Soroptimist International of La Quinta/Coachella Valley partners with
the
Ophelia Project in Scholarship Fund.
From the Desert Sun - May 25, 2008
The recent Ophelia Etiquette Luncheon held at the Esmeralda Resort was
just one small, wonderful step on the long road to bringing back the
social graces so important in business and social settings. It was also
a step toward preparing young women for a better life than their parents
had.
The 45 young ladies in attendance paid close attention to a brief demonstration on table manners (including which fork to use first) but were even more fascinated by an enlightening talk on the subject of "respect," given by TV news personality Ginger Jeffries.
They nodded in silent agreement when she explained that
"to get respect, you must first give respect."
n addition to their lady-like luncheon, the girls witnessed four
scholarships, funded by Soroptimist International of La Quinta, being
awarded to Marissa Cardenas, Itzel Castillo, Monica Alvarez, and
Bianca Aguirre, all of Indio High School.
Above: Leaders of the Ophelia Etiquette Luncheon (from left television personality Ginger Jeffries, Healthy Family Foundation board chairman Bill Powers, Ophelia Project co-founder Gale Hackshaw and Healthy Family Foundation CEO Susan Francis. (Margie Taft, SPECIAL TO THE DESERT SUN)
The Ophelia Project provides volunteer mentors for adolescent girls with college aspirations who need support in realizing their potential. It now operates only at the Indio middle school and high school but has plans to expand throughout the Coachella Valley.
Members participate in interesting and educational programs that build self-esteem and help the girls to set goals, while guiding them away from high-risk behavior.
The local Ophelia chapter has more than 70 members and is operated by Healthy Family Foundation,
The local Ophelia chapter has more than 70 members and
is operated by Healthy Family Foundation,participate in interesting and
educational programs that build self-esteem
The recent Ophelia Etiquette Luncheon held at the Esmeralda Resort was
just one small, wonderful step on the long road to bringing back the
social graces so important in business and social settings. It was also
a step toward preparing young women for a better life than their parents
had.
The 45 young ladies in attendance paid close attention to a brief demonstration on table manners (including which fork to use first) but were even more fascinated by an enlightening talk on the subject of "respect," given by TV news personality Ginger Jeffries.
They nodded in silent agreement when she explained that "to get respect, you must first give respect."
In addition to their lady-like luncheon, the girls witnessed four scholarships, funded by Soroptimist International of La Quinta, being awarded to Marissa Cardenas, Itzel Castillo, Monica Alvarez, and Bianca Aguirre, all of Indio High School.
The Ophelia Project provides volunteer mentors for adolescent girls with college aspirations who need support in realizing their potential. It now operates only at the Indio middle school and high school but has plans to expand throughout the Coachella Valley.
Members participate in interesting and educational programs that build self-esteem and help the girls to set goals, while guiding them away from high-risk behavior.
The local Ophelia chapter has more than 70 members and
is operated by Healthy Family Foundation, an organization honored for
its outstanding contributions to preventing child abuse and neglect.
Information 776-1600.
Margie Taft is a local commercial Realtor. She can be reached at
202-8531 or atHTaft13520@aol.com.
www.mydesert.com