Projects

Women Build 2012: Zonta Club of Bonita Springs Renovating Home For Deserving Mom

We are in the final stretch! The countdown has begun. If you have not yet made your donation please do so today so we can start the planning of this exciting renovation for a Bonita family!

You can make a big difference in the life of a local Mom by joining in and helping the Zonta Club of Bonita Springs, Inc. renovate a home for a deserving Bonita Springs woman as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build 2012.

Taking place the week of July 7-12, the Bonita Springs Club, along with other Zonta Clubs from our area, will join with hundreds of women from Southwest Florida to hammer, paint, sweep–whatever it takes–to renovate a home for this Mom in need who is working hard to raise her family.

“Our Club is dedicated to improving the lives of local women and while over the years we have donated thousands of dollars and countless service hours to projects helping local women, this effort by far will have the most profound, direct positive impact of any. Giving this Bonita Mom a safe, virtually new home will mean the world to her and provide a sound, stable foundation for a better future life for herself and her family,” says Patty Gift, Club President.

“But to make this dream come true, the Club needs help from the local community. We cannot do it ourselves. Our fundraising goal is $50,000 and if you can look into your heart and donate whatever you can afford, together we can put the life of this family on tract to a bright future,” says Ms. Gift.

To learn more about the project, make a donation and earn the right to volunteer to be a part of this effort, please visit http://habitat4humanity.donorpages.com/WomenBuild2012/Zonta/. You may also contact Ann Musselman, Chair of the Club’s UN-Service Initiatives Committee, who is leading this project at ann@golfexpress.org or 239-297-2926.

This is the second year in a row, Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties has sponsored the Women Build project, an effort to provide a deserving family with to safe, decent, affordable housing. Last year, 178 women contributed the funds and another 40 did the work to renovate a house. This year the organization hopes to provide three homes—two in Cape Coral and the one in Bonita Springs.

Girl Scout Luncheon

In June 2009, four Zonta volunteers, Melanie Dehon, Amy Scott, Renee Porter-Medley and our President, Y’Vonne Murray, participated in the Girl Scout mentoring luncheon, Linking Girls with Leaders, which we funded with a $2,000 grant awarded at last year’s Dessert Auction dinner. More pictures taken by the Girl Scouts are posted on our Facebook page and can be seen in the August newsletter.

For two hours, we shared lunch and discussions with about 30 girl scouts from Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The scouts ranged in age from 11 to 17. In addition, there were eight Girl Scout leaders who attended the lunch to observe and learn more about Zonta. We broke the group up into four smaller groups of seven or eight girls with one of the Zonta business leaders. The girls and leaders had 25 minutes to have a Q & A session about careers and life aspirations. At the end of the session, the Zonta leaders rotated to another table and repeated another session. Besides talking about education, budget, grades, income, expenses for different types of career paths, we also shared information about the mission of our Club and Zonta International.

The Scouts and the Scout leaders were very enthusiastic and had many questions for the Zonta leaders. The Zonta sisters found it to be very exciting and stimulating to talk to the teenagers and find out what kinds of dreams and aspirations they have.

Birthing Kit Project

Nola Theiss received the following email regarding receipt and use of the birthing kits.

Hi,

I am a Peace Corps volunteer in San Gaspar Ixchil, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, who received midwife kits from your group. They were such a blessing, and we are so appreciative here!

I am attaching a picture of the ladies with their kits. The women in the photo are all midwives. So far 11 kits in my village, San Gaspar Ixchil, Huehuetenango, are in use.

Thank you so much for your hard work and generousity.

Emily Anne Crawford

PCV Guatemala

San Gaspar Ixchil