ROME — Members of the Zonta Club of Rome gathered on Wednesday at Rome Free Academy to honor guidance counselor Maureen Nash for her outstanding education and community volunteer contributions, presenting her with the club’s 2023 Zonta Rose Day Award.

“Maureen is an exceptional school counselor who goes above and beyond to assist her students,” Zonta officials, led by chapter President Dr. Camille Dillard, said in a statement. “She takes pride in her job and truly wants to make the community a better place by raising the standards of our youth. Her students look to her because of her knowledge, empathy, and her willingness to advocate for her students.”

“As a school counselor, Maureen helps with coordinating the school’s scholarship program, and goes out of her way to have face-to-face communications with her colleagues throughout the building,” the statement said. “ She attends most department meetings, and assists with recruiting students for two internship programs: Professional Horizons Program and the Regional Program for Excellence. She spends endless hours communicating with her students and their parents on the mistakes and the positive choices they make, and most importantly Maureen is the cornerstone for each and every one of her students.”

“Anyone that knows Maureen knows that she is involved with her community and is Rome’s biggest cheerleader,” the club said.

In addition to her counseling duties, Nash is involved in many community organizations, volunteering with the Rome Twigs, the Leo Club, the Rome Republican Committee, Bible Study, Dollars for Scholars, Book Club, Investment Club, and works at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church as a Eucharistic minister and religious education teacher.

She also volunteers for special events hosted by the church and Welcome Hall dinners.

Zonta International, founded in Buffalo in 1919, is a non-partisan, non-sectarian organization dedicated to “Building a better world for women and girls.” The Zonta Club of Rome, founded in 1922, is one of more than 1,133 chapters in 63 countries with approximately 30,000 members worldwide.

Zonta Rose Day has been held annually since March 8, 1999, in conjunction with International Women’s Day to recognize outstanding women, like Nash, who have made generous contributions to our community and a brighter, more equitable future for women and girls.