Zontians' Work nets Abuse Shelter $10,000 grant

HILO, HI—May 1, 2008—Nearly 30 members and friends of the Zonta Club of Hilo were “hands-on” in a project at Hale Ohana, Hilo’s domestic abuse shelter Saturday, April 26.

As a result, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is granting the shelter, operated by Child & Family Service, $10,000 that will be used largely for security and sanitation projects.

Zonta Club of Hilo, part of Zonta International that works to advance the status of women worldwide, has adopted the shelter for service projects through May 2009. During the work session, Zontians planted fruit and puakenikeni trees, installed a permanent galvanized-pipe clothesline, hung rods and curtains throughout the facility, refreshed the play equipment area and filled more than 200 toiletry packs. View photos.

“A family forced to escape an abusive home finds safety at Hale Ohana,” said Zonta Club president Pat O’Toole. “Our Club’s mission is to help make the shelter more comfortable and pleasant for these families.”

Besides the work session, Zontians have also donated 10 sturdy wooden dining chairs to the shelter along with bedding, towels and household items. As part of its two-year commitment to the shelter, Zonta Club is also providing packs of undergarments for women, boys and girls, since the families often escape with nothing.

Zontians are also assembling “Restart Kits” with kitchen essentials for those women with children who must begin again from scratch. The kits contain flatware, dishes, a pot, laundry basket, and a few other items.

“For whatever reasons, Hawai‘i Island has a particularly high rate of domestic violence. Zonta wants families to get away from, and hopefully break the cycle of violence in the home,” O’Toole added.

It is the third time in five years that Zonta Club of Hilo has provided service to the shelter and abuse victims. In 2005, another Weinberg grant earned by Zontian labor provided funds to put in the playground equipment. In 2003, Zontians secured a Weinberg grant which the police department used to develop a brochure and cards to alert victims how to reach “safe shelter.”

The trees and planting material for this year’s work project were gifts of Garden Exchange and J and M Farm. Help on the clothes line materials came from Hawaii Community College and Ernest Pung.

The formal presentation of the Weinberg check to Family and Child Service will take place during Zonta’s fundraising gala luncheon and fashion show May 18. The fundraiser helps support the group’s service projects.

Zonta Club of Hilo was founded in 1950 as a service organization for executives in business and the professions. It is part of the worldwide service organization, Zonta International, which has 33,000 members in 67 countries.