President’s Monthly Letter

“You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things.”

— Mother Teresa

March Went Out Like a Lioness!

March went out with a roar as we all joined forces to host what was one of the most successful Zing for Zonta: Boulder’s Got Talent ever. It’s all because we were like a pride of lionesses, working together towards our mission of protecting women and girls. Even our Z Club and Golden Z Club members pitched in, learning about what we do and wanting to give back. What an amazing month of March... it went out like a lioness.

It was such an honor to see a hard-working and committed Fund Raising team plan everything from the venue and sponsorships to the talent and PR. The work began some months ago but since mid-February we have been on a roll. Selecting talent, planning the show, and getting all of the little details taken care of. Thank you everyone for lending your hand by donating silent auction baskets, buying tickets and contributing your time on the day of the event. We will be sharing the final totals soon but suffice it to say that we couldn’t have done it without all of you.

And while all of this was going on, our Service Committee supported our Pantherz Z Club community service drive and helped deliver 340 pounds of sanitary products and diapers to EFFA. Our Advocacy Committee continued to work with the Women’s Collaborative of Boulder County to track and endorse bills currently before our Colorado legislature that impact women and girls. Our Educatez Scholarship Committee selected an outstanding YWPA winner who will surely be a contender at the district and ZI levels! Our Membership Committee hosted our March business meeting which had a great turn out and now they are getting ready for our upcoming April meeting and May Zappy Hour! Finally, the Educatez Committee kept our Z Clubs humming along as we near the end of another academic year and graduations!

Yes, we all joined forces applying our individual talents and doing great things TOGETHER!

Now we look to the future. This year’s fund raising has given us opportunities for next year like never before and it is critical that we all think about how we envision our club using our funds and our talents to continue Building a Better World for Women and Girls. Our upcoming meeting will begin that discussion. I know that we will work together to build our Educatez scholarships and leadership programs, our advocacy and service work, our membership and perhaps most importantly our sisterhood. We are only as impactful building lives for other women and girls as we are in supporting one another.

I am grateful for you all and I offer a big “thank you” to our Zonta Foothills pride…we are a group of proud lionesses who made the month of March truly special.

— Pam

IMPORTANT DATES

**April Business Meeting** **- Thursday, April 13, 6:00-7:30 pm**

Location: Office of the Boulder County Democrats 5735 Arapahoe Ave #A1, Boulder, CO 80303.
Directions to April Meeting location

NOTE ONE TIME CHANGE OF VENUE (Valmont location could not accommodate us this month so we have found an alternate location at no charge to us. The Boulder County Democrats donate their space for use by non-profits.)

PLEASE RSVP HERE SO WE CAN RESERVE FOOD

Board Meeting - Wednesday, April 12 at 4 pm (Via zoom - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84873213280 ) All Members welcome.

Take Back the Night - Thursday, April 20th 4:00 - 6:00 pm Front Range Community College Event to raise awareness of Sexual Assault. (See flier below.) Our own Amy Bonomi will be the key note speaker. 2190 Miller Drive, Longmont, CO 80501 See map & directions.

Canine Classic - Moving to End Sexual Assault (MESA) FUNd Raiser, Saturday, April 29. 9 am. See information below for registration.

Zappy Hour - Thursday, May 4th at 6 pm. At Pam Malzbender’s House. Invite your friends to help us celebrate our club and to learn more about joining our great sisterhood.

Business Meeting - Thursday, May 11, 6-7:30 pm. in-person at Valmont Presbyterian Church 3262 61st St., Boulder, CO 80301. Induction of Officers, Celebration of our graduates and scholarship recipients.

“Beyond Bianary” Workshop - Tuesday, May 23, 6 PM co-hosted by our Advocacy Committee with Boulder’s Social Venture Partners. Open to all club members. Location TBD.

66th Zonta District 12 Conference - (Save the Date) September 15-17, Laramie, Wyoming

April Business Meeting -

Zonta Foothills Member Survey

Our April business meeting will be a important time to get together and do some important member business. First we will update you on Zing! (Bring the champagne.) We also will be discussing input from our club membership survey and talk about strategies for implementing some of the great input you provided.

We will also be visited by District 12 Governor Bridget Masters who will speak briefly about our international projects which will help guide our club vote on our Advocacy Committee’s recommendations for 2023 International funding allocations.

Finally, we will vote on the 2023-24 slate of officers for the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County. This will be a very important meeting for us all so please plan to attend.

FLASH NEWS

**Zing for Zonta Golden Rose Winners Alchemy of Movement**

FUNDRAISING Committee

Zing For Zonta…WOW!

**Congratulations everyone**, we did it! Zing was a success. Our performers, judges and emcee were all wonderful and together with your support they helped us break records.
A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Michelle Medal for her work on the video and to Pam Malzbender for the pre-show slides, all the forms, fliers, programs, social media plugs, emails and PR. We couldn't have done this without them. Another thank you goes out to Cam, Michelle Medal’s friend, who was our photographer at Zing. **Check our some of her wonderful** **photos here**.

Thanks to you all. Our committees really stepped up putting together baskets for our successful silent auction, we sold our Africa trip for $1,625, our Live Auction Zonta Zany Zhefs brought in $1,350 and our online voting and audience voting surpassed every previous year.

In case you missed it, our Golden Rose 1st Place Winner was Alchemy of Movement, a Boulder-based dance and fitness class “Deep Dive” from a choreography series called “Woman Up!” combining empowering messages and strong female artists. Our Silver Rose 2nd Place winner was Lisa Selle, a singer, composer, guitar player and singer. Congratulations to all of the performers who helped us put together a fabulous show.

We only have a preliminary report of the proceeds from Zing, but when the final numbers are available we will share them with everyone!

Thank you Zonta Foothills Team.

The FUNd Raising Committee - Marta Lindrose, Kathy Israelson, Colleen Farrell, Tommie Atanasoff and Catherine Médal

Just a few photos of our Zontians in Action!!

Membership

Zappy Hour

Some of our longstanding members may remember Zappy Hours from the “old days”. It’s basically a celebration of our club with perspective members and friends so that they can share in our excitement and maybe even become interested in joining. On Thursday, May 4 at 6 pm the the membership committee will host a Zappy Hour 2023.
We hope that **every member** will join us and bring a friend or two! We will celebrate our amazing year and look to the future.

It is all part of the ZI “Add Your Voice Campaign” which runs from April 1- May 31. …Learn more here from our Zonta International President, Ute Scholz.

The Membership Committee - Colleen Yuskevich, Catherine Médal, Amanda Elsnes, Betty Cox, Jan Cheney

Catherine ROCKS!

Marta Lindrose passed the rock to Catherine Médal who was a force behind the success of Zing. Single handedly she helped to raise over $4000 in sponsorships for our event.
Thank you Catherine!

The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Zonta

Excerpted from Zonta International Newsletter:
The Greater Diversity Working Group is pleased to welcome Heidi Moore, the principal of Moore Urban Consulting, to share insights with Zonta members on what they can do to create a welcoming and inclusive club environment. In this session, participants will:

Recognize why diversity and inclusion are important to Zonta as an organization.

Understand the different aspects of diversity.
Consider what diversity may mean in their own club.
Learn some steps to take to create a more welcoming club environment.
Have the ability to ask questions of the committee and speaker.

Join us on 28 April for one of the two sessions. At Zonta, we believe that clubs that embrace diversity are more successful in reaching a wider audience, and when reaching a wider audience, we can go further in our mission to build a better world for women and girls.

Register here: April 28th at 8 am MT. Register here: April 28th at 4 pm MT.

Educatez Scholarship Committee

Meet our YWPA Winner

The Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County is honored to introduce our 2023 Young Woman in Public Affairs Award winner Julia Hunt. This award is presented annually to recognize a young women, between the ages 16-19, for their outstanding leadership, commitment to public service and civic causes, and passion for in public and political action.
A senior at Fairview High School (Boulder, Colorado), Julia is a co-founder of the Boulder Women’s March and over the last few years she has organized five marches, the largest with over two thousand attendees.

As the leader of her high school’s Young Democrats and Youth in Government clubs, she coordinates voter registration drives and other political engagement events. She is a representative on her school district’s Title IX Student Advisory Council and has served as a policy intern for Colorado State Representative Judy Amabile.

Julia plans to study history or political science at Columbia University and after college she hopes to work in government and someday run for office.

Congratulations Julia! We recognize you for the important contributions you have made to your community.

Please contact Michelle Médal if you are interested in being on a scholarship team. You can learn more about our scholarships on our website at: https://www.zontafoothills.org/scholarships

The EducateZ Scholarship Committee - Michelle Médal, Colleen Farrell, Jan Chaney, Kay Meyer, and Kim Prossner-Noonan

Amy Bonomi Inspired our Z Club

Our own Zonta Foothills member Amy Bonomi had the Z Club captivated at a recent meeting. She presented *“Romance and Popular Culture”* a discussion of how our gender roles and social interactions are influenced by popular culture, specifically music, movies and even

impressions left by Disney characters and other childhood favorites. One of our club juniors commented that after Amy’s visit that “…this is a conversation we should all have. We need to think about how we all treat one another.”

We hope to ask Amy to give this presentation sometime soon for both our Flatirons Golden Z Club and Zonta members.

Successful Diaper Drive for EFAA

Way to go for this very successful community service project! On the first day of spring break the Boulder High School Pantherz Z Club members and a group of Zonta Foothills Club members set up a collection station at each entrance of the North Boulder Safeway

and invited patrons to purchase diapers and feminine hygiene products. They handed out fliers explaining our drive for Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA).

Some of the Safeway customers preferred to give cash, so at the end of the day the Z Club shopped for another 2 carts full of additional products. Their final haul was a 340 pound delivery to EFAA!

Thank you to Ann Hodgson, Tommie Atanasoff, Gaby Lopez, Claudia Ibarra, and Marta Lindrose, who were there supporting the girls throughout the day. We couldn’t have done it without you. A big thank you to our Zonta members Sara Gillespie and Ranelle Randles for helping get the donations to EFAA despite cold snowy weather.

County Young Ranger Program

Melinda Markin, Ranger-Naturalist for the City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks visited the Z Club recently. Referred to us by our member Karla Trujillo, Melinda told the club about a fabulous summer program for Junior Rangers, The program if a change to work outdoors, learn about nature fire mitigation,

get CPR Certified and help our community all while getting paid. (Tommie, Marta and Pam all asked when they could apply to the Senior Ranger Program.…)

Selfcare - Yoga

On a warm and sunny afternoon the club met outside and participated in some Yoga moves and stretches. This class was instructed by Dee Marie, who is the Founder and Executive Director of Calming Kids and organization that supports social & emotional wellness, and mindfulness training through yoga practices that conducts classes throughout BVSD. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the calming lessons.

Books Going to EFFA and Community Foodshare

The Zonta Libraries are starting to get back to a “new normal”! Books are going out to EFAA and Community Fooodshare and we are looking to expend our reach. Thanks to everyone for helping us to collect books and a big thank you to our newest member Catherine Bailey who has volunteered to join the team and is even doing some community outreach to possibly launch a library in Longmont.
Our book distribution is helping families, Shari Mukundan, EFAA Food Bank Coordinator recently wrote to our club:

“To Everyone at Zonta - thank you! It's so wonderful to have this resource!”

If you would like to help with our libraries please contact Marta or Pam.

The EducateZ Committee - Marta Lindrose, Pam Malzbender, Christie Maurais, Tommie Atanasoff and Michelle Carpenter

The Advocacy Committee

Zonta Says NOW! Introduces New Icon and Web Pages

In April 2021, Zonta International published its **Statement on Climate Change: A Gender Equality Issue**.

This biennium, we set a goal to increase our efforts by seeking to add climate actions in context with gender justice to our international service projects, demonstrate how globally behavior in one part of the

world has a negative impact on other parts of the world, and support our clubs as they educate and raise their voices on this topic. Part of that work includes elevating the Zonta Says NOW to Gender-Equal Climate Action at the international level through the Zonta Says NOW Working Group. In October 2022, the Working Group launched an Intercontinental Think Tank with members from all continents to develop resources and host events to promote gender-equal climate action.

Fast Action Fridays!

Please make sure you are still signed up for Fast Action Fridays! **Here is the link.**

If they have already sponsored or co-sponsored the bill, you can send a message of thanks. Just click here.

Join Front Range Community College an Amy Bonomi as They “Take Back the Night”

Join Amy Bonomi at Front Range Community College. She will be speaking at their annual *Take Back the Night* event sponsored by the school’s Feminist Club to commemorate Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Take Back The Night is a national campaign that works to end all forms of sexual violence, including sexual assault, sexual abuse, trafficking, stalking, gender harassment, and relationship violence, and to support survivors in their healing journeys.

Amy will discuss Domestic Violence data in the general population and also its impact on indigenous communities. Join us!

The PR Committee would love to have volunteers to help at our Zonta table! Please contact Pam if you would like to help!

Participate in the Canine Classic

On Saturday, April 29th, 2023, MESA will host their 25th annual Canine Classic Fun Run & Walk from 9am-1pm at Harlow Platts Park in Boulder. It is a dog-friendly fun run and walk for participants of all ages. (A canine companion is welcomed but not required.) The event includes an expo with music, contests, food, beer, and fun activities, all to raise money for a great cause.

This is a unique event that helps to raise awareness during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April and benefits our partners at Moving to End Sexual Assault (MESA).

Let’s have a Zonta team. Registration is $35 per person.

The Advocacy Committee- Ranelle Randles, Sara Gillespie, Elizabeth Freedman, Amy Bonomi

Other Points of Interest

Thank you from Boulder Public Health (and Claudia Ibarra)

Special Note: Congratulations to our Golden Z Club Member and Z Club Mentor for completing a year-long internship with Boulder County Public Health and for her upcoming graduation from CU Denver! We are so proud of you.

Hello Zonta Foothills of Boulder County,

We are writing to extend our gratitude for your support of the Teen & Young Adult COVID-19 Vaccine Equity work completed over the several months with Boulder County Public Health. Many of you have helped to support our amazing group of youth staff and volunteers by re-posting youth-created social media content, providing opportunities for this group in community outreach, networking, and supporting two youth-designed, youth-led COVID-19 vaccination clinics. With your help, we were able to reach a significant portion of the population of 15–29-year-old folks in our communities where we see low vaccination rates. As the Teen & Young Adult COVID-19 Vaccine Equity project prepares to sunset on March 31, we wanted to share with you some of the successes of this group with the hope that it’s helpful for you in your work with teens and young adults.

Youth Guided Digital Ad Campaign- Youth partnered with a public relations firm to help create a digital ad campaign in both English and Spanish, playing on the concept of Fight the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). These ads continue to perform well on the youth-friendly platforms Tik-Tok, Snapchat, and Instagram.

Creation of Youth-Friendly Social Media Posts-Youth staff and volunteers partnered with BCPH communications staff to create and share posts with credible information to tackle COVID-19 misinformation, encourage COVID-19 vaccination, and to promote mental health resources and information.

Youth-led, Youth-designed Vaccine Clinics- From outreach to planning, our clinics were youth-led and designed. They helped select location, time, fun activities, and incentives to get their peers vaccinated. Youth staff and volunteers made the atmosphere fun and welcoming and greeted each guest at their welcome table. This was a great opportunity for growth and leadership of our staff and volunteers who received positive feedback everyone.

Youth Staff and Volunteer Education and Growth- Overall, this was an incredible learning opportunity for youth staff and volunteers. They learned a lot about SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 vaccination, community engagement and outreach, planning, and practicing leadership skills. Many of the youth are interested in healthcare or public health professions and had the opportunity to work with public health staff, mental health staff, community partners, as well as the public.

While this is just a sample of the outstanding work completed by this group of young adults, we’re so proud of everything they’ve accomplished and grateful for everything they’ve taught us about working in the teen and young adult space. We could not have such far reaching successes without the help of all of you, our community partners, and we look forward to continued work together in the future.

Warm regards, Claudia Ibarra

Pat Schroeder - Colorado’s Pioneer for Women

Colorado has produced so many national leaders who make us proud, but perhaps Pay Schroeder was the leader of the pack!! Pat passed away recently at the age of 80 and women around the world paid homage.

Representing Colorado's 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997, Schroeder was the second youngest woman ever elected to Congress at age 32. A force who changed role of women in government she was steadfast in her fight to create seats at the table. This is perhaps best exemplified by her response to author Rebecca Traister who explained that “People always asked her, How are you going to balance your work, your work as a politician and as a mom, because she had young children when she went, went to Congress. And she’d say, “I have a brain and a uterus, and they both work.”