Zonta Club honors women for achievements, service

Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau honored three women Friday, Nov. 18, for their contributions to their communities.

Danette Miller, a physician at SoutheastHEALTH Primary Care, was awarded the 2022 Zonta Women of Achievement award.

Zonta also recognized Nancy Blattner, president of Fontbonne University, with the group's Celebration award.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Trudy Lee, recently retired vice president for Advancement Services and Planned Giving and executive director of the University Foundation at Southeast Missouri State University.

At the luncheon, Jessica Hill, Zonta member and Women of Achievement coordinator, introduced the nominees for the 2022 Women of Achievement award.

"Throughout the Cape Girardeau community we see women of excellence manage every day to leave an indelible mark on their professions, their families and friends and their communities," Hill said. "Each of the Women of Achievement nominees demonstrate determination, commitment and innovation."

Hill thanked the nominees for having an impact in their professional careers and volunteer service.

According to a short biography, Miller returned to Cape Girardeau after medical school to practice family medicine with SoutheastHEALTH in 2010.

"As witness to the continued struggles of local women and children regarding access and education, Dr. Miller takes time from a very busy schedule to volunteer at Samaritan Regional Healthcare," Hill said. "Also, she and her husband, Blake, are raising four outstanding children of their own while also fostering children through the State of Missouri's foster parenting program."

Accepting the award, Miller spoke of the support she received from her parents and said without their commitment to her success she wouldn't be where she is today.

"I can't do anything I do without support from other people," she said. "One of the earliest lessons I learned in church is to treat others as you want to be treated. I try to continue to live by that every day. It's what leads me in every job I do, activity I volunteer for and everything that I do with my kids."

Miller talked about how the world is full of diversity and yet people fight over their differences.

"And this bothers me," she said. "There's so much division over equality, race, creed, religion, sexuality and what country you're born in. The truth is, if you take one thing away from hearing about all these amazing people today, take this: Lead with love and approach everyone as Jesus would approach them if he were standing up here today."

Zonta member Sandy Hastings presented Zonta's Celebration. She said, Blattneras a lifelong Catholic, fell in love with Catholic higher education during her tenure as the first female president of Fontbonne University in St. Louis.

Named president of Fontbonne University in July 2020, Blattner formerly served as vice president and dean for Academic Affairs at Fontbonne before assuming the presidency at Caldwell, a Catholic liberal arts university, in 2009.

Close friend, Mary Miller Bennett, spoke in a video of Blattner having a "huge loving heart", she couples with a "keen, sharp intellect, an analytical minds and a hard-working spirit."

Blattner said that anyone who saw the house she grew up in on South Ranney Avenue in Cape Girardeau would understand what receiving the award means to her. She said even though her parents didn't have more than an eighth grade education, she never doubted she herself would go to college.

"My mother made it her mission in life that I was going to have a better and easier life than she lived," Blattner said. "My parent's work ethic, faith and desire for my education all contributed to the person I've become today."

Amanda Lincoln, interim vice president and director of Development-University Advancement presented Lee with the Lifetime Achievement award.

"What an impact Trudy has had on this community since she joined us," Lincoln said. "She's been making a difference in the profession of charitable gift planning for a while. She is passionate about philanthropy. She is my friend and mentor."

In accepting the award, Lee talked about the decision she and her husband, Terry, made to move their family back to the Midwest.

"We were looking for just the right job for me and the right place for our family. We found it here," Lee said. "I felt, when I came onto SEMO's campus for the first time, I could make some kind of difference here."

She said working at the university was a "wonderful experience," full of incredible opportunities and challenges that took her out of her comfort zone.

"It was those opportunities and challenges that taught me so much about philanthropy and higher education," Lee said. "The greatest joy of my career was working with so many generous individuals who truly want to make a difference and leave a legacy for future generations."

She said the true heroes are those who give selflessly of their time, talents and treasure to those who need a hand up. Lee said she was stunned when she learned Zonta had picked her to receive the award.

"I was a little uncomfortable accepting it," Lee said. "But I realized that what the award means is that what I hoped for became a reality. That I have made some kind of difference, and my dreams came true."

She thanked Zonta and her family, including her parents, for showing her what is most important in life -- family, faith and a loving god and service to others selflessly and humbly and to always communicate in Christian love.

Jennifer Criblez, president of the Zonta chapter, said this year was Zonta International's 130th Anniversary and the 17th anniversary of the Cape Girardeau's chapter's luncheon.

According to Zonta's website, the club exists to empower women though service and advocacy. Zonta is an International service organization of business and professional women working together to empower women and advocate at the local, state and international level. They pledge to improve the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women.