Governor's Page
Dear Members of Southern Region,
It is my honor to serve as Governor of Southern Region for the 2008-2010 Biennium.
I truly love the Soroptimist organization and I am committed to its mission “to improve the lives of women and girls in our local communities and throughout the world.”
In preparing for this wonderful position of Governor, I think of all my predecessors who have left me with a tremendous challenge and with a remarkable Southern Region history. My own personal history has taught me some lessons as well. I’ve found that:
- You learn by doing,
- You accept the challenges,
- You accomplish leadership through service,
- You speak, act and demonstrate the authority to make a difference.
Everyone wants to be a part of something significant that benefits others
AND
Service makes you feel good; and helps those who receive the service feel
good too.
Southern Region has 26 clubs with a diverse membership in Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. As I prepare for
the 2008 Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA) Convention in
Taiwan, I am reminded too, of how diverse our own Federation is. The
Americas Federation consists of nineteen different countries with over
40,000 members. We are part of the largest worldwide classified
organization for women and support its programs and fundraising efforts.
Soroptimist International (SI), with over 90,000 members in over 125 countries
and territories serves its local, national and international communities
through Awareness, Advocacy and Action.
To do the work of “women helping women and girls,” we must have many
dedicated members to fulfill our commitments. After reviewing SIA’s
membership reports, I strongly feel that Southern Region’s main focus in the
next two years is to build that dedicated membership. There is much that we
can accomplish in Southern Region, but first we have to grow our
membership. I will endeavor to support each club’s plan for growth. I want
to share the passion and enthusiasm that Southern Region demonstrates
through its projects and I know each Southern Region member also will
want to join in building better communities for women and girls.
My theme for the biennium is “Recruit, Retain, Remember.” As we do our
work to Recruit and Retain our membership we must REMEMBER, we are
women at our best helping women and girls be their best. We rely on our
membership to accomplish the goals and programs of Soroptimist.
Therefore, we must provide the opportunities that members look for to
support and further the goals of the organization. Only then will members
join and stay.
I look forward to contributing to the future growth of Southern Region with every
member’s support, dedication, passion and enthusiasm.
Governor Nidia Bernstiel
Soroptimist is an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work |
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