CLEARLAKE — Soroptimist International of Clear Lake welcomed local author Kit DeCanti as its guest speaker Saturday at the club”s annual “Spring Fling” luncheon and auction. DeCanti, whose novels are primary set in Lake County, spoke to the group about her work and the inspirations for her writing.
Soroptimist International is a women”s organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls around the globe. The local chapter is a part of network of nearly 1,500 clubs with 100,000 members in 19 countries worldwide. “The name Soroptimist is coined from the two Latin words ?soror,” meaning sister, and ?optimus,” meaning the best,” Arlene Grimes, president of the Clear Lake club, said. “Translated (our name) means ?the best for women.””
The Women”s Opportunity Awards are the club”s major service project providing area women with monetary grants to assist them with the expenses of furthering their educations. The program also includes the Violet Richardson Award, which is presented to a young girl who voluntarily contributes significantly to the betterment of her community. This year”s awards recipients will be honored at a luncheon in Hidden Valley Lake on Thursday.
Each year the entire organization takes on an international project. This year”s “President”s Appeal” was committed to helping and training midwives in the Pacific Rim. Grimes said that the club hosted a fundraiser in December that raised several hundred dollars for the cause. “Just $100 buys a midwife”s pouch,” she said. “Globally, there are still 1,000 women dying a day due to pregnancy and childbirth complications. That is like two jumbo jets full of women crashing down daily or 41 women dying every hour and yet no one hears about this.”
The club”s signature project is providing free mammograms to Lake County women who lack insurance and are at high-risk for breast cancer. “All of these projects support the Soroptimist mission, which is promoting the best for women and girls,” Grimes said.
DeCanti said she was first “published” in third grade. “From that day on, I thought I was an author and just kept writing,” she said.
DeCanti spoke of the county”s beauty, which she said provides setting for the majority of her novels, such as her “Cobb Mountain Mystery Series.” She said much of her inspiration comes from her husband, Tony, who inspired her to write a cookbook called “Secrets of a Lazy Cook,” which she said is also titled “How I Survived Marriage to an Italian When I Hate the Kitchen.”
DeCanti offered the following advice to aspiring authors: “Write, write and keep writing.” She also said that many writers are advised to write what they know. “I”d like to add: write what you want to know,” she said.
The luncheon included live and silent auctions, in which Carl? High School students assisted. The top live auction item was a package of two Southwest Airline tickets to anywhere. Sally Munger, a longtime member of the club, put up the winning bid of $650. Live auction proceeds totaled $2,950.
The event also featured the club”s “famous” dessert bar and music by David Neft. The event was catered by Rosie Cooks.
