June 8, 1936      to      June 8, 2021

85 Years Serving Women in the Bay Area

In 1936 a group of professional women in the Berkeley and surrounding area established a local chapter of Zonta International, forming the new Zonta Club of Berkeley. Over the years the club expanded to serve a larger geographical area expanding in the 1970's to include the North Bay. Today we serve an even larger region and are the Zonta Club of Berkeley/North Bay and Beyond! We include our service projects and advocacy to advancing the status of women to East Bay and even further. We have members from San Francisco to Bakersfield who want to build bridges to empower women.

 1936

Zonta Club of Berkeley 

to

2021

Zonta Club of Berkeley/North Bay and Beyond!

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A savvy group of women interested in world affairs and travel, living in the Berkeley Area during the Great Depression decided to charter a new chapter of Zonta International. They established their membership by May 6th and were officially chartered on June 8, 1936. It was an exciting year for the Bay Area. The darling of the Aviation Industry, Amelia Earhart visited a devoted admiring crowd in the thousands. The Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bay Bridge were completed and now connected the City of San Francisco to the surrounding cities of the Bay Area by car! A dozen or more Women's Clubs in the Berkeley Area wanted a special place to meet and the Berkeley Women's Club was created and designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan.

The Zonta Club of Berkeley founding women sought a place where they

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could use their influence in the community to advance the status of women and girls. They were a diverse group of individuals!    A Photographer, a Pharmacist, an Interior Designer, a Campfire Girl Council Leader, an Insurance Agent,  a  Van and Storage Agent, a Shoe Store Owner, an Orthopedic Doctor, a College Professor and an Agriculturalist, these are just a few examples of the variety of businesses and professions of the eclectic group of women who started the new Zonta chapter. A driving force they shared in common was a desire to contribute through service and advocacy to empower women and girls. That same sense of service continues today in 2021 with the present members of Zonta Berkeley - now the Zonta Club of Berkeley/North Bay and Beyond!

1936

2021

Join us as we celebrate the continuing service of Zonta International to the world community and to women and girls in our own back yards. It is an honor to be a Zontian and know that still today we can make a difference by building bridges to empower women. We have the ability   to influence legislation to make women's work environments a better place with equal pay and equal opportunities. 

We have the ability   to influence legislation to make work environments a better place with equal pay and equal opportunities. We continue to find purpose to improve life for women. We delight in the opportunity to provide scholarships and educational awards to deserving young women and we are seriously devoted to our work as we strive to bring an end to all violence against women.