July 2024

Dear Members,

Passing the Governor's pin on stage at the Zonta International Convention in Brisbane Australia in front of thousands of participants was an emotional experience.

I am so grateful to Donna Sroka for her leadership and mentoring and I look forward to carrying her legacy forward in the 2024-2026 biennium.

Thank you for your feedback on our year-end survey. Your candid comments revealed great insights into our diverse membership and helped the Board shape its goals for moving the District forward during the next two years:

• Help make Zonta's voice credible and visible from Nova Scotia to Rhode Island to the Berkshires by finding a service project we can work on as a District.
• Identify tools, resources, and mentoring opportunities that will help each club achieve success as defined by members.
• Create a leadership path for succession at the club and district levels.
• Engage audiences and allies to grow support and funding that can be used to bolster membership projects and internal scholarship grants.

Stay tuned for more information in upcoming Shorts, on the ZontaDisrict1.org website, and our social media platforms.

I am proud of the Leadership team we have assembled and look forward to working together to Build a Better World for Women and Girls.

The 66th Zonta International Convention took place in Brisbane, Australia from June 27–30, 2024 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Hundreds of Zontians from around the world participated in workshops, business sessions, and side events. Five District 1 Zontians attending in person included Mary Ann Rubis and the following five delegates:

Donna Sroka – Berkshire (2) and Bangor

Donna Raycraft - Concord NH (2), Amherst and Halifax, Nova Scotia

Mary Knight - Quaboag Valley, South County RI, Chelsea/No.Shore

Audrey Milgate - Northampton Area and Malden (2).

There is lots to share about the Convention. We are starting our report online www.convention2024.ZontaDistrict1.org. Here you can find election and business voting results, reports presented from the past biennium, and plans for the upcoming biennium.

Zonta is also in the middle of implementing Resolution 2 - taking a hard look at governance, membership, advocacy, scholarships/awards, service, and fundraising - to ensure this organization's work is sustainable for years. to come. So we plan on holding workshops on specific topics and giving members an opportunity to ask questions and explore what the changes mean for individual clubs. These sessions will be publicized on the District website:

https://zontadistrict1.org/news-events/ Below is the first of these sessions.

Learn about making the world a better place for women & girls in the Atlantic Northeast! District 1's new e-club is forming to unite passionate people in the US and Canadian Northeast region to work together on Zonta's mission. Newly elected President Salla Tuominen will talk about the future of Zonta International and the 2024-2026 Strategic Goals. All are welcome,

Forum Agenda:

Introduction \ Recording from the ZI Convention - 20 min

Identifying a local Action Step for each of the 4 goals - 20 min.

Open Q&A

ZontaDistrict1.org/news-events - Be sure to RSVP!

Let's get the momentum going for this biennium.

Starting with each member. We all have busy lives, yet we are volunteering our time and effort to Zonta because we believe in the mission. As such we deserve to feel appreciated, engaged, and inspired within our club and the District. Make that a priority.

Club Leaders are never expected to do it all alone, just because they stepped up to the position. Rewatch the video “Wisdom of the Geese”  Ensure your team is aligned with a common goal, know when and where to seek help, empower and mentor others to lead, recognize and praise the efforts of others, stand by each other when things are tough, and always go back to the core purpose and values when conflicts arise.

Please take some time to explore the ZontaDistrict1.org and the Zonta.org websites and let us know where we can make improvements.