Lake County >> Women who serve as the primary wage earners for their families and seek financial assistance to continue their education or receive training can apply for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women.
The Soroptimist International of Clear Lake Club will provide cash awards of $2,000, $1,500, and $500 to the top three award recipients. The top recipient will then advance to the Soroptimist Founder Region level, where recipients could receive up to an additional $5,000. The program culminates with three finalist receiving $10,000 awards.
Recipients can use the Live Your Dream Award to offset costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education or additional skills and training. This includes tuition, books, childcare, transportation expenses or other education-related expense. The Live Your Dream Award provides more than $1.7 million in cash grants to head-of-household women in need each year, according to Wanda Harris, Soroptimist International of Clear Lake Club membership chair.
Since the program’s inception in 1972, approximately $30 million have helped tens of thousands of women achieve. 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, Harris said in a press release. 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.
Applications are available by contacting club chair Kathy Freeborn at (707) 994-3509 or by email at siclearlake@soroptimist.net. The application deadline is Nov. 15.
For more information about the nonprofit organization or to make a donation, contact Harris at (707) 225-5800 or harriswc1@att.net.
