Zonta Club of the Black Hills Blog

I just found out that our dear friend, and long-time Zonta member, Janet Zietlow passed away on September 3.  She was a great person.

The fundraising committee has embraced the idea of a rummage sale this fall. The details of which are still being worked out. If you know of an empty shed, garage or storage unit, please notify Jo Prang (484-5548). But, in the meantime! During your annual fall cleaning (if you do such a thing!) PLEASE donate your items to our rummage sale. In order to do our projects, such as the 16 days of activism, and support our members in attending District and International meetings, we need to bolster our club resources. Stay tuned for further updates as to where to drop off your items. THANK YOU! 

Hey this isn't due everyone and not a Zonta project but I know of several members who have lost animal family members this year.  I'm wondering if any of the 5 or 6 that I know of would want to make a collective donation on behalf of our Zonta pets and any others.  Email if interested.  Depending on interest I will contact HSBH . I have lost 2 special assistants this year. Chico and Maya

This year, our Zontian of the Year recognition was given to Marti Nesland.  Ms. Nesland has been the chairperson of the historian committee, a member of the marketing committee, chairperson for the Zonta Expo, and treasurer of the Expo.  Traci Fitting, the Zontian of the Year two years ago, presented at the event, which was held at Red Rock Golf Course in their outdoor patio.  Approximately fifteen members were present for the evening gathering.  We also inducted one of our new members, Beth- Anne Ferley before presenting Ms. Nesland with the Zontian of the Year honor.  

Hello Zontians,

With the Centennial Celebration just around the corner (July 2020), we are hoping for as many Zontians as possible to attend.  With that in mind, the board voted at our last board meeting to have a drawing for those members, that have been a Zontian for a year or less. We will put their names in a drawing and the winner of the drawing will have their registration for the Centennial paid by the club.  This is about $450.  So think about it!

I want to wish each and everyone of you a very blessed and merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah and a safe and happy New Year!

See you next year!

Karen Kierstead   

Vote Early - Vote Often for our own Girl's Inc. (Rapid City, SD)

Girls Inc. of Rapid City, SD has been given an amazing opportunity to compete for $25,000 from the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program. This grant would provide scholarships for 500 girls in our community to attend Girls Inc. for an entire year! PLEASE get your phones, tablets, computers, and smart watches out to vote for Girls Inc. of Rapid City! If you vote from your computer at work we won’t tell anyone, and if you get caught just tell your supervisor we need their vote too!

We serve the most amazing girls at Girls Inc.! An annual membership fee for our program is $50 per year! Girls Inc. provides its members with a safe place to learn about their bodies, literacy, healthy foods, art, computers, science, and math.  We also offer homework help, sports teams, swimming opportunities, and excursions to many great places in the Black Hills. Girls Inc. encourages girls to be curious about the world and to have a love for learning. We also provide a safe and stimulating learning environment and work to improve the overall well-being of young girls. We do this to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold! 

Please take a few seconds to click this link: https://www.neighborhoodassist.com/entry/2012263. It will take you directly where you need to be to place your vote. YOU CAN VOTE UP TO 10 TIMES PER DAY from August 15 to August 24.  So set a timer, put a rubber band on your wrist, put an alert on your phone, even a post-it note will do to remind you to get all 10 of your votes in each day. We live in a very small state so we need the compound/Tupperware/multiplier effect to happen here.  Please, please, please forward to everyone on your contact list and share the direct link included above with your friends and family on social media. Our deepest gratitude for your support of Girls Inc.! 

I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve as President of Zonta BH this next year. 

I appreciate all those who have held this office before me – especially Jessica Larson and Kylie Riggins because I know they have done a lot of hard work on many fronts, some of which were uniquely challenging.  My focus this next year is on fellowship.  The Zonta Code item number 6 states, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them,” which in today’s language means: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (also known as the Golden Rule).

        Lately, my thoughts have been about being aware of that which I am not aware.  We all are going through something at any given time and deserve to be treated as we would want to be treated.  I am going to tell you two stories. The first actually happened to me and the other is a story I have heard.  First, when I was in my early twenties and working at my first “real” job after college, I was in charge of a training program for company executives.  The day of the class, I was greeting all the attendees very professionally and trying to do my very best.  At one point, I greeted a young man very professionally and offered coffee and directions. He replied that he was just there to fix the copier!  I immediately questioned whether I would have treated this person differently had I known he was just there to fix the copier.  Everyone deserves to be treated the same no matter their position, and that goes for all the people we come in contact with in our lives (especially as Zontians).

        The other story, which I heard at a conference for the Knights of Columbus last month.  The motivational speaker for the ladies was Elaine Dunn of Spearfish.  Elaine, who loves history and a good story, related the story of finding a ring in a hotel restroom.  She found the piece and immediately thought it to be a family heirloom and noticed inside the ring an inscription with the name Lea (to her an old family name).  Elaine stated she promptly went to the front desk to see if someone had lost a ring and also left her cell phone number in case she needed to be contacted by the owner.  Elaine decided to wear the ring because she really liked it.  Time passed and no one called about the ring.  One day her son, who was a contractor and builder, came to visit her.  Seeing the ring on his mom’s finger, he asked, “Mom, why are you wearing a Lea bathroom fixture piece?!”  It wasn’t a precious piece of jewelry after all, only an ordinary, functional plumbing attachment.

        Funny story, right?  The lesson is so good!  We all have value, are important, are beautiful and have a purpose.  At the May meeting I placed rings on the tables for all of you.  I hoped that you would take one and remember that you have value, are important and beautiful.  And, you all have a purpose in Zonta! 

Thank you again for this opportunity! 

Black Hills, SD…Non-profit organizations in the Rapid City area working to advance the status of women were encouraged to apply for a 2017-2018 Zonta Club of the Black Hills Expo Service Grant. Funds generated from the annual Zonta EXPO, that was held on Thursday, October 5th at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, underwrote this year’s grant cycle as has been the ongoing policy for the 34 years of the event.

Non-profit organizations with projects empowering women that were funded include:

1. Abbott House - Building Bridges Program

2. Alzheimer's Association of the Black Hills - Alzheimer's Care Conference for Women

3. Career Learning Center of the Black Hills - GED Testing Scholarship Fund

4. Catholic Social Services - Professional Counseling for Victims of Violent Crime

5. Lifeways, Inc. - Y2Y Conference

6. Lutheran Social Services - New Alternatives and Arise Youth Center

7. Rapid City Area Schools - Personal hygiene items for young women in RCAS

8. Volunteers of America

9. Working Against Violence, Inc. - Project SAFE

10. Youth & Family Services - Girls, Inc. - Academic Support & Enrichment (ASE)

11. Youth in Science (Rapid City) - Women in Science Conference

For more information on these projects visit our web site: www.zontacluboftheblackhills.org

Please Note: Zonta Club of the Black Hills will ONLY consider applications from local organizations with a 501 (c) 3 status whose programs or projects are designed to advance the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women in the Black Hills region.

Zonta Club of the Black Hills is part of an organization of over 30,000 members in 66 countries working together to improve the status of women through international and local collaboration, networking, community service and advocacy. For additional information see www.zonta.org and www.zontacluboftheblackhills.org

As South Dakota is growing part of this growth is aimed at increasing workplace inclusion of individuals with disabilities. With this great opportunity I would like to introduce myself, I’m Catherine Greseth, The Executive Director of The Workforce Diversity Network of The Black Hills. WDN of BH is a nonprofit organization with a Board of 9 Trustees made up of Human Resource managers, Business owners, business law attorneys from Jackson Lewis and rehabilitation councilors and supervisors. We understand that a healthy workforce is inclusive of individuals with disabilities and how these individuals can improve your businesses bottom line. We offer free education and consulting to businesses on hiring and retaining individuals who are or become disabled. Did you know that more than 53 million Americans have a disability and 1 out of 4 of us will be disabled in our working lifetime?  Through awareness and education we can identify common challenges and connect you to resources and partnerships. These include Vocational Rehabilitation, other employers, accommodations including Dakota Link, Black Hills Special Services, The Rocky Mountain ADA, and Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired, just to name a few.  We can provide trainings that include; disability and etiquette, what are the essential functions of a job, what can and cannot be asked in an interview, help you understand State and Federal guidelines and many other topics. We are here to help your business increase your bottom line by helping you understand all the benefits of hiring and retaining people with disabilities, and tap into this huge employee resource. Employees with disabilities miss less work; they are resourceful and are problem solvers. Individuals with disabilities can open up a whole new market for your business. Let me give you an example, a large portion of the consumer market is the Baby Boomers, with age alone come disabilities, so when you have employees with disabilities they can better understand what is needed when taking care of a customer with a disability, and that can lead to customer loyalty! 

The Workforce Diversity Network of the Black Hills is here to help your business with best practices, which can be implemented to include, applicants or current employees that have a disability. We will also help you understand what is considered a disability under the ADA and section 503.

When it comes to outstanding employees we all want to retain them, but what happens if they become disabled from a sickness or an accident? WDN of BH will help you retain these valuable employees through the return to work program, accommodations and modified schedules. Let me reassure you that most accommodations cost very little and many times nothing at all when we are looking at some simple things, such as a flexible work schedule, standing instead of sitting, or adjustment in lighting. For those needing more the average cost was only 500.00 compared to employee turnover that can cost on average of at least $8,000.00, and that is just to replace a minimum wage employee.

These are just a few of the ways that The WDN OF BH can help your business standout and thrive.
 

I look forward to meeting and working with all of you and invite you join us October 13th at 7 am at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn for our annual breakfast honoring National Disability Employment Awareness Month, NDEAM. The Keynote Speaker will be Helene Duhamel as she takes us through her disability of cancer and continuing to work. Kathleen Barrow of Jackson/lewis will discuss briefly what is considered a disability by the law and what accommodations can be made.  We will honor 3 businesses that are leading the way in understanding disabilities in the work place through employment. 

When we work we contribute to our society and our own self-worth.

Invest in your business by calling The Workforce Diversity Network of the Black Hills today, our services are always free and we are here to help you connect to the resources and network with other businesses to create culture where everyone can reach their full potential.

Our Number is 605 787 2590.
Our website is www.wdnbh.org
Like us on Facebook WDN of The Black Hills
And follow us on twitter @ WDN OF BH

RAPID CITY - Together, Zonta Club of the Black Hills and Eagle Sales are working to bring awareness to the growing issue of human trafficking.

During the 76th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which officially runs Aug. 8-14, Eagle Sales delivery trucks will display an anti-human trafficking decal featuring the anti-trafficking helpline number – 1-888-2727-888. “Eagle Sales of the Black Hills wanted to get involved and help the Zonta organization, and specifically spread the message about human trafficking,” says Mary Helland, co-owner of Eagle Sales.

Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery, with sex trafficking the most common form. It’s an issue affecting the country as a whole. Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center has dealt with approximately 130,000 cases in the U.S. During that same period, South Dakota has seen 43 official cases of human tracking. As of June this year, eight cases of human trafficking had already been reported in South Dakota.

During the annual Sturgis Rally, law enforcement agencies have stepped up efforts to recognize and eradicate trafficking. During the Sturgis Rally last year, four men were arrested in human trafficking cases. In 2014, five were arrested. The cases have involved girls as young as 12.

“A lot of people do not understand that human trafficking happens here in the Black Hills, especially during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally,” says Jessica Larson, president of Zonta Club of the Black Hills.

The decals on the Eagle Sales trucks read, “Zonta says No to Human Trafficking,” and each features the helpline number. Zonta Club of the Black Hills urges anyone who sees something suspicious or anyone who needs help to call the number.

Other local businesses participating in this awareness campaign are: Harley Davidson of the Black Hills, Common Cents Stores and Fisher Beverage.

For more information about Zonta Club of the Black Hills and its work to raise awareness about human trafficking, go to http://zontacluboftheblackhills.org/ For more information about Eagle Sales, visit http://www.abwholesaler.com/group05/eaglesalesblackhills/home