Zonta International hosted in 2013 a first time International Zonta educational event.  This International advocacy education event occurred in 3000 clubs in 64 countries on same day.  This event will be hosted in Fort Collins every other year.  The next event will be November, 2017. Stay tuned for further information.

This event titled:  Zonta Says No will be held November, 2017.  November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.  The following website explains the significance of this date.  http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday. Join us NOV, 2017.  Check back often as the details will be updated monthly.

Zonta International was founded in 1919.  One of the first service organizations to understand women's unique role in achieving world peace, Zonta International continues to promote justice and universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Visit www.Zonta.org

The Zonta Says No campaign, a Zonta International campaign, is to raise awareness of and increase actions to end violence against women and girls locally and around the world. This culminating November event will feature one common action by Zonta clubs and districts around the world in November 2013 to illustrate the collective commitment of Zonta’s nearly 30,000 members to preventing and ending violence against women and girls.  visit www.ZontaSaysNO.com to review events around the world. Phase one is from November 2012 to November 2013 and Phase two will begin on 25 November 2013 – the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence.  On that day, all clubs will be asked to take part in one common action.  To learn more about the 16 Days of Activism visit:  Visit here for the 2013 theme:  http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/2013-campaign/theme-announcement and like them at https://www.facebook.com/16DaysCampaign

Zonta Clubs still select, fund and participate in community projects fundamental to promoting women's economic self-sufficiency, political equality, access to education and health care and the elimination of violence against women.

Zonta Says No Fort Collins first event NOV. 2013: Domestic Abuse
At our 2013 event, the Zonta Club of Fort Collins invited local high school students to enter a poster contest based upon this Zonta Says No Campaign.  The posters were judged prior to November 25th by the following:   one high school art teacher, one high school student, one community member of the FC Art community, one CSU Masters Fine Art Student and three Zonta members who sat on our judging panel.  The specific poster criteria was provided to the individual high school Art Department Chairs as school began in August.  We partnered with a CSU Masters in Fine Art student who is also contributed to this event by hosting paper making classes with single Mom’s and their children who have experienced life challenges in their families.  This project was called 'The Mending Paper' project with the art projects utilizing this papermaking technique displayed along with the community event.  This event was held at the Downtown Artery.  All projects were displayed in a local Fort Collins art gallery the week of November 25th and prizes awarded to the high school poster contributors for 1st, 2nd, 3rd places as well as two Honorable Mention, were awarded.  These wonderful 20 art posters were also displayed at Cafe Ole, Coffee and Cocoa coffee shop during the month of FEB, 2014.  

In 2013 we started with a Flash Mob dance in Old Town Square to a YouTube video:  'Break the Chain'.  Look it up on YouTube and watch it, it is very moving. 

Our event then continued 6:30PM-8:00PM at the Downtown Artery located at 252 Linden Street, in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins.  We provided the community an education reception show casing high school student art work in keeping with the campaign to end violence against women locally and globally.  We will also hosted a local speaker from the UCount Campaign, at Timberline Church, who is aiding the process in India to pull girls and boys out of sex trafficking. Also showcased at this event was an Art Therapy paper making project, 'The Mending Paper' project completed by single Mom's.  We are sorry you missed this wonderful event.
  
Zonta Says NO Fort Collins 2nd event NOV 2015:  Human Trafficking

We partnered with numerous community organizations and interested citizens to host our Human Trafficking Awareness event at Timberline Church.  

Our main partner was UCount Campaign and Beth Bruno.  We had a panel of wonderful speakers sharing with us about sex and labor trafficking. We had many vendors who shared how they support victims who attended the event as well.

Do you have a heart for supporting single Mom scholarships. If you would like to make a donation to our scholarship fund, you can email us at ZontaFortCollins@gmail.com.  Thank you for your support of single Mom's in our community.

"Violence against women is not a women’s issue, but a societal issue. It is often rooted in misinterpretations of history, inadequate laws, culture and religion, but can also be based on social structures and traditional ideas of feminine and masculine identities. Violence against women is most frequently about power and control, and we know its consequences to women’s physical, mental and reproductive health. As Zontians, and with Conviction, Commitment and Courage, we will defend and preserve the right to equality and to a life free of violence for all." 
Maria Jose Landeira Oestergaard, Denmark, is President of Zonta International and the Zonta International Foundation