FOUNDATION
P.E.O. FOUNDATION TRUSTEES have a wonderful honor to annually distribute the funds that sisters, friends and families UNDES IGNATED FUNDS HELP P.E .O. PRO JECTS “Raise the Bar to the Stars” THE by P.E.O. Foundation Board of Trustees
Karen is a Cottey College alumnus and a 40-year member. Her mother, Alice S. Blair, past president, Kansas state chapter, has been an active P.E.O. for over 70 years. In addition, Karen’s maternal grandmother, Drusilla M. Shinn, AU, Ottawa, Kansas, became a member later in her life. Karen said, “Being able to share P.E.O. experiences with my mother and knowing that she
contribute to the P.E.O. Foundation unmarked for any specific project or fund. This allows the funds to go where they can have the biggest impact. Last year, the annual undesignated fund announcement of $2,078,100 was shared with the P.E.O. Sisterhood. This is a small portion of the over $34 million that has been awarded since the inception of the P.E.O. Foundation in 1961 to the P.E.O. International projects, Cottey College and Iowa Wesleyan through the annual distribution of undesignated funds. Anyone can help add to that total by establishing an undesignated fund in the P.E.O. Foundation of which annual income/gains are transferred directly to the undesignated fund. One such sister making this kind of a difference is Karen Blair, past president, Nebraska state chapter, and a third generation P.E.O. In 2021 Karen decided to establish the KAD Daisy Fund to honor the three generational P.E.O. legacy in her family and the value they placed on women’s education.
Karen Blair
shared such with her mother has been especially meaningful in my life, because I don’t have strong direct memories of this grandmother. What I do know is that she valued education for herself and for other women.” Karen began thinking about the idea of establishing a fund in the P.E.O. Foundation to honor her grandmother and mother while attending the Sesquicentennial 2019 Convention of International Chapter. With a focus on legacy building, she was especially drawn to the idea that a Foundation Fund could be a tangible reminder of the P.E.O. legacy which three generations of her family have shared. She stated, “My mother and I enjoyed several International Convention experiences together (Omaha 1991; Oklahoma City 2003; Vancouver 2005) and we were always interested to hear the report of the P.E.O. Foundation Board of Trustees. They would announce the distribution of funds made by the Foundation to each of the P.E.O. philanthropies, based on the specific needs that existed at that time.” In 2021, Karen realized two years had gone by without taking action, so she discussed the idea with her mother about establishing a family fund. Karen selected the undesignated fund because “adding our specific fund to the ‘communal pot’ of investments at the Foundation removes my need to manage the funds, with the knowledge that the pool is professionally managed and well diversified. I didn’t want to select only one project to receive the income generated from our fund because that might limit future possibilities. The Foundation Board of Trustees reviews requests from the philanthropies each year and allocates the available funds based on knowledge that I as an individual would never have.” Like Karen, anyone can Raise the Bar to the Stars by establishing a fund in the P.E.O. Foundation. All it takes is a minimum donation of $5,000 in the first five years and you too can raise the bar by starting your own fund. The KAD Daisy Fund and all undesignated funds continue to benefit ALL the P.E.O. International projects as well as Cottey College and will continue to do so for years to come.
In 2021 Karen decided to establish the KAD Daisy Fund to honor the three generational P.E.O. legacy
in her family and the value they placed on women’s education.
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May–June 2022 | THE P.E.O. RECORD
WWW.PEOINTERNATIONAL.ORG
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