Stormy Anderson visits with her daughter Mallory. Anderson is the 2023 winner of the Micki Weisbarth Memorial Award, which was established in 2022 to support women who have financial need and who are pursuing their education. The award is named after Micki O’Neill Weisbarth, the former president of the Soroptimist International of Newport who passed away in 2022.
DIAMOND LAKE – After a nearly five-year hiatus, Soroptimist International of Newport club hosted a large-scale fundraiser, Boots and Bling at Camp Cowles near Diamond Lake Saturday, Sept. 20.
The non-profit organization raises funds for the education of girls and women and was known for its annual crab feed fundraiser, which was discontinued in 2020 with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the group continued to hold Bunco fundraisers over the next several years, last Saturday’s Boots and Bling was a return to form for the Soroptimists, featuring a silent auction, a BBQ dinner and dancing, with Newport Mayor Keith Campbell volunteering as DJ.
“The businesses that know who we are (Soroptimists) and what we do were excited to help, and there were others who weren’t familiar with the organization, but were excited to help when they found out,” club president and Pend Oreille County Treasurer Nicole Dice said of the businesses that donated to the Boots and Bling silent auction. Here, Amber Gifford makes a bid.About 58 people attended last Saturday’s event. A final count of money raised was not available for the newspaper’s deadline. For more information about the club, go to www.facebook.com/siofnewport.“It’s about women helping women, and when women are educated, they help lift up communities,” Soroptimist Vice President and Pend Oreille County prosecuting attorney Dolly Hunt said (not pictured). The Camp Cowles lodge and kitchen was the site of the event.Soroptimist treasurer Terri Miller greets a friend at Boots and Bling last Saturday.Club president Nicole Dice signs guests in at the fundraiser. Dice is the fourth generation of Pend Oreille County treasurers that have become Soroptimist members. Miner photos by Sophia Aldous.
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