“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul.”

- Peggy Toney Horton

Table of Contents

  1. SPECIAL MEETING INFORMATION

  2. President’s Letter

  3. Zonta Events Coming Up

  4. Committee News

September Membership Meeting Information

WEDNESDAY, September 10

YWCA

Upstairs Classroom

2222 14th St, Boulder, CO

5:30 pm Social Time, 6:00 pm Meeting

  • We'll meet in the second-floor classroom at the YWCA on 14th St. 

  • It’s a potluck, so bring one of your favorite dishes to share with the rest of the Club.

  • Come in the front door — which will be locked. 

  • The code to get in the door is 1010#

  • Once inside, go straight ahead through the next set of doors; turn left and head to the set of stairs to the second floor. Turn right.

  • The upstairs classroom is on your right.

  • Please call if you run into any trouble….650.455.7835

Parking Information:

  • You can park on the street in front of YWCA, on-street parking is enforced: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. $1.50/hour. Pay stations are located on blocks with street parking. Pay by credit card (please remember your license plate number to initiate a session) or on the ParkMobile app.

  • There is also a number of blocks with free parking for 1 - 3 hours. All parking restrictions stop at 7 pm.

  • Parking is available behind the YWCA, accessed through the alley. Teachers will leave the building by 5:45 pm, making these spots available.

Of course, carpooling when possible is a great idea.

As the newest President of the Zonta Foothills Club/Foundation, it’s my pleasure to kick off the 2025-26 year!

We have a lot to talk about when we meet for our first Club Meeting of the year, Wednesday September 10th. Over the summer, we put together a strategic vision for the Club; we approved one of our largest annual budgets ever; and our committees kicked things off with big plans for the upcoming year. I’m excited to share all of this with you.

On behalf of the Club, I’d like to thank Pam Malzbender for her leadership and guidance over the past 3 years. She led us with tireless dedication and commitment. From leading our committees and arranging our monthly meetings to our success in fundraising, she has shown us what we can do. Pam shows up for all of us with grace and cheer. Thank you for all that you do for us, Pam. We appreciate you!


— Nancy

Zonta Events Coming Up

Foothills Committee News

Advocacy Committee

The Advocacy Committee has been busy this summer, meeting and making plans for the upcoming club year. As mentioned in the summer Flash, one of our initiatives, is a “year of legislative advocacy,” and we kicked this off in July with our legislative breakfast. Next steps in this initiative are supporting the Boulder High School Pantherz Z Club voter registration drives, hosting the November Club meeting on how bills are passed, and other important info for club members. Stay tuned.

We are working on the next steps in our climate action and environmental justice focus, and we hope everyone has had the opportunity to watch the video produced in concert with the Climate Justice Forum and the 2024 scholarship recipients. We are proud of the results, and Pam Malzbender recently did an amazing presentation about our work at a Zonta USA Caucus meeting. We are sharing information about our climate advocacy and scholarship around the country! Please take a few minutes to view the video: Women Taking Action on YouTube

Domestic Violence Awareness Partnership with our District Attorney’s Office

As everyone knows, October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and to commemorate this, our club endows the Beth Haynes Memorial Award. This is an award for law enforcement and victim advocates in Boulder County that is voted on and awarded by peers to recognize those who work on behalf of victims. Our DA’s DV Task Force solicits nominations, and a selection committee convenes to select the award recipient. As the award funders, the Zonta Foothills Club is invited to cast one vote in this inspiring process. This year, the selection committee will meet on September 12th at 8 am at the Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, and Zonta members are welcome to observe and vote. 

The Beth Haynes Memorial Award will be presented to the winner on October 16th at the Boulder County Justice Center. We will send a note with more precise details to the Club mailing list. We hope that many Cub members will attend this incredibly important and moving ceremony.

The Advocacy Committee - Co-Chairs Sheila King and Jan Cheney, Elizabeth Freedman, Sara Gillespie, Sharon Goodman, Lisa Lesniak, Pam Malzbender, Ranelle Randles, Dana Rae Vaughn

Fundraising and Development Committee

Zonta Chefs Keep Busy this Summer

Our Zonta chefs have been cooking up a storm this summer. As you know, they are so popular with our Zing for Zonta live auction bidders and a very important part of our Zonta success, and this year, they offered two gourmet dinners to our Zing supporters. At their August feast, they offered a beautiful six-course Italian dinner that included “Baked polenta served with mushroom ragu and herb garnish, Tomato-poached halibut with Calabrian chile-infused oil, finished with a medley of Italian herbs (basil, mint, parsley), anchovy, toasted garlic, and shallots, served with grilled, crusty bread and Tiramisu cheesecake with ladyfingers and shaved chocolate garnish, Italian lemon ricotta cake with blackberries, raspberries, whipped cream, and lemon zest.”…Wow. The guests were cheering on our team for their hard work preparing this special meal. A big thank you to this year’s Zonta Chefs, Colleen Farrell, Sheila King, Marta Lindrose, Kay Meyer, and Nancy Rowe. Oh and special thanks to our maître d', Augie who brought out his finest tuxedo for the evening!

Zing is confirmed!

We will be moving our extravaganza! Zing 2026 will be held at Nissi's Entertainment Venue & Event Center at 1455 Coal Creek Dr Unit T, Lafayette, CO 80026 on Thursday, March 26th. We are looking ahead and have already reached out to confirm Eda Begal, our smashin’ emcee who knocked it out of the park last year.

We will be working on plans and will soon be asking for you to think about what Zing sub-committee you would like to work on…more about that later.

Colorado Gives is Almost Here

Finally, a critical part of our fundraising success is Colorado Gives. We have been actively working to grow our donations each year, and we are benefiting from the effort. You will be hearing a lot more about how you can promote our Foundation on this important Colorado-wide day of philanthropy.

The Fundraising Committee - Co-Chairs Colleen Farrell and Pam Malzbender, Ann Herrmann, Debbie Nasta, Kathy Israelson

Finance Committee

Together with the Fundraising and Development Committee, we are beginning to explore our next steps in building a development plan for the Foundation. This will be a critical part of our financial growth in the future. More information on this in the coming months.

The Finance Committee has begun the process of establishing a Charity Navigator rating for our Foundation, and we will also be completing a financial review before Colorado Gives.

And remember, we are no longer using PayPal on our Foundation’s donation page. Be sure to check it out.

The Finance Committee- Chair Nancy Rowe,  Pam Malzbender, Michelle Médal, Ranelle Randles, Sheila King, Kim Prosser-Noonan

Educatez Scholarship Committee

The Scholarship Committee, along with many Club Members, reviewed applications for the Zonta EducateZ Scholarship. This award is made to further the post-secondary education of a female student who wants to return to school, faces significant financial barriers to attending a college, university, or any accredited institution, and is committed to becoming self-sufficient through education.

We awarded $5,000 award to Monica Sanchez, a single mother of two young boys. According to her letter of reference from Duaa Saied, Monica "approaches both her family responsibilities and her education with dedication and strength. Despite the challenges of balancing school and parenting, she has maintained A grades in her classes and continues to strive for excellence in all areas of her life.”

It was this work ethic and leadership that called out to our Committee. She is a perfect match for this scholarship, created for hard-working students who will use our scholarship to help her achieve her goals. Congratulations, Monica Sanchez!

Our next scholarship will be the Women In Business Award, which is also a District 12 and Zonta Int’l Scholarship. Our Club will award a deserving applicant with $5,000 and the winner has the opportunity to receive and additional $1,000 from the District and $10,000 from Zonta International. That’s a potential scholarship of $16,000!

The EducateZ Scholarship Committee - Co-Chairs Nancy Rowe and Michelle Médal, Kristi Celico, Ann Herrmann, Kay Meyer, Amanda Eisnes

Zonta Educatez Committee

Another New School Year!

The Boulder High School Pantherz ZClub initiated a new school year on August 26th! All previous members returned, and we had four new members join us, too. Our Club Presidents, Lily and Casey, did a valuable presentation for the whole group to tell them all about Zonta International, the Zonta Foothills Club, and the great plans ahead for the Pantherz Z Club. They played a fun “get-to-know-you” game and had a fun time together. Our next Z Club meeting will be an ice cream social, which always helps us to recruit new members. The Watershed School Z Club has yet to start classes, so we are looking forward to updates from them as they kick off their first full year!

Lastly, the Flatirons Golden Z Club is planning a Zappy Hour in the next month; more details will follow.

Voter Registration Events Planned with New Era

Because voter registration drives hosted by the Pantherz Z Club hosted last year were so successful, the club will once again partner with New Era Colorado to host two voter registration drives at Boulder High School. New Era is non-partisan, and it is the largest young voter registration organization in Colorado. Their mission is to get youth to turn out for elections, and since 2006, they’ve registered close to 250,000 young voters, helping Colorado realize some of the highest young voter turnout rates in the nation. Last year, our Z Club helped to register more than 100 voters in one day at BHS! This was a record performance for New Era!

The first drive will be held on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, during lunch period. Prior to this event, New Era would come into our Tuesday, September 30th Club meeting to train Club members on the importance of voting, the Colorado voter registration laws, and the voter registration process. This will allow our group to help other students register to vote during the drive. 

This is an exciting way to help our Club members realize the power of their voice.

Zonta Educatez Committee - Co-Chairs Gaby Lopez & Claudia Ibarra, Tommie Atanasoff, Michelle Carpenter, Kay James, Marta Lindrose, Pam Malzbender

Governance and Engagement Committee

Zappy Hour Brings Us New Members

Thanks to everyone who attended our August Zappy Hour. It was a wonderful way to let prospective members know about our Club and elevate their interest. It worked so well that we already have two new members who will be joining us in the next month or two, and we think that two or three more members will also be signing up! We love it when we can spread the word about our important mission, and it is rewarding to have enthusiastic new members to support our programs.

If you know of anyone who was unable to attend our event but is interested in learning more about the Zonta Foothills Club and the Zonta Foothills Foundation, just let a member of the Governance Committee know. We are hosting one-on-one coffees for anyone who would like to join us.

Brunch to Celebrate our New Members

Our new member brunch was a lovely new tradition! We hope it will be the first of many. In August, we welcomed some of our new members with a Saturday morning brunch and lots of great information about our Club and what it means to be a member. A big thank you to all of the members who attended and shared their Zonta story with everyone. It is always a moving experience to understand what inspires us all to participate in our Club and work tirelessly towards our mission. Whether you are new in the last few months or the last few years, welcome to everyone for a wonderful 2025-26 year.

Zonta District 12 Conference

The Zonta District 12 Conference will be hosted by the Zonta Club of Denver, Friday, September 19 - Sunday, September 21. We hope you will join us to meet other Zontians, Learn about the important work being done throughout our district, which includes Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota.

Note that our 2025 YWLA winner, Natalie Cappelletti and Women in Business winner, Dareen Khairi will be recognized at the conference since they both went on to win at the Zonta International level. We can be very proud!


Click here for a link and information to register for the conference. Register by Sunday, September 7, to get the early registration rate!

In addition, here is the link to make your reservations for the conference.

Service Committee

The Governance and Engagement Committee - Co-Chairs Colleen Farrell and Pam Malzbender, Claudia Ibarra, Nancy Rowe

The Service Committee is having a book sorting gathering at the lockers where the Lending Library books are stored, on September 20, 2025, from 9:00am to 11:00 am. We will be sorting books according to adult and children, and discarding books that are damaged or inappropriate. The address for the Boulder Storage Center is 4775 Sterling Drive in Boulder.

Please join us, we need lots of help! Sign up at the September Meeting or email Carol or Kathy by September 17.

We are looking forward to the ZClub members joining us.

Lunch will follow at Parkway Café (4700 Pearl St. in Boulder) for those who want to come.

Thank you.

Kathy Israelson and Carol Smoot

The Service Committee - Co-Chairs Kathy Israelson and Carol Smoot, Sheila Cohen, Ann Hodgson, Marta Lindrose and Joan Siebenaler