Courtesy Photo Pictured above are members of the Zonta Club of Alpena – Zonta Walks for Women Committee. Back row, from left to right, are Pam Richardson, Denise Tobias, Diane O’Connor, Dawn Stone, Cindy Gabara, Melissa Chabot, Stacey Smith, and Karen Kamyszek. Front row, from left to right, are Natalie Nadeau, Lesslee Dort of Friends Together, Eileen Budnick, and Tami Clewley.

On Thursday, Feb. 7, the Zonta Club of Alpena presented a check to Lesslee Dort from Friends Together for $9,837.23. These dollars will be used to purchase the HealinComfort Shirts (breast cancer recovery shirts) and other tangibles for women, like wigs, bras and prosthetics, as well as funding the Mindful Movement for Healing program.

The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary again served as the host site for the 12th annual event held on Saturday, Oct. 6. The walk and 5K run route spanned the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail and along the banks of the Thunder Bay River.

JoAnn Kamyszek was the 2018 honorary chair for the event.

Since its inception in 2007, the Zonta Walks for Women event has raised a total of $242,776. These funds are kept locally and the net proceeds of $10,930.25 for 2018 have been gifted to Friends Together and MidMichigan Medical Center–Alpena for their new digital mammography equipment.

The Bras on the Bridge Event was held inside the sanctuary on Saturday due to weather. Zonta members asked local business and community members to decorate a bra in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Approximately 40 decorated bras were submitted and displayed. The winner of the Boobie Prize with the most votes by donation was Brenda Sneeden.

The Zonta Club of Alpena was chartered in 1963 and is an international service organization comprised of women working together to enhance the status of women both locally and globally. For more information about becoming a member, contact membership chair Tami Clewley at 989-255-0573.