Mayor Tom Stiehm proclaimed November 2019 as Zonta Month during the Austin City Council’s regular meeting Monday evening,

Zonta International, an organization that works for the advocacy and empowerment of women, is celebrating 100 years on Nov. 8. The organization was originally founded in Buffalo, New York, and has since spread throughout the country.

The Zonta Club of Austin MN celebrated 68 years in January.

“The members of Zonta International and the Zonta Club of Austin MN envision a world in which women’s rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential,” Stiehm said. “In such a world, women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men. In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence. In addition to improving the lives of women and girls around the world and in the Austin area, the Zonta Club of Austin’s local service activities financially support projects to empower women and girls to understand their rights and realize their full potential.”

The Zonta Club of Austin has helped fund scholarship programs, such as the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship, and have provided assistance to women and girls in transition at the Crime Victim Resource Center, Mission 21 and More Than Pink.