President’s Monthly Letter

February is a time filled with so many feelings… Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day so “love is in the air”, they say. But it is also a time I start to feel the doldrums of the long winter, and the frustration of knowing that spring is probably just as the ground hog says, 6 weeks away (in Colorado maybe even more). I am one of those people who seeks sunshine during the winter but when I reflect, I realize that I do find those rays of light in so many places besides the Colorado sky.

One of those rays is taking a long “vacation” from our Zonta family this month. Christie Maurais, who has been a member of our club since 2010, is moving to Boston to be closer to her growing grandchildren and with her move comes a Boulder celebration of all the lives she has touched here. Christie has worn so many hats for our club. The unflappable treasurer for more years than she wants to count, a member of the fundraising committee, Co-chair of the EducateZ Committee but perhaps most importantly, not only to Christie and our club, but also to more than 30 young women who look to her as their friend and mentor, she has been the chair, den mother, “cat-herder” and compassionate mentor to our Flatirons Golden Z Club.

At our recent Golden Z Advisory Board meeting we looked back at all of the accomplishments of our always evolving group of college-aged women and it is amazing; we had forgotten how many wonderful things we had all shared together. We will be taking a little trip down memory lane at our meeting this coming week as we wish Christie safe travels. We won’t be saying “good bye” because we will make her come back! Just a “thank you” now, for being that ray of sunshine that everyone (and most definitely me!!) counts on. We will miss you.

— Pam

IMPORTANT DATES

Zonta International Strategic Planning Member Survey Webinar - Wednesday, February 8, 9:00 AM MST, Register Here or 3:00 PM CMST, Register Here. (Read about the survey in this year’s ZI Annual Report.)

Zing Talent Selection Party - Saturday, February 18, 3 pm-6 pm. It’s a lot of fun to view the talent videos that are submitted and cast our votes. Join us at Tommie’s house in Boulder. The address has been emailed to all members. Bring hors d’oeuvres to share. Drinks provided.   RSVP at tatanasof@aol.com by Wednesday February 15th.

Panthez Z Club - Resume Writing on Tuesday February 6, Boulder Mental Health Partners speaks about Health and Selfcare on Tuesday February 14, Google Tour on Tuesday, February 29.

Board Meeting - Thursday, March 2, 7:00 - 8:30 pm Via zoom. All members welcome. ( https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84873213280 )

Commission on the Status of Women - March 15-26 The sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations NY Headquarters.  
Members can register here for the NGO CSW Forum. Registration is free. ZI will also host a virtual CSW Orientation on Thursday, 23 February, at 9:00 a.m. for all in person and virtual Zonta attendees. Please register in advance here.

Zing for Zonta: Boulder’s Got Talent - Friday, March 31, 6:00 pm The Dairy Arts Center

FLASH NEWS

This year the Service Committee has received four nominations and voting will be conducted next week on line. (Be on the lookout for the email.) The winner will be invited to our March 9th business meeting to receive the award. We will deliver a yellow rose to all of our nominees on International Women’s Day.

Check out the UN Tools on our Zonta International web site for more information and read Zonta International's statement to the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67).

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Membership

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

They shared their challenges and successes, talked about course selection, social life, picking a major and most of all handling the transition from BHS to a college campus. Thank you to our young leaders!

and rewards and the education path for each. Their presentation was informative and the students questions very powerful!

President and Vice President) to look at the past and think ahead to the future of our Golden Z Club. You will hear a short presentation of their findings at our February business meeting.

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

FUNDRAISING Committee

For silent auction donations, please write down the name, address, contact information, estimated value along with what was donated and give to Marta.

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

Educatez Scholarship Committee

The scholarships we will work on first are listed below. Please contact Michelle Médal if you are interested in being on one of these committees. You can learn more about our scholarships on our website at:  https://www.zontafoothills.org/scholarships

We are planning to shorten the application to make it easier for people to apply. The D12 deadline is August 15th, so we will determine our deadline (spring or summer) so it best aligns with the academic year. Our club awards $2,000 to one winner, and the D12 winner will now get $6,000 ($1,000 from D12 and $5,000 from ZI)! 

Thanks to Ann Hodgson for serving as our D12 Amelia Earhart Coordinator this biennium. It was very exciting to meet this year's fellow from CU Boulder a couple weeks ago. 

We would appreciate hearing from you, especially if you want to help with the YWPA Scholarship! Please let us know if you have any questions! Thanks in advance for your participation! 

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

The Advocacy Committee

Some members signed up last year, but don’t seem to be getting the Alerts. This is the easiest and one of the most impactful things you can do to as an Advocate for women and girls. The USA Caucus is really trying to get all of our members across the country to participate. With many voices we are POWERFUL.

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

It will be held on Feb 25, 2023 10:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

This session of the think tank will feature District 12’s Elizabeth Whitham, a retired educator who taught college students specializing in economics, management, marketing and business courses. She currently works on www.econogal.com, which offers a variety of topics from book reviews to travel as well as home and garden posts. Elizabeth joined Zonta International in 1993. A member of the Zonta Club of Prowers County, she currently serves as the District 12, Area 4 director. REGISTER HERE

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

Other Points of Interest

Incontinence Products and Diapers means absorbent cloth or disposable products worn by humans who are incapable of, or have difficulty, controlling their bladder or bowel movements, and,
 
Menstrual Care Products means products that are designed to absorb or contain menstrual flow.  Menstrual care products include, without limitation, tampons, menstrual pads, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, menstrual sponges, menstrual undergarments, and menstrual cups.
 
Retailers are encouraged to make the appropriate changes to their point-of-sale systems to avoid City of Boulder sales tax collection on these items as of the effective date.  Sales of these products should be included in “Gross Sales and Services” and then reflected in the “Other Deductions” section of the sales and use tax return with an appropriate description for their deduction from taxable sales.  If taxes are collected in error after the effective date of the exemption, the tax is required to be remitted to the City of Boulder on a retailer’s regular tax return. 
 
For questions related to City of Boulder taxes, please visit Sales and Use Tax | City of Boulder (bouldercolorado.gov) or contact staff at salestax@bouldercolorado.gov.

From President JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

For 30 years, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has given American workers the right to take time to care for themselves and their loved ones without losing their jobs.  When President Clinton signed it into law on February 5, 1993, I was proud to have fought for it as a United States Senator alongside tenacious advocates and Members of Congress.

Before its passage, parents were not guaranteed time off for staying home with a newborn or sick child, and workers could lose their health insurance for taking leave to fight an illness.  The FMLA ended that for millions of Americans, guaranteeing up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually to care for a spouse, a parent, a child, or themselves, and preserving their jobs until they returned.  The law has given countless Americans peace of mind in their toughest moments.  It has made workplaces fairer and healthier.  And it has made it easier for millions of women — who still disproportionately shoulder caregiving responsibilities — to remain in the workforce, benefitting our whole economy.

But it is not enough to just protect people’s jobs; we must also protect their paychecks so every American worker can afford to be there for their loved ones.  The COVID-19 pandemic made this even more obvious.  The United States is one of the only countries in the world that does not provide paid leave to its workers, undermining the health and economic security of families and our Nation.  As millions more Americans join today’s so-called “sandwich generation,” struggling to care for both young kids and aging parents, we need to help.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROCLAMATION