Club President, Carol announcing  2007 Xtreme Dream Raffle winner  at Concerts in the Park.

Vice President – Jennie McDonald
Treasurer - Margaret Reid
Secretary – Beth Williams
Director - Jeanie Martin (Term exp. May 31, 2008)
Director – Elaine Booth (Term exp. May 31, 2009)
Director – Roni Broeffle (Term exp. May 31, 2009)
Advisor – Carol Dickson

GIVING TO THE FOUNDATION
See the Contribute Page.

FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTION AWARDS
Member donations are recognized with Rose Pins related to the level of giving history. Yellow Rose Pins have been awarded for donations of $500-$1000 to Roni Broeffle, Colene Martin, Georgette Brown, Carol Dickson, Diann Roe-Gilbertson, Dudee Rembert, Cherryl Walker, Francie Michelon, Shirley Byrd, Connie Sloper, Karen Doyle, Nancy Smith and Lisa Woodruff.

Bronze Rose Pins have been awarded for donations of $1,000-$5,000 to Cherryl Walker, Roni Broeffle, Diann Gilbertson and Connie Sloper.

Contributions of all sizes help improve the status of women and are gratefully accepted. Recently, our Foundation received a large bequest and wishes to acknowledge that contribution with the following memorial.

MEMORIAL TO DANIEL AND AMELIE COMOTTO
in recognition and gratitude for their bequest to our Foundation… by Diann Gilbertson. Diann was instrumental in recommending our Foundation as an estate planning option to the Comottos.

“Danny and Amelie were neighbors of mine for over 15 years and during those years they became a very important part of our lives: mine as well as my daughters’, Nicole and Danielle.
“Amelie was born in 1906 in Nice, France and in 1931 moved to the United States. In 1933 she married Daniel Comotto and in 1938 became a U.S. citizen. When she live din New York city, Amelie worked at several odd jobs, which included sales clerk, seamstress and dressmaker for the New York society ladies. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was one of her customers.
“Danny and Amelie moved to Florida in 1957 where she later took a painting class at the local college in Sarasota. She once told me her first teacher had her working with charcoals and Amelie just hated them because they were so messy. Amelie was a very proper lady. But when she started painting with oils and watercolors she just fell in love. In 1971 the Comottos moved to Grants Pass, where Amelie continued her art work. Locally, she was very well known for her paintings of flowers, especially rosess and lilacs. All the walls in her house were covered with her paintings. In the early 1990’s Amelie’s eyesight began to fail and she was no longer able to paint.
Amelie credits her love of painting, at least in part, for her longevity. She once told Edith Decker othe Grants Pass Daily Courier that you don’t need a doctor if you are painting - you forget your age, all your troubles and all your aches. You just paint, paint, and paint. When I took my girls over to visit Amelie, she would always pat their faces, and that was her way of watching them grow up… Amelie passed away on April 24th, 2003.
Daniel was born in 1905 in Azeglio, Italy. Danny was raised by his grandmother until the age of five. Then in 1910 his mother came back to Italy and took Danny to New York City where he saw his father for the firs time at Ellis Island. By the age of eleven, Danny was orphaned and living on his own. A neighborhood florist took him in and let Danny live in the basement in exchange for work after school. By the age of 18 Danny finished his builder’s apprenticeship, earned his journeyman’s card, and became a construction foreman.
After a couple of years in the trades, Danny started his first business, employing many immigrant and local builders. Danny worked in New York City and Washington, D.C. where he helped build Bolling Field, government buildings and some embassies. He also worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, both in Washington, D.C. and Florida.
When Danny retired, the Comottos moved to Grants Pass where Danny spent most of his time in the garden. He loved fixing things around the house and neighborhood. He even came to our house to find stuff to fix or invent. When I built my house he came over at least once a day and told my builders how things should be done.
Danny loved to fish and would find any excuse to go to the lakes. In fact, at the age of “98″ Danny convinced a neighbor that he was well enough to go back to Florida to fish, so he and Blair Smith headed off to Florida. Unfortunately, when they got there, Danny became very ill and had to return home. On June 5th, 2004, Danny passed away.
Although Amelia and Danny did not have any children of their own, they helped raise many nieces and nephews from the United States, France and Italy. The both really loved children, and always made my Nicole and Danielle feel very special when we came for a visit.
Amelia and Daniel did not want to live forever, but they did want their spirit to continue in the lives of children and families long after they were gone. So on behalf of Daniel and Amelia Comotto and their generosity, I present this check to the Zonta Club of Grants Pass, Oregon Foundation in the amount of $89,475.26.”