The Zonta Club of Seguin observed Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) this April by having a club programs on Sex Trafficking Awareness, participating in local SAAM proclamations and sponsoring a production of “The Vagina Monologues” (fundraiser for Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter).

On 24 April, the club also participated in Denim Day, which is a call for an end to sexual violence, responding to an Italian Supreme Court overturning of a rape conviction in which the victim was said to have been a willing participant since she would of had to help the rapist remove her tight jeans.

Below is a photo taken at the Vagina Monologues of the presentation of a plaque to the club from the Gualdalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter in appreciation of our financial support during the year.

On 27 April, the Zonta Club of Trenton NJ, USA said NO to violence by organizing the 2013 Rape and Violence Eradication (RAVE) walk. 

In 2001, the Status of Women Service Committee conducted a community needs assessment, to plan a ZISVAW (Zonta International Strategies to Eradicate Violence Against Women) Project with an objective to reduce the incidence of violence against women and children by supporting local advocacy and violence prevention strategies. The intent of this project was to make a grassroots difference in the lives of those manipulated by domestic and sexual violence in Mercer County. 

Womanspace, a nonprofit organization providing counseling and services to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, was consulted about the needs of women in Mercer County.

After talking to various individuals about our project goals, Zonta members Christine Armenti and Gerry Caparotta visited with Lt. James Brady at the East Windsor Police Department and that meeting lead to an invitation to attend a meeting of the newly formed Domestic Violence Victims Response Team (DVVRT) volunteers.

The DVVRTs are partnerships between Womanspace, Municipal Police Departments and community volunteers. Trained community volunteers meet with victims of domestic violence/sexual assault after an abusive incident in specially equipped areas in municipal police stations. Womanspace trains the volunteers and volunteers provide victims and their children with emotional support and furnish community resources at the time of the violent incident or upon request.

New Jersey law requires that volunteers be available to victims of domestic violence. Mercer County has an active team in all 13 municipalities: East Windsor Township, Ewing Township, Hamilton Township, Hightstown Borough, Hopewell Borough and Township, Lawrence Township, Pennington Borough, Princeton Borough and Township, the City of Trenton, Washington Township and West Windsor Township.

The service committee initiated the first R.A.V.E. (Rape And Violence Eradication) Walk in October 2001 to support Womanspace and the Domestic Violence (& sexual assault) Victim Response Teams.

In 2004 the newly formed, Sexual Assault Support Services Advocates (SASSA) were also designated as beneficiaries of the annual RAVE Walk. In the last 7 years over $46,000 dollars was raised to support women and children victims of abuse in Mercer County.

To see more photos from the 2013 RAVE walk, please visit the Zonta Club of Trenton’s Facebook Page.

The Zonta Club of Charleston and YWCA recently co-hosted a “Women on the Move: Fight for Rights” night.

On 25 April,  the two organizations put together a panel to discuss women’s rights, civil rights, domestic violence, human trafficking and laws relating to violence against women. A short performance of a scene from “The Power of 1ne”, which chronicles the courage and contributions of civil rights trailblazer, Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer (performed by Donna Lee Williams) began the program.

The Zonta Club of Charleston hopes to tweak the panel and use it for future events to partner with other organizations.

The Zonta Club of Santiago-Chile took time to say NO while recognizing their “Woman of the Year” Maria Teresa Ruiz.

Many notable public figures were in attendance to recognize Ruiz, and were able to learn about the Zonta Says NO campaign at the ceremony.

Learn more about the Maria Teresa Ruiz’s accomplishments here: Zonta International Local Service and Advocacy.

Members stand near two new Zonta Says NO banners.

Two new “Zonta Says NO” banners, designed by the Area Director, were presented at the District 16 Area 2 Forum.

The impact on the day was huge.

The banners were later donated by the Area Director to her own Zonta Club of Wellington, and District 16.

To access these banners, please visit the Zonta Says NO! Campaign Tools page.

The Zonta Club of Perth Northern Suburbs Inc. raised funds for victims of domestic violence through the auction and sale of uniquely painted and decorated wooden ducks. Local identities, artists, sports people and others volunteered their time and skills to produce the birds.

The project was the brainchild of former member Dianne “Di” Bryant who lost her battle with cancer in 2011. Di, a member of the club for 21 years, was the instigator of many successful fundraising ventures within the club. She lived life to the full and was always mindful of the plight of those less fortunate than herself.

One of the club’s newer members, Fran Cramphorn, took on the role of Project Manager. The project made a net profit of $18,500 which will fund three four-day holiday camps for kids under the auspices of the Domestic Violence Children’s Counselling Service.

Local media coverage of Duck Project

The Zonta Club of Kankakee recently announced its new award, the Kathleen Savio Schooling You Deserve Scholarship, at its annual luncheon. The scholarship, named for the late Kathleen Savio, will give financial desperate women who are seeking higher education $500 yearly.

Sue Savio Domain, Kathleen’s sister, also spoke at the luncheon. She told the emotional story of Kathleen’s murder by her husband, former Bolingbrook, IL, police officer, Drew Peterson, and how the scholarship was something she always wanted since her sister’s murder.

The scholarship applicants must be residents of Kankakee County, and survivors of intimate partner abuse.

For more on this scholarship and Savio Domain’s speech, click here: Daily Journal

Zonta Club of Christchurch South Inc. held its 2nd White Ribbon Day Breakfast last November with guest speaker, Judge Jane McMeeken. Judge McMeeken spoke about her time with Domestic Violence cases and emphasized the need for education and prevention to end the cycle of abuse.

On Friday, 23 November 2012 the Zonta Club of Christchurch South Inc. held its 2nd White Ribbon Day Breakfast. Guest speaker, Judge Jane McMeeken, a family court judge, spoke with passion about her experiences with Domestic Violence cases and the need for education and intervention to break the cycle of abuse in so many families. 

The club also presented a cheque to Women’s Refuge for their “Safe at Home” project. This is a new initiative to help women and children remain in their home by changing locks, having better outside lighting, putting in an alarm system, creating safe rooms within the home etc. This allows women and children to stay in familiar surroundings, keep their friends and go to their normal school. It is the male that is removed from the home.

The Zonta Club of Christchurch South Inc. plans to hold a breakfast annually to raise funds and to raise awareness of White Ribbon Day and to show that they “Say No to Violence”.

The Zonta Club of Noosa has been continually working on four notable activities to fight violence against women in Australia: The Cooroy Family Support Center, the SHINE project, programs to support domestic violence victims and the White Ribbon Foundation.

The club has supported and funded the Cooroy Family Support Centre (CFSC) since its establishment in 1991. The Centre is a not-for-profit organization that provides affordable, and sometimes free, counseling to families in Queensland that are affected by domestic and family violence and other mental health issues.  As the needs of the community and use of the CFSC have increased, so has the donation of time and money from The Zonta Club of Noosa.

Another project, the Safe Homes in Noosa Everyday (SHINE) project, also focuses on helping women and families escape domestic and family violence through three safe houses.  These safe houses provide short-term emergency accommodation for women, a service that was not available until the start of this project. The Club has been part of the SHINE project since its creation and has remained involved within the project and its committee ever since.

The Zonta Club of Noosa has also backed several other programs to support domestic violence victims since the late 1990s. The latest program, the Discoveries Program, focuses on women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The Club has also helped fund Focus, a support and community liaison and education service, which aims to achieve community inclusion for individuals with a psychiatric disability and promote community development and education of mental health issues. In addition to providing funding for the programs, club members take hands-on responsibility for advertising the programs to the wider public in the greater Noosa area, allowing for greater Zonta visibility.

The Club also worked with the White Ribbon Foundation. This male-led campaign aims to prevent violence against women through the belief that most men are good and that good men detest such violence. The Club provides ongoing support to this campaign by organizing awareness-raising events, selling ribbons and wristbands and varied activities that involve the Noosa community.

To get more in-depth details about these projects, please click here: Zonta Says NO Noosa report on activities.

The Zonta Club of Punta del Este- Maldonado celebrated Women’s Day with a race against violence against women. It also was a fundraising activity for their “Zonta Advisory Centre for Women Victims of Domestic Violence”.

It was a beautiful sunny day that gave the opportunity to many people to get together in a healthy demonstration against violence.  The race was widely promoted in the media so it gave visibility to Zonta. Those that participated ranged from athletes to every day participants who ran or walked to demonstrate their commitment to the cause.

You can see more pictures at their Facebook profile: Zonta Club of Punta del Este