District 8 Conference - "Give Her a Voice" September 22-24, 2017
Location
Holiday Inn Yakima
802 East Yakima Avenue
Yakima, Washington 98901
Map
Conference Highlights
Special guest speakers:
- Sonja Honig Schough - Zonta International President
- Lizbeth Meredith - Author of “Pieces of Me; Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters” and member of the Anchorage Zonta Club
- Nita Belles - “In Our Backyard”
- Speaker Bios
Special Friday evening event at Treveri Cellars Winery, 6:00 pm (owned by former Yakima Zonta Member Julie Grieb)
Bonus: Yakima Sunshine and Seeing all your Zonta friends!
Conference information
You'll find all pertaining information for conference on our Google Drive, including:
- Proposed District Budget 2018-2020
- District Financial Statement for 2014-2016
- Slate of Officers 2018-2020
- Dues Increase
- Credential Information and Delegate Orientation
- Conference speaker information
- Conference schedule
- List of restaurants (coming soon)
Costs
Conference Registration Fees |
$150.00 |
Saturday Banquet guests |
$45.00 |
Optional: Friday night dinner function at Treveri Cellars - Treveri Cellars champagnes were served at State Department functions under the last administration. |
$25.00 |
The conference registration fee covers all conference materials, breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday, Thursday night Welcome Reception at the hotel, and Saturday Night Banquet. Call Deby Gunter at (509) 945-6900 for information on partial conference fees.
Dietary Restrictions
Saturday Banquet Meal Choices: 8 oz. New York Strip, Cedar Planked Salmon and Chicken Marsala
Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.
Hotel Reservations
Hotel Welcome Letter
Hotel Reservations
Cut off date for room reservations is 8/23/2017.
Map to Venue
Speaker Bios
Lizbeth Meredith is an Anchorage‐based writer
with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a
master’s degree in psychology. She has worked
as a domesic violence advocate and a child
abuse invesigator, and presently working with at‐risk
teens as a juvenile probaion supervisor.
Lizbeth published Pieces of Me: Rescuing My
Kidnapped Daughters, a 2017 IPPY Award silver
medalist for memoir/personal struggles, and a
finalist for the USA Best Book Awards and the
Internaional Book Awards. She published
When Push Comes to Shove: How to Help When
Someone You Love is Being Abused on Amazon
and Nook, and is a contributor to A Girl’s Guide
to Travelling Alone by Gemma Thompson.You
can contact her at lameredith.com or on Facebook at or on Twitter @LizbethMeredith
Nita Belles is an author, speaker and leading national expert in the antihuman
trafficking movement. Her journey as a tireless crusader against
human trafficking began in 2006 when she witnessed the cruelty of this
atrocity and was compelled to take action. Each year since 2010, Nita’s
anti-trafficking work surrounding the Super Bowl has been instrumental
in holding traffickers and sex-buyers accountable and recovering victims
of human trafficking. In her years of dedication to this issue she’s
worked from rescue to restoration. She has collaborated with top law
enforcement, government officials, social service providers, faith
communities, and survivors as the key to creating comprehensive, lasting
change.
National Speaker and Trainer: As a prominent trainer and motivational speaker, Nita engages audiences
of all kinds, empowering them to use their expertise and sphere of
influence to stop human trafficking. She frequently speaks to government officials, law enforcement,
universities, businesses, civic organizations, medical communities, conferences and faith-based groups. Some
past audiences have included National Association of Attorneys General, Oregon Youth Authority Parole and
Probation, University of Oregon, Brigham Young University, Saddleback Church, Willow Creek Church, and
innumerable human trafficking conferences.
Victims Advocate and Legislative Advisor: She possesses a deep understanding of both labor and sex trafficking and is sought after to assist in the
recovery and restoration of victims. Nita knows that to make a lasting impact in ending human trafficking, laws
must be changed and she often advises legislators regarding laws to bring justice in this realm. She provides
expert testimony as an advisor on HT laws and has influenced the passing of human trafficking legislation in
several states. Nita was instrumental in the passing of Oregon’s House Bill 3143 which requires that Freedom
Stickers go out with every renewed liquor license in the state of Oregon. Freedom Stickers contain the National
Human Trafficking Hotline number, offering a pathway to freedom for victims of human trafficking. They
originated with In Our Backyard and were designed in collaboration with survivors.
Author and Spokesperson:
Expanding upon her first book written in 2011, Belles authored what has been acclaimed as the primer on
human trafficking: In Our Backyard: Human Trafficking in America and What We Can Do to Stop It (Baker
Books 2015). Nita is published in Huffington Post, Washington Post, and the Journal of Christian Nursing,
among others. Often interviewed as an expert on human trafficking, her work has been featured by CNN, FOX
Files, USA Today, Focus on the Family, and others.
Founder and Executive Director: Nita is the Executive Director and Founder of In Our Backyard, a national nonprofit organization that links
arms across America in the fight against human trafficking through awareness, action, education, legislative
advising and advocacy for survivors. She is passionate and dedicated to leading the organization and has never
taken a salary.
Career and Education: After a career in business, Nita earned her Master’s Degree in Theology with a Concentration in Women’s
Concerns. She served as a domestic violence chaplain and Associate Pastor prior to founding In Our Backyard.
Nita has been happily married to her husband Dan for more than 30 years. In her spare time, Nita enjoys
riding her bike and spending time with her family
|