President’s Monthly Letter

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act. Action will delineate and define you.”

-Thomas Jefferson

Did you make a few new year’s resolutions? Of course the traditional promises to work out more, eat less and connect with family and friends are important, but I think Thomas Jefferson’s advice provides a resolution for us all to think about.

I look back over the first half of our Zonta year and I see powerful ACTION on issues like women’s reproductive health, domestic violence, child marriage and sex trafficking. I see us working together to coordinate free libraries and food bank and toy donations, young adults mentoring, scholarships, and even stepping up to help reverse climate change by launching our new Bev Sears Climate Action Scholareship. As members of the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County let’s make a resolution to continue supporting these important acts and make a resolution to one another to take action in a way that will not only help us to define ourselves, as Jefferson says, but will also help to change the world one action and one person, at a time.

Little actions may seem, insignificant but they are all attempting to “Resolve Something Bigger Than Yourself” as is described in the recent NY Times opinion piece by By Roger Rosenblatt. Take a minute to read his thought provoking words.

Now as we look to the second half of our year, I hope that we can all make a resolution to Take Action. We can all participate in Zonta Foothills Club in different ways and at different levels. Yes, we are all volunteers

and there is no one way to make a difference. So ask youself what can I commit to today? How can I help our Club and our Foundation remain strong through member growth, community outreach and support of women and girls locally and around the world. Perhaps it is by supporting Zing, our upcoming fund raiser. Or maybe you want to help membership welcome our new members. Maybe you would like to work with our Golden Z Club or support our library programs? There are very rewarding ways you can help.

Perhaps the most important of all, ask youself “How can I support others in the sisterhood that is Zonta? How can I Take Action that will delineate and define me in 2024.”

Happy New Year!

- Pam

IMPORTANT DATES

January Business Meeting - Thursday, January 11 5:30-7:30 pm. Join us to kick off the new year and learn about the work of Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) with our guest speaker Ana Fernandez Frank, EFAA Public Policy & Community Outreach Coordinator. We will also meet our 23-24 Bev Sears Climate Action Scholarship winner, Erin Johnson. Location is Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, 3262 61st St, Boulder, CO.

  • Golden Z Club Reunion - Wednesday, January 10 from 5:30-7:30 pm.

  • Pantherz ZClub meeting - Tuesday, January 16. We will resume our meetings on Tuesday the 16th and then meet every Tuesday from 4-5 pm at Boulder High School. Let Marta, Tommie, Claudia or Gaby know if you would like to attend.

  • Human Trafficking Awareness Event - January 23, 10 am. Hosted by our Boulder County DA’s office. Longmont Civic Center 350 Kimbark, Longmont. (See information and registration below.)

  • Board Meeting - Thursday, February 1st

  • Area 3 Meeting and Amelia Earhart Luncheon - Saturday February 3, 10 am - 3 pm Rolling Hills Country Club, Golden, Colorado. Hosted by the Zonta Club of Denver II. See details below.

  • Business Meeting - Thursday, February 8

  • Community Foundation of Boulder County Grant Recipient Reception - Tuesday, February 27, 5:30, Location TBD. Join us to meet other Community Trust recipients and celebrate the work of the Community Foundation.

  • Women’s Day and Zonta Rose Day - Friday, March 8

  • Zing for Zonta - Friday, March 22

  • District 12 Governor’s Conference, October 4, 5, 6, 2024 at beautiful Chautauqua - Zonta Foothills Club will be hosting so SAVE THE DATE!

FLASH NEWS

Save the Date!!

Please join us and the rest of ZI Area 3 at the Area 3 meeting and Amelia Earhart Luncheon on Saturday, February 3 from 10 am-3 pm. Rolling Hills Country Club in Golden, Colorado. Hosted by the Zonta Club of Denver II. You will meet 3 of the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellows from CU Boulder. These young women are always dynamic and inspirational! 

The FUNdraising Committee

Colorado Gives Off the Charts!

Colorado Gives Day (CGD) was December 5th, 2023 but it is not unusual for donations to continue to trickle into our Foundation through year end. This year was no exception and WOW…we have a remarkable preliminary total to report. As of December 30, 2023 the Zonta Foothills Foundation raised $36,817.60! Congratulations everyone!

Thank you everyone who helped to write personalized donor thank you notes at our holiday party. We will be looking at our donor report and providing details on our contributors to help us understand what helped to make this year such a success.

Get Ready for Zing… IT’S ALL HANDS ON DECK!

FUNdraising HOT ITEMS

Zing helps us to raise money for our scholarships and programs and remember, the fundraising process includes everyone in our club. We can all help in some way! So please, think about ways that you can secure sponsors, donors & TALENT so we can all contribute to Building A Better World For Women and Girls through our scholarships, service and advocacy.

Find TALENT…

There are a few critical things we need in order to be sure Zing is a big success. First - Calling all musicians, actors, comedians, whatever the talent, invite our community to bring it to Zing! Spread the word, cut off for receipt of talent videos is February 3rd, just one month away. You should have received a copy of this recruitment flier. If you do not have it, please let the FUNdraising team know and they can resend it to you. We will also have copies on hand at our January business meeting.

Find SPONSORS & DONATIONS

THE SPONSORSHIP DEADLINE IS NEAR. We have provided membership with Zing sponsorship materials as well as access to this Google Sponsorship spreadsheet (CLICK HERE). PLEASE pick a few businesses that you will commit to contacting. And/or add business names to the Google spreadsheet that you are willing to ask for a sponsorship or donation. Many places require a 1-3 month lead time we need to act NOW. Check to see if your requests can be completed ON LINE; then follow up if you haven't hear anything! 

Zing 2024 Facts

Zonta International Statement

Nearly two months after Zonta International issued its statement, condemning all attacks on innocent members of civil society and all forms of violence in conflicts, innocent civilians continue to suffer as war rages on, not only in Israel and Gaza, but also in Ukraine and many other countries.

As Zonta, we focus on the rights of women and girls in conflict. Zonta reiterates its call, per UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on all parties to “respect fully international law applicable to the rights and protection of women and girls, especially as civilians.” UN Security Resolution 1325 further “calls on all parties to armed conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, and all other forms of violence in situations of armed conflict.” Read Zonta International’s statement on women and children in armed conflicts, originally issued on 16 October.

Educatez Scholarship Committee

Time to Recognize Young Leaders

The Scholarship Committee is now focusing on the promotion and application process for our Young Women in Public Affairs Award. If you would like to help in the process which includes reaching out to

school counselors, encouraging applications and finally reviewing the amazing submissions to select our winners, pleae let Nancy Rowe or Michelle Medal know. Note that information about the YWPA scholarship can be found here on our web site.

Meet Erin Johnson Our 1st Bev Sears Climate Action Scholarship

The first ever winner of our Bev Sears Climate Action Scholarship, Erin Johnson, will be joining us at our January business meeting. We hope you come to meet and congratulate this amazing woman who is fighting to reverse climate change!

Zonta EducateZ Scholarship Committee - Nancy Rowe, Michelle Médal, Jan Cheney, Kim Prosser-Noonan, Catherine Bailey

Advocacy Committee

January Marks Human Trafficking Awareness Month

Our Boulder County DA’s Office is hosting a human trafficking awareness program on Tuesday, January 23 at 10 a.m. at the Longmont Civic Center, 350 Kimbark St. Longmont. This 2-hour training will be facilitated by the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking and our District Attorney's Office. It will address:

  • Types of human trafficking situations and potential victims

  • Safety assessment awareness

  • Youth and social media

  • How to respond when you suspect human trafficking

  • Community resources

This event is for small business owners, local leaders, employees of businesses, and community members. To attend you need to REGISTER HERE.

Senate Passes IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act

In November, the US Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act (S. 670),

which will enhance the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to combat human trafficking, allowing survivors of human trafficking to receive improved support and providing law enforcement with more resources to combat these crimes. The bill is now under consideration in the House of Representatives. Click here to take action and ask your representative to support the bill.

Sign up for text alerts

Text ZONTA to 50457 to get our advocacy alerts via text message and be one of the first to find out when there is a new opportunity. Follow the instructions you receive to complete registration.

Equal Rights Amendment Petition | Sign4ERA

Passage of the ERA is a top priority for the Zonta USA Caucus. If you are so inclined, please sign this petition. If you need a refresher before signing , there are links in the doc. ACCESS PETITION HERE

EFAA Supports Our Community

Just a reminder of the situation in Boulder County as we welcome our January business meeting speaker, Ana Fernandez Frank, EFAA Public Policy & Community Outreach Coordinator. The slides below are taken from EFAA’s  Community Wellbeing Dashboard 2023 – English

The Advocacy Committee- Chair Ranelle Randles, Sheila King, Elizabeth Freedman and Sara Gillespie

Membership Committee

New Member Orientation Luncheon

Our membership is growing! It’s a highlight of the year to welcome new members into the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County and as part of their orientation we will host our new member luncheon on Thursday, January 18 from 11:30-1 pm. More information to follow.

Get Your Membership Booklet

We distributed the booklets at our December meeting. If you were not able to join us or if you did not receive your booklet, we will have them available at the January meeting or you can reach out to Kay Meyer.

Zonta Membership Committee  Colleen Farrell and Ann Hodgson, Amanda Elsnes, Kathy Israelson, Catherine Médal, Kay Meyer

Zervice Committee

Holidays are Filled with Giving!

Our annual Share-a-Gift tradition continued for the 2023 holiday season. A BIG thank you to all of our members who came out to support this important program. Members Marta Lindrose, Jan Cheney, Ann Hodgson, Michelle Carpenter, Sharon Trumble, Nancy Rowe, Gaby Lopez, Claudia Ibarra and Pam Malzbender were all part of our Zonta team.

We helped SAG make a big impact. In one day they provided gifts for 1484 Boulder-area children from 602 families. At the end of the event remaining gifts were donated to other organizations making a total reach of 1875 children.

ThankYou Share-a-Gift!

A BIG thank you to our friends at Share-a-Gift! Each year they provide us with any books that remain when the event’s doors close at 4 pm. This year was no exception. They again provided us with a few hundred (NEW) children’s and teen’s books. These will go a long way in our continued support of Emergency Family

Assistance Association (EFAA), Community Food Share (CFS), Sister Carmen, the Our Center and The Boulder County Justice Center. 

The Zervice Committee Zonta Book drive is a year-long project.  Please continue to ask everyone for new or gently used Children's Books, Teen Books and Adult Books for our Libraries at Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA), Community Food Share (CFS), Sister Carmen, and the Our Center. This program has had a tremendous impact on our community since its inception. It is estimated that we distribute over 7,000 books per year (That’s more than 70,000 books over 10 years!)

The committee is now looking forward to the spring as we work together with Advocacy and the Z Club on The Culture of Respect program. Additional information available after our next Zervice Meeting.

Zervice Committee - Co-chairs: Marta Lindrose and Cheri Magin, Kim Prosser-Noonan, Joan Siebenaler, Catherine Bailey 

Zonta EducateZ Committee

Pantherz Z Club Holiday with Service and Celebrations

The last Pantherz Z Club meeting of the year was a time for fun and celebration as members prepared for final exams and a much needed break. We had a fun party with games and best of all of gingerbread building competition! And our time together at Share-a-Gift was a wonderful way to usher in the holidays. Pantherz ZClub and the Flatirons Golden Z Club volunteers helped to spread cheer to family around the county. As always, it was hard work but great fun to be together and support the community.

Hosting a Flatirons Golden Z Reunion

…and some exploration of our new Platinum Z Club on Wednesday, January 10th. We are so excited to get back together with some of our long-stanging Z Club members to discuss their plans for the new year and ways that a new club might support the needs of young professional women who are juggling carreers and

family. If you would like to be part of this wonderful program please speak with Gaby Lopez, Claudia Ibarra or Michelle Carpenter.

Zonta EducateZ Committee - Tommie Atanasof, Michelle Carpenter, Sheila Cohen, Gaby Lopez, Claudia Ibarra, Sheila King, Pam Malzbender, Marta Lindrose.

public Relations

ZI “Share Your Story” Features Our Zonta Says No Projects

Our “Share Your Story” submission to Zonta International was posted on the Zonta Says NO website! Check out Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County Takes Action Against Gender-based Violence. Congratulations to the Advocacy and EducateZ Committee for helping to coordinate these important projects.

Follow Us on Social Media

Just a reminder that if you are on Instagram or Facebook, follow our club and our Pantherz Z Club. We try to keep our community informed about the great work that our club is doing and we have an awesome Z Club social media chair who is posting about activities out into the community. Click on the links below and follow/like the pages:

Zonta Foothills Club Soical Media Web site - https://www.zontafoothills.org/ Instagram - zontafoothillslubboulder Facebook - Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County

Pantherz ZClub Social Media Instagram - bhs.zclub

PR Committee - Pam Malzbender, Sheila Cohen, Sheila King, Sara Gillespie