A passion to help women

EVERETT – Janice Henning wants success for every woman.

She wishes for her daughters and seven grandchildren a world where education is available to all, the care of children and the elderly is of greatest importance and women don’t live in fear of violence.

More than wishing, Henning has spent nearly 20 years working for these goals as a member of the Zonta Club of Everett. The club, whose motto is “Advancing the Status of Women Worldwide,” is just one of her many volunteer activities.

Sitting in her office at Puget Press on Broadway, Henning exudes professionalism, wisdom and fun.

She is the owner of the company, which makes business forms for commercial print shops. The trappings of her trade are all around, but so are photos of her grandchildren and one of Henning and her husband in a raft in front of the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska.

“She likes adventure,” said Helen Kendall, president of the Everett club of Zonta International. “Janice is passionate about the future for women and kids and wants to be on the cutting edge of change. And she is generous with her time and resources.”

Henning also owns Register Tape Advertising, an offshoot of Puget Press. The company’s cash register tapes, with advertising printed on the back of the grocery receipts, are used in stores in the Northwest.

In the past two years, Henning’s company has printed and distributed nearly 23 million register tape coupons that provide women with a hotline phone number if they are the victims of domestic violence. The advertising space she has donated, in the name of the Zonta Club, is worth more than $115,000.

“Women can inconspicuously carry the receipts and the hotline number in their purses,” Henning said. “We’ll never know how many women we may have helped save from further abuse.”

Along with her work for Zonta Club, which includes top leadership positions as well as hands-on projects, Henning is a past chairwoman and longtime member of the Providence Hospital Foundation board, is a past president of the Assistance League of Everett and has a longtime commitment to the Everett school district’s work-based learning advisory program.

And that’s just to name a few.

“One thing that has motivated me is my father,” she said.

Rello “Bob” Pierson, who bought Puget Press in the 1940s, was a member of the library board, Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re very blessed to live in Everett. There is a strong feeling of loyalty, generosity and support,” Henning said. “My father said (volunteering) makes for a stronger community.”

Henning and her husband, former city engineer Lloyd Henning, bought into the family company in the 1970s and Janice has been leading Puget Press since 1995.

Despite her workload, Henning makes time to work on her volunteer projects and spend time with her grandchildren.

“My passion is people,” said Henning, who also is a former schoolteacher.

Because women are “natural nurturers,” women and clubs such as Zonta make a difference in communities, Henning said.

“There is so much need in this world. Zonta International has to make an impact,” she said. “We’re fighting against prostitution trafficking and violence and fighting for health care and education, day care for children and care for elders.”

Henning serves as a role model for her grandchildren in many ways, including how to live life in one’s later years. She enjoys swimming, biking, kayaking and skating with her grandkids, she said.

“I’m a lucky grandma,” Henning said. “I have my health and I enjoy being active.”

Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.

For more information about Zonta Club of Everett and its volunteer activities, go to www.zontaeverett.org or call 425-348-3501.