy communities. The Community Cornerstone Award recognizes the time and effort of volunteers dedicated to serving people and enhancing the quality of life in Cowley County. To make a nomination contact Ev Bowman at 221-1650 or evelynb@cornerbank.com .