Briefly In The News

SILB gives award to Santa Ana resident

Soroptimist International of Laguna Beach presented its Women’s Opportunity Award to Santa Ana resident Teresa Rodriguez, a single mother of a 5-year-old son, according to a news release.

The award was given to Rodriguez at a time when she wasn’t certain about how she was going to pay the rent for her one-room garage apartment or make her car payment. She broke in to tears upon hearing she won, the release said.

After her ex-husband left, Rodriguez lost everything and knew she needed to get an education. She is studying to become a sonogram technician and works part time for the Extended Opportunity Programs and Service.

“This young mom is independent, responsible, dependable and persistent,” committee chair Sandy Vetter said in a statement. “She is focused on the success of her family. These are the exact qualities that Soroptimist looks for in selecting a recipient for this award.”

The Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards program gives women, who serve as the primary wage earners for their families, financial resources to offset costs associated with education or attaining additional skills and training. The award can be used for tuition, books, childcare, transportation or any other education-related expense, the news release said. Applications for next year’s awards will start being accepted in August. More information is at https://www.silagunabeach.org.

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Business Club hosting speaker series

The Laguna Beach Business Club is hosting a 2013 Small Business Speaker Series. The club holds a breakfast meeting the third Thursday each month and hosts speakers that discuss topics relevant to achieving success in personal and professional lives, according to a news release.

The first speaker in the 2013 Series will be Jason Voegele, founder of The Peak Performance Institute and senior regional account manager for managed markets at Allergan Inc, who will speak at the next meeting Feb. 21. Meetings are held at Hotel Laguna. Nonmembers are welcome.

For more information about the club or to register email [email protected] or call Bart Zandbergen at (949) 455-0300 ext. 218.

— Alisha Gomez