Our Mission:
Advancing the Status of Women

WHAT IS ZONTA?

• Zonta International is a worldwide service organization of executives in business and the professions working together to improve the status of women. There are approximately 34,000 members in more than 1,200 clubs in 71 countries. Membership is classified according to occupation.
• Founded in 1919 in Buffalo, New York, Zonta takes its name from a Sioux Indian word meaning "honest and trustworthy". Zontians volunteer their time, talents, skills, and energy to local and international service projects designed to advance the status of women.
• As one of the premier Non-Governmental Organizations(NGOs), Zonta International maintains consultative status with the following United Nations agencies: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); the International Labour Organisation (ILO); and the Council of Europe.
• Every two years Zonta holds an International Convention in a country where Zonta clubs are active. The 56th Zonta International Convention was held in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2002. The 2004 Convention was in New York City, and the Convention in 2006 was in Melbourne, Australia. The 59th Zonta International Convention will be held in 2008 in Rotterdam.

MEMBERSHIP IN ZONTA MEANS:

• Making a difference in the world today.
• Opening doors to friendships and associations with other executives. As an international organization Zonta provides the opportunity for cultivating relationships and networking with executives around the world.
• Belonging to an international network of executives and professionals representing a diversity of occupations and affording you a global perspective on women's issues.
• Sharing a commitment to enhance the status of women worldwide.
• Providing service to individuals and their families.
• Fundraising to support important service projects on the local and international level.
• Enriching your life personally as we pool talents to make the world a better place.

ZONTA INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECTS

• Zonta International selects service projects in various countries to benefit the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women around the world.
• Zonta International supports women's education through its Amelia Earhart Fellowship Awards for graduate study in aerospace-related sciences and engineering.
• The Young Women in Public Affairs Award, created to encourage young women to seek leadership positions in public policy.
• The Jane Klausman Women in Business Scholarships was established to encourage undergraduate women to enter careers and to seek leadership positions in business- related fields.
• For more than 50 years, Zonta International, in conjunction with various United Nations agencies, has provided financial support and technical assistance to women and children in developing countries.
• The Zonta International Strategies to Eradicate Violence Against Women and Children (ZISVAW) focuses on prevention, awareness and education, and develops innovative solutions to eliminate abuse against women and children.

The individual Zonta Club is the basic organizational unit of Zonta International. Clubs exist to promote the objectives of Zonta International, and to initiate, adopt, and implement policies and procedures to attain these ends in their own communities, and throughout the world. Zonta Clubs in District 1.

To learn about Zonta International, past and current Zonta International Service Projects, The Zonta Code, the International Convention, and more, visit the Zonta International web page.