Zonta Club of Cape celebrates women, presents awards

The Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau celebrated its 15th luncheon by recognizing significant contributions of business and professional women in Southeast Missouri among tables of orange and yellow roses Friday at the Drury Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau.

Before a sold-out crowd of 565, the organization's 2019 Woman of Achievement award was presented to Laurel Adkisson; the Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Barbara Capshaw Kohlfeld; and Loretta Prater was honored with the Celebration Award. The remaining six Women of Achievement nominees and two scholarship recipients also were recognized.

Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau president Sandy Hastings said this year's celebration is special.

"Not only are we recognizing 10 extraordinary women in our community, but we are also celebrating our 100th anniversary as an organization," she said.

While holding back tears onstage, Adkisson -- one of the first female owners of an American Family Insurance agency in Cape Girardeau County -- said she was speechless in receiving the accolade from Zonta member Kristy Nordin.

"I am beyond speechless, which doesn't happen often," Adkisson said, choked up. "I am in a group of extremely capable, wonderful women that contribute to this community on a daily basis. I am not prepared; I was not expecting this."

Nordin said Zonta members from other clubs within Missouri reviewed the application to ensure complete partiality and selected Adkisson as the award recipient.

Zonta member Julie Ann Palmer described Kohlfeld -- principal at Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau -- as "an outstanding woman who made a lasting impact on our community."

"For over 46 years, she has dedicated her life to making a difference in the lives of students and staff," Palmer said. "Dr. Kohlfeld leads by example."

Kohlfeld said she considers herself "just a little girl from Chaffee, Missouri, trying to make a difference in the years the good Lord gives me."

Zonta member Marsha Haskell said "grace, love, strength, courage, faith" are words that describe Prater. Haskell said Prater has dedicated her life to promoting women's economic self-sufficiency, political equality, access to education and health and prevention in violence against women.

Holding her award, Prater said she was "almost speechless" and "overwhelmed with surprise."

"I feel a great sense of responsibility in having this opportunity to stand before you," she said. "Because as I look around the room, there are many women right here who are deserving and who could be standing here."

Prater said she's excited to be a woman, "because we were made with sugar and spice and everything nice."

Scholarship recipients were Southeast Missouri State University junior Elizabeth Woolard and Cape Career and Technology Center student Haley Sample.

Other 2019 Women of Achievement nominees were:

• Debbie Leoni
• Sonia R. Rucker
• Julia Meiners Koester
• Angie Umfleet
• Merideth Pobst
• Sister Jane Kiefer

The Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau was chartered in May 1976 as a member of Zonta International. The local organization has raised more than $270,000 for community and international projects, according to its online bio. It has also donated more than 40,000 service hours to assist women in Southeast Missouri.