Support women’s education with local P.E.O. fundraiser

The event is Nov. 12 at Plateau Wine and Beer on Cole Street.

By Ray Miller-Still • October 24, 2019 9:45 am
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Members of Chapter EF are at P. E.O.’s 150th birthday party, held in Sumner, at our Mountain View Reciprocity brunch. Thirteen area chapters gather once a year for a regional meeting. Contributed photo.
Members of Chapter EF are at P. E.O.’s 150th birthday party, held in Sumner, at our Mountain View Reciprocity brunch. Thirteen area chapters gather once a year for a regional meeting. Contributed photo.

The Enumclaw chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O) Sisterhood is hosting its annual Fall Fundraiser next month to support local women furthering their education.

This particular fundraiser is extra special because this year is the 150th anniversary of P.E.O. International being founded at Iowa’s Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, and the Enumclaw chapter joined the other 230,000 current members of P.E.O. from nearly 6,000 chapters across the country and Canada to celebrate last January.

Since its founding in 1869, the nonprofit organization has provided more than $321 million in grants, scholarships, awards, and loans to thousands of women so they can pursue their higher education goals.

The Enumclaw chapter has been a part of the city’s community since 1953, and has given more than a few $1,000 scholarships to local students. During the 2017-18 school year, Enumclaw High School alum Hornet Annabelle Sharick was the first Hornet to receive the STAR Scholarship, which is awarded not by the local chapter as usual, but by P.E.O. International.

“The P.E.O. members in Enumclaw stand on the shoulders of the generations of P.E.O. sisters who came before us,” said Sue Vannatter, president of the Enumclaw chapter (officially designated Chapter EF). “They were dedicated to the mission of women supporting women, just as we are today. And it is a cause that will continue to be relevant for the next 150 years.”

The Fall Fundraiser, which raises money for local scholarships and other local and international projects, is being hosted at Plateau Wine and Beer on Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 each, which provides attendees with a wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres.

To learn more about P.E.O. and the stories of women who have benefited from the programs, visit peointernational.org. You can also find the nonprofit on various social media platforms at www.facebook.com/peointernational, @PEOInternational on Instagram, and @PEOSisterhood on Twitter.

Local chapter contacts are Sue Vannatter, 360-825-3030 (Chapter EF) and Lola Schafer, 360-825-5933 (Chapter JB , another Enumclaw chapter).

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