Zonta celebrates 100 years, receives proclamation from city
Zonta International celebrated 100 years of service Nov. 8, and the city of Santa Clarita honored the Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley for this milestone.
At a recent City Council meeting, the Zonta Club received a proclamation from the city. That night, the entrance to City Hall was lit with orange lights as part of the “Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women” campaign, which strives to transition from awareness to action.
“It looked pretty, and it was also (Zonta Club of SCV’s) 45th birthday, so that was really cool,” said Adele Macpherson, one of the foundation trustees and treasurer.
Macpherson, who has been a member for 30 years, said she joined Zonta Club because she believed in the mission.
“When Zonta International was formed in 1919, it was a different world for women then,” she added. “And, improving the lives of women and girls is something I have always believed in.”
In 1919, a small group of women in Buffalo, New York, came together to create Zonta International with a vision to help all women realize greater equality.
Since then, Zonta has worked to continue empowering women, raising more than $40.9 million nationwide since 1923, which has helped to fund numerous scholarships, grants and advocacy programs, including monthly LifeForward workshops as well as a girls’ robotics team to encourage interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
During the annual the “Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women” campaign, seven red dresses are put on display at locations across the city to represent the women’s lives who were lost to domestic violence in the Santa Clarita Valley in one year as part of the campaign’s Red Dress Project.
“It’s been really successful,” Macpherson added. “The dresses sort of sway in the wind, and the wind brings them back to life. People are attracted to the dresses, and we have education information we hand out to them, telling them not to be a bystander, be an upstander, and report domestic violence.”
The Red Dress Project is scheduled to begin 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1, at the Saugus Swap Meet, located on 22500 Soledad Canyon Road. For more information, visit scvzonta.org.