Women's Emergency Fund (WEF)
The Women’s Emergency Fund of Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor (SIFRI) provides emergency assistance to any woman and her family who is resident in San Juan County, whose other options for assistance have been exhausted.
Improving the lives of Women & Girls
The assistance can be to address a one-time problem, or can be designed to provide a full solution to a chronic problem. This program supports and fulfills the Soroptimist mission of improving the lives of women and girls.
Types of Assistance
Examples of types of assistance approved: Car repairs, transportation tickets, medical/dental services or devices, home repair, appliance repair, computer or communication support. These examples are illustrative not exhaustive.
Referral
A woman must be referred to the Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor Board of Directors by a social service agency, a church, or a service club. Examples of social service agencies that can make referrals are the Family Resource Centers, SAFE San Juans, the Hospital Guild, Hospice of the San Juans, and the Senior Centers.
Women's Emergency Fund
WEF Vetting Process
The referring organization is responsible for verifying the bona fides of the recipient, details of the assistance request, and the cost of the remedy, and vouching that other possible source of assistance have been exhausted.
Referring organizations may contact the San Juan Island Family Resource Center for assistance in verifying what other resources are or are not available. The Board of Directors may request additional information from a referring or vetting agency.
Contact Information
To make a referral, the organization should contact the Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor President or President-elect at sifridayharbor@soroptimist.net and provide information describing the situation and the amount requested. General inquiries or questions about the program may also be sent to sifridayharbor@soroptimist.net.
Link to referral guidelines
Link to program guidelines
Decision
The Board will consider the request, and can approve assistance up to $500. Larger requests need to be voted on by the membership at a regularly scheduled business meeting, and take longer to process.
Payments
Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor does not provide funds directly to the individual, but rather provides the funds directly to the vendor for the approved services or goods.