Members of the Zonta Club of Tortola assembled today to distribute yellow roses on the occasion of International Women's Day. Photo: VINO

Some of the fresh yellow roses expected to be delivered today to women and girls across the Territory on the occasion of International Women's Day. Photo: VINO

Zonta's Vice President Karia J. Christopher (left) and President Avaline Potter hard at work preparing roses for distribution. Photo: VINO

The club, which has been in existence for approximately three years, holds an established ritual on each day this year where the roses are given out to various females of any age. The local chapter is part of a wider global body, Zonta International.

President of the local Chapter Ms Avaline Potter disclosed that for the organization, the event was seen as a fundraiser. “The money goes towards one of our signature projects which is called Zonta’s Hope and provides free counselling for minors that have been victims of abuse,” Ms Potter expressed.

The roses are usually pre-sold, with members of the group approaching persons approximately two weeks in advance to accept orders, which included delivery to the persons destined to be in receipt of the special token. Vice-President of the local chapter, Mrs Karia Christopher expressed that the activity is a signature event for Zonta Clubs across the world.

Persons being recognised, according to Ms Potter, include individuals that have been instrumental in the senders’ lives. “A lot of the flowers go to people that have raised people or have been good teachers or things like that… that has been the majority of recipients… the yellow roses are a symbol of friendship and a lot of people have taken the opportunity to say thank you to people who have gone beyond [for them].”

Mrs Christopher disclosed that members of the Zonta Club opted to deliver the roses themselves since this was seen as a gesture of unison, “We wanted to be the ones to deliver the roses and spread some joy and hope and a smile on an unexpected female’s face today… so it’s fun for us.”

All of the club’s 25 members are expected to participate in ensuring that the over 500 roses are delivered before the end of the day.

The group members extended special thanks to Daphne at Blossom’s Florist. Ms Daphne was described as a great source of support over the two years that the event has been held.

The Zonta Club also hosted a free legal clinic a few weeks ago that dealt with family issues and allowed interested persons to consult with a few lawyers that participated in the clinic. Some of the issues dealt with included divorce, child support, restraining orders and alimony, among others. The clinics are held at least three times per year.