SOROPTIMIST PROVIDES $16,000 TO HELP SAVE LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY FOR WOMEN

November 1, 2007
Contact: Kamali Brooks, Public Relations Manager
215-893-9000 x130, kamali@soroptimist.org           

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Soroptimist International of the Americas, an international volunteer organization of business and professional women dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, presented a $16,000 disaster recovery grant to its Largo Mid-Pinellas County Soroptimist club in Largo, Florida, to help ensure that Pinellas Village—a safe and affordable housing community for low-income single parents—will be around for many years to come. 

With the grant, Largo Mid-Pinellas County Soroptimists will help Pinellas Village, a nonprofit organization that relies on individual donations to operate, pay its property insurance premiums, which increased by $70,000 as a result of Florida’s recent insurance crisis. Statewide, insurance rates have sky-rocketed due to high risk of danger during Florida’s yearly hurricane season and its densely developed, hurricane-prone coastline.

Largo Mid-Pinellas County Soroptimists contribute a lot of hands-on service at Pinellas Village, which currently houses 115 single mothers and their 240 children. “We hold a holiday party, Mother’s Day event, and assist with back-to-school celebrations. If Pinellas Village cannot pay their insurance premiums, the facility will be forced to close its doors,” June Wallace, president of the Largo Mid-Pinellas County Soroptimist club, said. “Many of these single mothers and their children have come to Pinellas Village from domestic violence or homeless shelters, and they would be homeless once again.” 

Soroptimist’s disaster recovery grants, which range from $1,000 to $20,000, assist women who have been victims of natural disasters or acts of war. Past Soroptimist relief efforts include a $4,000 disaster relief grant to its Daet Soroptimist club in Albay, Philippines, to help meet the needs of women displaced by recent typhoons. With the grant, Daet Soroptimists provided local women with food, clothing, shelter, and the skills to obtain jobs so these women can provide for their families. Another club in Trujillo, Peru, received $20,000 to help meet the needs of 500 women displaced by earthquakes by providing them and their families with enough food to eat for 10 days.

“Women and girls are particularly vulnerable during disasters. They lack mobility and access to resources, have increased family responsibilities, and are susceptible to physical danger,” said Soroptimist’s executive director, Leigh Wintz. “Soroptimist's disaster recovery program mitigates the barriers facing women and girls during disasters, making it easier for them to get the resources they need to survive.”

Soroptimist, a 501 c (3) organization headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., offers programs that improve social and economic conditions for women and girls. Programs include the Women’s Opportunity Awards, which provides cash grants for head-of-household women seeking to improve their lives with the help of additional education and training. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed through this award-winning program. Visit Soroptimist’s website at www.soroptimist.org to learn more about the organization and its work on behalf of the world’s women and girls.

###