Zonta Club of Olympia invites eligible women to participate in our Women in Business Leadership Award Program.  

The purpose of this award is to encourage women to drive innovation and impact in the business world. The WIBL Award celebrates excellence and recognizes outstanding achievements by women between 18-35 years of age. This award honors exceptional leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, ethical conduct and significant contributions while addressing global or local issues affecting women and girls or climate justice.

What are Olympia Zonta's Requirements?

Completed application, along with supporting documents are due by June 30th, 2025.  If mailing documents, please ensure forms are received at the PO Box address by this date.  The selected applicant will receive $2000 for tuition, fees, and materials; and her application will go on to the Zonta District and possibly International level.  Winners at this level will each receive $10,000. 

DEADLINE: June 30th, 2025

Questions?  Please contact us at olympiazonta@gmail.com.

Learn more about our scholarship programs here.

In Loving Memory: Toy J. Kay

It is with both sadness and deep reverence that I share the passing of our beloved friend and longtime Zonta Club of Olympia member, Toy J. Kay. 

Her family has let us know that she passed away peacefully Tuesday, 4/7, around 9:00 a.m., just a few months after we had the joy and honor of celebrating her remarkable 100th birthday.

Toy was a luminous presence in our Zonta community—a woman of quiet strength, unwavering kindness, and steadfast service. Toy rose with grace, carried others with compassion, and lived with purpose. Her leadership, dedication to promoting membership, and wonderful sense of humor were strengths that inspired so many of us.

A noted Chinese American elder in our region Toy wrote her autobiography, with some assistance, titled "An American Picture Bride", in which she shared her powerful life story. Born in Butte, Montana and raised in the tradition of women living in the late 1800's Qing Dynasty of China, Toy’s journey was one of profound personal and spiritual transformation. Painfully shy and taught to be an obedient wife, she entered into an arranged marriage in 1941 at the age of 16. Her husband, Bill Kay, brought her to Olympia, Washington, where she began working the very next day at the family restaurant, Kay’s Café—a place she would dedicate herself to for 33 years.

But Toy's path did not end there. She blossomed into a courageous leader and community builder. She founded the Olympia Area Chinese Association and was an active participant in many service organizations. In 2003, she was recognized with the Living Legend Award of Thurston County—an honor that reflected a life lived in service, resilience, and love.

We will miss Toy deeply—her presence, her wisdom, and her many contributions to our Zonta Club and beyond. But her legacy will endure as we carry her story forward and continue the work she so passionately believed in.

We have let Toy’s family know that we are here to support them. We will share more information as soon as we receive it. In the meantime, may we hold her in our hearts and honor her memory through the lives we lead.

With heartfelt sympathy and gratitude,

Shelly Willis, President, Zonta Club of Olympia

Get Ready for a Totally Rad Night: Save the Date for Our 1980s Murder Mystery Fundraiser!

Zonta International is a global organization of professionals dedicated to empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. Locally, the Zonta Club of Olympia continues this mission by providing grant funding to nonprofit organizations that advance women’s legal rights, health, education, and economic status, combat violence against women, and promote self-esteem for females of all ages.

Each biennium, we award grants of up to $3,000 annually, renewable for a second year based on successful completion of grant requirements. These funds support impactful programs and initiatives that align with our mission to create a better world for women and girls.

If your organization is making a difference in the lives of women and girls, we invite you to apply and partner with us in driving meaningful change!

The following 13 local non-profit organizations will receive our support for the next two years:

• Dispute Resolution Center

• Dry Tikes & Wet Wipes

• Expanding Your Horizons TOGETHER - STEAM

• 4 The Love Foundation

• Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative

• Monarch Children's Justice & Advocacy 

• Olympia Peace Choir

• Pizza Klatch

• Rebuilding Together Thurston County 

• Senior Services for South Sound

• South Sound Reading Foundation 

• YWCA Olympia

• Kathleen's Closet

Learn more about our grant programs here.

Zonta International Calls for Urgent Aid and Safety in Gaza

As violence intensifies in Israel, with a disproportionate impact on women and girls, Zonta International strongly denounces all forms of conflict-related violence. The organization underscores the unequivocal condemnation of inhumane acts.

On May 14th 2024, Zonta Club of Olympia held a MMIW Call to Action event to discuss how we as a community can fight against the injustices and violence on Native American women and families. 

We were honored to host an impactful event featuring distinguished guests Harvest Moon, a Coastal Salish Master Basketweaver and Storyteller; Jeri Moomaw, Executive Director of Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative; and our Keynote Speaker, Roxanne White, Executive Director and Founder of Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women, People and Families.

The first step in preventing the victimization of Native sisters is raising awareness. These crimes affect us all and are not just a tribal issue.

For more information and to find out how you can help, visit Native Women's Wilderness MMIW.

Learn more about our previous MMIW event here.

Tackling Child Marriage in Washington: A Call to Action for January 18th

Child marriage poses a significant threat in Washington due to perilous legal loopholes allowing parents to arrange marriages for children of any age. Shockingly, between 2000 and 2021, 5,048 minors, some as young as 13, were married in the state, with over 80% involving girls marrying adult men. This alarming practice creates a legal quagmire, impacting every aspect of a young girl's life, prompting the U.S. State Department to label marriage before 18 as a "human rights abuse."

The Washington Coalition to End Child Marriage recently organized a highly successful Chain-in event at the Capital in support of the HB1455 aimed at ending child marriage in Washington State. During this impactful demonstration, volunteers donned wedding gowns, were linked together in chains, and symbolically had their mouths taped. A significant number of Zonta members from across Washington State actively participated in the event.

Learn more about event here.

Learn more about the how Zonta International is supporting the End Child Marriage project in this flyer and in the video below.

Image: Northwest Progressive Institute

House Bill 1455: It Passed!

4,831 children were married in the State of Washington between 2000 and 2018.

 As of 2024, only ten states have passed laws ending child marriage and Washington is now the 11th! Currently, there are many loopholes that allow marriage under the age of 18. 

HB 1455 will be eliminating some of those loopholes that exist in Washington State such as:

• Void of marriages that were attained under the age of 18.

• Void of marriages with persons incapable of consenting or when consent was obtained by force.

• Removing the exception of parental/guardian consent to underage marriage.

Updates

• As of February 23rd: HB 1455 passed both House and Senate!

• Governor Inslee has signed HB1455, making Washington the 11th state (and the first on the West Coast) to end child marriage!

• Read more about this from the Seattle Times.