It’s almost that time..what time you ask?!?! Time for the annual Zonta Club of Midland’s auction! Mark your calendars for April 16th. We are asking for people to be checked in by 5:30 with the live auction starting at 6:00pm! Cost is $25 which includes dinner at the Midland Country Club. Wondering what fun items will be up for bid this year? Here’s a sneak peak! Invite your friends!

Zonta Club of Midland is offering a $500 local scholarship for the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship.  Women make up nearly 50 percent of the global workforce; however, gender equality is not yet a reality in senior management and corporate boardrooms around the world.  To encourage more women to pursue education and careers in business, Zonta International established the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship.   Women of any age, pursuing an accredited business or business-related program who demonstrate outstanding potential in the field, are eligible and encouraged to apply.  The Midland winner will be referred to the District and eligible for a $2000 scholarship, and the District winner will be referred to the international scholarship and be eligible for an additional $8000 scholarship.  The application materials must be submitted to kasoto@dow.com by May 1. ​

Zonta Club of Midland is offering a $500 local scholarship for the Young Women in Public Affairs scholarship.  The Award recognizes young women, ages 16-19, who demonstrate superior leadership skills and a commitment to public service and civic causes, and encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life.  The Midland winner will be referred to the District and eligible for a $1500 scholarship, and the District winner will be referred to the international scholarship and be eligible for an additional $4000 scholarship.   The application materials must be submitted to kasoto@dow.com by March 15.

Women are still stuck at the level of the 20% Gender Wage Gap.  April 2, 2019 is the US Date for recognizing this dismal gap.  AAUW Midland MI Branch and Zonta Club of Midland are continuing to try to bring this gap to the attention of their members.  As part of our advocacy for Equal Pay, we are sending our members a link for the free course, Work Smart (https://salary.aauw.org).

Work Smart is a free AAUW online course that teaches all women who are in the workforce or returning to the workforce how to negotiate salary and benefits.  It gives information on women’s salary statistics, why they are at a 20% gender gap, and information helping women to negotiate to close the gap.  The course provides information on where to research salaries for specific jobs in specific locations, suggestions on how to conduct the salary negotiations and practice sessions for the negotiations.

We are asking our members to try the workshop and send it on to 5 more women regardless of their work status.  Even those not working will know working women who could benefit from this course.   All women young and old can profit from the knowledge in this course.

Judy Donahue, Midland AAUW Public Policy Co-chair
Rachelle Ferman, Zonta Club of Midland Advocacy Chair

The February social meeting featured 3 great speakers. Anna Hough creator of the group The Business of Being Beautiful, Keri Kenney owner of Alignment 8, and Sarah Weisbarth with Purpose Driven Confidence and Self Love Beauty. Each spoke of their life journey and discussed self-love and self-care. It was an inspiring evening!

Here's more info on the speakers:

Anna Hough - The Business of Being Beautiful - Facebook Group:
Here, we will embrace one another during the highs and lows of life as women. Our members have walked through divorces, break-ups, abusive relationships, addictions or addicted family members, pregnancies, infertility, deaths, suicides, losses, illnesses, success, triumphs, failures, heartbreak, poverty, new careers, old careers, and everything in between.
We are all here to offer support and advice, ranging from advice about beauty products and clothing, to motherhood and marriage. This is a safe place to talk about all of it.
Beauty comes in ALL different forms and every single facet of that will be celebrated. We’re here for YOU!

Keri Kenney - Alignment 8 Yoga and Cycle
Trauma Certified & Registered Yoga Instructor, Keri Kenney leadsYoga & Meditation with Trauma Recovery to provide a holistic, cognitive and somatic healing approach for individuals directly impacted by trauma, as well as those that live, love and work with them.  More at www.alignment8.com

Sarah Weisbarth - Live Coach at Self Love Beauty @selflovebeauty
​Self Love Beauty’s mission to invest in everyone to educate them on having confidence, self-love and feel empowered.

​It’s that time of year!!!! The Zonta Club of Midland is holding its annual auction to generate monies that are used to fund local and international educational opportunities for club leadership and members. In this much-anticipated event, items are donated by local businesses and individuals and packaged into themed gift baskets created by Zonta members for bids in the auction. Cost is $25 for a scrumptious dinner. Please RSVP to Kristi Bower by April 11th at kristib@arburyins.com.

Be In The Know: Know our mission, Know our projects, Know each other 
AND HAVE FUN.
The Area 1 & 2 workshop will be held on Saturday 5/4 in Gaylord,  Area 3 & 4 workshop will be held on 4/27 in Wixom from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm

On Saturday, January 12th BAWC has partnered with the Saginaw Spirit and our regional partners Underground Railroad, Inc and Shelterhouse to present the first annual "Love Shouldn't Hurt" charity hockey game. 
The evening promises to be both exciting and informative. Puck drop will feature a short video to learn more about each agency. Everyone will have a chance to speak with agency representatives about our services or how to be involved in the cause to end domestic violence. 
Upper Level fundraising tickets are $13 each and $5 of each fundraising ticket sold will support the fight against domestic violence here in the Great Lakes Bay Region. 

From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world. The international campaign originated from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.

“Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women” is a Zonta International campaign to raise awareness of and increase actions to end violence against women and girls around the world.
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The campaign, which began in November 2012, features the service and advocacy actions of Zonta clubs and districts to prevent and end violence against women and girls in their local communities.  It also highlights Zonta International’s ongoing efforts to end violence against women and girls through the Zonta International Strategies to End Violence against Women (ZISVAW) program and through Zonta’s partnerships with the United Nations and its agencies.

The Zonta Club of Midland along with District 15 and many other districts around the world are coordinating daily Facebook posts and members are encouraged to like and share the posts. In addition Advocacy has placed a Zonta Says No billboard on US 10 as part of the campaign.

One hundred years ago, a small group of pioneering women came together in Buffalo, New York with a vision to help all women realize greater equality while using their individual and collective expertise in service to their community.

Their vision became Zonta International, an organization that has grown to more than 29,000 members in 63 countries, working together to make gender equality a reality for women and girls worldwide.

November 8, 2019 marks Zonta’s centennial anniversary. Join the ad hoc committee to plan local celebrations. Contact Ashleigh Summers to join at summersa@northwood.edu 

The showing of Little Stones at Northwood University on November 6th was well attended by a mix of students and community members. The editor of Catalyst Midland was in attendance and followed up with Advocacy Chair Rachelle Ferman to learn more about Midland organizations advocating for the eradication of violence against women.

​Special opportunity for 2019 to celebrate 100 years of Zonta service and Zonta International’s centennial anniversary

In honor of 100 years of Zonta service and Zonta International’s centennial anniversary in 2019, Zonta International has launched its Centennial Anniversary Grants program. These one-time grants of up to $5,000 each will recognize charitable organizations working to improve the lives of women and girls in their local communities.  More information, including eligibility, is at https://www.zonta.org/centennialgrants. 

 Zonta Club of Midland would like to partner with a local organization to support a project in our local community that meets at least one of the objectives of Zonta International - legal, political, economic, health, education, or violence against women.  If your organization has a project that you think meets the objectives of the Centennial Grants, please submit a paragraph describing the project to kasoto@dow.com by December 20, 2018.  The submitted projects will then be evaluated to progress further in the application and partnership process. 

Area organizations are invited to apply for a grant from the Zonta Club of Midland for up to $1,000. The Club requires that the grant funds be used in programs or for the support of programs that assist women with economic empowerment, in the development of women in leadership or to assist women who are in circumstances of financial need.

Applications will be accepted until February 1, 2019. Grants will be awarded by April 15, 2019.

Please click here for the grant application. The application can be returned to me via email or mailed to Kristan Soto, Zonta Club of Midland, PO Box 196, Midland, MI 48640.

The Fellowship Committee asks for your assistance on gathering item of need for the Mustard Seed Shelter.  The Mustard Seed Shelter is located in the City of Saginaw and has been serving homeless single women and women with children from throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region for over 23 years. Their mission is to water the seed of inner strength in homeless women so they can make a better life for themselves and their children. Women and their families are welcomed into a warm, home environment from living on the streets, in their cars, and going from shelter to shelter or couch to couch.
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"Our shelter community of staff, volunteers and other guests model compassion, respect, dignity, forgiveness and mercy to these often “broken“ individuals. Through the support of our communities, we will grow and continue to serve with LOVE! Thank You for choosing us for your donations. We are truly blessed and grateful!"   Amy Bartels-Roe, Executive Director. 

List of donations needed..."full size" personal hygiene items and "new" women's bras & panties...don't forget cleaning supplies & diapers.  We will gather these at the meeting.