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| The "Zonta Rose" was introduced at the 1984 Zonta International Convention in Sydney, Australia. |
President's report – Advocacy: Leadership Matters: At the 2015 District 3 spring workshop for areas 1 and 2, Area 1 Director Patricia Latona suggested to the Peconic Bay club that we organize an event on human trafficking, drawing on the experience of her Zonta Club of Westchester. Pat knew that in recent years, Peconic Bay had looked for activities that 1. increase our international involvement and 2. strengthen the club’s advocacy record.
Working over many months with Pat, Peconic Bay member Diane Greenberg organized a program on human trafficking at a local library in October 2015. The audience numbered close to 30. Pat was the speaker and discussion leader for the evening. Her knowledge of the topic and experience in presenting the material made the night a success. Pat is a Zonta International representative to the United Nations and is active on the UN Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons.
She started the program with an overview of human trafficking and then showed the film “Not My Life.” This documentary takes viewers into a shocking world where millions of children are exploited through forced labor, domestic servitude, begging, sex tourism, sexual violence and child soldiering. The ensuing discussion was lively, and Pat was careful to suggest ways that folks could take action now and work toward long-range solutions to the problem.
Afterwards, Peconic Bay member Kathy Walker thought we could bring the program to her community in Patchogue. Deborah McKee of the Zonta Club of Suffolk was in the audience. Together, Kathy and Deborah, joined by Peconic Bay members Linda Rundlett and Liala Strotman, arranged a successful event at Kathy’s Patchogue church in January 2016. This time, the headcount was over 60.
Through these two events, Peconic Bay expanded our efforts on the advocacy front and increased awareness of human trafficking around the world. The bonus: joining forces with other Zonta clubs. Thanks to Pat of Westchester; Diane, Kathy, Linda, and Liala of Peconic Bay; and Deborah of Suffolk. PS: Peconic Bay attracted two new members through this activity.
– Mona S. Rowe, President
Advocacy – Completed advocacy activities in two primary areas: 1. Contacted elected officials to pass anti-trafficking legislation and to help victims of domestic violence; 2. hosted two programs on human trafficking. Also have begun a dialogue with The Retreat, which supports victims of domestic violence.
– Barbara Pierce, Advocacy Chair
Membership – Membership remains stable at nine, with all of us eyeing potential members. While we wish to add additional members to insure fresh ideas and sufficient help in projects, we are finding this present membership number and group of women to be working extremely well. Peconic Bay’s membership plan is posted on our website, updated by Diane Greenberg for the years 2016-2020.
– Liala Strotman, Membership Chair
Public Relations – Since we are a very small club, our resources for public relations are limited. Nevertheless, we have garnered articles and photos in the local media by issuing news releases and photos about our club’s activities and targeting them to key publications. We update our website at least on a monthly basis. We also printed business cards for all members this year so that we can hand them out to those interested in our club, and we purchased a new banner to be displayed at our public events.
– Diane Greenberg, Public Relations Chair
Service – This year, we focussed on Maureen’s Haven, which helps the homeless on eastern Long Island; Mayan Hands, a fair trade organization that benefits women and girls n Guatemala; and Pecnic Bay's ESL scholarships for women at the Suffolk County Community College Eastern Campus (Riverhead.) Looking ahead, we will participate in the AdoptaFamily program through The Retreat. We continue to discuss ways in which we can raise money and interact with the local community.
– Kathy Walker, Service Chair
United Nations – Peconic Bay highlights Zonta International’s activities at the United Nations in different ways. Perhaps most exciting was that Liala Strotman attended the official commemoration of the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, held at the UN on November 25, 2015. She brought her orange scarf to a club meeting, where she shared information from this event. We would like to schedule a club visit to the UN in the next few months to increase our collective knowledge of the UN.
– Mary Ann Miller, United Nations Liaison
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