Zonta News and Events - November 2020
Save the Date - November 30
Dear Friends of Zonta,

In preparation for the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, Zonta organized a national summit of thought leaders to create a strategy to end violence against women. It was in Beijing that First Lady Hillary Clinton famously declared, "Women's rights are human rights", and that's when Zonta formally made ending gender violence part of our mission.

Since 2012, we have been organizing an annual "Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women" event to coincide with the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence" (November 25 - December 10) initiated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership.

This year we are pleased to partner with the Domestic Violence Resource Center and the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence NCEDSV to bring you
Saying NO to gender violence - A Community Conversation

WHEN: Monday, November 30, 2020, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
WHERE: Online via Zoom and Facebook Livestream
COST: Free
Our Panelists come from many sectors of the domestic violence landscape and will share their stories of how COVID-19 has exacerbated the problems families are already dealing with, as well as some amazing success stories. We'll talk about resources, and what's needed. We'll also offer an opportunity for interactive participation.

Domestic violence produces long lasting harm and knows no ethnic, racial, or socio-economic boundaries. It is a societal issue that affects all of us one way or another.

Whether it is a family member, co-worker, friend or neighbor, we all know someone who lives, or has lived with violence in their lives. Maybe you have too. We hope you'll join us on November 30 to add your voice to the conversation.

Sincerely,

Joy Orlich, President
Zonta Club of Greater Reno
Our Panelists
Mandi Arya, MSW
Victim Services Family Support Coordinator, Nevada Urban Indians, Inc.

Mandi works as the Victim Services Family Support Coordinator for Nevada Urban Indians, Inc. coordinating their Victim Services Program, providing temporary emergency shelter and other financial assistance to victims of crime.

Shontell Brewer, MA
Shontell Brewer is a writer and advocate for women and children in her community through prevention education. She has served as a classroom educator for over twenty years. Shontell speaks around the country to youth, mothers, and churches to bring awareness and strategies to parents and others who work with children. Her book, Missionary Mom, was released fall of 2018.
Diaz Dixon
CEO, Eddy House - a transition program for youth experiencing homelessness.

Diaz is a human service provider turned community patron. From children's services, to animal welfare, to substance abuse, in private and public arenas, Diaz has used his platform to foster solutions to community problems.
Monica DuPea
Founder, Executive Director - Nevada Youth Empowerment Project NYEP

Monica is an acknowledged expert on youth homelessness. In 2007 she established NYEP, a 12-24 month Community Living Program for 18-24 year old women to develop sustainable life skills.
Serena Evans, MPA
Policy Specialist, Nevada Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence NCEDSV

Serena works to create survivor-centered and trauma informed policies at both the state and federal level. Serena enjoys being an advocate for survivors and aims to always center and enhance survivor experiences.”
Joseph Galata
Executive Director, Sierra Association of Foster Families SAFF.

Joseph as worked with over 20,000 children, teens, and young adults who have experienced one or more types of violence and has created a variety of educational programs using the arts of storytelling, music, dance, theatre, and cultural traditions as a means of healing from the grief of violence.
Sylvia Gonzalez
Director of Client Services, Domestic Violence Resource Center

Sylvia Gonzalez has been with the Domestic Violence Resource Center since 2001, supervising advocates, and overseeing advocacy, safety planning, statistics, and evaluating programming provided to all clients.
Halie Meiners
Youth Case Manager, Awaken, Inc.

Halie's desire for advocacy for women and children began in 2011. She works directly with youth who are at risk or have been exploited in the Commercial sex trade. She enjoys getting to know as many people as she can, by building strong and meaningful relationships in and outside of her job. Halie believes in sexual exploitation coming to an end.
Gigi Sefchick

Gigi has worked for the District Attorney's office for 14 years and has seen every facet of the domestic violence landscape. As a certified Court Interpreter, she helps break down language barriers, and also conducts workshops on court interpretation.
SIGNS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
  • Tells you that you never do anything right
  • Shows extreme jealousy of your friends and time spent away
  • Keeps you or discourages you from seeing friends or family
  • Insults, demeans, or shames you with put-downs
  • Takes your money or refuses to give you money for necessary expenses
  • Prevents you from making your own decisions
  • Controls who you see, where you go, or what you do
  • Tells you that you are a bad parent or threatens to harm your children
  • Destroys property or threatens to hurt or kill your pets
  • Intimidates you with guns, knives, or other weapons
  • Pressures you to have sex when you don't want to, or do things sexually you're not comfortable with
  • Prevents you from calling police or seeking medical attention
  • Forces you to use drugs or alcohol, especially if you've had a substance abuse problem in the past
Display at Domestic Violence Resource Center. Each leaf represents 100 victims of violence in Nevada. 37,669 Cases in 2019 (statistics courtesy of NCEDSV)
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