 In May the Zonta Club of Midland awarded service grants to ten area non-profits totaling $11,400 to contribute towards helping women and children throughout the Midland area. The organizations receiving these grants are Midland County Drug Court, Habitat for Humanity, Self Love Beauty, American Legion Auxiliary Post 165, The Legacy Center, Life Clinic Community Resource Center, Helping Hands Dental Clinic, Young Lives, Family and Children's Services, and Community Mental Health Services for Central Michigan. Click here for more information on the individual grants.
These service grants are made possible by the annual Zonta Homewalk, Funds raised by the Homewalk support scholarships for women, local service grants and international service projects through the Zonta Foundation for Women. Funds raised through the 2019 Zonta Homewalk funded ten service grants of $1,140 each and six scholarships of $2,500 each.
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 The Zonta Club of Midland offers annual scholarships to women of all ages pursuing career goals that will positively impact the status of women. Funds to support the scholarships are raised through the Annual Zonta Homewalk held in December.
Zonta is pleased to announce t his year’s scholarship recipients: Alisha Arnold (Davenport University – Nursing), Amber Bailey, (Delta College – Nursing), Allison Duford (Saginaw Valley State University – Early Education), Elizabeth Havens (Saginaw Valley State University - Medical Laboratory Science), Katelynne Morse (Delta College - Automotive Technology), and Alicia Wietfeldt (Davenport University – Nursing),. Each recipient received a scholarship in the amount of $2,500, which may be used at any post-secondary educational institution for tuition, books, cost of certification, or vocational education. Scholarships are awarded based on financial need, work/life skills, community service/extracurricular activities, GPA/GED, honors/awards, and references. Scholarships are made possible by the annual Zonta Homewalk. Funds raised by the Homewalk support scholarships for area women, local service grants and international service projects through the Zonta Foundation for Women. Funds raised through the 2019 Zonta Homewalk locally funded ten service grants of $1,140 each and six scholarships of $2,500 each. Wouldn't this be a great time to grow and engage with Zonta?
Check out the Zonta Leadership Program at https://membership.zonta.org/ where there are modules on:
Zonta International is running frequent Zonta Talks - webinars on specific topics of interest to Zontians. Previous talks are recorded and available for you to listen to as well such as:
Hello Zontians,
I hope this message finds you safe and healthy. If you need any assistance, please reach out to any of your Zonta sisters! If you have a minute, send someone note, text or other message telling them you're thinking of them. With all that is going on there's no surprise that the April business meeting and the auction have been cancelled. The Zonta International Convention has also been cancelled, so there is no immediate need for the funds we usually raise at the auction. The board did meet via teleconference in March and will continue to do so as long as is necessary. Though we will not have a business meeting in April, there is club business that must be conducted. The membership will need to vote to approve the budget for 2020-2021. It was approved by the board in March. The vote will be conducted electronically. Please look for an email with instructions on or about April 7th. If you have time available now, please check out the information available to you through Zonta International. There's a lot there. See more details in the next post. Stay safe my friends, Trish Steele President Zonta Club of Midland Save the date for the annual Zonta Basket Auction: April 21, 2020, at the Midland Country Club.
The Committee has started receiving items from community businesses, and of course, the generous donations from members. This year, we are trying for specific theme baskets, along with stand-alone baskets from businesses. The themes include: A Day in the Park, Midtown Midland, Golf, Fashion on Main, Michigan Made, Car Care, Garden Time, Outdoor Cooking, Spa Day/Wellness, Date Night, Sports Teams (college & professional), Lottery!, Exercise, Kids, Coffee, Tea, Wine and Cooking/Kitchen. We have already secured donations from Hey Lucy Photography, Midland County Fair (4 tickets), Trish Steele (Goat Milk Soap session for 4 people), Eastman Party Store, Magnolia Boutique, Northwood Gallery, Dan Dan The Mattress Man, Annie & Olivers, Saginaw Spirit and Ieuter Insurance (Loon's basket), and a trust package (Joint Revocable LIving Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney for business and health care, HIPAA releases and Advance Medical Directives - valued at $2,400). More items to come. Please consider supporting the auction with a donation. Suggestions include unused gift certificates, gifts that you don't need, lottery tickets, tickets to sporting events, wine, beer, etc. Volunteers will be needed prior to and during the auction to assemble baskets and work during the event as cookie sellers, bid callers, registration/check-out helpers. If you are interested in donating or volunteering, please contact Lindsey McMacken at (574) 370-6266. Donation pick-up provided.  Congratulations to Midland Zontian, Sharon Mortensen, for receiving the 2020 Women of Achievement award from the Great Lakes Bay Region YWCA.
The award recognizes her contributions to the well-being of the community, state or nation; her record of accomplishment in her profession; and her volunteerism and community leadership. Read more about the award and Sharon's impact on the community as president of the Midland Area Community Foundation. Join Zontians from around the world as we celebrate 100 years of service. Registration is underway for the 2020 convention, July 4-8 in Chicago. Special events include a Summer Splash Mixer, Friendship Dinners and a dinner cruise.  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.  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 |
