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Zonta presents scholarships, Spirit Award

by jmaloni
Fri, Jul 19th 2013 04:05 pm

TAKEN FROM THE JULY 12 ISLAND DISPATCH

The Zonta Club of Grand Island presented four $750 scholarships and the 2013 Spirit Award at the club's annual Scholarship Dinner held at the Buffalo Launch Club on June 25.

The recipients of the Veronica Connor Scholarships are Lauren Shepard and Kimberly Yaeger; The Memorial Scholarship winner is Kathleen Rustowicz; and the Career Advancement Scholarship recipient is Rima Abdellatif.

Winner of the Zonta Spirit Award is Mary Dunbar-Daluisio.

•The Veronica Connor Scholarship, which goes to two graduating seniors from Grand Island, is named in memory of Veronica E. Connor, a charter member of the Grand Island Zonta Club and a supervising principal of the Island school district. She was the first woman in New York state to hold this position. The Middle School was renamed in her honor in 1996. Shepard plans to study biomedical engineering at the University at Buffalo; and Yaeger will attend Stony Brook University, where she plans to study music performance and linguistics.

•The Memorial Scholarship is presented to a woman age 18 to 25 in memory of deceased Zontians who gave of their time and resources to improve the status of women. Rustowicz attends Canisius College, where she is studying to become a special education teacher.

•The Career Advancement Award goes to a Grand Island resident over 25 who is working to further her education or sharpen her skills in order to re-enter the workforce. Abdellatif will graduate with a B.A. in economics from UB.

•The Spirit Award is given to honor a person who exemplifies community service and is a shining example of dedication to others. Dunbar-Daluisio was chosen for her leadership in the Grand Island Relay For Life and continuing service to cancer patients. A cancer survivor herself, Dunbar-Daluisio is warranty administrator at Fuccillo Chevrolet.

The Grand Island Zonta Club has awarded more than $105,000 in scholarships over the years.

"There were many well-qualified candidates, making it very hard to choose," said Scholarship Committee member Linda Isenhart. "We thank all the candidates for their time and effort in completing the application."

Zonta, a worldwide service organization of women executives that had its start in Buffalo, works to improve the legal, political and economic status of women through advocacy. Zonta International has grown to include 1,200 clubs in 64 countries with more than 31,000 members.

The Zonta Club of Grand Island presented four scholarships and the 2013 Spirit Award at the club's annual Scholarship Dinner held at the Buffalo Launch Club on June 25. From left are Spirit Award recipient Mary Dunbar-Daluisio, Career Advancement Scholarship recipient Rima Abdellatif, Veronica Connor Scholarship recipient Lauren Shepard, Memorial Scholarship Award recipient Kathleen Rustowicz and Veronica Connor Scholarship recipient Kimberly Yaeger. (photo by Karen Keefe)

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