NATCHITOCHES – Melanie Wright, a senior business administration major at Northwestern State University from Haughton, was awarded a Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Program for Continuing Education Grant from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She was sponsored by P.E.O. Chapter BG of Natchitoches,
The P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education was established in 1973 to provide need-based grants to women in the U.S. and Canada whose education has been interrupted and who find it necessary to return to school to complete a degree or certification that will improve their marketable skills for employment to support themselves and/or families.
Wright returned to school while working full-time at the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse of Northwest Louisiana. Upon graduation, Wright plans to continue with CADA and hopes to one day become its first female executive director.
“It’s an honor to have been selected to receive a grant from P.E.O. It’s a greater honor to have been sponsored by the women of Chapter BG,” said Wright. “It’s hard to express in a few words the impact these ladies are making in my life, and the life of my family. The effects will certainly extend well into the future, beyond my education. Chapter BG is a lively and unforgettable group of women who have empowered and inspired me to pay it forward.”
P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) has been celebrating women helping women reach for the stars for more than 150 years. Since its inception in 1869, the nonprofit organization has helped more than 119,000 women pursue educational goals by providing over $398 million in grants, scholarships, awards, and loans. What started with a bond of friendship among seven women in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is now one of the oldest women’s organizations in North America with close to 5,800 chapters.
To learn more about P.E.O., its powerful educational philanthropies and see stories of women who have benefited from the programs, visit peointernational.org.
You can also learn more at: facebook.com/peointernational @PEOInternational on Instagram @PEOSisterhood on Twitter.
Caption
The Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Chapter BG of Natchitoches awarded Northwestern State student Melanie Wright of Haughton a Continuing Education Grant from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Participating in the presentation were, from left, P.E.O. members Vicki Parrish, Denise Bailey, Jessie Parr, Christine Ferrell, Wright and P.E.O. member Donna Greene.
