Soroptimist of Alhambra, San Gabriel, and San Marino had their 2024 Veronica Thee Service Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, June 5, at the San Gabriel Hilton. Five high school senior girls were awarded this year for outstanding community service. This award was named in honor of Veronica Thee, who was a member of Soroptimist for over 40 years. Veronica said if you want to “make a difference,” volunteering is the best way to do it. Veronica’s son, Ron Thee, attended the event.
The first place winner this year was Tiffany Benitez, a recent graduate of San Gabriel Mission High School. She joined LA VOICE, a dynamic social justice organization. In a rallying cry in support of SB567, a crucial bill aimed at shielding vulnerable individuals from eviction, Tiffany went to Sacramento and spoke to over 700 people, including state senators, which helped to get the bill successfully signed into law.
Viviana Mendoza, who graduated from Ramona High School Secondary School, was awarded for her service with Reading Partners, an organization committed to providing one-on-one literacy assistance to students in grade levels one through four. Viviana studied hard to become a tutor. She said that the students she worked with impacted her life positively in more ways than one.
Haley Yang, who graduated from Mark Keppel High School, was awarded for her service with Essential C.A.R.E. With this organization, she reached out to people making a difference in our community by lifting their spirits through care packages: nurses, doctors, educators, police officers, and firefighters. She became President of the organization and expanded their reach, donating over 1,000 packages to date.
Joyce Sycip, who graduated from San Gabriel High School, was awarded for her service with Affirmed by Grace, a ministry organization that informs the community about stereotypes of homeless individuals and provides the homeless population with essential needs. They are currently helping more than 80 people a day.
Kailey Trinh, who graduated from Gabriela High School, was awarded for her service with CodeDay, an organization that provides hands-on STEM-related opportunities to underserved students all over the world. She organized a coding event for all Los Angeles high school students. Her goal was to revitalize the high school coding community with skills to explore a future in technology, computer science, engineering, and beyond.
These five award winners show how volunteering really does “make a difference.”
For more information on Soroptimist International of the Americas, please visit soroptimisthalhambra.org.
