(l-r) Club President Pat Perrier, 2012 winner Beth Colvin, and 2nd Vice President Yolanda Reyes

On Tuesday, April 10, the Joliet Zonta Club named their 2012 Woman of the Year. This award is decided by a vote of club members and a member can only win the award once in her Zonta membership.

The winner of the award must exemplify the mission and objectives of Zonta International and of the Joliet Club. The award winner this year was rated by her fellow members as “being an excellent mentor to new members,” and “always helpful and willing to give 110% to any project,” among other comments.

The winner is Beth Colvin, who has been a club member since 2007. She was sponsored into the Joliet Club by Pat Perrier. Ms. Colvin is the office manager for J-M Printers in Crest Hill, IL and is responsible for managing two facilities and coordinating job flow and other administrative duties.

Beth is an integral part of the Joliet Club and joins a proud group of Joliet Zontians. This award has been given annually in the club since 1986.

The Zonta Club of Joliet worked hard over nine months to bring this new club to fruition. “As the SOM Chair,” said Mary Baudino, immediate past president of the Joliet Club, “I reached out to possible members and presented them with information so they could develop a real understanding of Zonta and their opportunity to make a difference at a local level to advance the status of women through service and advocacy.”

The new members met on January 31 at Zonta International, along with guests from several clubs, including the Zonta International Board, for the formal Chartering Ceremony, in which the club was presented with its official charter, the president, Jodie Needham, was presented with the gavel, and all members were presented with membership pins.

“We are proud to become members of this great organization,” said Needham, Assistant Dean for Academic Services at John Marshall Law School. She was a member of the Joliet Club for a short time, and was eager to renew her membership.

Members of the new Zonta Club of Oak Brook will have the opportunity to participate in service and advocacy efforts through fundraising projects in the local community. They’ll meet and work with other business and professional people who share a commitment to working for women’s rights and gender equality. The Zonta Club of Oak Brook joins six other Zonta clubs in the northeastern area of Illinois.

For more information about the Zonta Club of Oak Brook, please visit www.zontadistrict6.org and for more information about Zonta and its projects, please visit www.zonta.org.

“Advocacy is the expression of support for or opposition to a cause, argument or proposal. Advocacy may include influencing laws, legislation or attitudes.”

Zonta Clubs are urged to express themselves about and become involved in issues which:

• improve the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women;
• advance understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of executives in business and the professions; and
• promote justice and universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Zonta Clubs must remain nonpartisan and nonsectarian in advocacy action and on issues.

Awareness includes becoming educated about issues affecting the status of women as well as becoming educated about opportunities for legislative advocacy.

To read all of Zonta International’s Policies and Guidelines regarding Legislative Awareness and Advocacy: www.zonta.org/MemberResources/Tools/AdvocacyTools.aspx

Title:

Join us and…
Meet the challenge of Governor Yvonne Chalfant with the Four Great Zonta Questions (4GZQ):

What are you doing?
What in the WORLD are you doing?
Who do you think you are?
What will you think of next?
Let’s explore the crossroads our clubs may travel. Let’s gain insights into the great opportunities that crossroads afford us.

You will be given some great tools and roadmaps to help you navigate the 4GZQs – to help your club prosper and grow!

Join us for the journey … and stay for the fun!

Start Date: 2011-10-07
End Date: 2011-10-09

Pictured are the Zonta Club of Milwaukee Scholarship team, Kelsey and Marcy.(Left to Right) Donna Kahl-Wilkerson, Elizabeth Stull, Sandra Miller, Kelsey Palme, Wen Lin, Marcy Berner Reedy, Donna Conant.

After winning local and regional competition, Marquette University Business Administration student Kelsey Palmer was named the recipient of the 2009 Zonta Internationals’ Jane M. Klausman “Women in Business” Scholarship.

Kelsey is one of 12 globally to receive the award in 2009, which was made possible first by winning the Zonta Club of Milwaukee’s Women in Jane M. Klausman scholarship and endorsement for the competition in the three state district – Zonta District 6.

Kelsey Palmer and Marcy Berner-Reedy.

Marcy Berner-Reedy, Director of Area 2 presented to Kelsey the award for District 6 at the Milwaukee Club meeting on 1/27/2010 meeting. Marcy provided and overview of the Jane M. Klausman scholarship – an award honoring women advancing their careers in business while demonstrating strong volunteer service commitments. Governor’s Buffie Kelly was in Liberia on a service mission when she sent her email wishes to Kelsey for success in her studies.

They visited clubs in Milwaukee, Madison, Janesville, Beloit and Oak Park.  This group shot includes Tammi Hagen, Sylvia Armstrong and Carol Wiskowski from Madison, as well as Sandy Miller (Milwaukee President), Donna Conant (Area 2 Director), Wisconsin Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton and Wisconsin Senator Judy Robson.

Yvonne Chalfont

Welcome! We have important work ahead of us for the upcoming biennium. During the 2010 Spring Workshops, I challenged area leaders to adopt the Four Great Zonta Questions as the framework to design our District 6 Plan of Work for the new biennium.

• What are you doing?
• What in the world are you doing?
• Who do you think you are?
• What will you think of next?