Women Empower Women Event

The Zonta Club of the Joliet Area is hosting “Women Empower Women,” an event honoring women making an impact in leadership and service in our area. The event will also help women “straighten your crown,” with uplifting activities and recognition of influential women in the area.

The event will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at the Renaissance Center, 214 N. Ottawa Street, Joliet. Circuit Court Judge Colette Safford will be the emcee for this event, which will start with a 5 p.m. “Mingle” cocktail reception. The program begins at 6 p.m., and we will present the Club’s annual Woman of Distinction Award. The program will end at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased at the Club’s website, www.jolietzonta.org.

The Club has awarded its Woman of Distinction to local women who are not club members, who have been pioneers in their field, community leaders, and/or women who have mentored others in the community. Nominees are sought through club members, via recommendation. Awardees have been chosen from the business world, social services, medical services, and many other professions.

Our 2026 Woman of Distinction is Ines Kutlesa, MA, LCPC, LPHA, CCTP and CEO of Guardian Angel Community Services. “I am incredibly honored,” she says, “to be named the 2026 Woman of Distinction by the esteemed Zonta Club of Joliet. This is especially meaningful given our strong partnership and shared commitment to advancing the mission of Guardian Angel Community Services to provide diverse services that inspire people to improve the quality of their lives in their greatest time of need through our six core programs: Groundwork, Suzy’s Caring Place, Sexual Assault Services Center, Foster Care, Exchange Club Center, and Partner Abuse.” To learn more about Ines, visit https://www.gacsprograms.org/leadershipx to read about her many accomplishments.

For more information on GACS, go to https://www.gacsprograms.org/ and if you or someone you know are in immediate need of their services, the 24-hour domestic violence hotline number is 815-729-1228 and the sexual assault hotline number is 815-730-8984.

The Zonta Club of the Joliet Area is a part of Zonta International, a UN NGO (non-governmental agency). The Club is dedicated to making a better world for women and girls. We are non-partisan and non-sectarian. Our charitable foundation has been established for the express purpose of funding scholarships and sponsoring grants to various organizations. The Club achieves this through community service and fundraising for scholarships for women and girls. If you are interested in membership, please visit our website at www.jolietzonta.org or find us at https://www.facebook.com/JolietZontaClub and leave us a message.