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About Soroptimist International
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Meet Some of Our Members!!! Angela Erika Julie Marian Susan K. Angela
One day in 1992, Angela
Sorensen’s husband John came home and told her about a group of “terrific
ladies’ called Soroptimists that he met through a volunteer planting
project he was leading. John became the first male member of the Southern
Region of Soroptimist International. Impressed by his enthusiasm, she joined
the club and has been a vital part of the Greater Orlando Club ever
since. As our current treasurer and a past secretary, Angela is an active
member who really believes in the Soroptimist creed-
The Best for Women.
The booklet, a collection of
inspiring essays by survivors, including Angela, is reprinted every year and the
demand always exceeds the supply. It has been featured in newspapers, on radio
and circulated to many countries.
Angela is one of those rare true
Floridians who has lived in the central part of the state all of her life. She
recently retired from the City of Orlando Facilities Management Division after a
21-year career. She and John are now in the home rental business, which still
gives them time to travel. They recently returned from England and Scotland.
Other favorite places that Angela has visited are Hong Kong, Germany, Belgium
and the Netherlands.
Angela represents the very best
of Soroptimist ideals. When asked what she finds most meaningful about being a
member, she replies “I love the sharing of cheers and tears with women who have
become great friends. We work hard so that we can give back to the community.
Our service projects have enriched us far more than we can ever give.”
Thank you, Angela. We appreciate you! Angela & John Sorensen Erika Erika is the fresh breath of air that every Soroptimist Club is looking for as we work on the Renaissance Campaign- a plan to revitalize the organization. As our youngest (twenty-something) and a fairly new member, (fall 2005) Erika is already a vital part of the Greater Orlando Club's core of most active Soroptimists. This commitment to SIA is part of Erika's goal to become more involved in the community through service opportunities such as those that she participated in throughout high school and college. As a passionate supporter of women's rights and social justice issues, Erika believes that SIA fits the bill perfectly. "The work we do as a club has personal meaning to me, and the women (an amazingly diverse group) that I interact with make the experience incredibly rich. Meeting women who have been committed to this organization for 10 to 20 years has been inspirational." Erika also has a personal role model for her passion for service. Her mother Maggie is co-president of the Orlando group and her influence has not been lost on her daughter. Having seen what SIA did during her teen years, Erika was eager to join once she completed college. After graduating from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, Erika now has a full schedule working as an instructor sharing her passion for Psychology with her students. Yet she still finds time to contribute to several SIA projects.
In addition to being the recording secretary,
Erika has become our 'resident computer expert'. She created and continually
updates a terrific website that highlights our local activities, spotlights
members and provides links to the national SIA sites. "I hope that others in
our area who are looking to connect through service to women and girls will find
our club an outlet for their passion. I was happy to find that outlet, and even
happier to display our work online."
Erika has a truly international background. Born in Saudi Arabia while her Dad worked as an engineer and living there until Desert Storm, she then moved to Budapest for a few months before her family moved to the US and finally settled in Florida where she has lived for the past sixteen years. While not busy working on school or SIA projects, Erika enjoys photography and creating jewelry. Travel is another passion and has she traveled! Favorite places in addition to London and Budapest, include Costa del Sol, Spain, Marseille, France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Beijing, Venice and Rome. A favorite quote of Erika's is by Robert Frost: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Erika Shoemaker is making a difference. She is a shining example of hope- not only for the Soroptimists but also for the world. This beautiful young woman (inside and out) is taking a road less traveled by her decision to share her talents with SIA. It is indeed a gift to us all.
Julie It is doubtful that any other Soroptimist group has a member who travels from the other side of the world to attend the monthly meetings. Julie Anastasia does just that and our Orlando club would not trade all of the tea in China for this very special member. And China is indeed where Julie travels from on a regular basis. She and her entrepreneur husband Mark moved to Qingdao, China three years ago to oversee the production efforts related to their business. While there, they changed courses and decided to start an American style bar called Catch 22. A new concept in this up and coming area, it is catching on with both Chinese and Western clientele while keeping Julie and Mark busy with all the details of starting a business from the ground up. Despite the distance and duties, Julie remains an active club member, contributing not only time, but also monies to the club that she joined after attending a membership tea in 1994 where she “got such a warm feeling from everyone…and when I learned what Soroptimist was all about, I knew it was the organization I was looking for!”
In the
past twelve years, Julie has served as the treasurer several times (a fitting
position with her CPA background), vice president once and twice as the
president. Even though she will be living in China for the next couple of
years, Julie plans to attend meetings whenever she is in Florida to visit her
immediate family, most of who live in the
Julie finds the Regional and District meetings one of the most appealing aspects of being a Soroptimist. “Meeting and making friends with so many women is a great benefit of being a Soroptimist”. She was especially touched when several members contacted her via e-mail from all parts of the world when they learned of her breast cancer. Ironically, while being treated for the disease, Julie benefited from a club project that she herself worked on as a Soroptimist member. Choices and Hope, a booklet that was created for woman dealing with cancer was also one of the most meaningful club experiences for her. “Little did I know that in 2004 I would need that booklet for myself when I was diagnosed …it was given to me as part of the information provided by the Women’s Resource Center in Orlando.” She is proud that the booklet remains a vital resource for women several years later. Julie has traveled the world from Shanghai to Sydney, Australia, Stockholm, Sweden to San Francisco. When asked where she has been, she lists places all over the planet as ‘favorites’. One can just imagine the frequent flyer miles that she has collected! She and Mark are enjoying their free time in China, traveling when they can to surrounding areas. Highlights have included The Great Wall and the Forbidden City. They plan to visit Hong Kong and would like to see the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. One thing Julie does miss, however, is football, which is not part of China’s culture. Julie’s collection of rich life memories include a brush with fame when she was chosen from the audience by renowned magician David Copperfield to help with one of his illusions. “It was fun! We got to meet him after the show and each of us got an autographed picture.” We suspect that it was her wonderful smile that made Copperfield choose her to begin with. It certainly lights up our meetings when she comes through the door as casually as if she had just driven across town, not the world! She is a light in our lives and we appreciate the extra effort that she puts in to being a part of our group.
Marian
At the meetings, Marian shares her wealth of ideas in a soft-spoken, articulate manner and then follows up on them with prompt action that benefits everyone involved. She played an important part in our 50th Anniversary Celebration/District II meeting in October of 2006 by overseeing conference registration. Marian continues to wear many hats as a member of several other organizations, as well. She is president of her Women of the Church group, vice president of the Orlando Chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, treasurer of the Orlando Chapter of Chums, Inc: secretary of the Central Florida Quettes, Inc. (wives of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity members) and a member of the Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation. Marian even hit a ‘home run’ in Atlanta when as a past president of a medical wives group, she modeled a beautiful dress in a benefit celebrity fashion show along side Hank Aaron! A retired Hearing Officer for the State of Georgia, she and her husband, Dr. Cleo Coles, Jr. moved to the Orlando area in 2000 after living in Nashville, Albany, (New York), Atlanta, Tampa and Panama City. They have four children and five grandchildren, most living in Georgia. When Marian is not devoting time to SIA, other volunteer work or her grandchildren, who are the light of her life, she loves to relax by reading at least one novel a week (mystery is a favorite), and doing cross stitch almost every day. She enjoys listening to light jazz or Johnny Mathis (don’t we all) and has seen Mathis perform several times including once while in Japan, where she and Cleo lived for three years when he did his first tour with the USAF. Marian loved her time in Asia. While there, she also got the opportunity to visit several nearby countries. Another favorite trip was to Paris in 1997. “Believe me, April in Paris is magical”. As an SIA host, Marian has entertained visitors from the United Kingdom, Scotland and India. “Meeting them and learning about the global impact SI has made really impressed me.” And we are impressed by Marian Coles whose dedication to service makes her a treasured member of the Orlando chapter.
Susan K. Susan Kimeria came from across the world to share her energies as an experienced Soroptimist with our club. Born in Kenya and founder of the Soroptimist group in Nairobi in 1990, she continues to make a difference in the lives of women since moving to Florida several years ago. Truly our most international member, Susan has served as a delegate (as part of the European Federation) to conventions in Greece, South Africa, Madagascar, and Finland. “In all of these conferences, it was interesting to meet women who are very passionate in assisting those who are not as blessed as we are. I continue to be a member now not only to make friends in my adopted home [Florida] but to continue with my principle of making a ‘small difference’.”
Susan considers the Rwanda SI Rescue Project the most meaningful experience in her sixteen years of involvement as a Soroptimist when the Nairobi SI members opened their homes and hearts to the displaced SI members fleeing the Rwandan genocide. With a beautiful smile and a gentle manner, Susan is a dynamo when it comes to getting things accomplished. As an officer in the Nairobi club, as well as the District Director during her last year in Kenya, Susan was especially involved in the Education Programs area which involved paying tuition for bright girls who lived in rural areas but were too poor to afford the fees . Besides SIA involvement, Susan also co-founded with her husband Charles, a not-for-profit organization in Kenya in 1991. The Kenya Youth Education and Community Development Program. KYCEP has since become a national organization specializing in education for youth with a focus on HIV/Aids awareness. Charles and Susan have also registered KYCEP USA for the purpose of soliciting computers and other educational items for schools in Kenya. Susan is a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in Healthcare Administration. She currently works with Walgreens’ Medicare program. She and Charles also enjoy a part-time side business of selling handcrafted items from Kenya at area shows and festivals. Susan is proud of her children. Boddie just completed four years of active duty as a US Marine after three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Alice, who graduated from UCF (with Mom) this year , and Joel, a high school student. Susan Kimeria is proof that borders make no difference when it comes to getting things done for those in need. She is an inspiration to all of us. |
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The
Orlando chapter was recognized with a Governor’s Service Award in
1996 for the booklet ‘Choices and Hope’, a project that the club
embraced from conception to distribution along with Angela's help. Because the
focus that year was on breast cancer, the project had special meaning for Angela
who was experiencing the disease herself. She wanted to create something that
gave comfort and hope to someone who had just been given the terrible news and
needed more than the mostly medical and impersonal information available.
Orlando
area. We are especially thrilled to have her attend our 50
Marian
Coles
Modest
about her achievements, Susan has met with the highest social strata of
society ( welcoming Princess Ann to Uganda in 1988) to those suffering the most
horrendous circumstances imaginable (Rwandan holocaust refugees).