Convention report, briefly

 The 70th P.E.O. International Convention was September 29-October 1.  I spent this past Friday evening writing the report I will present to each of the seven chapters for whom I was a delegate, and I spent Sunday afternoon creating a photo collage to illustrate the report.  3600 people attended the event, of whom 1500 were voting delegates.  This blog post had to wait!

 The ceremonies were stately.  The business proceedings went smoothly, helped by electronic voting that made tallying nearly instant.  The workshops were interesting. (I chose women in leadership; decision-making; and a book review by Cottey College faculty.) 

The Projects Night featured women who have been the recipients of P.E.O. grants and awards.  Their outstanding accomplishments truly put a face on the value of our contributions.  P.E.O. philanthropies provide millions of dollars to thousands of women. 
* Educational Loan Fund -- to assist with educational expenses
* Program for Continuing Education -- for women whose education has been interrupted
* International Peace Scholarships -- for women from other countries pursuing advanced degrees in the U.S.
* Scholar Awards -- for U.S. and Canadian women pursing advance degrees

* STAR Awards -- first-year college scholarships for outstanding high school students
* Cottey College -- owned by P.E.O. since 1927, the college has gotten approval to offer three four-year-degree programs in addition to its two-year curriculum.

P.E.O. is also about friendship.  These photos show me with Lorraine, Colorado P.E.O. president (whom I've known since kindergarten); with Fran, who was my roommate (a friend for 25 years); and with two Alpha Gam sisters whom I met when I visited their chapter at DePauw when I was a leadership consultant in 1974 (Nancy is Massachusetts P.E.O. president and Susan lives in Ohio).