Reflecting on the past few months…
Zonta Club of Northampton Area ~ May 2023 thru Jan. 2024
During this period, our small-yet-strong club was able to take major steps working together, empowering women and young girls in our region as well as well as nationwide.
Our Scholarship Committee, chaired by Jayma Hall, was very active. We awarded two scholarships: in May, YWPA award for $800 to a senior class student at St. Mary’s Catholic High School; and, later in July, STEM award for $800 to a graduate student at UMASS. Later in October, we invited our winners to a pizza party, together with an award winner from another District 1 club, who happened to be a graduate student at UMASS. We all enjoyed meeting these brilliant young women and hearing about their experiences and future dreams.
We all were very saddened by the loss of one of our long-time, much-loved member Lynn Goodhue, in November 2022. In her memory, the club wanted to organize a music event to raise funds for Lynn Goodhue Women in STEM scholarship. Although this was the first such fundraising event we had in quite a while, this event named Zonta Palooza, turned out to be very successful. It attracted over 70 local folks, who participated by paying an entry fee. We had two local bands well-known in our area, as well as raffles and a silent auction. The money raised is restricted to be used for STEM awards in coming years.
Following the flooding disaster caused by extraordinarily heavy rains, especially in Western MA, many farmers in our neighborhood suffered great losses. To learn more about the impacts of climate change, we invited representatives from three local farms, all run by women, to be our guest speakers in our November meeting. This turned out to be a very informative and lively meeting.
During this period, we continued sending birthday greetings to our members and flowers to those facing health issues. We continued having monthly meetings on the third Thursday of each month at the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton as well as providing Zoom connections. These meetings are announced on the District 1 calendar, as well as on our Facebook page and website. Our vice president, Verna Frasca, has taken the responsibility of keeping our internet connections up to date. We are always grateful to Mary Knight who is always there to assist us when we need any IT help.
Occasionally we organize some social get-togethers to bond and enjoy good times together. One such event was held the last week in December at a very popular eating place in Holyoke, Delaney House, to celebrate the Holidays. We had most of our members, their guests, some prior members, as well as other interested people, who joined this fun event.
Whenever we have special programs scheduled for some months, we reach out and announce them in local networks and papers to attract more people interested in Zonta’s mission. We also keep in touch with our prior members to keep them connected. We participate in District events, like the Fall Conference held in Nova Scotia, as well as area clubs holding special events. We all are committed to carrying out the mission of Zonta, staying and working together to empower women and girls worldwide.
Submitted respectfully,
Seren Derin
President, Zonta Club of Northampton Area
Over the years, we have scholarships for women and girls through Zonta International programs and Girls, Inc. of Holyoke. We have supported local and international advocacy and health programs such as Care Center, Cancer Connection, Men’s Resource Center, the Ghana Health Mission, and Jenna Project. We have also purchased a goat for a Haitian family or supported a Haitian family financially each of the past several years.
In recent years we have helped a number of local agencies that support local women, including Motherwoman postpartum groups, Care Center, Cancer Connection, Tapestry Health, Safe Passage, and the Marigold Fund.
We have been involved in various programs to eliminate domestic violence and human trafficking. We along with two other Zonta clubs in the valley coordinated a well-received, informative program, “Through the Eyes of a Child”, about the effects of domestic violence on children.
We have also provided awards and scholarships to area high school and college students through Zonta International program for Young Women in Public Affairs Award and the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship. In the past, we also funded scholarships through Girls Inc., and in our earlier history, scholarships to women returning to school after raising their families.
Our club also supports the many international service projects and educational programs of Zonta International by contributing some of our funds to the Zonta International Foundation
These programs also support work towards eliminating violence against women and human trafficking, pay inequity, and other ills that weigh heavily on women.
