Grant Recipient | Habitat Women Build

Zonta Offers New Round of Grants

Fundraising, News

The Zonta Foundation of Southwest Florida and the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva invite 501(c)3 non-profit organizations dedicated to the empowerment of women and girls to apply for a 2025 grant.

Grants co-chairs Pam Eccles and Diane Chesley note that the Zonta Foundation strives to focus on supporting women to claim their rights as individuals through training, education, and affordable housing.  Eccles comments: “Applications must focus on one or more of these aspects of empowering women and girls.”  Adds Chesley: “We know that many wonderful organizations are doing amazing work to promote the welfare of women and girls, and Zonta wants to recognize and support this work.”

Previous grant recipients and new non-profit applicants are encouraged to consider requesting funding for ongoing or new projects. Applications require describing in full the project for which they are seeking a grant; please note Zonta is non-sectarian and cannot consider applications from faith-based or religious organizations.

Visit ZontaSanCap.org and click on “Grant Applications” to access this year’s forms.  Completed applications are due by August 30, 2024 and grants will be awarded in January,

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2024-2025 Zonta Officers

2024-2025 Zonta Year Begins

News

The Zonta year of service and advocacy begins annually in June. The Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva’s 2024-25 year was ushered in recently with an installation ceremony at St. Michael and All Angels Church, where the presidency of both the Club and the grant-awarding Zonta Foundation of Southwest Florida passed from President Nori Ann Reed to new President Taryn  Manning.  The Club’s and Foundation’s new officers and boards were sworn in as well.

Chartered in 1987, the San-Cap club has a rich history of community engagement, ranging from advocating awareness of such issues as human trafficking and violence against women, to raising funds through its recently-returned house tour “Peek at the Unique,” to providing hundreds of hours of volunteer service and hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to area non-profits that share its mission of making the world a better place for women and girls.

For more information on the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva and to donate, visit https://zontasancap.com/donate/ 

Caption:  Left to right Zonta San-Cap 2024-25 Board members Karen Pati, Treasurer; Joanne Marriott, member-at-large; Taryn Manning, President; Kate Stone Pujol, member-at-large. Judy Langley, Zonta Area 6 Director.  Missing from the photo: Kate Sergeant,

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Zonta Collection Day

Zonta to Hold 2024 Collection Day

News

Following the successful return of “Peek at the Unique,” the fundraising tour held March 16, the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva turns its attention to service.  The club’s 7th annual Community Collection Day is set for Saturday, April 20, 9 am – noon at a new location, the Sanibel Rec Center, 3880 San-Cap Road.

Not held in 2023 due to Hurricane Ian, the otherwise annual event benefits local non-profits with which the club has a service relationship, and whose work builds better lives for women and girls.

Bring gently-used and new items for these groups to use in their mission to empower women, a goal shared with Zonta.  Clean out closets and easily drop off donations to help women in our community.  With just three organizations the focus of this year’s collection, here is a partial list of requested items:

Dress for Success: Professional attire (blouses, slacks, skirts, dresses, blazers and suits); handbags and jewelry.  Also new (with tags) women’s underwear, plus maternity clothing, scrubs and uniforms; new unopened cosmetics and hygiene products.  Especially needed are professional-type shoes sizes 7-12.  All items laundered or dry cleaned, bagged or on hangers if possible.

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Group of People at Peek at the Unique

Zonta Successfully Brings Back “Peek”

Fundraising, News

Under clear blue skies on March 16, the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva celebrated the return of a much-loved annual event, “Peek at the Unique,” the annual home tour on hiatus since 2019 due to COVID and damage from Hurricane Ian.

The 2024 “Peek” was a hit with supporters old and new, a new bus schedule offering guests the flexibility of staying longer at—or leaving sooner from—each property.

More than 200 enthusiastic “Peekers” came out to support Zonta, delighted to see old friends and enjoy an outing that had raised funds to improve women’s lives since 2002.  Zontian Kate Sergeant, a docent at one of the houses, said: “All the participants seemed to be so happy the tour was back and really liked the houses they had seen.”

On comfortable air-conditioned buses, guests rode to two spectacularly renovated homes on Sanibel’s west end, then to a new Gulf-front property that survived the storm while under construction, and finally to a nearby garden, restored following Ian’s wrath.

A bonus was the presence of the homeowners, who not only generously opened their homes but chatted with Peekers and answered questions.  Since the theme was Sanibel Resilience,

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Grant Recipient | Habitat Women Build

Zonta Awards Grants to Area Non-Profits

Fundraising, News

The Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva recently awarded, through its foundation, a total of $18,750 in grants, the majority of this amount to Lee County nonprofits whose work supports the advancement of women.

Sharing in the local distribution were Habitat for Humanity of Lee & Hendry Counties Women Build, for rebuilding in Lee County post-hurricane; Goodwill Industries of Fort Myers to fund four projects in their entrepreneurial program, a local initiative; and Healing Stitches, a North Fort Myers-based program that offers social services and educational programs to underserved and abused Hispanic women.  The remaining amount was pledged to Zonta International for scholarships.

According to grants committee co-chair Pam Eccles: “The chosen recipients are organizations that help empower women, especially those with families, and with a proven track record of encouraging upward mobility.”

Zonta now turns its focus to new fundraising.  The return of “A Peek at the Unique,” the guided home tour on Sanibel, is set for Saturday, March 16.  Tickets at $65.00, going fast, are available through EventBrite: go to Zonta-peek-at-unique-2024.eventbrite.com.  And join Zonta for Jukebox Bingo, a series of game nights at the Sanibel Community House on Wednesday, February 21, March 20 and April 17. 

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Join us for Peek at the Unique!

Fundraising, News

The Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva is excited to announce the return of “A Peek at the Unique,” the beloved home tour which over two decades raised more than one million dollars to help local non-profits empower women and girls.

“Peek 2024” is set for Saturday, March 16, at the Sanibel Community House, with buses departing every half-hour from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  With three spectacular houses and two gardens, all showcasing Sanibel resilience, the tour will follow a relaxed schedule so guests can linger.  Tickets at $65.00 are now on sale:  go to https://Zonta-peek-at-unique-2024.eventbrite.com.

Nori Ann Reed, Zonta President, commented: “This is not the ‘Peek’ of old – it is more a ‘petite Peek,’ respectful of businesses and residents on the island and the difficult 16 months we have had.”

Every dollar supports programs that improve the lives of women and girls, locally and internationally. For information, visit https://zontasancap.com/peek/ or follow Zonta Sanibel-Captiva on Facebook.

Peek at the Unique is Back!

Fundraising, News

Save the date! Our annual home & garden tour is back! Join the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva on March 16, 2024 at the Sanibel Community House for Peek at the Unique, Showcasing Sanibel Resilience.

 

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • The event is Saturday, March 16, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon.
  • Buses will leave from and return to the Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel FL 33957
  • Parking at the Community House is free
  • Tickets are $65 each and will be available through Eventbrite.  Tickets will be on sale starting February 4, 2024! Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent a reminder when tickets are on sale.

 

“Peek at the Unique” raises funds for the Zonta Foundation of Southwest Florida, which supports grant partners who improve the lives of women and children on the island, in this region, and globally through Zonta International. Find more details on the event at https://zontasancap.com/peek/.

 

We’re putting the finishing touches on our 2024 Peek at the Unique!

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Zonta Invites You to Two Upcoming Events

Fundraising, News

After a brief hiatus due to Covid and Hurricane Ian, the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva is delighted to announce the return of “A Peek at the Unique,” the beloved home tour and signature event which raised more than one million dollars over two decades to help local non-profits empower women and girls.  In addition, Zonta invites you to three fun nights out: “Jukebox Bingo.”  Every dollar raised at these events funds programs that improve the lives of women and girls, locally and internationally.

Save the date!  Peek 2024 is set for Saturday, March 16, 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Sanibel Community House.  With two spectacular houses and one garden, all showcasing Sanibel resilience, buses will travel on a relaxed schedule to accommodate guests who wish to linger.

Zonta’s first “Peek” was held in March, 2002 and over the years consistently raised mounting funds to support Zonta’s mission; the event quickly became a sell-out.  Despite the challenges of recent years, Zonta has continued to award grants:  for 2024, grants totaling $18,750 will go to three Lee County nonprofits plus to Zonta International Scholarships.

“I am very excited about our club’s plans to bring back ‘A Peek at the Unique,’” said Nori Ann Reed,

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