Live Your Dream Awards Picnic

by April Frisby, SI Vista NCI

VISTA, California, April 4, 2022—On a bright, sunny day at the beginning of March, Soroptimist Vista and North County Inland (SI Vista NCI) hosted a Live Your Dream Awards Picnic at Alamosa Park in Oceanside to announce four recipients of the 2022 Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award. These awards are given each year to qualifying women who have faced obstacles such as violence, poverty, and teen pregnancy and are attending college or trade school to achieve economic empowerment and provide a better life for themselves and their families. Each Soroptimist club then chooses one of their awardees to be eligible to apply for an additional Region award and possibly a larger award at the national level.

The outdoor event brought together the new and past awardees and their families. Raising Cane’s of Vista generously donated their famous chicken fingers, coleslaw and Texas toast for the picnic, and Dr. Bronner’s provided gift baskets for the attending awardees.

This year, SI Vista NCI was able to give a total of $15,500 to four women, two who live and attend local colleges, Rebecca Villalobos and Jasmine Davis, and two out of area, Diana Diaz, (who is originally from San Marcos but relocated to Northern California after being accepted into a nursing program there), and Amy DeMar Sifuentes, who is based in rural New Mexico.

After a bite to eat, Rebecca and Jasmine were presented with their scholarship checks and award certificates, bouquets of flowers, gift cards and large baskets provided by Dr. Bronner’s. The awardees’ children were included and were gifted their choice of board game or Lego toys donated by club members. The two remote awardees, Diana and Amy, were mailed their checks and certificates.

The picnic was also attended by Vista City Council Member Joe Green, who announced an additional generous reward to local winners Jasmine and Rebecca, offering them dinner and tickets to the Moonlight Amphitheater in Vista. In addition to local club members, honored guests included Soroptimist Desert Coast Region Governor Thoralinda Soyland and Governor-Elect Pat Whitacre.

After the award presentation, the children played games in the grass and then headed over to the craft table to make Mother’s Day cards and origami. Overall, the picnic proved to be a wonderful, fun and safe way to honor the women, and the club would like to thank Raising Cane’s of Vista, Dr. Bronner’s and Vista City Council Member Joe Green for their support.

For more information visit soroptimistvista.org or email soroptimistinternationalvista@gmail.com.