Zonta Club of Denver (ZCD), formed in 1927, was the first Zonta club between Chicago and San Francisco. Since then, the club has sponsored numerous other Zonta clubs in this part of the country, hosted two Zonta International Conventions, and contributed more than its share of members serving in Zonta’s District 12, which includes clubs in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado.
ZCD’s longest-lived service project was its sponsorship of Denver Girls, a partnership with Denver Public Schools that provided mentors and counseling for at-risk middle- and high-school girls. ZCD, with the Rotary Club of Denver and Ladies of Rotary, co-founded Denver Girls, and continued to support it for more than 30 years.
A $100,000 grant from ZCD’s foundation financed the Herstory wall on the Welton Street side of the Colorado Conventional Center (part of what Denver calls Colorado Panorama: a People’s History), completed in 1991. Herstory, a computer-generated tile mural by artist Barbara Jo, represents the faces and activities of women important to Colorado’s past, including three who were Zonta members.
Grants have been made in recent years to Open Door Ministries, Denver Children’s Choir, Extended Hands of Hope, Boys Hope Girls Hope, Friends of the Haven, Work Options for Women, The Delores Project, and other nonprofits. Club members also donate their time to many organizations. During recent years, members have served monthly dinners to the clients of The Delores Project, a homeless shelter for unaccompanied women, and have put on a holiday party at The Haven, a residential treatment facility for women.
In 2011, ZCD received a National Philanthropy Day® award for demonstrating outstanding commitment through financial support and the encouragement and motivation of others to take leadership roles in philanthropy and community involvement.”
For more a more detailed club history, click here.