Woman of Distinction
Each year, Zonta Club of Joliet honors a community member who
actively works to support and improve the status of women and
girls and/or has a history of leadership and success in a non-traditional
role as a woman. Current Club members are not eligible.
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At its 2024 Magnificent Mardi Gras fundraiser on February 9, the award was presented to Amirrah Abou-Youssef, community activist and advocate for women and children.
Ms. Abou-Youssef currently serves as the Local Council Coordinator for the 12 th Judicial District Family Violence Coordinating Council. She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois in
Urbana-Champagne in Psychology, with a Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies in 2010. She completed her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Adler University in 2012. Ms. Abou-Youssef has worked in family violence for over 10 years in the Will County community. She is a Certified Domestic Violence Professional and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Certified Domestic Violence Professionals, Inc. She is also a volunteer committee member on the Will County Take Back the Night Committee, bringing awareness of domestic violence to the community. She is a lifelong proud resident of Joliet, Illinois.
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This year’s winner has made an incredible impact on the community through her work helping others to understand the effects of domestic violence and recognize how this epidemic adversely affects women and children.
Past Honorees
"I am a better woman today because of my years served in Zonta."
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- Carmela Castagna,
Founding Member
Zonta Club of Joliet
2012 Susan Pritz-Bornhofen Community Leader, Female-owned business
2014 Lynn Noel Professor of Nursing
2015 Wanda Onstad Church ministry, Female-owned business
2016 Veryl Boykin Founder of Fearless Female Club at JTHS
2016 Ashley Samsa Founder of Fearless Female Club at JTHS
2017 Kay Bolden Warren Sharpe Community Center founder
2018 Judy Mitchell Joliet Junior College President
2021 Denise Winfrey Will County Executive Board member
2022 Michelle Jankowski Owner, Bella Cucina Catering
2023 Carolyn Kahn Executive Director, Bridges to a New Day Counseling
2006 Linda Odom Detective, Joliet Police
2007 Rose Mancuso First woman pharmacist in Joliet
2008 Dorothy Mavrich Historic preservationist
2009 Kathleen Kalan First female judge in Will County
2010 Margaret Hendrix First United Airlines female overseas pilot
2011 Angela DeCraene Founder "Building a Global Community" 2011 Jennifer Fleming Founder "Building a Global Community"