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the Zonta Club of New Orleans
The club is a member of Zonta International
It is part of District 10
http://www.zontadistrict10.org
Members of the club are Zontians.
One Year After Katrina 31 Aug 06
The first anniversary of Katrina is here. Our conversations are still permeated with “Well, before Katrina, ….” or “After Katrina,….” There is a definite division between the lives we used to lead and the ones we have now. We have been meeting monthly. It is always good to see each other and catch up on news. Two members are still living out of the city, and may not return. Our Zonta camaraderie holds us together. We hope it will also draw former members back to us. We are trying hard to resume contact with them. One of our former members very graciously cooked a wonderful meal and hosted one of our meetings in her home. She is moving to Austin, Texas soon, so we will miss her very much. Basic services, such as water, trash collection and phone service are intermittent. Street lights are starting to come on, but many areas are still dark at night. The mayor called on the National Guard again, because crime was getting bad in places. There are reports of drug turf wars and squatters living in houses. Families are being asked to provide grave diggers to bury loved ones because laborers are hard to find. Restaurants are reopening, but with limited menus and staffing. Often, there is a long wait. Traffic can be described as horrid. People drive like they are angry. Passing flooded cars, trash piles and abandoned, caved-in buildings can be very depressing. Try to imagine signing papers authorizing demolition of your home. Things are happening too slowly, so people are frustrated. There is a lot of apprehension about this year’s hurricane season. But the news is not all bad. If you go into the French Quarter or the Garden District, you’d hardly know anything happened. Shops selling antiques and jewelry, etc. are open, as are the museums. The wonderful food and music New Orleans is famous for are still here. It’s a great time to visit. All sorts of deals are being offered to draw people back. Our club members are fortunate to have places to live and sources of income. Several members are still restoring their homes, but the worst part, gutting and cleaning, is mostly over. One of our members, Rebecca Altobelli, is now the chair of the Chevron Women’s Network. Another, Sandra Wilson, was elected Registrar of Voters. Helen Smith-Green is working on a project to restore city child care services, so women can return to the workforce. The Zonta Club of New Orleans is dedicated to rebuilding the city. New Orleans is a national treasure, a very unique and special place. Historic buildings can and should be preserved, but the diverse culture of New Orleans with Mardi Gras, food, music and art is what really makes it wonderful. The spirit of New Orleans is strong and resilient.. We can’t thank you enough for the outpouring of love and the generosity our sister Zontians have shown us during these difficult times.
Carol Knight President
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Update on members of the Zonta Club of New Orleans: ALL accounted for!!!
Current Members
Member | Status | Comments | |
Rebecca Altobelli | RALT@chevrontexaco.com fax: 504-391-6356 | was iin Houston, then in Jefferson Parish, New Orleans, now in Metairie, LA, President of the Int. Chevron Women's Group | Adm. Assistant & Chair, Women's Network, Oak Pt Plant, Chevron Oronite Co, 504-391-6112 tel |
Flora Cherry (F) | fcherry@bellsouth.net | returned home | "family is all messed up" |
Mary Frances Gardner, M.D. | MFGardnerMD@aol.com | safe in Lafayette, staying in an apartment till her home is fixed | roof with ventilation and rain; went into private practice |
Helen Smith Green (F) | None | Finally returned to NO, home being rebuilt with help from her church | working on a project to restore the city's child care system to enable women to return to work |
Mary Steve Hodge (F) | None | lives part time at home and in Alabama. downstairs of NO home was flooded | bought new trucks to replace lost ones, busy moving people in & out of NO |
Catherine Kidd | none | safe in Baton Rouge, waiting till home is rebuilt and services resumed in neighborhood | able to retrieve things from home |
Carol Knight | carolren@earthlink.net | she & husband sold damaged home, moved to Mississippi | Club President; happy to have Internet service & not using that in the public library |
Amy Prudhomme | apdhomme@cox.net | returned home | rebuilding her counselling service |
Alana Villavaso | avillava@msn.com | commutes bet NO & Lafayette, POB 3032, :afayette, LA, tel 504-439-9028 | lost home, hired by Lafayette Arts Council, does storytelling to children in libraries in SW LA, still an artist & performer |
Sandra Wilson (F) | Unknown | finally in NO | Elected as Registrar of voters |
Former Members
Paula Daniels | mispaulay@cox.net | recovering from heart surgery, moving from Memphis to Austin, TX | Westbanks home in OK, daughters lost homes, will build homes in same subdivision |
Yvette Foucha (F) | near Atlanta, Georgia | ||
Kathleen Galante | Katno19@yahoo.com | ZC, NJ with father | |
Ana Gardner (NL) | Relocated in N Carolina | ||
Shalome Jenkins (F) | lomezexchange@yahoo.com | safe with Zontians in Houston TX | she does e-mail now |
Mona Schindler (F) | ipands@bellsouth.net | safe, home | |
Marlene Wade (NL) | marlenewade@aol.com | finished MBA, working to rebuild home | home flooded |
They were displaced from home, work and friends. Seven were unaccounted for. Nine were "found". Two were not in the original list of members. Things are starting to look better!
alana
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ALANA M. VILLAVASO (Ms Vee)
Guest Performer
Alana is an active member of the Zonta Club of New Orleans. She is a teacher, long time story teller, actress and singer with dance training. She appeared with Cicely Tyson in the film “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Last September 16, she was one of the Gulf Artists featured at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. During the National Library Week, she was one of those who performed at the Bayou Vista Branch Library. Along with other members of her club, she lost her job, home and belongings during Hurricane Katrina. They all managed to survive, get back on their feet, and are struggling to resume their projects in their community. She and the members of the Zonta Club of New Orleans deserve a standing ovation. Let us all welcome her and show our appreciation and support. See www.zcgvaz.com/orleans.htm
Alana’s program includes lessons from Katrina, cultural stories for children and excerpts from the Princess Stories to inspire women.
Magdalena D. Guerrero, MD (dr G) http://www.zcgvaz.com
Chairman
Status of Women Committee
Zonta Club of Casa Grande Valley
Please Help The Club Of New Orleans
For information and instructions: Please contact President Carol Knight directly at this particular address:
Make checks payable to: Zonta Club of New Orleans
Mail to: Rebecca Altobelli, Club Treasurer
3620 Kim St., Metairie, LA 70001
The Zonta Club of New Orleans is functioning. It needs to rebuild and then resume its projects one at a time. President Carol Knight has plans to update the original website which has been non-operational since Katrina. The spirit lives on. In the meantime, the club needs all the help it can get so the members can help others.
Thank you very much.
Construction Started on 10 September 2005 - Last Updated on 26 April 2007
You may send messages to me for posting on YOUR website * Fax: 520-876-9112 * guerrero@cgmailbox.com
Magdalena D. Guerrero, M.D. (dr G) - Past President, Zonta Club of Casa Grande Valley (AZ, Dist. 9)
Zonta emblem. Rose, Objects of Zonta, Mission Statements taken from Zonta International's website