Trenton Soroptimists' Celebrations

The Trenton Soroptimists had three great reasons to celebrate on June 8th at Wyandotte’s Portofino Restaurant. Soroptimist International of Trenton Area marked its 70th charter anniversary as a service organization. More than forty women comprise the club that involves the downriver communities of Trenton, Grosse Ile, Gibraltar, Riverview, Brownstown, and Woodhaven. The women of SI of Trenton Area have previously raised almost $200,000 in scholarship awards, to promote human trafficking awareness and prevention, domestic violence shelters, women’s health issues, and other service projects. This local volunteer group offers service by way of fundraising and donations, public awareness and educational programs, and hands-on assistance. The Trenton Area Soroptimists give their time and talents to local food pantries, Vista Maria, First Step, Stanford House, Covenant House, Christ Net, Salvation Army, Hope Against Trafficking, Transition123, Oakwood Beaumont Southshore, and to area women’s health institutions. Soroptimists are dedicated to improving the physical, mental, and emotional health and lives of all females. Their focus, as the name Soroptimist means “best for women,” is on empowering and protecting women and girls. Below are just some of the fundraising and public awareness events that we host.

Past-president Terry Morreau and Soroptimist International of Trenton Area celebrated the induction of thirteen new members: Marlene Benson, Jill Blackson, Claudia Duzzie, Jacqueline Davies, Diana Garza, Cindy Gouth, Leann Hedke, Kristin Mans, Bernadine Martin, Elaine Roman Needham, Michelle Peraino, Breanna Shopshire, and Lisa Stack.

Membership chairperson Linda Crisi presented Bobbie Navarre with her five-year membership pin. Pat Bryan and Shelley Amrozi both earned their ten-year pins, and Cris Howe obtained her 25-year anniversary pin.

President Abby Premoe announced Roni Drakos as the “Rookie of the Year” award for taking charge of the bottle drive fundraiser which gathered over 25,000 bottles and cans. Paetrah Collins was given the “Key Member” award for her willingness to help with many projects. Last year’s winner, Chris Speedie presented our most important award, the Soroptimist of the Year, to Janelle Rose for taking charge of the very successful “Hope in a Handbag” community service endeavor. In turn, Chris was given a plaque to commemorate her as last year’s recipient.

The annual scholarship awards commemoration was postponed from March due to the coronavirus, so the recipients were feted in conjunction with the installation ceremony.

The Soroptimist International Organization has as an international theme, “DREAMS,” which carries over into many programs and events that the Trenton Area Soroptimists sponsor. One of them is the “Live Your Dream Award,” which recognizes women who are head of households working toward a certification, apprenticeship, trade school, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree. This year, the Trenton Area’s “Live Your Dream Award” is given to Brownstown’s Crystal Gorecki. Crystal is a single mother of four children, ages one through fourteen. She worked at Angels R Us since she was eighteen, but Covid 19 caused the home health care business to close. She is attending Dorsey School in Woodhaven pursuing a professional training certificate in medical coding. She chose this area of study because she wanted to stay in a career associated with the medical field.

Crystal’s story exemplifies the resilience and tenacity that Soroptimists promote to empower women and girls. Crystal received her high school diploma in 2019 from Asher Alternative Education. She refused to settle for GED, even though she was told it would take her three years to graduate. Despite many personal challenges during that time, Crystal wanted her children to look up to her, and she graduated with honors before her three-year goal. She spoke of her hardships and challenges at the graduation ceremony, just three days after giving birth by C-section. Her message to all: “Maybe it can inspire other students that have the same challenges I had been enduring. Hopefully, it gives anyone hope they can do it if they try and never let anything or anyone hold you back from your dreams.”

Lauren Carney of Macomb is the awardee of the Soroptimist of the Trenton Area Virginia Wagner Award for 2021. This award is judged by the goals and accomplishments of a woman who is pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree. Lauren has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an emphasis in English Language Arts. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health/School Counseling at Spring Arbor University, hoping to graduate in April 2022, while maintaining a 3.89 GPA.

Lauren is finishing this stressful year as a third-year teacher of first graders in the Leslie Public School System, where she also serves on the School Improvement Committee. As she began teaching, she soon found her students were dealing with poverty, divorced homes, incarcerated parents, and other forms of trauma. This experience led her to her choice of a counseling career, so she can help her students cope with their troublesome and unstable home lives, while also providing a meaningful educational experience to them. She has also placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Community Light Pole Fundraisers, where she and her students make decorations. The children and their families help decorate a light pole in Leslie each October, encouraging giving back to the community.

SI of Trenton Area lost long-time member, Barb Rigg, last year. Because her family knew of her commitment to its mission and goals, her husband, Carl, donated money to the club to use for purposes deemed important. In keeping with the commitment to promote the education of women because it empowers them to be self-sufficient and successful, the first Barbara Rigg Memorial Award goes to Jennifer Dionne. Barb’s husband Carl and her children were honored guests.

Mrs. Dionne, a Brownstown resident, is currently finishing a bachelor’s in Nursing Science from Ohio University (currently all online with a 3.599 GPA) with hopes to graduate in May 2024 with a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. She is currently employed as an ICU RN at Taylor Beaumont and has been a nurse for sixteen years. She is helping to pay part of her daughter’s college expenses at Wayne State besides her own.

Despite many hardships, she enrolled in nursing school, and obtained her associates degree in nursing. Jennifer exemplifies the goal setting, identifying obstacles to education, overcoming them, and identifying resources to help reach goals that Soroptimists promote in delivering the “Dream It, Be It “curriculum, which the Trenton Area Soroptimists recently held for homeless girls and survivors of human trafficking at Alternative for Girls in Detroit.

The Soroptimist Prime award is exclusive to SI of Trenton Area. High school girls residing in Brownstown, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Riverview, Trenton, or Woodhaven are eligible to apply. The Soroptimist of Trenton Area High School Girls’ Award honors young women who make the community and world a better place through volunteer efforts.

The 2020-2021 Soroptimist Prime award winner is Trenton High School junior, Kara Howey. After learning from her volleyball coach that thirty percent of homeless people are women, her team organized over 200 hygiene kits for women all over the world for the “Clean Love Project.” Their mission is to help less fortunate women and girls who live in poverty, homelessness, or are survivors of domestic violence to feel clean, empowered, and loved.

Kara founded a club called “Students 4 Freedom” during her freshman year with the goal of educating fellow students about the liberties we hold dear in our own country. The club distributed food for veterans and the less fortunate as a community service project.

During Kara’s sophomore year, her group collected over 300 toiletry and hygiene items from local businesses, friends, and neighbors for the “Clean Love Project” to distribute to Detroit shelters.

The Trenton Soroptimist organization meets on the fourth Tuesdays of the month. All women are welcome to attend. You may contribute to the foundations that the Soroptimists support on smile.amazon.com and krogercommunityrewards.com. If you are interested in learning more about the Trenton Area Soroptimists and our other activities, check out our page on Facebook@Soroptimist Trenton, MI or sioftrentonarea@gmail.com.