The Zonta Club of Jamestown recently received a letter of congratulations from Sonja Honig Schough, Zonta International President 2016-2018, on its 95th anniversary.

Chartered on Nov. 17, 1921, Zonta Club of Jamestown was the 12th of 1,200 chapters created internationally. Much like Rotary International, Zonta is a service organization spanning the world in 67 different countries, with more than 30,000 members.

Zonta’s mission is to “empower women through service and advocacy.” The club gives money, time and talent to local programs and organizations that help women and girls in a supportive environment. Programs supported by Zonta: include The Princess Club, Boys & Girls Club, the Girl Scouts, YWCA TEAM, Chautauqua Striders, Child Advocacy Program (CAP), Salvation Army Anew Center, Birdie-Turner Home, Prendergast Library and Chautauqua Adult Daycare.

Zonta Club of Jamestown traces its beginnings to 1921 when an Albany Zontian visited the Jamestown City Clerk’s office, staffed by Mary Bargar. Together with Marjorie Allen, a reporter for the Jamestown Morning Post, they discussed the possibility of establishing a club in Jamestown. On Nov. 17, 1921, four women from Buffalo, including Marian de Forest, Zonta’s founder, completed the final arrangements.

Two years after the original nine clubs united, 19 women signed the Charter 12 and, before the year ended, 25 new members joined. Marjorie Allen was elected the club’s first president. Weekly Wednesday meetings were often held at the Samuel Hotel. To the meetings, Zonta invited many well known community speakers including: the Honorable Robert H. Jackson, Dr. Arthur Bestor of Chautauqua, Mayor Samuel Carlson, and Edith Ainge, who was jailed for picketing the White House for Women’s Suffrage.

Through the years, Zonta Club has hosted luncheons at Chautauqua Institution with former heads of CARE, International; Yakina Zakoobi, controversial young women’s school builder from Afghanistan; the Reverend Joan Brown Campbell, formerly of Chautauqua Institution, and more!

Having a history of opening and supporting local programs, Zonta is credited with starting Girl Scouts in the Jamestown area, as well as the Jamestown version of the Girls Club. Recently, Zonta contributed financially to the new Blackwell Chapel Baby Cafe housed in the Water Street Gateway Center.

“I have been a member of the Zonta Club of Jamestown for 24 years,” said Marcia Carlson-Bliss, a longtime member. “It has brought me so much joy, life time friendships, fun times, satisfaction in accomplishing community projects and feeling of giving to others. I have also been able to travel to many places that I would not otherwise , while attending seven Zonta International Conventions. I have been to Hawaii, New York City, Texas, Sweden and the Netherlands to name a few of the travels. This allowed me to meet women from around the world and learn many things about their countries and cultures. Zonta means a lot to me and has been instrumental in my growth as a person and professional. I have had the chance to hold many offices at the local and District levels and enjoyed the opportunity to serve.”

“I was looking for an organization that was service oriented, focused on women’s issues and had a very strong positive energy to accomplish these goals,” said Kathy Steadman, a new Zonta Club member. “After attending one Zonta meeting I knew I had found what I was looking for in the Zonta club of Jamestown. Like minded, impassioned, intelligent and very positive local women from all walks of life and educational backgrounds with a common goal … to share their energy to make a positive impact on the lives of women not only locally but internationally.”

The Zonta Club of Jamestown most recently launched a community project in 2010 called “Lily’s Hope.” “Lily’s Hope” is a resource for women in the area experiencing hair loss due to any medical condition. Woman can receive a head covering and other assorted items, free of charge. The wig room is located at WCA Hospitals Cancer Treatment Center on Glasgow Avenue in Jamestown.

“I had moved away from my hometown of Jamestown, N.Y., for 43 years and came back once I had retired,” said Bonnie Rappole, Zonta Club member. “Zonta has been an excellent way for me to learn of local needs, and also those of my sisters all over the world. I look forward to helping and to continue learning.”

Sonja Honig Schough, International President of Zonta wrote in her congratulatory letter, “..let us continue to be the leading advocate for women’s rights and ensure equality and a life free of violence for all women.”

For more information about the Zonta Club of Jamestown, visit www.ZontaJamestown.org, “like” its Facebook community page or see it on Twitter @ZontaJamestown.