Service & Advocacy
The mission of the Joliet Zonta Club of the Joliet Area is to advance the status of women locally and globally. The club, made up of professional women in the Joliet area, is a service based and raises funds through their annual February fundraiser. The money Zonta raises goes toward scholarships, international projects, and local charities.
The Zonta Club of Joliet has a long history of providing small grants to local organizations that serve girls, women and their families. Some past area recipients of these grants include:
Big Sisters and Crisis Line
Bridges to a New Day
Catholic Charities
Center for Disability Services
Daybreak Shelter
Drug Coordination and Information Council for Big Sisters
Easter Seals
Groundwork of Joliet
Guardian Angel Home/Guardian Angel Community Center
Joliet Area Community Hospice
Prairie State Legal Services
Tri-County Alcoholism Rehabilitation Center
Trinity Services
Will County Center for Community Concerns - purses and personal supplies for
homeless women
Will County Legal Assistance Program (WCLAP)
Will Grundy Medical Clinic
The 2020 Grant Award Recipients
Bag Lady Outreach: $1,000. Initially to purchase lockers for toiletry items for
Joliet Township High School.
Bridges to a New Day: $2000. For domestic violence counseling for victims of
domestic violence and their children and for emergency gift cards for temporary
financial hardship.
Guardian Angel Community Services: $2000. To help increase community
awareness of the signs of child abuse and for scholarship opportunities for
parenting classes.
Northern Illinois Food Bank: $2000. Used for the Milk2MyPlate program which
provides milk to food pantries in Will County.
Trinity Services Women’s Homeless Shelter: $2000. To be used to purchase
mattresses, household items and bus passes.
Will-Grundy Medical Center: $2000. To be used for well women's services and
treatment of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and the limited ability to fundraise, the Zonta Club
of Joliet will unfortunately not be able to award small grants in 2021.
For the past few years, the Zonta Club of the Joliet Area has contributed funds which directly support women in Herat, Afghanistan. At the very active AIL (Afghan Institute of Learning) Jebreel Learning Center in Herat, the majority of its 1,477 students are female. Some 19 types of classes are offered. These include the very popular literacy courses and tailoring courses, embroidery, English, computers, miniature painting, beautician training, etc. There is also a preschool. Jebreel has become a valuable networking base for women and girls. It costs $25 per student for a six month class. Thus for every $1,000 our club provides, 40 Afghan women are able to study at the Jebreel Learning Center.
Local Support & Sponsorship
International Support & Sponsorship
