From Newport to Tibet

Five Tibetan girls will have the chance to go to middle school for

three years, all expenses paid, thanks to the Newport Harbor chapter

of Zonta International.

The chapter, which consists of 30 businesswomen, is holding a

fundraiser Saturday at its clubhouse in Costa Mesa.

Members are working with the Kham Aid Foundation, a Pasadena-based

nonprofit that provides assistance to a variety of programs in the

Chinese province of Kham, which is on the eastern edge of the Tibetan

plateau.

Laura Peters, president of the local chapter, said Zonta provides

assistance to programs that advance the progress of women and

children.

It also seeks out organizations that need volunteers, allowing

Zonta members to participate in hands-on service activities.

Peters, who lives in Garden Grove and owns a software consulting

business, said juggling her career and her work with Zonta can be

demanding.

“I am busy, but it’s awfully fun,” she said. “You make the time

for the things that are important to you.”

Karen DiGiacomo, co-owner of Russo’s Pet Experience at Fashion

Island, has been a member of Zonta for 14 years. She said all members

are volunteers.

“That way all the proceeds go toward whatever program we decide to

fundraise for,” said DiGiacomo, a Laguna Niguel resident.

After inviting Kham Aid founder Pamela Logan to give a

presentation about her work in China, the women in the Newport Harbor

chapter voted to raise funds for her school program.

The Newport Harbor chapter has two fundraisers every year -- a

small one in the fall and a larger one in the spring. Last spring,

they raised $27,000 for Eli Home, an Orange County nonprofit with the

goal of breaking the cycle of child abuse.

Peters said the group hopes to raise $5,000 Saturday, which would

cover books, food, and room and board for five girls for three years.

DiGiacomo said if the fundraiser does not meet that goal, the

group will take money out of its annual service budget to cover the

shortfall. If the amount exceeds $5,000, Zonta may be able to help

more girls.

“They’re certainly very kind to raise money for our programs,”

Logan said of the Newport Harbor chapter, adding that the five girls

have already been selected. “They’re needy girls from poor families

who will need to go to boarding schools to attend middle school.”

DiGiacomo said most girls in Tibet come from rural farming

families. If they don’t go to middle school, they go back to their

the farms to work.

“This is middle school we’re talking about,” DiGiacomo said. “We

just thought that that was a good cause.”

For more information on the Kham Aid Foundation, visit

o7www.khamaid.orgf7.

For more information on Zonta International, visit

o7www.zonta.orgf7.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4625 or o7lindsay.sandham@latimes.comf7.