• Education,  Helen McCrae Award

    Helen McCrae Award 2021 – Madison Moffat from Langara College

    The early onset of an autoimmune disorder has shaped who Madison is today. Her many encounters with the health care system as a child and as a young adult encouraged her to seek nursing as a career. She has been a long term member of the Youth Advocacy Committee at BC Children’s Hospital. Madison’s career aspiration is to work in paediatrics at BC Children’s alongside some of her childhood hero’s and pay the care and empathy she received as a young child forward. Of interest – her mother was a previous winner of one of Soroptimist International of Vancouver’s Women’s Opportunity Award (now is known as Live Your Dream Award).

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  • Education,  Helen McCrae Award

    Helen McCrae Award 2021 – Arica Hsu from Langara College

    As an immigrant and trans woman of color, Arica’s lived experiences have given her insight in how the education and healthcare systems (including the healthcare professionals it produces) can be improved to better help, support, and protect people like herself. In addition to volunteering for various social and advocacy committees, she provides support for the homeless community in Vancouver.   Arica’s career goal is to decrease barriers that prevent queer and other under represented people from accessing culturally safe care and succeeding in society.

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  • Education,  Live Your Dream

    Live Your Dream Award 2021 – Verukah Poirier, the 1st Place Recipient

    Verukah PoirierLive Your Dream Award (2021) 1st Place Recipient We’re proud to name Verukah as our 1st place Live Your Dream winner. Our LYD winner spent her early years of childhood with her indigenous (Kookum) grandmother however was later placed in the child welfare system spent most of her childhood as a youth in care. She has survived the child welfare system however it left her without family or supports until she aged out of the system. In 2019 she became a single mother to a beautiful daughter named Avery who is currently watching her mother attend UBC as a 1st year law student after finishing her bachelor degree in…

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  • Education,  Live Your Dream

    Live Your Dream Award 2021 – Noor Kesbeh, the 2nd Place Recipient

    Noor KesbehLive Your Dream Award (2021) 2nd Place Recipient Noor fled her home country which was over taken and invaded by another country in warfare, forcing her and her parents to find a new home. Despite losing her ties with her culture and her country, Noor is very grateful to be living in Canada and pursuing her dream of helping others like herself. She started as a live in caregiver and suffered exploitation and abuse in the workplace, but she persevered in order to obtain her Canadian permanent resident status. She continued on and immediately applied to University and started her studies. During this time she was also married for…

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  • Education,  Live Your Dream

    Live Your Dream Award 2021 – Heather MacNeil, the 3rd Place Recipient

    Heather MacNeilLive Your Dream Award (2021) 3rd Place Recipient Heather is a married mother of 3 children and because of COVID, her husband has created major financial issues for their family and she has had to be the sole income earner for their family. Up until a year and a half ago, she didn’t know what to do in life was working in the deli department of a grocery store. She started looking around for something else to do and started housekeeping at an elderly care facility and just loved being there and loved the feeling of helping the seniors plus gaining a second family away from her home. Now,…

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  • Soroptimist

    Our Two Projects in 2020

    Thanks to Canadian Red Cross & Government of Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada) for Emmergency Community Fund for Non-profit Organizations Soroptimist International of Vancouver has prepared 161 gift bags for women in Vancouver DTES & 145 backpacks for inner schools for Christmas. In addition, the BC Society of Transition Houses picked up 100 first aid kits, 8 St. John’s Ambulance workplace kits, 300 KN95 adult masks, 150 re-useable children’s masks, 500ml individual sanitizer bottles, and 10 face shields. View Complete footage   Soroptimist International of Vancouver held an one-day Virtual Career Conference for High School Girls on November 21, 2020. The conference featured pre-recorded interviews with ten mentors who…

  • Soroptimist

    Challenging Status Quo – Vivian Tsang will talk about her path to STEM

    Throughout history, barriers have prevented women from holding occupations equal to that of their male counterparts. Science, technology, engineering, and math – otherwise known as the STEM fields, are exciting areas with boundless potential as showcased by keynote speaker, Vivian Tsang. The National Scholar, TEDx speaker, and WE Day Champion is a fourth-year medical student at the University of British Columbia. Locally she heads her own internationally recognized non-profit organization, the HOPE Initiative Foundation and has worked in Africa implementing the World Health Organization toolkit for prevention of infectious diseases. Through strategic planning, she was able to fund her entire undergraduate and medical degree through scholarships and created a mentorship program…

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  • Education,  Girls Program,  Teenagers,  Training Program

    Diane Rolston is telling high school girls “The Secrets to Your Success” at DIBI Virtual Conference, November 21st

    This year for the 2020 Dream It Be It Virtual Career Conference, we are fortunate to have Diane Rolston as one of the keynote speakers! As an someone who runs a business, speaks on international stages, 3-time author, and mother of two on top of all that. Diane knows firsthand about creating work/life balance. Diane is recognized as one of the most trusted, business and motivational keynote speakers and coaches. Her systems & processes help her clients have “clarity” on what to focus on, the “confidence” to go or it, and an “action” plan for tangible steps. In this virtual conference, Diane will be presenting “The Secrets to Your Success”.…

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  • Education,  Girls Program,  Teenagers

    Dream It Be It Virtual Career Conference

    For girls in Vancouver and Richmond secondary schools Vancouver – Saturday, November 21st, 2020 – The Soroptimist club will be hosting an event, Dream It Be It Virtual Career Conference. The event will take place between 10AM-3PM. This year, instead of a face-to-face conference, we will meet you on-line! Dream It, Be It targets girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success. The Soroptimist club introduces girls to professionals from various employment areas, career educators, and resources to live their dreams. Soroptimist International of Vancouver will work in partnership with girls in a conference setting to provide them with the information and resources they want and need to…

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  • Soroptimist

    Violet Richardson Award 2020 1st Place Recipient: Shaheema Nalir

    I have been a member of the Kimount Boys and Girls Club (BGC) for 7 years and a volunteer for 5 years. The organization’s goal is to provide a safe, welcoming environment for children and youth to experience new opportunities, construct meaningful relationships, conquer obstacles and develop lifelong skills. The Boys and Girls Club continues to provide me with lifelong experiences and allows me to expand my leadership and communication skills. To this day, I am extremely thankful to have an inclusive and welcoming space that has inspired me to give back to the club and volunteer for a community that provides so much for families that need it. I…

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