To-date, the charitable organization has awarded more than $130 million in loan funds, $27 million in International Peace Scholarships, $38 million in Continuing Education grants, $14 million in Scholar Awards and $1 million in P.E.O. Star Scholarships.

Heather Hankin, Treasurer of Chapter AE in Vancouver, knows first-hand the value of education, including the enormous opportunities and benefits that it can bring into one’s life.

“For me, doing an advanced degree was a tremendous challenge and opportunity,” she said. “Once I held that degree, many more career doors opened to me. I have been so fortunate to have been able to work in five states, three Canadian provinces and two foreign countries. While I did not receive funds from PEO, I was supported by its members in each location and in all of my endeavours.”

Over the past 20 years, Chapter AE of the PEO Sisterhood has made numerous contributions to Kwantlen Polytechnic University. To-date those donations have resulted in a $20,000 endowment, which now generates a $1,000 scholarship each year.

“Western economies and civilizations have moved beyond basic manufacturing skills into an age in which creativity, knowledge, and organization are the currency of the workforce,” said Hankin. “The more students know, the further they will go, bringing the university, the community, the economy and our civilization ahead with them. As a donor, you are investing in the future success and well-being of a man or woman who wants to contribute his or her best to family, community and the world.”

Hankin recently met the first recipient of the chapter’s scholarship and said that it was very rewarding to know the award is helping to relieve the student’s financial stress, which enables her to concentrate on her studies.

“She is a delightful, hard-working young woman who needs every bit of financial support she can find. We look forward to seeing her, upon graduation, make a vital contribution through her career in our criminal justice system.”