Our Mission:
Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.
2026 Sustaining Donors
Thank you to our 2026 Sustaining Donors. Your generosity is appreciated and helps continuing support of our club.
Come and Meet Us!
Join us each month for our Club meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at United Way of Santa Cruz County, 4450 Capitola Road, Suite 106, Capitola. As always, the meeting is free and open to the public. Visit our calendar page for details on this month’s meeting. Hope to see you there or check out our NEW Sustaining Donor Option!
Can’t be a Soroptimist member, but would still like to help Santa Cruz County women and girls complete their education? Become a Sustaining Donor by sending us a monthly donation of any amount you choose! A bank transfer from your bank to ours is the easiest way to make your donation. If you would like to become a donor, send us an email and we’ll arrange it.
We’re excited to announce the winners of our raffle!
Thank you all for supporting Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea. We were able to raise valuable funds to support Live Your Dream program.
Dinner for 6: Dave Nealon
Sailboat Cruse for 4 with drinks and appetizers: Kimberly Owens
Wine tasting for two at Ferrari Ranch Winery: John Willets
Shadowbrook $100 Gift Card: Ed Lane
Six Single Moms Win Capitola Soroptimists 2026 Live Your Dream Awards
Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea has selected six single
mothers as winners of its 2026 Live Your Dream (LYD) program awards.
Each winner will receive a cash award that they can use for anything
that enables them to complete their education, such as rent, medical
bills, child care and car repairs.
The winners will be honored at a presentation ceremony in March.
Women who are enrolled in or have been accepted into an undergraduate or
technical training program, are the heads of their households and have a
demonstrated need are eligible to apply for a Live Your Dream award.
“Our club is extremely proud of these women who have overcome many
obstacles to get an education with the goal of becoming financially
able to support themselves and their families while being role models
for their children,” said Soroptimist of Capitola President Denise
Gurer. “We want to continue to encourage and help them meet their
educational goals.”
The Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea 2026 Live Your
Dream winners are listed below:
Vanessa Orona, 36, of Aptos, is a single mother of four who is pursuing
a degree in Human Services. Having grown up on government assistance and
now having to temporarily accept the same fate for herself and her
children, she is determined to break that generational cycle and get an
education so that she can support her family.
“I want to help others who also struggle with substance and domestic
abuse. like I did, by becoming a drug and alcohol counselor,” she wrote
in her LYD application. “I am going to graduate and find a career that
will not only be my passion but will help me become financially
independent.”
Sofia Flores Garcia, 35, of Boulder Creek, is a single mother of one
child and is studying general business while working part time. Her
dream is to open a coffee shop in Santa Cruz that features speciality,
origin coffee and is a safe and healthy place for community events. She
would like to host weekly talks on topics such as respectful parenting
and mental and physical health presentations by professionals.
“So, I dream for my community and myself, a place where we can find
resources and support and where we cultivate our minds through arts,
music and culture from different places,” she wrote. “A place of growth,
inner growth.”
Marianella Guevara, 47, of Aptos, works full-time to support herself,
her mother and her teenage daughter while studying to become a certified
professional coach. She wants to develop a practice to help women who
are going through painful stages of their lives.
“Having this complete certification will give me the knowledge,
methodologies, techniques, security, trust and endorsement that I need
to carry out my plan to develop my own mentoring and coaching business,”
she explained in her LYD application.
This winner’s name is being withheld at her request. She is 31, of
Aptos, and the single mother of one child. She is studying psychology
with an emphasis on criminal justice.
Brittani (her last name is withheld at her request), 37, of Watsonville,
is a former housekeeping entrepreneur, single mother of two daughters,
and is currently studying nursing. After becoming a single parent, she
decided she needed to come up with a long-term plan for herself and her
two daughters. She wants to become a labor and delivery nurse supporting
women delivering their babies.
“I love people, am extremely empathetic, excel at therapeutic
communication and extending compassion,” she wrote in her LYD
application. “Nursing seems like a great outlet for my nurturing
personality, and offers the stability I desperately want to offer my
daughters.”
Alexandra Henry, 31, of Santa Cruz, is a single mother of one child who
experienced a neurological medical condition. She is pursuing a career
as a Physician Assistant with a focus on comprehensive human physiology,
from cellular processes to nervous system function.
“I am committed to integrating trauma-informed care, cultural
understanding and whole-person approaches into medical practice,” she wrote.
Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea is part of a global
volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the
education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. For
more information, visit the website at www.best4women.org, our Facebook
page or email us at sicapitola.by.the.sea@gmail.com
See our program page for details on these great ladies!
Support our non-profit organization by making a tax-deductible contribution!
We are a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Tax ID 94-9771973.
Thank you for your support!