Students concerned with the betterment of women and children can check out NMU’s Golden Z Club, an affiliate member with the Zonta Club of Marquette and Zonta International.

NMU students interested in becoming a Zonta Club of Marquette member can join this service-based organization committed to improving the lives of women and children locally, nationally and internationally.

Golden Z Club President Christine Johnroe said her fondest memories of Golden Z are hanging out with other members and helping the Marquette community.

“[We have] a lot of good memories. Even the meetings are fun,” Johnroe said.

Future events for club members and NMU students include a forum based on the life of a Tanzania citizen.

“Students will have the opportunity to hear him speak and ask questions about his life in Africa,” said Kristina Balzarini, adviser and former member of the Golden Z Club.

Another upcoming event is a fundraiser for Teaching Family Homes, an organization that helps less fortunate children and families. Members will be bagging groceries at Econo Foods on Feb. 2.

The Golden Z Club participates in many activities to benefit Teaching Family Homes. Last semester, the Golden Z Club and Teaching Family Homes sponsored the event “Lighting Up the Holidays.” The goal of this event was to promote child literacy in Marquette by handing out books to children in the community, Johnroe said.

The Zonta Club of Marquette offers a $500 scholarship to a member of the Golden Z Club each year. However, the Zonta Club sometimes increases the number of scholarships offered based on the amount of members of the Golden Z Club, Balzarini said.

The club has won numerous awards since its start. It was recognized and awarded with the Program/Project of the Year Award for 1999-2000 and the Service Project of the Year Award in 1994-1995. Golden Z has also won first place in the Zonta International Service Project several times in the past.

Balzarini said there are great leadership prospec ts within the club as well.

“We are pretty small, due to graduating seniors last year, so there are a lot of leadership opportunities for members,” said Johnroe.

All students are welcome to join Golden Z.

“We encourage all students, even men, to join, but a lot of them feel weird about joining a club for the betterment of women and children,” she added.

The Golden Z Club meets every other Sunday in the U.C. at 5 p.m. Balzarini said there is a $10 fee per semester for club dues.

For information about joining the Golden Z Club, students can contact Johnroe at [email protected].