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The Zonta Club of Midland offers multiple scholarships to women of all ages pursuing career goals that will positively impact the status of women. This year, the amount for each scholarship has increased to $2,500. Scholarships may be used at any post-secondary educational institution, or for the cost of certification or vocational education. The scholarships may be applied to tuition, fees, and items on the student account.
These scholarships are for women re-entering the workforce, or who are already in the workforce and going back to school. Those entering college/vocational certification directly from high school will be considered as well. Applicants must have been a Midland County resident for at least one year and previous recipients may reapply. The annual Zonta Homewalk is the primary fundraiser that supports these scholarships. Awards will be based on financial need, work/life skills, community service/extra-curricular activities, GPA/GED, honors/awards, and references. The essay for this scholarship should describe career goals, what events/situations influenced choice of career, how the scholarship will help the applicant to attain goals, how the applicant plans to help the advancement of women through her career choice, and any circumstances that have created the need for this financial support. The scholarship application is available through the Midland Area Community Foundation website at MidlandFoundation.org. Deadline is March 1, 2020.
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 Midland County Prosecuting Attorney, J. Dee Brooks says NO to violence against women.
Zonta Club of Midland is participating in Zonta International’s 16 Days of Activism: Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women. This initiative will raise awareness and encourage stronger laws to protect women from all forms of violence. To celebrate, we feature men of our community who have pledged to say "NO" to violence against women. Read more about this initiative at zontasaysno.com/ and follow our community support on Facebook! Our advocacy committee is focused on educating the community on child marriage laws here in Michigan and why not younger than age 18 should be a law with no exceptions. House bill 4003-5 was introduced in January and moved to a forward in June. It has not become a law yet, but our representatives need to vote on it to become a law. They will be more likely to bring it to a vote, the more they hear from us that this is an important issue!
Coming soon, the committee will develop:
This past summer, Zonta had a table at the Loons game on Aug. 22 to celebrate 100 years! It was a great event combining multiple committees. Advocacy passed out flyers educating attendees on child marriage laws in Michigan - the devastating effects child marriage has on individuals and society and House Bill 4003-5 with cited references.  It's almost Homewalk time! Be sure your calendar is marked for December 7th and 8th!
The Homewalk committee has been working long and hard to secure homes and scour Midland for donations, now it's time for everyone to get involved. Your Homewalk tickets were available for pick up at the October 1st business meeting. You'll have a month to sell yours before they go on sale online and through local retailers. Each member is required to sell (or buy) six tickets, but don't stop there! More tickets will be available, just contact Esther Williams. She'll get them to you. Volunteer sign up will be out soon. Look for an invitation to sign up online and share that link with your family and friends. Every member is required to volunteer or find a substitute, and additional volunteers earn a free ticket for their afternoon of service. Any questions on volunteering for Homewalk can be directed to Michele Horstman.  Join us October 18-20, 2019 at the MotorCity Casino in Detroit to celebrate Zonta's 100th anniversary!
Attending the Fall Conference is a great way to really get connected to what we do as part of Zonta, and to get to know the broader Zonta Community, plus, it is a lot of fun! Our club supports us by covering members' registration cost. Please register for the Fall Conference individually so that you can select your meal preference and list any dietary restrictions. The fee is $225 if you print and send in the US Mail. If you register online, it is $241.39 per person. After Fall Conference, please submit an expense report to Karla Oldenburg to get reimbursed for the full registration amount. Hotel fees are not reimbursed. Hotel rooms should be booked soon as there are other events taking place. There is a block of rooms but rumor is that they are going quickly. Please let Trish Steele know if you are attending as she will be coordinating carpooling. Bring extra cash to purchase tickets for the many raffle baskets available by the individual clubs. The Zonta Store also has many wonderful items to purchase. Not all will have credit card machines, so you may want to bring your checkbook too. Friday and Saturday dress is business casual. Saturday evening dinner is more formal from dressy slacks, short dresses to evening gowns. Be comfortable as there is always a lot of dancing. The Governors’ reception is for all Zontians. Sunday is more casual as people are traveling home. The Midland Club has been known to wear furs on Saturday night! More... The new Officers and Board Members for 2019-20 will be inducted during the June 4 business meeting. The new board is:
Officers President – Trish Steele 1st VP – Cindy Vickery 2nd VP – Jennifer Chappel Secretary – Mara Simansky Stewart Treasurer – Karla Oldenburg Committee Chairs Advocacy - Rachelle Ferman Archives - Corinne Provoast ARR - Anna Hough Attendance - Bonnie Westervelt/Becky Wieland Bylaws - Cindy Vickery Centennial - Ashleigh Summers Finance/Fundraising - Cindy Vickery Fellowship/Awards - Nan Blasy/Terrie Purchase Golden Z - Kelly Osborn Homewalk - Jennifer Chappel/Cindy Vickery Membership - Kristi Bower PR/Newsletter - Trena Winans Status of Women in Service - Lisa Miner United Nations/Intercity - Corinne Provoast Ways & Means - Lindsey McMacken Parliamentarian - Ann Beck Nominating/Past President - Ashleigh Summers Nominating/Member-at-Large - Barb Vanderkelen During the May dinner meeting the club recognized the five scholarship recipients for 2019 and thanked the homeowners and sponsors of Homewalk that make these scholarships possible. The scholarship winners are:
Jessica Jones Mary Jo LaRue Austyn Otten Holly Thielen Lisa Thompson Congratulations! Three of the recipients were able to attendance and spoke about their educational goals.  Join Zontians and friends for a Mexican Fiesta!
Tuesday June 18th 5:30-9 pm 310 Graham St, Midland Bring - a lawn chair, a guest and a swimsuit if you would like to swim! Sign up and pay by June 4th Contact Nan Blasey for more info: nkblasy@charter.net  Thursday, August 22 at 7pm come on out to the Loons game! We are celebrating 100 years of Zonta and using this opportunity to educate the community on the advocacy efforts of Zonta over the past 100 years, recruit new members, and raise awareness of Zonta throughout our community. Everyone is invited and asked to bring family and friends! Lawn tickets are 7 through the club, sign up and pay at any meeting in May or June. It's a ZING, advocacy and membership event all in one! Questions - contact Rachelle.
 The Status of Women in Service Committee of the Zonta Club of Midland has selected nine area organizations to receive service grants: YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region, West Midland Family Center, The Arc of Midland, Home To Stay- Housing Assistance Center, Midland Community Former Offender Advocacy and Rehabilitation (MCFOAR), Midland County Habitat for Humanity, Family & Children’s Services of Mid-Michigan, Community Mental Health of Central Michigan, Michigan Abolitionist Project Mid Michigan and Caregiving Network, Inc.
The $9,000 in service grants will contribute towards helping local women and girls with a variety of needs. These funds will be used to support many programs including: helping young women will take advantage of summer break learning events at leadership, diversity, or academically driven conferences; a 13 week workshop for a new mindset for participants living in poverty; helping with rent to keep people in their home or to help relocate them out of homelessness; and providing supplies including personal hygiene products, training materials and construction supplies.  The Midland Branch of AAUW will host their Spring Used Book Sale April 26-28 at the Midland Mall. Book lovers will find hardcover and paperback books sorted into 45 categories. Most books are priced from $1 to $2. Recent publications are priced from $3-$6. Sale hours are 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Book donations will be accepted during the month of April; collection barrels are at Kroger, Family Fare, Sanford Food Pride and the Midland Mall (entrances at Food Court and Ruby Tuesday). Call 989 430-2067 or 989 600-1433 for more information. Proceeds fund scholarships. The branch will award college scholarships to Midland area high school graduates and women who wish to return to college for further education. On Monday March 18th the City of Midland will proclaim April 2nd as Equal Pay Day in Midland during the council meeting. We'd like to invite club members to attend in support of the proclamation. The meeting begins at 7 pm and is held in the Council Chambers in City Hall.
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