Soquel High Junior Given Soroptimist Award

Contributed by Best4Women:

Soroptimist International of Capitola-By-The-Sea has selected Justine Dice as the winner of the 2012 Violet Richardson Award for a young woman who is making the community a better place through volunteer efforts.

Dice, 16, and a junior at Soquel High School, will be presented with a check for $1,000 at an awards dinner in mid-March and will now advance to the Soroptimist Sierra Pacific Regional level awards program.

As the volunteer Teen Representative on the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women (CPVAW), Dice provides a teen’s perspective at monthly meetings and helps create, plan, and implement the commission’s activities, attends fundraisers, represents the organization and provides input on the joint-report on domestic violence and other reports.

More specifically, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, she organized a group of young women at Soquel High School to participate in the Purple Heart Project, in which the group constructed hearts that were hung around the city in honor of domestic violence victims. The group also created coffee sleeves with domestic violence statistics that were used at a local bakery to raise awareness on the subject of violence against women.

“We are delighted to name Justine our 2012 Violet Richardson award winner,” said Laura Cross, Richardson Award coordinator. “She clearly demonstrates the leadership qualities and a dedication to helping women and girls in our community that we look for in our candidates and eventual winners." 

Soroptimist, a coined Latin phrase meaning Best for Women, is a worldwide service organization for women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. For more information, or to become a member willing to work to help us help women and girls, visit the SI Capitola website at www.best4women.org or contact SI Capitola at info@best4women.org.