2026 Live Your Dream Awards
Meet this years recipients
Soroptimist Raleigh: Empowering Girls & Women
Soroptimist Raleigh is a local club of Soroptimist International. Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. The name, Soroptimist, means “best for women,” and that’s what the organization strives to achieve. Soroptimists are women at their best, working to help other women to be their best. Our Dream programs are at the heart of what we do.
Our Programs
Live Your Dream
This award aids women who are the primary wage earners for their families and are seeking to improve their economic status by gaining additional skills, training and education.
Live Your Dream Plus
In our “Live Your Dream Plus” program we follow up with our awardees for up to three years, mentoring them to afford ongoing support both non-financial as well as financial.
Dream It Be It
Dream It Be It targets girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success. It provides girls with access to professional role models, career education and the resources to live their dreams.
Real Stories
These are the real stories of recipients of the Live Your Dream Awards. We hope they will encourage you to take the steps to achieve your dreams, big or small.
Cecilia – 2024 Live Your Dream Awardee
Cecilia is a junior at Meredith College and expects to graduate in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, and then continue on to dental school. She currently works part-time as a pediatric dental assistant, and is the mother of 3 boys, ages 6, 2 and 1. Cecilia...
Giordanna – 2024 Live Your Dream Awardee
Giordanna is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in hospitality at North Carolina Central University. She works full-time and has one son. In 2021, Giordanna experienced a series of challenges that led to deep depression and weight loss. First, she was involved...
Shannon – 2024 Live Your Dream Awardee
Shannon is enrolled at Wake Technical Community college majoring in Psychology, with an expected graduation in June 2024. A Raleigh native, Shannon is the youngest of eight children and the first member of her family to attend college. As a single mother of three...
News and Events
FY24-25 Impact
When women join together and help other women, incredible things can happen. Check out our 2024-2025 Impact Report. Download the PDF report.
The Latest From Our Awardees
Our 2025 Live Your Dream Award recipients are incredible, and their stories are a testament to the power of these grants. We've been catching up with them and are inspired to see how they're using the award to transform their lives, often going far beyond just...
Catching Up With Chef Netta
Our Raleigh club has a special program called Live Your Dream Plus. This program connects each Live Your Dream Award recipient with a club member to provide connection and support. We enjoy hearing about our awardees' successes and achievements - and we love being...