GENESEE COUNTY/Zonta Club getting ready for their spring luncheon at Batavia Downs

The Zonta Club of Batavia/Genesee County is getting ready for their Spring Luncheon, Jungle Safari Basket Raffle, at Batavia Downs on March 7, 2020.

The event will raise funds for the Club’s service projects and scholarships.

Eight graduating female seniors in the Genesee County Region will be awarded with Scholarships that range from $500-$1,000 a piece in May.

Doors open at 10:30a.m. and lunch is at noon followed by the raffle at 1:00p.m.

Pre-Sale tickets are $30.00 and must be purchased before February 26, 2020.

Contact Lisa Paul-Khan at 716-474-2270 or Mary Yunker at mkyunk@rochester.rr.com for tickets

This year there will be 150-200 baskets in the raffle.

A group of 5-10 volunteers from the Club have been collecting items for the baskets all year.

“We have a couple of ladies who are very good at getting donations,” says Heather Parker, Co-Chair of the event.

This is the 28th year Zonta has held a Spring Luncheon, it has been held at Batavia Downs for 16 years. The group is able to use the space at the Downs to create the large amount of baskets that are on display during the raffle.

“This works out good for us, we used to work out of a member’s basement, so this is lovely.”

Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO at Batavia Downs Gaming, says the Downs enjoys partnering with Zonta Club of Batavia/Genesee County on this event.

“They help us with a lot of other events throughout the year, like our Christmas event. Its a great event for the community, it benefits many different organizations in the area. The prizes are fantastic and very creative, we love working with them and look forward to this every year,” says Wojtaszek.

The Zonta Club of Batavia/Genesee County Chapter has been around for 60 years. Zonta was created in Buffalo in 1919 by Marian de Forest, an American Journalist and Playright. De Forest was a writer for the Buffalo Evening News and she founded Zonta as a service organization of executive women working to improve the legal, political, economic and professional status of women around the world. Zonta is a Lakota Sioux Indian word that means “honest and trustworthy” according to Wikipedia. The National Zonta celebrated 100 years in 2019 .

“A major component is our advocacy and what we do for our community as far as veterans, the hospital and the YWCA,” says Parker.

“We partner with them to help them either buy supplies or some sort of funding.”

For the hospital, Zonta purchased a hearing machine that tests infants sensory hearing after they are born. They also partner a lot with the Cancer Society as many of their members have been affected after battling cancer.

Zonta also partners with the YWCA in the battle against domestic violence.

“We really try and partner with the community and businesses to give back. We are an international organization so we also supply birthing kits for other countries. A lot of people don’t realize that in third world countries women are out in the fields, they are pregnant, working, having their babies in the fields. We supply a zip lock bag birthing kit with gauze, alcohol swabs, razor blades, gloves and a clamp for the umbilical cord. Every year 5,000 of these kits are requested.”

Z Club at the High School is the group’s sister club, it consists of 30-40 kids as members.

“They helped build water towers in Uganda so kids could have running water in their schools. We help support their mission as well and we also give them money each year for being our sister club.”

Parker says that Zonta relies very much on patrons to continue their advocacy and scholarship program.