Over the past years, the Zonta Club of Victoria , with the zeal, commitment and energy of the small but highly efficient group of members, has bloomed and blossomed. Apart from being supportive of Zonta International programs, we have been actively engaged in various social service programs and charitable activities to serve the local community.

We are fully committed and dedicated to the well-being of the local community. We take care of the children and youngsters because we believe that they are our future. We see families as the core and source of love and so we are keen to assist families in need. We support the elderly , sick and disabled in order to assure them that they are not neglected. As part of the community, we are interested in the events and people around us and so we are always prepare to help those in need through difficult times.

Committee Chairmen
Social Services (Chair: Lydia Chan)
Programme (Chair: Sandra Mak)
Fellowship (Chair: Paula Ho)
Advocacy (Chair: Rosaline Cheung)
Fund-raising: Chair: Carrie Yuen
Membership (Chair: Kaftine Leung)
Attendance: (Chair: Bonnie Smith)
Website: (Chair: Laura Cheung)

Monthly business meetings for members are held on the second Wednesday of the month. Meeting schedule for 2011-2012 as follows: July 13, August 10, September 7, October 12, November 9, December 14, Jan 11, 2012, Feb 8, March 14, April 18 and May 9.

Members can click here to login for the club’s database.

Let me begin by saying, on behalf of our members, how grateful we are for outgoing president Susan Yu and her selfless dedication to the club. Her leadership has been a driving force that has moved us forward even during a very difficult time.

It is said that change brings challenges. My personal belief, however, is that with challenges comes opportunity. And in the coming year, I can see that our club will have to face a few challenges, and we will welcome the opportunities. These will include succession planning, building our membership, and creating bonding experiences among those who join us.

To begin, I would like to address the challenge of succession planning. As you are aware, this is my second term, serving as the club’s president, the first being in 1996. Susan, our outgoing president, has also just finished serving her second term. Although you may disagree, this is a rather unhealthy situation, and I would like to take this opportunity to ask our members to reflect on whether we have a need for ‘repeat presidents’, particularly when we are surrounded by so many capable and talented women. It is my sincere hope that in the coming year, we will create a solid succession plan that enables us to empower ourselves and provides a seamless transition process in subsequent years.

The second challenge that we face concerns our membership. More than half of the founding members, who formed the club 20 years ago, are either approaching retirement or have already retired. Recruiting young and energetic members is vital to our role in the community. We must reach out to women executives and professionals, who, like our incumbent members, are keen to serve the community, and are committed to advance the status of women. Therefore, an active and successful membership drive will be one of our key goals for the coming year.

With the recruitment of new members, we have to bear in mind the fact that injection of new blood into the club may give rise to a third challenge: creating a true and meaningful bonding experience among those who join us. It has always been challenging for the fellowship committee to find activities that cater to the interest of all members. With a focus on recruiting younger members, our activities must appeal to a wider age group and create a “stickiness” that binds us together. This year, we are fortunate to have a team building guru, Paula Ho, as our Fellowship Committee chairman. With her leadership, we all look forward to a more eventful and fun-filled year.

As we continue to grow and extend our reach, the strongest element that binds us together is our commitment to serve the community. This is the cornerstone upon which we have built our club, and upon which we will ensure that these challenges indeed become opportunities, as we continue to have the confidence to thrive. I look forward to the continued support and encouragement of our patrons, social service partners and sister clubs.

Laura Cheung
President 2011-2012