President’s Message Happy New Year! Here we are entering another new year. As many of you celebrate, I hope the feelings of excitement, joy, and wonder you have now will carry you throughout the year. I pray that your hopes, dreams and goals for 2018 will be blessed beyond your wildest imagination. Exodus 34:24 May God enlarge your territory. During this time many of us like to reflect and make resolutions for the New Year. As you review your last year, try not to dwell too much on the things you didn’t do or the places you didn’t go. Rather focus more of your attention on the goals you did accomplish, the friendships you nurtured and the heartwarming times you spent with family. Each new day brings an opportunity to start fresh. So try staying in bed for about ten minutes before getting up and then give yourself an hour each morning before checking your cell phone or computer. Each New Year brings an opportunity for continued growth. So continue to set goals, big ones and small ones, spend more time doing things you enjoy and read as often as you can. Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. I will participate in a 5K Walk on January 20th that promotes Human Trafficking Awareness. Anyone interested in joining me, please see the information below President Rosetta January Meeting Date Change to January 18, 2018 Our general membership meeting is Thursday, January 18 at 5:30 PM at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 East Palm Ave., Tampa. This is a date change to the third Thursday in January. Wendy will provide a light snack. Christmas Cheer What a fun time we had at our annual Christmas party on December 16. We gathered at the home of Teri Matlach for good food and great company and to wrap gifts for our Christmas family.
Ten bonus points if you know who’s wearing these shoes! It was lovely to see everyone! Thanks so much, Teri, for hosting us at your beautiful home. Then we loaded up two cars with presents and gift cards and delivered them to our Christmas family. There were no presents under the tree when we arrived, but there sure were plenty when we left. Your generosity was appreciated by this family so much! Our thanks to all! SI Presidents Appeal Our 2017-2019 Soroptimist International President’s Appeal Project Water and Leadership” unites Soroptimists across the globe, increasing awareness of the vital role of women as equal partners at all levels of the water sector. At our Christmas SI Tampa members donated $235 for this year’s President’s Appeal. Congratulations to all! If you missed the party, you can still send in your check payable to SI Tampa to our club treasurer to support this worthy cause that will help aspiring women on five continents. Update on Fundraising Treasurer Debbie reports that the Touchstone Jewelry sales raised $287.12, and the fundraiser with the Red Robin Restaurant raised $180.31. Our current Tupperware fundraiser will continue until February 1st. You can view the 2018 Tupperware Fund Raiser Booklet at . You may order online or give Sandy your order at the January 18th meeting. Call Sandy at with questions. UN Women notes progress on Gender Equality in 2017 A string of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean make historic strides to end child marriage in 2017. In June, Trinidad and Tobago amended a number of marriage acts to outlaw underage marriage, Honduras modified its national family code to revoke a legal exception to the marriage of minors through parental consent; in August, Guatemala removed a legal exception that allowed judges to authorize unions if considered in the “best interest” of the child; and El Salvador closed a loophole that allowed young girls to get married under certain circumstances, such as pregnancy. Malawi removed a provision that permits children ages 15 to 18 to marry with parental consent, and India ruled sex with an underage wife is rape. India also ordered the practice of “instant divorce” unconstitutional. In succession, Tunisia, Jordon and Lebanon ended controversial laws that allowed rapists to escape punishment if they marry their victims. Tunisia’s move to eliminate impunity for