Saturday: 06:00 AM - 10:00 AM
On Air Now
Saturday: 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Mon - Fri: 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM
The Zonta Expo is the main fundraiser for Zonta Club of the Black Hills. This event allows Zonta to support local service organizations that otherwise might not be able to offer much needed resources to women and children in the Rapid City community.
The biggest winner of the Zonta Expo is you in attendance. Just read the bullet points below to see the benefits of your entrance ticket.
To purchase tickets:
Contact any Zonta member, email zontablackhills@hotmail.com, or visit Victoria’s Garden – 320 7th St. To purchase online, please click the yellow button at the top of this page.
When Bella Weems was 14 years old, she wanted a car — despite the fact it would be two years before she could legally drive it. Many of her friends were older, and they were passing their driving tests. Moreover, a friend had let Bella drive a very old white, stick-shift truck on some land the family had. When she told her parents, they told her she’d have to pay for it herself.
Bella turned to babysitting but after months of caring for kids, she only had $350 to show for her efforts. At that rate, she thought, she’d never save up enough money in time. Again, she expressed herself to her parents, noting the frustrations of labor-intensive work for low pay. Rather than suggest a second job or offer money in exchange for completing chores or maintaining a particular GPA, her mom and dad offered to match the money she saved from babysitting so she could start a business.
She went looking online for ideas and settled on jewelry — specifically, customizable lockets — for a simple reason. “It’s something I found fun and interesting,” she says, explaining she and her mother would go to a bead store on the weekends, long before they ever thought of turning a profit from accessories. Picking a name for the business was done in a similar fashion. When her mom asked her to think of what sort of things she liked, Bella thought of owls. Good, her mom said, what else? Origami was another thing Bella enjoyed, so they put the two words together and Origami Owl was born.
Now 18, Weems has evolved, just as has her business has. Her mother points out the communication skills and confidence Bella has gained as a result of her company. When asked what she’s learned, Bella says, “I’ve learned to surround yourself with people who inspire you and want to lift you up, because you tend to act like your friends,” she says. “Surround yourself with positive influences. Go after your dreams, no matter how old you are. Believe in yourself.”
For more details see https://www.origamiowl.com/ourstory.
