Women coming together in Longview
“Women coming together with a collective intention … It’s a powerful thing.” – so read the program at the Zonta Club of Longview’s annual luncheon, where more than 40 women gathered to honor and support East Texas nonprofits and extraordinary women.
Among those women being honored was Shumaria Edwards, a client of Buckner Family Pathways in Longview. Shumaria, a single mother, was the recipient of Zonta’s Adult Women in Education scholarship in the amount of $1,000.
Through Family Pathways, Shumaria is working to obtain her bachelor’s degree in order to become a teacher.
Three other local women received $1,000 scholarships from Zonta.
Additionally, Buckner was awarded a $5,000 grant in support of the Family Pathways program. Buckner Gift Officer Kim Wright, who was on hand to accept the gift, told the crowd the money would be used to help provide counseling services for the families enrolled in Family Pathways.
“We are so grateful to receive this grant from Zonta,” she said. “Our single mothers have shown incredible strength in the way they’ve handled a global pandemic while also pursuing their degrees, mothering their children and overseeing their schoolwork, and working to continue to financially support their families. The counseling services Buckner will be able to provide these women thanks to this grant is another way we can support them.”
The luncheon also saw new members and officers inducted, including the club’s new president, Amy Hooten.
“In the midst of these difficult times, does the great spirit of our organization not serve as a guiding symbol to healing and community strength?" she said. "The very foundation of our clubs within our communities are to cure the things that ail our country.”
The Zonta Club of Longview exists to empower women through service and advocacy, helping them create a brighter future. Its members work each day to help strengthen and grow the community, and the grants and scholarships awarded at the annual luncheon help local women take a step into their future.
Visit buckner.org/Longview to find out more about Buckner programs in Longview and how you can help vulnerable families.
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