Service & Advocacy
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The mission of the 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 annual fundraisers. The money Zonta raises goes toward scholarships, international projects, and local charities.
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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:
Bag Lady Outreach
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
NAMI Will Grundy
Northern Illinois Food Bank
Prairie State Legal Services
Tri-County Alcoholism Rehabilitation Center
Trinity Services
Will County Center for Community Concerns
Will County Legal Assistance Program (WCLAP)
Will Grundy Medical Clinic
The 2024 Grant Award Recipients
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Catholic Charities: $1000
The grant will help subsidize counseling services for low-income women in the Joliet Area.
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwestern Indiana: $1000
The grant will assist with costs associated with programming designed for girls in the Joliet area becoming responsible, productive, caring and engaged citizens.
Northern Illinois Food Bank: $1000
The grant will help assist with the cost associated with NIFB's BackPack program. The BackPack Program is an important project helping to alleviate weekend hunger for children by providing access to fresh, nutritious groceries to share with their families. Learn more about it here: https://jmp.sh/v/Ia0iSGQjJLAf9Nf4ttng
NAMI Will Grundy: $3500
These monies will aid this agency in providing the valuable family support and assistance needed to navigate the mental health resources for their loved one living with a mental health condition.
Local Support & Sponsorship
International Support & Sponsorship
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.
