The awards ceremony for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards was held at Cattlemen’s Restaurant on March 29. Photo courtesy of Soroptimist International of Rancho Cordova & Gold River

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Soroptimist International of Rancho Cordova and Gold River presented $3,650 in Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women to help six local woman improve their economic situation.

Soroptimist is a global volunteer nonprofit organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.,

The local Soroptimist club’s awards ceremony was held at Cattlemen’s Restaurant at 11:30 a.m. March 29.

First-place ($1,200) went to Samone H. She is a widowed mom of two young children living in the Rosemont Sacramento-area. She’s working on an associate’s degree in nursing at Sac City College and will graduate this May. Samone’s goal is to become a labor and delivery nurse to help women have a wonderful birthing experience and she hopes to one day become a clinical instructor of nursing. Samone proved her tenacity as this was her third and final application attempt since she’s graduating this year. Samone’s application advanced to the Soroptimist Sierra Nevada Region level, where recipients could receive up to an additional $5,000. The program culminates with three finalist $10,000 awards.

Second-place ($800) went to Yelzaveta V. She is the primary breadwinner with three young children living in the Lincoln Village neighborhood. She’s working on an associate’s degree in accounting at Folsom Lake College and will graduate in 2026. Her goal is to become a CPA.

Third-place ($750) went to Jay-Lynn L. She is a single mom of three young children living in Rancho Cordova. She’s working on an associate’s degree in human services at American River College and will graduate in 2026. Her goal is to open a community support center, library, a school and a safe haven for at-risk youth.

Fourth-place ($500) went to Svitlana O. She is the sole caretaker of her infirmed husband and lives in the Lincoln Village neighborhood. She’s working on an associate’s degree in early childhood education from Folsom Lake College and will graduate in 2026. Svitlana looks forward to creating an inclusive environment in her classroom and promoting respect for bi-lingual literacy.

Honorary Award ($200) went to Jessica D. She is a single mom of two young children and lives in the Natomas area. She’s working on professional certification from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and will graduate in 2026. Jessica’s goal is to become a healing arts practitioner and develop programs that address the physical, mental, spiritual, financial and emotional well-being of individuals who promote a comprehensive approach to healing and empowerment.

Honorary Award ($200) went to Valentyna O. She is the guardian of her 18-year-old niece and lives in Rancho Cordova.

Our awardees also received a Certificate of Recognition from Congressman Ami Bera’s office and Assemblyman Joshua Hoover’s office and an illustrated dictionary presented by Rancho Cordova Rotary Club member Ross Johnson.

Marlena Uhrik, Ed.D. presented our first-place winner, Samone, with an Empowering Elegance wardrobe consultation valued at $299.

Our guest speakers were our Soroptimist region Governor-elect Kathy Dunbar and Region Live Your Dram program coordinator Billie Araiza. Lisa Miller from our sponsor Golden State Water spoke about how proud Golden State Water is to support the Live your Dream program. Our 2020 Live Your Dream winner, Stacey Beeler, shared her story about where she was when she applied for the award in 2019 and how far her life has improved since winning the award.

We appreciate the support of all our attendees and those who support and assist with administrating this annual program.

The “Live Your Dream Award” provides more than $2.8 million in cash grants to head-of-household women in need each year. Since the program’s inception in 1972, more than $40 million has helped tens of thousands of women achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families. A study conducted by The Fels Institute of Government, a research and consulting organization at the University of Pennsylvania confirmed the efficacy and impact of this program. 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.

Founded in 2009, the Soroptimist International Rancho Cordova/Gold River club is part of Soroptimist International of the Americas, a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. Since its 1921 founding, Soroptimist, a nonprofit organization that relies on charitable donations to support its programs, also powers LiveYourDream.org, an online community offering offline volunteer opportunities in support of women and girls.

For more information about how Soroptimist improves the lives of women and girls, visit www.soroptimist.org.