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Brainerd Zontians enter elections: Three members of our club have entered the races for various public offices. Laureen Borden, is running for her fifth, four year term as Crow Wing County Treasurer; Kathy Ludenia, is also running for re-election to a fifth term as Crow Wing county Recorder, and Lucy Nesheim, who has been active in local politics as President of the Brainerd City Council and chair of the Crow wing county board of Adjustment in addition to numerous civic and governmental boards, is seeking election to the Minnesota State House districe 12A legislative seat. Congratulations and best wishes to all! Sara Dunlap Named Foundation Director Sara Dunlap, director of Volunteer Services for St. Joseph's Medical Center, has accepted the position of Foundation Director for St. Joseph's Foundation. in addition to her current responsibilities she will work with the Foundation Board of Directors and review grant applications. Sara has many years of experience working in fundraising and with other nonprofit organizations. She has served on the CLC foundation board, Public Health nursing Advisory board, and the Crow Wing Power board. She also was chosen as Brainerd's Citizen of the Year. Sara has been an active member of the Zonta Club of Brainerd since 1983. Congratulations, Sara! Report on Zonta International Convention in Gothenburg Sweden by Marlene Larson, President: The 56th Biennial Zonta International Convention was held in Gothenburg, Sweden June 28th to July 4th, 2002. Marlene Larson, 2002-2003 Brainerd Area Zonta Club president, attended as a delegate. It is exciting to meet and visit with women from around the world. There was a buzz during our breaks with many different languages being spoken. Old friends meeting! New friendships forming! The Swedish clubs did a fine job of planning, executing and making us all feel welcome to this fine event. There were nearly 2200 attending this convention. The outgoing president, Mary McGee from Queensland, Australia conducted the meetings during the week. The culmination of the week was the installation of the 2002-2004 president, Margit Webjorn from Trosa, Sweden - a small town south of Stockholm. Also installed were the newly elected officers, directors and 31 governors from around the world. The focus this biennium will be "Advancing the Status of Women" which is our mission statement. Since 1919, Zonta members have worked to improve the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women throughout the world. This biennium, the generosity of Zontians, friends of the Zonta International Foundation and Zonta Clubs around the world made possible Foundation funding for:
The most powerful part of the entire convention was the reports of the International Service projects. Over 15,000 babies lives have been saved because of the Neonatal Tetanus elimination project in Nepal. $350,000 is being spent to educate the communities of the 6,000 women per day being affected by female Genital Circumcision in Bukina Faso. Another $395,000 is budgeted to work on eliminating violence against women in India. This will save many of the 120,000 women & girls being trafficked each year. (8/02) Spring Area Meeting hosted by Brainerd club: 34 Zontians were welcomed at the 2002 Spring Area Meeting for district 7, Area 3 which was hosted by our club on May 3rd and 4th. District 7 consists of the 7 Minnesota Clubs of Austin, Brainerd, Duluth, Mankato, Minneapolis, St. Cloud, St. Paul. Those attending included District 7 Governor, Cathi Christopherson, Bismark, ND; and Area 3 Director, Jo Catrysse, Mankato, MN. We held a hospitality evening on Friday, 5/3, at Ramada Inn. On Saturday, 5/4, we met at Central Lakes College for the day. The meeting opened with a welcome by the Brainerd Zonta Club President, Birgit Voeller. District Governor, Cathi Christopherson, presented information about the upcoming International Convention to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden June 28 to July 4th. She also informed everyone about the by-law changes to be presented. This convention will have about 2000 women attending from 62 countries around the world. Area Director, Jo Catrysse, gave each club representative an opportunity to give a review of their goals and successes from this past year. Each one told how they raised their service funds and what services they have given to their communities. The remainder of this meeting was in following the theme of Bringing Women's Issues to Life. This was done by presentations on health issues: Kathy Bahma's topic "Touching Your Heart", about life changes through transplants; Bonnie Cumberland's topic "Reaching Out", about her health progress as she fights breast cancer; Dr. Carol Munns' topic "Getting Back of Track", about weight loss, weight lifting, and exercise; and Kris Hasskamp's topic "Making Changes", about involvement with the political process with the Minnesota House of Representative and the changes she has made into the new 'arena' of stress management. Next year’s area meeting will be in Duluth. (5/02) Style Show Results: This year's Style Show "A Fashion Safari" netted a profit of almost $3,300! All proceeds will be donated to local organizations and projects as well as supporting Zonta International programs. A big thank you to everyone who worked on the show! (5/02) Zonta Featured: The Brainerd Zonta Club got a big splash of PR in the “2002 Women in Business” supplement to the Brainerd Dispatch which came out March 10th. The supplement was prepared to highlight the Women’s Expo, and showcased several local women who own or are executives at area businesses. The history of the Zonta Club of Brainerd was highlighted in a 1/3 page article which was great visibility for our club. A big thank you to member Shelly Trimble who worked on the Expo and also helped to get us the publicity. (4/02) Zontians help at Women's Expo: The first annual Women's Expo was held on Saturday, March 16th at Central Lakes College. Several Zontians participated in hostessing and welcoming activities. In addition to exhibit booths, several seminars were offered during the day on a variety of topics of interest to women. Our club may consider having a booth at a future expo depending on the cost involved.(4/02) Heart Month recognized: Kathy Bahma, local resident and a recipient of a heart transplant some five years ago spoke at our February Program meeting. She recounted her experiences both before and after the transplant, and how important it is to know the signs of heart attack and heart disease. Symptoms of heart attack can be quite different from the classic symptoms experienced by most men. Kathy's presentation was informative and inspiring. (02/02) Holiday Party at Madden's: Nineteen Zontians attended the annual Holiday party at Madden's Classic. In addition to a fine meal and good conversation, members raised $191 through a silent auction to benefit the Convention fund. Former Zontian Karen Heyn made glass Christmas ornaments with the Zonta Logo as table favors. )12/01) Holiday Projects and Service: Nine Brainerd area Zontians once again assisted the Salvation Army in it's annual holiday fundraising by ringing bells at the red kettle by K-Mart at the Westgate Mal on December 18th. Additionally, the service committee assembled and delivered 20 "shoeboxes" of toiletries and necessities to the women's shelter for distribution to arriving women in need. This is an ongoing project and a purse sized list of needed items has been distributed to club members to use in purchasing items for the boxes during the year. Cash donations can be made to the committee at anytime during the year to purchase items which are not donated. (12/01) State Senator Samuelson Speaks to Zonta: In spite of a very snowy day, 16 members filled our room at the Sawmill Inn at the November program meeting to hear State Senator Don Samuelson give us his legislative update. Many good questions were asked by the group with discussions ranging from education and taxes to legalized gambling. Lucy Nesheim provided the introduction and noted that the Senator has been instrumental in establishing state funding for programs such as the Women’s Shelter, Foster Grandparents, and for Central Lakes College. Thank you, Lucy for arranging the Senator’s appearance. June Persons Inducted to Broadcasters Hall of Fame: Long time local radio personality and Brainerd Zontian, June Persons, was inducted last month into the Museum of Broadcasting’s Hall of Fame. Stories covering her accomplishments over the years were carried in the Brainerd Dispatch. Additionally, last month she was highlighted in the Dispatch as a volunteer who participates in a mentor in a telephone reading program for Baxter Elementary School students. Our congratulations to June for her contributions to radio, and to improving the quality of life for people in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Her willingness to continue to volunteer her time and talents for others is a model that we should all follow. Thank you June, for being a role model for us all.(11/01) Carol Munns Elected Area 3 Director: Club past president Carol Munns was elected Area 3 Director at the District 7 Conference held last month in Fargo. Carol's two year term will begin in July 2002 after the International Convention Gothenburg Sweden. As area director she will attend club meetings for each club in Area 3, which represents the state of Minnesota, and attend all district and area meetings as well. Go to the press release page for more information. (11/01) Coya Knutson Play Supported: Club members at the September business meeting donated in excess of $150 towards underwriting the production of a one-woman play on the life of Coya Knutson. Coya Knutson was the first and only woman to serve in the U.S. congress from Minnesota. The play will be presented at 3 and 7 p.m. on October 9th at Central Lakes College (9/01) Thank You Letters Received: Thank you letters were received in July for donations made from monies raised from the annual style show. Port Group Homes will use their donation to take the girls on an outing to Duluth to visit the Glensheen Mansion, the Maritime Museum, and the Great Lakes Aquarium. Many of these girls have never taken family vacations or day trips, so this is a special treat. The Women's Center of Mid-Minnesota wrote that they will use our donation to replace a living room chair, as their furniture gets a lot of use from the many battered women and children who use the shelter every year. Thank you letters from Zonta International were also received.(9/01) Project Haiti to be Supported: The Finance Committee recommended donating $500 from the style show proceeds to Project Haiti. This donation will pay the salary for one teacher for one year, and generate a matching grant for the salary of a second teacher for one year. Members enthusiastically approved the recommendation at the June Business Meeting. Subsequently, we were notified in September, that funding a teacher is difficult, but that we could use the money to fund a one year's tuition for five girls @ $100 each. Haiti does not have government sponsored education, so tuition payment is required for any education at all. Club members voted to support the change in designation. (6/01), (9/01) Style Show Results: The April Style Show netted a profit of $3,907 - within $2 of last year's profit! As a result, our $10,000 scholarship fund at Central Lakes College will now be fully endowed! A big thank you to everyone who worked on the show! (6/01) Annual Meeting Held: The Annual Meeting was held May 17th at Sherwood Forest and was a delightful evening. Seventeen members and one guest enjoyed a wonderful meal in charming surroundings. During the meeting, new officers were installed, along with two new members. The silent auction, raised $251 which will go toward our Conference Account. (6/01) Books Donated to Honor Dr. Longfellow: Fifteen children's books were donated to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd to honor Dr. Helen Longfellow who recently retired from her more than 45 years of service in the Zonta Club of Brainerd. Funds for the purchase were donated in her honor at the December Holiday Party. (4/01) Rave Reviews from NASA: Following the Teleconference on Career Opportunities with Michelle Brekke, we received a Thank-you note from NASA which said "The students were an absolute delight and very well prepared" Twelve 8th and 9th grade young women participated in the teleconference, with Zonta members and school staff observing. Thanks to our President, Dr. Carol Munns for arranging this event and for bringing this truly successful learning experience to fruition.(3/01) Michelle Brekke to speak to Brainerd Zontians: Club president Dr. Carol Munns has arranged a teleconference with Michelle Brekke for the February Program Meeting. Ms. Brekke was a keynote speaker a the Zonta International convention this summer in Hawaii, and is NASA's Flight Manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston. She is a past recipient of the Amelia Earhart Scholarship and is on a short list to become an astronaut. The teleconference will be held at Mississippi Horizons School on February 21st at 11:45 a.m. Also participating in the teleconference will be 9th grade girls from the school excelling in math and science. Reservations are required by February 14th. Call Carol Munns to arrange.(2/01) Holiday Party Honors Dr. Longfellow: Twenty one Zontians attended the annual Holiday party at the Nisswa Grille. Dr. Helen Longfellow was honored at the event as the only remaining charter member who has continued to be active in the Brainerd Zonta Club since it was founded in 1954. Since literacy has always been a favorite interest of hers, donations were received to purchase children's books to be placed the St. Joseph's Hospital Pediatric Ward in honor of Dr. Longfellow. Dr. Longfellow recently retired from active membership in our club.(12/00) New District Governor Named: Cathi Christopherson, a member of the Bismarck N.D. Zonta Club has been named Governor of District Seven. She will be publishing a District Newsletter featuring news of important club events and activities. (11/00) Dr. Helen Longfellow- Charter member resigns from Zonta: Dr. Helen Longfellow was one of the charter members and the first vice president of the Brainerd Area Zonta Club way back in 1954. She has decided to resign after 46 years of active membership. She is a great lady and will be greatly missed. Thank you, Dr. Longfellow for your many years of service. (8/00) Report on Zonta International Hawaii Convention (July 8-13,2000-from Dr. Carol Munns, club president): Lois Laurence and I recently returned from attending the 55th International Zonta Convention in Hawaii. It was truly a marvelous and inspiring experience to join with over 2000 Zontians (71 countries) from all over the world, many attired in their native dress. We took many pictures which we will share with you at a later meeting. Kay Cottee's keynote address was outstanding. Kay was the first woman to sail around the world unassisted. We heard from Michelle Brekke, NASA's Flight Manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston. She was a recipient of the Amelia Earhart Scholarship in the past and is on a short list to become an astronaut. Dr. Catherine Hamlin also spoke of her life in Ethiopia where she and her husband build the Fistula Hospital where they have spent their lives treating girls and women. Her story was heart wrenching. I will update you on the business at a future meeting. Both Lois and I enjoyed interacting with Zontians from the USA and around the world. We have wonderful memories and lots of "exchange pins". Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your delegates.(7/00) Polish Zontians come to Brainerd: Brainerd Area Zontians held a potluck meeting at the home of Rachel Krypel on July 5th to honor Halina Biernocka and Trena Obszynska, Zontian sisters from Sopot, Poland. They stopped here on their way to the International Convention in Hawaii. A warm welcome was provided and an interesting evening was enjoyed by all. (7/00)
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