May 2015 Newsletter
Closing Out A Year of Leadership
Submitted by Jan Hoyt
Once again, it’s been an amazing year for the club – 501c3 and celebration, host of first time event – area meeting and Amelia Earhart, bylaw revisions, wine tasting event and the list goes on. We thank Suzanne for her leadership and dedication to lead us through this remarkable year. Thank you to Ellen for 4 years of being treasurer extraordinaire, a difficult job done well! We are also appreciative of Mary’s execution of her duties as recording secretary (and service chair). A thank you to Carol Johnson who as corresponding secretary for the last few years has reached out to each of us be it for a celebration or a condolence. There are so many unsung heroes in our club. Deb, Lois and Suzanne spent many hours on the area meeting/Amelia Earhart event and without a breath, jumped into the wine tasting event. We appreciate everyone’s contributions!!
Retreat Scheduled for July 11
Save the date and plan to attend our membership retreat at Mount Vernon Country Club on July 11. We will enjoy camaraderie and good food while planning our next year’s activities. You won’t want to miss it!
Golf Tournament Promises to Be a Winner
The Finance Committee has been working hard on the golf tournament. You should have received an email with the registration form PDF attached last week. It is also posted on our website. If you want copies of the registration brochure to give to friends, please call Carol Leffler. We still need sponsors, golfers, and volunteers for our big event on June 15. Make sure to let your golfers know they and their families can also take advantage of the country club’s pool during the day—an added bonus! Thanks to the Committee for securing this wonderful venue for the tournament. It takes it to a new level and we are all excited to host the event!
Advocacy in Action
Look for an event with Bridging the Gap in August to promote GED programs and Community Colleges. More details to follow!
Women Powering Change is planning an event on July 9th at the EXDO Event Center from 4 to 7 pm. They are bringing together more than 100 mission- driven organizations, along with the community to share the work they are doing locally and globally. It’s an opportunity to raise our visibility and connect with others who share our visions. Swanee Hunt will be the keynote speaker.
Women Powering Change has grown out of the work that Cynda Collins Arsenault started two years ago to connect social CHANGEMAKERS with the community and extend the impact and power of positive change. The goal is for 1000 participants.
Registration fee is $50 and each organization is provided with space to display materials and information. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available. I really think we should be a part of this event!
With the retreat coming up, please think about how you think our club can participate in advocacy for the women we serve.
Membership Update
The membership committee thanks the club for welcoming all of our guests over the last year. Please keep up any referrals. The good news is that Judy Schwartz will be transferring to our club. On a sad note, Lois has decided to take a sabbatical. We respect her decision with a heavy heart. Lois’s dedication, leadership, enthusiasm, ideas… are unmatched. We cannot thank her enough for all that she has brought to our club. We hope that she continues as friend of Zonta and that when her schedule permits, she is back with us.
Service Happenings
Distribution of Service Funds
The checks to distribute service funds were sent earlier this month. Jessica from SafeHouse called and left a message thanking Zonta for this grant and all of the support received through the years. Josh from The Learning Source sent a letter in appreciation of the funds to be used to support the Family Literacy Program.
Florence Crittenton School
The Miles for Moms Run/Walk on Saturday, May 9, was rained out. Nonetheless, Flo Crit raised $65,000 from the event.
Graduation will be Wednesday, May 27, at Colorado Heights University (directions will be sent via email). Set up at 4:45 p.m., Graduation ceremony from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Reception 7:30 to 8 p.m. Flo Crit will graduate 40 girls this year. Contact Jean for more information.
SafeHouse Denver
Thanks to Sharon for participating in the SafeHouse mailing event on April 27. Her help was much appreciated!
Sampling for Hope–a casual food tasting event will be on Thursday, June 4, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at RedLine Gallery, 2350 Arapahoe Street, Denver. Volunteers are needed from 4 to 10 p.m. Email Shannon Boltz at SafeHouse sboltz@safehouse-denver.org or JoAnn.
Welcome Bags: Please bring sample size items of toothpaste, tooth brushes, dental floss, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner to the meeting. One item we need is lotion. If you can purchase a few to donate, it would be much appreciated.
Teacher Grants
Three teachers received grants of $500 each this year. One teacher spoke at our April meeting and two will speak at our May meeting.
Empowerment/Mariposa House
Please bring non-perishable grocery items to the meeting for Empowerment’s pantry. If you would like to know when the next event at Mariposa House is scheduled, please contact Deb.
Women’s Homelessness Initiative
Ginni, Sharon, and Mary attended the Saint Francis Center PATH (Positive Action Towards Housing) Fundraiser on Thursday, May 14, at the invitation of Diana Flahive, Director of the Women’s Homelessness Initiative. As you know from Diana’s presentation last fall, the women WHI serves receive valuable services during the daytime hours from the St. Francis Center. We learned at the luncheon that St. John’s Cathedral has donated land to build 50 units to house the homeless in Denver. Over 400 people attended the luncheon, more than one half from the churches, synagogues, and other supporters of WHI.
Excelsior Youth Center
On Thursday, May 7, 2015 we hosted our first month’s activity with Genesis Cottage. Sequoia Cottage was closed in April, so we are continuing our service in the new cottage. Barbara and Carla introduced ourselves to the students and staff. We talked about Zonta, our mission in the local community and how Zonta is involved throughout the world helping women and children. There are 17 girls at this cottage and at least one student was from the Sequoia Cottage. We are excited to be at a new cottage with new students and staff. The activities will continue to be at the Teen Center. The activity that night was to get to know the girls by decorating flowers and butterflies for the theme “April Showers Bring May Flowers”. It was also a time to celebrate Mother’s Day or recognize an important person in their life that made a difference. Some of the girls took time to personalize those flowers and butterflies for their mother’s or friends. It was quite touching. These students received their first homemade goodies from Carla who provided chocolate chip cookies along with Rice Krispie treats and soda. The June activity will be watercoloring.
Freedom Service Dogs
Coming Soon–Graduation – Saturday, June 6th @ Hampden Hall @ 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Communications Review
Our Communications Committee accomplished most of the things on its To Do List this year.
• Updated the brochure and will have some for each member at the May meeting.
• Published the monthly President’s letter and newsletter on our website.
• Wrote articles to each of the agencies that received grants from us to use on their websites or Facebook.
• Continued our meeting announcement in Your Hub.
• Printed table posters to display at events.
• Participated in the Amelia Earhart luncheon by sending articles to our fellows’ newspaper and university newsletter.
• Submitted articles about our three teacher grant award winners to their school district websites.
• Updated website: PayPal button, big events on home page, fund raising pages including plant and confections sales sheets and gold tournament registration forms, focus on member, and calendar.
Thank you to Terri who has been our website leader for years and always comes through, to JoAnn for stepping up and taking on the newsletter and learning to update the website, to Jean for keeping our calendar up-to-date, and to Robin Neal, our website designer for her continued support. We left some things to do for the next year but are proud of the work we did this year!