Zonta Club of the Pikes Peak Area kicked off the Zonta Says No campaign a few days early at the November 20th meeting of the club.  Held at the Colorado Springs Country Club, the group heard from Erica Laue from TESSA, the club’s local domestic violence and sexual assault agency.  Erica shared the current statistics from our community as well as fascinating research about how the brain develops and responds to traumatic events.  Members we

re encouraged to learn that a compassionate and supportive response can go a long way toward helping survivors heal.

Showing off their orange “Zonta Says No” bracelets, members committed to getting the word out to others during the upcoming 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.  The activity for the evening was a collection of products for use at the TESSA Safehouse to assist women, who are currently in residence seeking shelter from an abusive situation.

“Violence is not daily bread” : A strong slogan entrusted to the most symbolic food that comes to the table every day at home, where violence must remain outside, and is often covered by a wall of silence.

According to the Zonta Club of Saluzzo’s president, Alessandra Rinaudo, over 1,500 paper bags with the Zonta Says NO campaign information were given to all the bakers in the town. 

This action is meant to denounce domestic violence, create awareness, and above all, let women know that there are instruments and people ready to help women in difficulty. A woman who is experiencing this situation should know that there is a network ready to help her, and among these associations, is Zonta, said Club Vice President Nelly G. De Fazio.

The Zonta Club of Midland, MI (ZCOM) has planned three activities that support the Zonta Says No campaign, 25 November and the 16 days of Activism”

The joint session on “Human Trafficking in Michigan” held on Nov 19th in Midland, MI. The above photo shows members of the Zonta Club of Midland aglow in their orange attire. 

The joint session on “Human Trafficking in Michigan” held on Nov 19th in Midland, MI. The above photo shows the featured speakers; State Senator Judy Emmons and Midland Police Officer Dan Keeler. Also attached is the text from Midland Daily News article covering the event.

19 Nov – The local chapters of American Association of University Women (AAUW), League of Women Voters (LWV) and Zonta Club of Midland (ZCOM) are jointly hosting a session on “Human Trafficking in Michigan” at Northwood University (NU), Midland, MI.  MI State Senator Judy Emmons will speak at this public forum about this huge global criminal enterprise and the landmark 19-bill package recently announced in MI to combat this crime and support victims.  Leadership of our local police department will also be participating in the session.  ZCOM will be displaying a “Just Say No” banner, and members will be wearing orange along with the orange “Just Say No” wristbands.  We will address questions about the Campaign from the public.  Local media have been invited to cover the event.   ZCOM and NU have just been involved in chartering a Golden Z club at NU this fall.  The inaugural 8 members of the NU Golden Z club will join ZCOM in participating in this event.

Click here to see more about this event from the Midland Daily News.

“Lunafest” held Nov 22 in Midland, MI. The above photo shows members of the Zonta Club of Midland attending the event in their orange attire. We are standing next to a display for Shelterhouse, one of the local beneficiaries of the event. They received $50,000 from the proceeds and sponsorships of the Lunafest.

22 Nov –  Members of ZCOM will be attending “Lunafest” hosted by MATRIX:MIDLAND-Midland Center for the Arts and benefiting Shelterhouse, and the Breast Cancer Fund.  LUNAFEST is a traveling film festival by, for, and about women.  ZCOM members will be wearing orange and the orange “Zonta Says No” wristbands.  The event is sold out, and ~ 400 members of the public will be attending.   Shelterhouse is a local non-profit organization committed to provide safety, shelter, advocacy and counseling to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.  ZCOM commonly does service projects and advocacy with and provides financial support for Shelterhouse.

7-8 Dec – ZCOM will be hosting their 33rd annual “Homewalk”.  This is a significant community event and ZCOM’s largest annual fundraiser.  Close to 1,000 members of the community participate in this 2 day walk of homes decorated for the holidays.  A number of local companies and individuals are also financial sponsors of the event. Proceeds benefit the ZCOM scholarship fund, local service projects and contributions to ZIF.  ZCOM’s 70+ members plus some volunteers work the event and, for the first time, will wear the orange Zonta Says No wristbands to show solidarity for this Campaign.

The Zonta Club of Kitchener-Waterloo wanted to mark the 16 days in a way that might resonate with the community. Sixteen members of the Club are hoping to make a difference by speaking out on an aspect of violence against women and children that is particularly meaningful to them.

Make a sound that will be heard around the world: Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and Girls.

On Saturday, 25 November, from 10 am till 1 pm, the club laid a 20 meter-long red carpet in a well frequented arcade in town. Upon the carpet, the club placed 123 pairs of shoes, each representing a victim of domestic violence.

The initiative was welcomed with great interest on behalf of the passers-by. Television, press and representatives of the print-media were also present to make the action known throughout the province.

The club had large posters printed that were placed at the various bus stops and the exits of the motorways of their province from 25 November, the world day of “ NO TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN”, to the 10 December.

The Zonta Club of Verden hosted a screening of the movie “Festung” (fortress), which deals with the effects of domestic violence on women and children.

Representatives of the local women’s shelter and women’s counselling office appreciated Zonta’s efforts to fight violence against women. The donations of the evening will be used to help victims of domestic violence in Verden.

The Zonta Club of Geelong, (D23 Australia) was privileged to have Mr. John O’Brien, Industrial Relations Manager National Australia Bank, as it’s November dinner guest speaker. The club’s dinner was supporting the Zonta Says No and White Ribbon campaigns, working towards the elimination of men’s violence against women.

Mr. O’Brien gave insight into the NAB’s thoughts and reasoning behind their recent implementation of a Domestic Violence Support Policy for their 28,000 workers Australia wide. The policy supports staff members who may require time away from employment due to recovering from a physical attack, court appearances, moving premises, attending counselling etc. NAB has trained a dedicated team of staff who are able to deal directly with these staff members in a fully confidential manner. The policy was introduced in June of this year. The NAB are certainly the first bank, and one of the first major companies in Australia to introduce such a policy. Given the pervasiveness of domestic/family violence in Australia, it is hoped this lead will be further taken up by Australian employers.

D23 Governor Ann Horrocks also attended the dinner and spoke specifically about the Zonta Says No campaign. Area 4 Director Jane Adornetto also spoke about the ZISVAW programs.

(L-R) Maria Zaluski, ZC Geelong President; John O’Brien, National Australia Bank; Ann Horrocks, D23 Governor; Jane Adornetto, A4 Director.

On 23 November, the Zonta Club of Baden-Baden cooperated with their local youth forum, a sort of local parliament for young people in Baden-Baden. The campaign took place in the pedestrian zone of Baden-Baden. With no indication for the aim of the campaign, the group arranged 99 pairs of women’s orange shoes around a display showing an orange line growing for three minutes and ending in a loud woman´s cry and a picture “say no –sag nein”.

This intrigued many pedestrians, who asked clubs members “what do we say no to” or “why are there so many orange shoes”. This reaction sparked a conversation, which gave the opportunity to hand out information. The members were then able to explain that the shoes were symbols for the 99 women murdered in Germany in 2012, and that every three minutes in Germany a woman is raped.

Members said that they were really overwhelmed by the interest the people showed in this difficult subject. During the time from 1100 – 1700 the club had more than 500 conversations and discussions with women and men of all age groups, girls and boys and in different languages.

The members also say they were very proud of the girls and boys from the group they partnered with, who did not hesitate to talk to the people. They report feeling very grateful for this experience and the knowledge that so many women and men took their time on a cold Saturday afternoon to discuss and think and give their opinion on the subject of saying no to violence against women.

The club also showcased a banner that had the Zonta logo the words “Say no –Sag nein”. Members wore black t-shirts with the orange imprint “Say No –Sag Nein”.

For more information on Baden-Baden’s campaign, visit their website: http://www.zonta-baden-baden.de/navigation.htm (German)

(Photo: Heli Kurimo)

Zonta Club of Lohja Area, Finland (District 20) said NO to violence against women by floodlighting the Tytyri mining tower with orange color on 25 November. The 70-metre high tower of the Tytyri Mine is located in the centre of Lohja and is a central landmark that can be seen far in the surrounding city and residential areas.

The lighting of the tower was carried out in co-operation with Nordkalk Corporation, the owner of the limestone mine. The walls of the tower glowed orange for 24 hours.