Show entices residents with chocolate, murder and charity

A local not-for-profit is hoping unlimited chocolate and an entertaining show will entice area residents, while raising funds to help women of Haiti.

The Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau is holding an "Evening of Murder, Mystery and Chocolate" at Buckner Brewing Co. on June 29. The event will feature all-you-can-eat chocolate and an interactive "whodunit," with clues given to the audience and a chance to solve the mystery at the end of the evening. There will also be three chocolate fountains, gourmet chocolate samples and several "dippers" for the fountains. Cape Zonta board member and event organizer Carolyn Kempf said the hope is to have fun and educate people about Zonta and its work.

"I don't really see this type of thing being done too much around the area, and I think people will really get in to it. We're kind of presenting this in the ‘Clue' style, and we'll see if anyone can actually figure who did what," said Kempf, who is also CEO of Elite Travel in Cape Girardeau. "The real kicker here is the chocolate. You can eat all the many different kinds of chocolate we'll have to your heart's content. And it's all to help us help women in Haiti."

Zonta International was started in March 1919, with five women in Buffalo, New York. Each year, Zonta members dedicate hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours and millions of dollars from their 1,200 clubs in 67 countries worldwide. The organization also provides scholarships for women in honor of famous Zonta member Amelia Earhart.

The Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau was chartered in May 1976. Since that time, they have raised more than $270,000 for community and international projects, and members have worked more than 40,000 volunteer service hours to help women in Southeast Missouri and abroad. The club sends three to six teams of six to 12 members to Haiti every year to help with everything from cooking to crocheting. Club vice president Reno Anderson said the event is a fun way to support Zonta's continuing work in Haiti.

"For me, it's all about what we're working toward, and we'll have fliers and a small presentation to inform those in attendance about our Haiti project," said Anderson, who owns Grassroots BMW in Cape Girardeau. "But that doesn't mean it won't be fun. I mean, do I even need to explain how fun the event will be when it has ‘chocolate' in the name? I think not."

About 50 members strong, Zonta Cape Girardeau consists mainly of executive and professional women in Southeast Missouri. But Kempf insists they are not exclusionary in any way, and welcome assistance from those interested in the club's causes.

"Zonta has historically been a women's club based on the fact that we work toward empowering women, but we regularly work with organizations to improve literacy, health and families," Kempf said. "Yes, we work mostly with women's issues. But we are definitely rooted in helping our community."

The Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau's "Evening of Murder, Mystery and Chocolate" will begin at 6:30 p.m. June 29. Tickets are $20 ($10 for Zonta members), and can be purchased JCS Wireless, Elite Travel, Ruopp Dentistry and Grassroots BMW in Cape Girardeau, and Cheryl Mothes at Edward Jones in Jackson. For more information go to capezonta.org, or call 334-1234.

jsamons@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

132 N. Main Street, Cape Girardeau, MO