Treasures of Zonta: Charting a Course For The Future: Memories of Zonta D3 Conference 2011 Solomons Island Maryland

Governor Lisa Fraser helps us to review the highlights of the Zonta Conference in Solomons Island Maryland. Zontians from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania convened to review the past year in service and work together to chart a course for the future. Fraser is proud that our District raised $11,000 to support the work of Zonta International Foundation. Kudos to Zonta Club of Charles County. Their club members did an amazing job hosting 140 members and guests.

Zonta International Liaison and Director Susanne von Bassewitz, of Dusseldorf Germany attended the ZI District 3 Conference. She notes, “Membership retention, development and growth at the local club level are essential today and vital to the organization’s ability to influence the status of women in the future.” Accordingly, the theme of this year’s conference was “Treasures of Zonta, Charting a Course for the Future” which signals our shared commitment to growing the organization. Increasing district 3’s membership and spotlighting the significant advocacy and service work Zonta International does around the world is our collective challenge.

We interview three treasures of Zonta:
Vicki Jones, President of Zonta Club of Baltimore ( Area 3), who shares with us her Zonta club's service project: members of Baltimore's club have started an innovative journal writing and theater program working primarily with women who attend Project PLASE- a transitional housing program for people lacking ample shelter and employment.
Mona Rowe President of Zonta Club of Peconic Bay chimes in about her club's members who are part of the large scientific community there. Mona tells of her clubs work to bridge the digital divide by running computing workshops at their local library. Sonya Phillips is the President of the Zonta Club of Hampton Roads and she lets us know how her club members roll up their sleeves to provide service to a local battered women's shelter in her community.

We remind listeners to visit the www.Zonta.org website now to learn about our important Amelia Earhart Fellowship applications due in November and we talk about two time winner Ria Pavnish Malhan Amelia Earhart Fellow 2010, and 2011
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We Need Women to Run

Watch this PBS To The Contrary clip. Linda Chavez moderates a panel on why its critical for women to run for public office

Click Here to Kick off The Zonta North-American Inter-District Conference with Joy Orlich

Tune in to Zonta Women's Community Radio this month as we raise the issue of the all too common practice of sexual assault at the workplace in the hotel industry. The stakes are high for all women workers, and this is not an issue that we can afford to continue to sweep under the rug.

Our spotlight is cast on Zonta International District 14. We are inspired by the Public Relations and Communications chair for D14 Ursula Werner, who wrote to us and let us know about the sale of Zonta for Japan stamps started by the Zonta Club of Bad Vibel (Zonta Clubtreffen imBad Vilbeler Golfclub Lindenhof e.V.Lindenhof, 61118 Bad Vilbel ) for 5 euros you can purchase these stamps and proceeds will benefit the Zonta Clubs in Japan. Ursula encourages us to visit their D14 website http://www.zonta-district14.org/, to find out more about this colorful district- which we did, thanks to Google Translator we understood!

Werner's Club Garmisch-Partenkirchen just celebrated the 50th anniversary of its charter. Especially interesting is Zonta Club of Bad Kissingen- Schweinfurt's innovative Friday afternoon 'Mädchen - Mädels – Girls' Program. Zonta members volunteer for 3 hours each week to mentor and provide interesting workshops on health and wellness, career exploration, and finance for girls age 12-16. http://www.zonta-kg-sw.de/ We hope to have them on the air soon.

We round up Joy Orlich who speaks us live from Reno Nevada, reno@zontadistrict9.org where she is co-chairing the Zonta North-American Inter-District Meeting at the Atlantis Casino Resort set to start June 3-5th . Joy and I talk about this year's theme: Building a Better Zonta, and what the club means to each of us. How important is it for Zonta to reach new audiences? Its do or die...

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Zonta Radio:Human Trafficking Report and a Call to Action

ZWCR commemorates International May Day 2011 by talking about labor, women's work and human trafficking. Human Trafficking involves the act of recruiting, transporting, transfering, harboring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them.

Zonta International identifies human trafficking as a global issue and has developed programs to increase awareness and advocate for legislation at local levels across its membership. At the 56th Zonta International Convention in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2002 , members adopted UN Protocol A/RES/55/25 and resolved to support the ratification of the resolution to eradicate trafficking in persons. Clubs across the globe work diligently to leverage support for legislation and take action in their communities.

On Zonta Women's Community Radio we speak on the air with Shelby French, Executive Director of the International Organization for Adolescents http://www.iofa.org/ in Chicago about their work creating Taskforces to eradicate trafficking on the local level. IOFA launches partnerships between law enforcement, community organizations, and social service agencies to combat human trafficking.

What can you do NOW? Support federal legislation like S. 596, the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011 and ask your Senators to co-sponsor the legislation. Ask businesses to sign onto “the Code,” an agreement by businesses to increase the protection of children from sex tourism. Read more about this issue and the UN's Blueheart campaign http://www.unodc.org/blueheart/en/about-us.html, and Join Zonta to work on this important issue in your community.

The Sacred and the Profane: Christina Chiu talks with Zonta about her work and her 2001 short story collection Troublemaker and Other Saints

Just have to get ahold of Christina Chiu's 2001 collection of short stories, Troublemaker and Other Saints, 2001 H.P. Putnam's Sons, NY http://www.amazon.com/Troublemaker-Other-Saints-Christina-Chiu/dp/0425183432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302113254&sr=8-1 . Chiu channels Flannery O'Conner in her converging and haunting modern shorts set in suburbia and Hong Kong here and now. She joins us today in the studio for a discussion as she prepares for the birth of her second child and works on her first novel (which we can't wait to read)

We share a story gathered first hand by International Rescue Committee's Sophia Mwangi http://www.rescue.org/blog/contributor/sophia-mwangi-0 on a woman making a difference in southern Sudan.

We also give the heads up on a new drug therapy being developed by Merck & Co. based on research conducted by Dr. Yibin Kang. Kang has uncovered the exact mechanism in breast cancer that lets traveling tumor cells disrupt normal bone growth in metatastic breast cancer. His work may put a roadblock in the formation of breast cancer cells spread to the bone by inhibiting an essential enzyme gamma secretase http://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/abstract/S1535-6108(10)00531-3?script=true