I recently joined Clear Lake Soroptimist International after learning of the club’s efforts to educate the community about the danger of human trafficking.

I had heard of the Clear Lake Soroptimist Club before but I had just assumed that they were something like a sorority and that didn’t interest me.

After hearing an interview on KPFZ with club member Olga Martin Steele about human trafficking I looked the club up online and learned that that the club is actually a global volunteer movement working to transform the lives of women and girls. That sounded interesting so I kept reading.

The Web site states that “the name Soroptimist was coined from the Latin soror meaning sister, and optima meaning best. And so Soroptimist is perhaps best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.” Now they really had my attention.

The club sponsored the play “Jane Doe in Wonderland” about human trafficking at the Soper Reese.

According to the Lake County News the showing of the play has led to an investigation and arrest of a couple involved in human trafficking in Lake County.

District Attorney Don Anderson is quoted as saying, “In Lake County, human trafficking is starting to get a stronghold in the community and in the schools.”

The Soroptimist have played a major part in this arrest by sponsoring the play, bringing the issue to the forefront and providing education to the community about human trafficking.

I am proud to be counted as a member of the Clear Lake Soroptimist International Club.

Annelle Durham lives in Upper Lake, Calif.