District Announcements

Zonta Club of Phoenix Area Submits Winning Application for YWPA 2007 Recipient
Contributed by Rosemary Braxton, District 9 YWPA Committee

Touched by the medical challenges of her grandparents in the autumn of their lives Shruti Bala has committed herself to a career in international advocacy for universal health care. Her hopes are to improve health polices especially for poverty stricken individuals through bioscience and volunteer work.

Volunteer excellence is already evident in this young lady’s life. Shruti’s concern at a bewildering comment sparked her initiative in securing a $2500 grant that sponsored a successful district wide Youth Lead summit on diversity and bullying prevention for middle school children. Shruti believes the summit exemplified the importance of middle school youth empowerment and hopes to see that message transition to local high schools.

Her inspiration is Eleanor Roosevelt whom she quotes, “Do the things you think you cannot do.” In addition to the bullying prevention summit Shruti implemented two Parent Focus Groups on underage drinking. This was accomplished through her participation in the Governor’s Youth Commission that collected data on parental concerns. As Vice Chair of the Arizona Governor’s Youth Commission and as a volunteer research intern at the Center for Transitional Neurorehabilitation, Barrow Neurological Institute she has seen the correlation between traumatic brain injuries and underage drinking.

Following a 2004 summer vacation Shruti sat in awe of the tsunami devastation on the beach she strolled taking pictures with her father just two days before the tsunami struck. At home in Arizona Shruti founded an International Club at her high school to aid victims of the tsunami. The club also shares ethnic food, folk tales and student presentation on various countries.

One of the questions she ponders is “Is America ready for a woman president?” But her thoughts don’t rest there they extend to the status of women worldwide. Shruti believes the media can fuel passion for progressive change and she envisions political participation of women and girls that leads to success in the worldwide economic market.

As Shruti wrestles with the challenges of an up and coming generation we salute her dedication to civil rights, health care and the political potency of a new generation. Speranta Klees is Shruti’s high school counselor. Klees describes her as a mature, delightful student with an outstanding academic record (in a rigorous program) and in possession of impressive leadership qualities. Erin Hart from the Office of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano describes Shruti as the ideal student to be selected for the Young Women In Public Affairs Award. District 9 of Zonta International agrees.

Here is some information relating to the nominations for the next board (2008-2010). All files are in Word format unless otherwise noted.

Naomi's Letter to District Chairmen
Letter to Clubs & Area Seminar
D9 Nominating Committee Duties
Qualifications
Nomination Form
Governor Job Description (PDF)
Lt. Governor Responsibilities
Treasurer Job Description (PDF)
Area Director Responsibilities

District 9 Zonta Giving Goals for 2006-2008

Please pass along to each member in your club. Consider setting aside 10-15 minutes at your next club meeting for a discussion of our International Service projects and how local Zontians make a difference through their contributions. Information is available at www.zonta.org.

Thank you for your service to Zonta!
Joy Orlich, Foundation Ambassador

DISTRICT SERVICE PROJECT - CASA HOGAR
By Barbara Sisson, District Casa Hogar Liaison

Zonta’s relationship with the Casa Hogar orphanage and home for the elderly started in 1987 when the members of the Zonta Club of San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico took them on as their club project. Around 1998 Casa Hogar was adopted as a District 9 service project.

The orphanage and the seniors’ home are located in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, across the border from Yuma, Arizona. At any given time there may be as many as 45 girls living at the orphanage, and 22 adults at the seniors’ home. Neither the orphanage nor the seniors’ home receive any funding from the Mexican government, so there is an ongoing need for the basics such as food, clothing, shoes, school supplies, and non-prescription medications, as well as money to pay for necessary maintenance of the facilities and utilities.

Approximately six years ago members of the Zonta Club of Newport Harbor began making an annual pilgrimage to San Luis, taking necessary food and clothing to the homes. The members of the San Luis club usually provide a “wish list” of what is needed. Other clubs have also been supportive of this District Service Project, but Gov. Barbara White would like to see participation from all the clubs.

If distance prevents your club members from visiting the homes, consider making a donation. A Donation Transmittal form has been created for this purpose and can be found on under member materials under district forms. You will also find the Request / Acknowledgement form for use when requesting funds on behalf of Casa Teresa. The use of these forms will allow better tracking of donations and expenditures, and enable Cheryl to provide an accounting on an annual basis to all clubs in the District.

Lastly, Newport Harbor will be scheduling a trip to Casa Hogar in February or March. Advance notice of the date will be provided so that any interested club or individual members can join us, or make a donation in advance of the trip. Gov. Barbara is also planning to join us on the upcoming trip. If you have any questions, please contact me.