A Monroe woman was recently elected to the Board of Soroptimist International of the Americas.
Vivian Walczesky, a member of Soroptimist International of Monroe County for 19 years, will serve on the 15-member Board of Directors from September 1, 2022 to 2024.
“I will serve with other members from Taiwan, the United States, Japan, Brazil and other countries,” Walczesky said.
This is Walczesky’s first term on the board and the first time a Monroe County resident has served on it.
SIA is a global voluntary organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.
Walczesky was nominated by Laurie Sherman, president of the 35-member SI of Monroe County.
“All 26 clubs in our Midwest region voted. I kept checking the ‘Nominations and Elections’ site daily and eventually the numbers came up,” Walczesky said.
As a board member, Walczesky will visit other clubs’ conferences and attend regional conferences and board meetings, including one in Philadelphia.
Walczesky held other leadership positions at SIA.
She has attended meetings at the United Nations as an SIA delegate for the past six years.
“Meetings at the United Nations take place in the United Nations building in New York. Soroptimist is a non-governmental organization and part of the Conference on the Status of Women (CSW), where Soroptimist has NGO status,” Walczesky said.
It is a widely attended meeting.
“An estimate of attendees is between 2,500 and 4,500 each March, but I understand that last year when the meeting was held virtually, they had around 8,000 attendees,” Walczesky said. .
She also served as Governor of the SIA’s Midwest Region from 2016 to 2018. This region includes Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.
In addition to SIA, Walczesky is involved with other Monroe County organizations.
She has been with CASA of Monroe County for 24 years.
“I am currently advocating as a CASA volunteer for abused and neglected children for the justice system,” Walczesky said.
She is also involved with the Monroe County Anti Human Trafficking Coalition and the American Association of University Women and is a member of the Monroe County Community College Board of Trustees.
She works with GROW Monroe (Giving Represents Our Women), which works through the Community Foundation of Monroe County to grant funds to organizations that help local women and children.
Walczesky, an MCCC graduate, holds a degree in Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the University of Michigan and a degree in Paralegal Studies from the University of Detroit Mercy. She holds a paralegal certificate and has worked in the field of law for 50 years.
For 25 years, she has worked with a lawyer.
“My previous 25 years consisted of law firms in Michigan and Ohio,” Walczesky said. “My goals have been achieved so far, but the door is open for further progress.”
Soroptimist International of Monroe County meets on the third Wednesday of each month. For an application or for more information, email Membership Chair Anne Noland at [email protected].
LATERAL BAR
Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai is the keynote speaker at Soroptimist International of the Americas Virtual Convention 2022, scheduled for July 22-23. Yousafzai will speak on July 22, the SIA headquarters recently announced.
Early bird tickets will be sold from February to April 30.
“The SIA Board is considering the cost for non-members to attend the Malala event,” said Vivian Walczesky of Soroptimist International of Monroe County.
Yousafzai is an activist for the education of women and girls. She stood up to the Taliban when they banned girls from going to school. Through her public campaign, she has helped Pakistani girls access free education.
She is the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate and author of ‘I am Malala: How a girl rose up for education and changed the world’ and other bestselling books.
“Malala’s message on the importance of education for girls comes as the global pandemic has amplified the growing need for access to education,” SIA said. “Due to COVID-19, approximately 47 million additional women and girls have fallen into extreme poverty. The Malala Fund has reported that an additional 20 million girls of secondary school age may be out of school after the COVID-19 crisis ends. Malala has a powerful story to share, and we look forward to being immersed in her story leading up to and during our 2022 virtual convention.”
Other speakers to be announced soon will also offer strategies for overcoming current challenges during sessions on leadership, personal development and Soroptimist’s unified efforts to help half a million women and girls gain access to life. education by 2031.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the virtual convention.
“We are committed to helping women economically empower themselves through education,” said Lesha D. Brown, vice president of stakeholder engagement. “Our 2022 Convention will provide real-world opportunities including virtual training sessions, access to new resources as well as powerful speakers such as Malala.”
