November 2024

As many of you know, District 1 has been struggling to attract new members. We want to help individual clubs with Membership Events, but due to lower revenue, we haven’t been able to do this without raising dues—which we want to avoid! Solution: Let’s raise some money for the district (and ultimately for club membership) doing something fun and practical! 

All Zontians and supporters, their families and friends are invited to join us for a Pampered Chef Fun-raiser where you can stock your kitchen with top-quality cookware and cooking tools while directly supporting Zonta District 1! If we all participate, 15% of total sales will be donated to help us support club membership, so shop your favorite kitchen essentials and make a difference with every purchase. Come enjoy virtual cooking demos and the chance to win amazing prizes as well!

And, it is EASY! Here is what to do:

1.      Click on the button above to join the Facebook Group OR go directly here to our site on Pampered Chef

2.      Invite all your friends and family to join the group in person or by email, share the link on your Facebook and Instagram pages, and include the invitation in the club’s social media.

3.      Browse the catalog and start shopping!

4.      Encourage everyone to get their orders in by November 22^nd. 

Interested in a little club competition with opportunities for prizes? If your club wants to have a little fun, send Pat Pupek an email at patpupek@comcast.net

Dear District 1 Zisters and Allies:

Fall is a season of thanksgiving. Canada’s Thanksgiving Day is in October and the US Thanksgiving Day is in November. This is a time to reflect on what is important in our lives, to think about what to keep close to our hearts. For me, one of those things is my Zonta friends and our collective desire to build a better world for women and girls. In doing that, I think we each become better people.

Clubs are in full swing now with their service projects, which tend to be the heart and soul of our clubs and something that all members enjoy doing. During this time of giving thanks, I’d like to challenge us to be a bit risky this year. Instead of just continuing our tried and true service projects, how about really looking at the goals voted on by our delegates to the convention in June: Zonta Says No, Zonta Says Now, Elimination of Child Marriage and Education of Women and Girls. We have all worked with our local domestic violence centers and donated to their success. We have done exceedingly well in eliminating child marriage under the age of 18. And we have been exceptional in giving out scholarships.

So now I challenge our clubs to create a service project that addresses Zonta Says Now, recognizing that we can’t put off addressing climate change any longer. Suggestions might include creating a book discussion on books such as Take Heart by Kathleen Dean Moore or Facing Fear by Lisa Blair. Both books have been introduced to me at national and international Zonta gatherings. Or distribute pamphlets on how to eliminate plastics in your life. What if a year from now we could congratulate ourselves on working towards this Zonta goal just as we have with the other goals?

I challenge our clubs to take the risk of doing something as service projects that are a reach, that aren’t as comfortable as Period Projects or Purse Projects. Don’t stop doing those, because they are needed, and we all love doing them. But step out and do something you’ve never done before.

Women get things done. And Zonta women get them done together.

In the Zonta spirit,

Donna Raycraft

District 1 Governor

Zonta Says No - 16 Days of Activism

Message from Tonya Ozone, District 1 Advocacy Chair USA

Greetings Zisters,

I am happy to share with you information about the 16 Days of Activism that Zonta International has sponsored since 2012. Zonta clubs from around the world are making their plans to participate in this campaign and I am excited to invite each of you to participate. For those of you new to Zonta, the campaign will begin on 25 November-10 December, in which all Zonta clubs and districts are encouraged to take part in the Zonta Says NO to Violence campaign.

Here are some easy ways to show your support and help spread the word that violence against women and girls is never okay. I hope that each club will find these suggestions helpful and easy to use so Zonta District 1 can help ZI meet it's goal of 100% participation in the 16 days of activism campaign.

1.    Take the Pledge - Here is the link to the pledge. Simply open the pledge and at the bottom of the page you will have many ways to share the pledge, from Facebook to LinkedIn and more. Simply click on your desired platform (s) and post the pledge. It is easy to share this with your network and ask them to take the pledge.

2.        25 November is Orange Day. - Encourage every member of your club to wear orange on 11/25, and post a photo to social media. Change your social media background to orange for the day. Share your story with ZI.

3.      Giving Tuesday is 3 December 2024 - In honor of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, donate to the Zonta Foundation for Women to support our international service projects. Or starting this November, set up a recurring donation to the International Service Fund and show you continue to say NO through the whole year.

4.     Zonta Says No Summit - Click this link to learn about the December 10, 2024 ZSN event and the three dynamic speakers (see picture above). Tickets are $10 to hear any or all three speakers. Ticket holders will get access to the recordings.

I hope these simple to implement and still very meaningful and impactful ways to get involved will help you and your clubs stand up against violence. If you would like to do more than just the above-mentioned steps, here is a link to the toolkit Zonta has created for the 16 days of activism. The toolkit has some great tips for social media posting. Also, be sure to share whatever your clubs do with Zonta International.

If you have ideas you would like to share or you have questions or need some support, please reach out to me and I would be happy to help, tonya.ozone@gmail.com 802-310-9335.

I hope you are creating a great day!

ZontaDistrict1.org/news-events

Please send the District Webmaster a short write-up of upcoming events, news about a program, service or advocacy initiative your club is working on, a member who is doing something special that should be recognized, etc. We will share the news and events on the District website for all members and allies to view and share.

What would you like to see included in the monthly District 1 #Shorts? Send comments/suggestions to info@zontadistrict1.org