Originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25, the benefit was rescheduled so that it does not conflict with the public hearing regarding vacation rentals, which will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Lake Placid Conference Center.

The Mardi Bra Benefit will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Desperados at 2090 Saranac Ave. in Lake Placid, and the Mardi Gras-themed benefit event is open to all. The Zonta Club will be collecting donations of new bras, underpants and feminine supplies for distribution to local nonprofit service providers and food pantries. Desperados will be offering a special cocktail and will donate a portion of the proceeds from each drink sold to the Zonta Club of the Adirondacks.

The club will also be accepting cash donations. All supplies and net proceeds raised by the club at the event will be used for charitable projects that benefit women and girls in need.

Undergarments and feminine supplies are basic needs for women and girls, and low-income women often struggle to afford them, as they are not covered by government assistance grocery programs. Researchers indicate that women at or below poverty level in the United States often must choose between purchasing food or feminine supplies, and that one in five low-income women resorts to using rags, paper towels or cloths monthly simply because they cannot afford tampons or pads.

The Zonta Club of the Adirondacks would like to remind local students that it has two upcoming scholarship opportunities for girls.

One is the Jean M. Coon Humanitarian Award, which is given for outstanding community service in honor of its namesake, the humanitarian lawyer and Zontian Jean M. Coon, who served the state of New York as assistant attorney general, assistant solicitor general and deputy counsel for the New York State Education Department.

Eligible applicants must be a young woman in her junior or senior year of high school.

A book award and a check for $200 will be presented to the winner by the Zonta Club of the Adirondacks this spring. The club will forward the winner’s application to the Zonta District 2 Jean M. Coon Humanitarian Award committee to be considered for the $500 district level award to be announced in June.

The other scholarship is the Young Women in Public Affairs Award, which will be given to a young woman, aged 16-19, who is both committed to volunteerism and experienced in leadership. The winner chosen by Zonta Club of the Adirondacks will receive a book award this spring. The club will forward the winner’s application to Zonta District 2 to be considered among approximately 20 other nominees for the $1,000 district level scholarship. That district level winner will then advance in eligibility to be one of 10 Zonta International Scholarship winners who will receive a $4,000 scholarship.

All eligible young women in the greater Adirondack area are urged to apply. Scholarship application forms can be found at www.zontadistrict2.org. Interested applicants may send completed scholarship forms directly to the club at: Zonta Club of the Adirondacks, PO Box 311, Lake Placid, NY 12946 or by email to Adirondacks@zontadistrict2.org. Application deadline is March 20.