Students, teachers receive Loomis Basin Soroptimist grants

Soroptimist International (SI) of Loomis Basin supported educational dreams by providing nearly $17,000 in grants on Feb 18 at the Blue Goose Event Center in Loomis. Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment, especially those facing significant obstacles. The Loomis Basin Soroptimist club gave four women "Soroptimist International Live Your Dream Awards." The goal is to help women who are heads of their households and often overcoming major obstacles to continue their education so they can enter careers that will support their families. Cassandra, a Roseville resident, is a single mother of two children whose family is grieving a great loss. She became a Sierra College student in her 30s, completed her associates degree and transferred to Sacramento State University in Recreational Management. Her dream is to create programs that help families overcoming challenges to rediscover a sense of peace through outdoor experiences. She says she wants to show her children that even after loss, there's still hope. Jamie is a mother of three school-age children living in Roseville. After a life change, she went back to school in her 30s. She attends community college and hopes to enter the medical field. Karina is the head of her household and attends Sierra with plans to apply to the nursing program. She began working at a young age to help support her family, placing her educational goals on hold. Recently, Karina has faced serious health and economic challenges. Now, she is focused on her goal of becoming a registered nurse. She said she is the first in her family to enroll in college and hopes to not be the last. Liz, a Roseville resident, is a single mother of four children who has dreamed of becoming a nurse since she was 5 years old. Liz has shown resilience while navigating grief, as well as health and employment challenges. With everything she has overcome, she's determined to successfully complete an associate degree at Sierra and continue her education to become a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. Two Del Oro High School student leaders in community service received "Loomis Soroptimist Investing in Dreams Awards." Riley Davidson is peer mentor and president of the Interact Club at Del Oro. She arranged for the club to offer monthly art lessons at The Gathering Inn homeless shelter in Auburn, conducted an art supplies drive and connected with residents through the artistic process. "I know that my career choice needs to be focused on purpose," said Davidson. "I'm leaning toward education, psychology or social work." She plans to attend Sierra, transfer to a university and eventually pursue her master's degree. Amelia Tracy volunteers as a peer mentor and serves as president of the Women's Athletics Club at Del Oro. She also volunteers at a community garden and food bank. Tracy organized a winter clothing drive for Stand Up Placer, collecting more than 100 pounds of clothing and 30 blankets in three weeks. She plans a career in politics. "Helping others gave me a sense of purpose and sparked a flame within me," said Tracy. The Loomis Basin club delivers the Soroptimist Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls program at Confluence West High School. The "Loomis Soroptimist Dream It, Be It Award" recognized four participants who developed skills, explored career plans and set career goals. Sophia Christianson plans to attend Sierra to prepare for a career in nursing. Jaden Hargett aspires to be an actress and will focus on going to auditions for television and movie roles. Milee Johnson plans a career in the veterinary field, specializing in exotic animals. Skyler McMaster will attend Sierra, support herself as a nail technician and train to become a mixologist. All of the girls indicated that through the Soroptimist Dream It, Be It program, they learned to overcome obstacles and identify resources that can help them achieve their goals. Morgan Zerwas, Confluence West High School teacher and advisor, was also recognized for collaborating with the Soroptimist club to make the Dream It, Be It program meaningful for her students. Senior L.I.F.E. Center of Loomis received a Soroptimist Grant to fund teachers. Since 1978, when the Soroptimist club founded the senior center, members have supported the center's social and educational activities. Soroptimist Teacher Grants support Loomis Union School District TK-8 class programs and projects that will impact students for many years. Piper Jones, a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teacher at Franklin Elementary School, will use the grant for a LED Light Table and translucent 3D geometric shapes to provide students with concrete math experiences. At H. Clarke Powers Elementary School, Charise Harris, K-8 Spanish teacher, will purchase a class set of "Capibara con botas," an Amazon Rainforest adventure story package with teacher's guide and audio books. Hailey Crosta, TK teacher, will use illuminating light tables with shapes, letters and numbers to strengthen fine motor skills, writing readiness and numeracy. Gina Green, second-grade teacher, will create a calm space where students can pause and reset their minds and bodies before returning to their desks and learning with their peers. From Loomis Basin Charter School, Librarian Christine Clark will select new titles for "Battle of the Books" as well as additional read-aloud classroom books. Kindergarten teacher Kelli Wilner will add a pretend play café and grocery store to the classroom so children can have fun building social, language, creativity and problem-solving skills. Melissa Patrick, seventh- and eighth-grade teacher, will buy books for "First Chapter Friday" and "Trailer Tuesday" time to build students' passion and love for reading. At Loomis Grammar School, Karen Acosta, fifth-grade teacher, plans to add "wobble stools" to her classroom to help increase students' focus and engagement through movement. Second-grade teacher Lauren Bursan will purchase papier-mâché supplies to inspire creativity, patience and pride as students make animal-themed projects. Emily Dallosta, fifth-grade teacher, wants to start an optional book club and will purchase 60 new books to encourage reading at home. Kindergarten teacher Catherine Dodge wants to purchase a set of "Writing Through the Year" books to help students build skills through hands-on study and imitation. TK teacher Nikki Steward would like to add a multi-sided art easel to the classroom so she can offer hands-on art experiences that inspire students to explore, create and grow. At Penryn Elementary School, sixth- to eighth-grade Language Arts teacher Cynthia Buhler will use the grant to purchase an iPad mini® so the 26 students on the leadership team can create the weekly Penryn Panther News video. Kindergarten teacher Jessica Ryder plans to add a sensory table where children can scoop, pour and sift materials to build fine motor coordination, as well as early math, language and science understanding. From Placer Elementary School, third-grade teacher Roxanne Lopez Quiroz wants to invest in hands-on fraction tiles, fact cards and number white boards to help students understand of how fractions relate to whole numbers. Kindergarten teacher Amanda Ross will save time and money with a desktop photo printer to create memory books that allow students to see themselves having fun learning, growing and gaining experiences. The event was attended by more than 75 community members. Awardees were acknowledged by Kathy Dunbar, Governor-elect, Soroptimist International Sierra Nevada Region (SNR), and Rae DeGabriele, District 4 Director, SNR. Suzanne Jones, Placer County District 4 Supervisor, also congratulated the winners. In addition, the awardees received certificates of recognition from Assemblyman Joe Patterson and the Placer County Board of Supervisors.