SOROPTIMIST
INTERNATIONAL
of Long Beach Island
"A GLOBAL VOICE FOR WOMEN"
A worldwide organization of classified service clubs for women
Established 1921
HISTORY
The first Soroptimist Club was formed in 1921 in Oakland, California,
and was quickly followed by other Clubs in North
America. The name Soroptimist was coined from the Latin soror meaning sister,
and optima meaning best. Soroptimist is
perhaps best interpreted as "the best for women".
In 1924 the first Clubs in Europe were chartered - in Greater London and
Paris. The idea, which germinated almost
simultaneously in the Americas, in Great Britain and on the continent of
Europe, was the movement for "classified" executive
business and professional women to associate together to render service.
Even as the first Soroptimist Club came into being,
the ideals and objectives of such a group were blossoming in many scattered
areas around the world.
By 1928 there were enough Clubs in these continents to form two federations
- American and European. A link between them
was established by the creation of the "Soroptimist International Association"
in 1928. In 1934 a third federation - Great Britain
& Ireland - was formed.
By 1978 the number of countries with Soroptimist Clubs had grown to 55
and there were Clubs on every continent. They were
of very different cultural and economic backgrounds, and in this year a fourth
federation - South West Pacific - was
established.
Since 1928, Clubs throughout the Soroptimist world have joined together
for a Convention. The first was held in Washington
D.C. and, apart from the war years 1939/45, have been held quadrennially.
The 1999 Convention is to be held in Helsinki,
Finland.
MEMBERSHIP
There are currently around 95.000 members in over 3.000 Clubs in 112 countries
and territories, and the movement is expanding rapidly,
many Clubs being formed in the developing world. Soroptimist International
is now the world's largest service organization for women.
Membership of a Soroptimist Club is by invitation and care is taken to
ensure that each Club represents a wide range of occupations.
Members are chosen for their individual qualities as well as their status
in their chosen area of work.
To be eligible for active membership, a woman must be actively engaged
in a management or professional capacity,
in the private or public sector, or in an occupation with comparable status
or comparable responsibilities.