2024 ZKL Education Foundation Black & Gold Ball
The Zeta Kappa Lambda (ZKL) Education Foundation Black & Gold Ball is our organization’s signature fundraising event. This black-tie affair held annually in February generates the necessary funding to support our organization’s youth programs.
Proceeds from this event are used to fund diverse student participation in the following;
- The ZKL Champions of Change college scholarship program
- Project Alpha youth mentoring program
- The Alpha Leadership Development Institute held each summer on a college campus
- The ZKL college tour program
At this event, our organization showcases our current Champions of Change college scholarship winners. We also recognize an individual or organization within the community who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and served as a positive role model for supporting diverse youth. This individual or organization may have also demonstrated an extraordinary partnership with us in supporting our mission to bridge educational and leadership opportunities for students and develop better citizens for our community.
Our Foundation will provide these outstanding individuals with a scholarship to be used for their next year’s college enrollment. To be eligible for consideration, an application process is required. Finalists for the scholarship will be interviewed in person by the scholarship committee.
Attend This Year's Event
Our 2024 Annual ZKL Education Foundation Ball was held Saturday, May 11, 2024 at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel
Thank you for your support of the Zeta Kappa Lambda Education Foundation and our mission to “bridge educational and leadership opportunities for students and develop better citizens for our community.
Tickets will be on sale from now until May 10, 2024 at 11:59pm. For more information contact info@zkl06.org
Merit Award
In addition to the recognition of the scholarship award winners, Zeta Kappa Lambda Education Foundation acknowledges a member or organization of the community who has served as leader, role model, and general source of inspiration within the diverse community in the greater Des Moines area to be honored with our Award of Merit.
Here is a little about our 2023 Merit Award Recipient, Mary L. Wells :
Polk County Treasurer Mary L. Wells was born in Des Moines, Iowa and is a proud graduate of the Des Moines Public Schools. Mary obtained her cum laude Bachelor of Science degree from Upper Iowa University in Business Administration, majoring in Management. She has held leadership positions for more than two decades in operations management, and managed business operations for three Fortune 100 companies. Her career has provided her with extensive experience in leadership, administration, strategic operations, technology, process improvement, and communications.
Mary L. Wells was unanimously appointed to be Polk County’s Treasurer in March 2021 and was subsequently elected to the position in November 2022; making history as the first black County Treasurer in the State of Iowa. Hallmarks of her leadership include increased transparency, efficiency through technology, and focus on improved customer experience.
Wells honorably served in the Army National Guard. She is dedicated to working with youth in the Des Moines community and is the Co-founder and President of Investing In My Future, Inc., a non-profit focused on empowering and equipping students with tools to help them navigate post-secondary education and career pathways.
Mary Wells is a member of the Des Moines Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., a member of the Des Moines Branch of the NAACP, serves on the Board of Directors for NAMI Iowa and is a member of Corinthian Baptist Church. Mary Wells and her husband Anthony have been together for 38 years and raised their children in Des Moines. They recently celebrated the birth of their first grandchild.
Please join us in offering our sincere congratulations to Mary Wells as a 2023 Alpha Award of Merit Honoree.
2023 Merit Award Winner
