Soroptimist International of Upper Pinellas County is located in Pinellas County, Florida which includes Clearwater, Largo, Belleair Bluffs, Belleair, Oldsmar, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs & St Petersburg.  We are on the west coast of Florida .  Beautiful white beaches are in our county. 

We meet the fourth Tuesday of each month except for December & June.  In December we hold a Christmas Party.  In June we join with the other 3 clubs of our area for a joint installation of officers.  Our meetings are held at the Club Room of Pierce 100 Condo.  We have a social hour from 5:30 until 6:30.  The meeting begins promptly at 6:30 PM.  Our president covers correspondence , classifications & other items during salad.  We generally have an interesting program that begins during dessert.  This is followed by a business meeting.  The cost of the meal is $10.00.  You are invited to join us if you are interested in becoming a member or are a visiting Soroptimist from another area. .

 We have made it to the end of a difficult year.  Our president & 3 board members resigned in mid year.    But we made it through really successfully.  The club rallied to elect new officers. . We were able to complete all of the projects that we planned. Our members who are each responsible for $100 of service funds came through with enough money to fund all of the projects.

"The Way We Were"

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004 - 2005

2002 -2003

2001-2002

2000- 2001

1999- 2000

1998-1999

We gave  $800 to our WOA award winner, Donna P.   We were very proud that she was also the Southern Region winner. 

We were able  to fund a graduation party for the  girls of PACE.  These are young girls who are remaking their lives. Some of us  attended the ceremony & found it to be very moving.  Most of our money  ($2100) went to buying 25 caps & gowns which will be used for many  years. This was not simply a party. It was a recognition by the  community of an accompishment. 

There were many other small projects to which  we donated.  We donated toys at Christmas & Valentine gifts to needy women & children.  We built a fence for a  daycare provider. We paid for a license for a nail teck. We donated $100 to the handicapped people of AFIRE.

We were represented at the Southern Region Conference in Savannah.

We hosted the  Intercity Meeting of our club with the Altrusa Club,  Pilot Club & Zonta Club.  This yearly meeting has been going on since 1979.

We will be joining our sister clubs in the Tampa Bay Area at our  installation banquet in June.

That's the Way We Were.  1998-1999

Pat Arbutine  -President

SOUTHERN REGION CONFERENCE  REPORT  BY TERRY SUE TURNER     JUNE 1999

What a pleasure it was to provide transportation for Donna Prough, our WOA winner and her sister, Jamie, to the conference! We all had fun Friday night and enjoyed a delicious buffet – "Savannah Low Country Boil"! We didn’t win any prizes for our outfits in the judging for "Hard Hearted Hannah", but had fun strutting around and pretending we were "flappers"!

The next day, Donna and her sister were off to see historical Savannah and enjoyed a trolley tour and and Annual Crafts and Seafood festival on the waterfront. Donna was so surprised and appreciative when I gave her the $100 from the Club to pay her expenses for the weekend. She also was thrilled about her room at the Marriott with a balcony overlooking the river, saying it was the first time she had ever stayed at such a "fancy" place! The highlight of the trip was the Awards Banquet where our own Dr. Beverly Carpenter Mason gave the presentation of the WOA awards! The two runner-ups were not present and I felt very proud that our Club sponsored Donna’s trip. Donna gave a very humble, heart-warming acceptance speech (pausing at times to take a couple of deep breaths) when she was presented with the certificate from Southern Region and the check for $5000.  She looked stunning in her beautiful red dress that had been so thoughtfully provided by Ethne Daniel and Alice Schutzendorf.  And to top off the evening, Donna's sister. Jamie, won a basket containing 14  Beanie Babies and was delighted.

Following the banquet, 15 or more Soroptimists joined us in the lobby lounge to hear more about Donna's struggles and achievements.  The next morning we all attended the Memorial Service and breakfast where Terry Sue gave a remembrance of Ruth Coppinger who passed away this year and had been a member of our club since 1979.  

We then "hit the road" for a long drive back to Clearwater.  Donna was not feeling well from a sore throat.  But she studied in the back seat for her final exams coming up that week (which by the way, she passed with all A's!!)  On the way home, Donna asked, "Is anyone going home with a $5000 check in their pocketbook? No, well I am!" She, then, went on to say how she lived on one-half that much last year!

Donna kept expressing how thankful she was to our Club for helping her to fulfill her dreams in completing her Associate of Science degree and becoming a computer networking consultant to enable her to provide a good income and a home for her two children.  This is one weekend I will remember and cherish for a long time.  Once again I feel proud to be a Soroptimist,

                                                                Terry Sue

"A Note of Thanks"    from Denise Bray, Executive Director, Pace   

Dear Soroptimists,

        A heart-felt thank you for the tremendously generous donation of $2100 to produce our graduation ceremony.  The evening was perfect!  The girls were beautiful and full of pride and excitement.  It meant a lot to have several of your members in attendance at the event.

    Enclosed please find pictures that tell the success story of the cherubs.

    You all made a difference.

                      With Warm Regards, Denise Bray, PACE