Member Spotlight: Dr. Wanda Price
Dr. Wanda Price joined Soroptimist in 1990. She is a member of SI/Five Points Magneta, PA (North Atlantic Region).
I have been a volunteer in some manner all my adult life. I have served as a girl scout leader, volunteered as a dance school mom, volunteered for schools and numerous community events, church youth groups, and so on. It is no wonder it was easy for me to accept an invitation to join “an international service organization with a focus on economic empowerment of women,” as presented to me. I had no idea that my volunteer work with Soroptimist would expand my reach exponentially and provide me with more than 30 years of gratifying experiences along with gaining access to such an extraordinarily expansive network of women that I could call friends. Some of these friends have become travel buddies, opportunity enhancers, motivators, encouragers, and supporters. I have experienced boundless volunteer opportunities in my club, at region, federation, and the international level.
The Soroptimist connection is incredible. While traveling on an unrelated Soroptimist trip to Singapore, I searched to find any clubs that might be in that area. There were two. A group of women from both clubs arranged to meet me at my hotel, take me on a brief sightseeing tour and then out to dinner. I’ve had similar experiences traveling within the US and abroad to such places as Denmark and Barbados. When I read some of the posts on the chatline, there are many other Soroptimists worldwide who have comparable experiences.
Wanda making new Soroptimist friends on a trip Singapore.
I am most proud of the relationships my club has been able to continue with former Live Your Dream Awards recipients and later welcoming them into membership. The mentorship process is working. I can attest to the success of two former awardees. We continued our relationship to provide support and mentorship through their undergraduate and graduate degrees and the development of a nonprofit organization by one of the awardees. This year marks the first time one of our club awardees will receive a region award. I always hope for a continued relationship with Live Your Dream Awards recipients, but I realize that sometimes it is not to be.
There is so much work yet to be accomplished by Soroptimist and we are positioning ourselves for the challenges that lie ahead. I am hopeful that we will meet our Big Goal to invest in the lives of half million women and girls through access to education by 2031 and I am prepared to do my part by contributing to the effort.
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