A group of local residents is working together to launch a philanthropic educational organization that aims to celebrate the advancement of women.
The Philanthropic Education Organization (P.E.O.) educates women through scholarships, grants, loans and stewardship of Cottey Cottage, which is a university for women. The purpose is to motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations.
Seven friends founded the organization in 1869 as a sorority to encourage other women since there weren’t many female students in university at that time. Today, P.E.O has more than 6,000 local chapters across Canada and the United States with nearly 200,000 members. The organization came to Manitoba in 1926 and currently has nearly 350 members in 14 different chapters in this province located in Winnipeg, Brandon and Selkirk.
Trish Glass has belonged to the organization since 2003 as a member of Selkirk Chapter P, who is supporting the endeavour to get the Stonewall group started.
“They helped to support me when I was going to university in the 1990s. I received a grant and also took out a loan through their loan fund,” said Glass, a Stonewall resident. “They asked me to join after I completed my degree, and I really wanted to give back what I had received.”
There was no Stonewall chapter at the time, and there still isn’t — but Glass hopes to change that. Along with several other women, she’s working towards starting a local chapter that would also include Warren, Stony Mountain, Teulon and other nearby communities.
“I was thinking there are so many deserving women in our area who would benefit from having a local chapter, so I spoke with our provincial chapter about starting one up in Stonewall. Everyone thought it would be a good idea and so here we are,” she said.
“As far as I know, this is the first time a chapter has been trying to start up in the Stonewall area. There was talk of it when I first started, but it never came to fruition.”
Any woman aged 17 and older can join P.E.O.
“We have seven different projects whereby we give women money to go to school if they meet the criteria. Each project has different criteria whereby sometimes it is about need and other times it could be about how long they have been out of school,” Glass said.
“It doesn’t matter if it is university, college or trades. We will support the female student through loans, grants, scholarships or bursaries. We look for women who want and need support.”
For Glass, the organization offered support while she attended the University of Manitoba, where she received a bachelor of education degree, followed by a post-baccalaureate diploma in special education and finally a master’s of education. From there, she started teaching and took on roles in resource, learning support and administration before ending her career as assistant superintendent of student services in Lord Selkirk School Division.
Those who would like to get involved can reach out to Glass at theresaraeglass@gmail.com.
“We already have a group who is trying to grow the group. We need a minimum of 15 women to charter our chapter. We currently have nine with a pretty strong following of others who are interested.”
They typically have business meetings twice per month, with time off at Christmas and during the summer. The meetings usually last about two hours.
“We encourage women who belong to P.E.O. to be their best selves,” Glass said. “That is, we hope to encourage leadership, fundraising opportunities, social opportunities and typically a small program on women’s interests before or after the meetings.”
Belonging to P.E.O. opens the door to ample opportunities, she added. To date, the organization has given $462 million to more than 129,000 women.
“There are many opportunities for women who belong to P.E.O. as well as being a recipient. The recipient receives financial support as well as emotional support. If P.E.O. supports you during your school journey, we are interested as to how we can continue to support you during that journey,” she said.
“If you are a member of P.E.O., there is no greater feeling than knowing you have helped a woman proceed with her educational aspirations, which may totally change the trajectory of her life or the life of her family. In addition, you have the opportunity of meeting a wonderful community of women who love to have fun while supporting and encouraging women.”
Everyone who belongs to the organization has a different story to share. For Glass, it’s full of positives.
“I am very passionate about P.E.O. and what it does because I am a generational P.E.O. member as well as a recipient of the support of P.E.O. Education changes people’s lives, and if something as small and yet as big as money holds you back from following your dreams, it is so unfortunate,” she said, adding that the organization can try to help.
“P.E.O. helped me to follow my dreams by getting my degrees and finding the career I wanted. My husband was very supportive, which was so good, but our children also learned to appreciate strong women. We really want to be able to offer this in our community.”
