Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission have proclaimed 16 Days of Activism beginning November 25th in honor of an important effort by the Zonta Club of Key West. The effort is aimed at raising awareness about violence against women.

“Violence against women is not a women’s issue,” read the proclamation, “but a societal issue, often rooted in misinterpretations of history, inadequate laws, culture, and religions, traditional ideas of feminine and masculine identities.”

The Zonta Club of Key West, which includes 24 members that are women of professional and executive backgrounds, encourages the community to wear orange, the color designated in the “Zonta says No” campaign.
Zonta has designated the color orange as the symbol of the effort, and the club members who accepted the proclamation at last week’s City Commission meeting wore orange scarves.
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The effort is part of a larger movement in which Zonta Clubs all over the world are engaging in an anti-violence campaign in conjunction with the United Nations and Zonta International.

​Zonta Club of Key West is excited to host the 30th Annual ABC (Awareness Breast Cancer) 10K and 5K Walk/Run on Saturday, November 5 at Higgs Beach. This event raises money to cover mammograms and other diagnostic and preventive screenings for women in the Lower Keys who otherwise cannot afford them.  
 
“The Florida Keys is a high-risk county for breast cancer given our geography and large number of residents who do not have health insurance.  This year we expect an even greater need for women’s health funds due to the financial hardships many women and their families face,” said Mechelle Burgohy, Committee Chair for the ABC Event and Zonta Board Member. 
 
Zonta has helped alleviate some of the barriers to healthcare in the Keys.  With the money raised at ABC, over 3,500 mammograms were provided to local women.  The club has never turned any woman requesting these services away and has made it easier for uninsured and underinsured women to receive these life-saving screenings.  
 
Join the hundreds of runners and walkers for this year’s events by registering now at tinyurl.com/abc30th.  Additional registration details follow.