October 11, International Day of the Girl Child

In 2011, the United Nations declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. This day recognizes girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

With the 2024 U.S. general election on November 5 just weeks away, Peconic Bay Zonta salutes the work of Melina Carnicelli, founder of 1st Amendment-1st Vote.

Ist Amendment-1st Vote offers high school girls opportunities to engage in the democratic process and imagine themselves in elected office or professional government-related jobs.

While many women have mounted campaigns and won elected office in the last few years, the gender gap has remained large. In 2024, women hold 25 percent of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate. In the U.S. House of Representatives, women hold 29 percent of 439 seats (source: Center for American Women and Politics).

This year, a woman is on the presidential ballot. Granddaughters of Peconic Bay member Mona Rowe have been with their mom canvassing for Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman, the first African American, and the first Asian American to serve as the country’s vice president.

Here, the girls approach a house in Pennsylvania. Both of them students in middle school, they are getting an early civics lesson.

Teatime in Ireland a Big Success!

Days after Teatime in Ireland, hostess Annika Shapiro sent a heartfelt thank you to all participants, writing: "It was a lovely afternoon and the fund raiser was a big success. We raised a record $2,410!"

Cookbook author Margaret Johnson was on hand to talk about the delightful ritual of taking tea in her ancestral home of Ireland. Everyone learned a bit of Irish tea history and sampled an assortment of delicious sweets, sandwiches and breads.

Johnson's cookbook, Teatime in Ireland, is a collection of delightful recipes to explore for your morning or afternoon cuppa.

Peconic Bay Hosts Tea Party, September 18, 2024

 

Peconic Bay Zonta is hosting a tea party on September 18, 2024. Margaret Johnson, author of 14 cookbooks, will present teatime and talk about her ancestral home of Ireland, where tea drinking is a symbol of hospitality, friendship and pleasure.

The event is a fundraiser for Peconic Bay, which awards scholarships to local women and girls.

International Service Projects for the 2024-2026 Zonta Biennium

At the 2024 Zonta International Convention in Brisbane, the Zonta membership approved three international service projects for the 2024-2026 biennium.

Global Program to End Child Marriage: In phase III of Zonta's signature project, we will continue partnering with UNICEF USA and the United Nations Population Fund to fight child marriage globally and push back against gender inequality for adolescent girls. Our focus is 12 countries, which account for almost half of the world's child marriages: Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia.

Community Empowerment and Innovation for Gender-Transformative Climate Action: Partnering with the United Nations Population Fund, this project is dedicated to preventing climate-induced gender-based violence and other harmful practices in Madagascar, Mozambique and South Sudan, some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

A Safe Space for Women and Girls Online: Laaha is the first-ever platform designed by and for women and girls in humanitarian and development settings to address gender-based violence. Providing information in fun, creative and positive ways, it was designed by and for women and girls with the support of UNICEF and its partners. Laaha is now deployed in Afghanistan, Ecuador, Iraq, Lebanon, Ukraine and Venezuela, with plans for expansion to Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Moldova, Myanmar and Turkey.

In her first communication with the Zonta membership worldwide, Salla Tuominen, 2024-2026 President of Zonta International and Zonta Foundation for Women, wrote, "The challenges that women and girls face globally are extensive and complex. They reflect deeply ingrained societal norms, systemic inequalities and discriminatory practices. But together, we have the power to build a better world in which women's rights are seen as human rights."

Peconic Bay Zonta Awards ESL Scholarship to Hampton Bays Resident

Maura Pesantez of Hampton Bays won a $350 scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta, a nonprofit group that works to improve the status of women and girls. The local Zonta group, which covers eastern Long Island, awards the scholarship to one or more female students, twice per year, who successfully complete Level 3 of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Riverhead Suffolk Community College and are studying to achieve language proficiency as well as educational and career-oriented goals.

Pesantez has always had the desire to work in the medical field. Family priorities, however, prevented her from pursuing further education. Enrolling in ESL classes has been a significant start to enable her to be credentialed as a medical esthetician. Advancing her current cosmetology skills will permit her to use machinery and work in a medical setting under the supervision of a medical specialist.

Peconic Bay Zonta is proud to support Maura Pesantez in her long-awaited goals.

Wading River Resident Wins Peconic Bay Zonta ESL Scholarship

Gloria Mendoza of Wading River, NY, has been granted a $350 scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta.

Each semester the local Zonta group, which covers eastern Long Island, awards a scholarship for one or more women who have successfully completed a Level 3 English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Riverhead campus of Suffolk County Community College and are working to achieve an educational and work-related goal.

Mendoza emigrated from Columbia two-and-a-half years ago. Having owned a business there, she traveled independently, determined to create a change in her life. She has since married and, pursuing her aspirations, is working on mastering the English language and a career in nursing with emphasis on elder care.

Peconic Bay Zonta is proud to support Gloria Mendoza in her mission.

Welcome to Zonta District 3's First eClub!

 

In the new Zonta biennial, June 2024 through May 2026, Peconic Bay Zonta recognizes District 3's first eClub.

Via a Zoom meeting on May 23, 2024, then-District 3 Governor Lisa Burton (see photo, lower left corner) officially recognized the Zonta eClub Atlantic Coast 1 with the induction of officers and a welcoming of new and returning members. This new club, a relaunch of the Zonta Club of Hampton and now a 100% online community, will meet Zonta’s mission to build a better world for women and girls.

During the meeting, Governor Burton asked for brief intros from everyone who had joined online for the launch of the eClub. This included Peconic Bay Zonta’s Mona Rowe (top row, second from the left), who lives in Hawaiʻi and carries out her responsibilities online as the vice president, advocacy chair and webmaster for her club, located in eastern Long Island.