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Zonta to Celebrate Women Making a Difference

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Daily News

On March 9, Zonta will celebrate Women Making a Difference in honor of International Women’s Day.

Each year in March, the global community recognizes women for their achievements regardless of national, ethnic, linguistic, economic or political divisions. The Zonta International community also celebrates Zonta Rose Day, a time to reflect and give tribute to the women who have empowered us.

In this spirit, the Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley announces its Women Making a Difference Award dinner on March 9at the Ludlow Country Club. The theme of this year’s International Women’s celebration, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” calls for inclusive legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, and addressing structural barriers to justice and opportunity for women and girls. The honorees for 2026 are champions for this theme.

  • Jacqueline Velez: With more than 16 years of experience, this lead organizer for Holyoke’s Neighbor to Neighbor and Community Project Coordinator for Live Well Springfield drives campaigns for criminal justice reform, climate action, and housing justice
  • Samantha Hamilton:As director of Coalition Building and Community Engagement at the Public Health Institute of Western Mass and co-founder of A Queen’s Narrative, she leverages more than 22 years of experience to advance health equity, address environmental and social disparities, and empower women and girls. 
  • Marianne Winters: With a career dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault, she has held executive leadership roles at Jane Doe, Inc. and the Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts prior to her nearly 15-year tenure as Executive Director of Safe Passage.
  • Darlene Elias: A social worker, writer, and activist with more than 33 years of advocacy in child welfare, and community organizing; she is a cofounder of the Writing Sisters collective and a board member of Alianza and the Strawdog Writers Guild.

The event will start with a reception at 5:30, with dinner at 6 and the program to folow. RSVP by March 2, 2025 at [email protected]. Pay at the door for the buffet ($30 for table of 8; $35 individual) or pay online. For more information, visit www.zontaqv.org