your LETTERS
Letter of Gratitude FROM NEW P.E.O.
I just feel compelled to share these thoughts with you this morning. It’s taken me some time to understand the purpose of P.E.O. I only know that I’m very grateful God worked thru you to get me involved with it for my own personal growth. Never before have I felt comfortable getting together with a group of women just for the purpose of sharing a “sisterhood.” I’ve always developed friendships within work organizations, but this organization is different. It is about “trusted relationships,” based upon the principles of faith and moral character. I feel safe within this group of women. Unfortunately, many times women’s groups have a “behind the back” or “catty” atmosphere about them. I’ve never felt safe sharing personal feelings within that type of group or letting my “guard down” to trust any of the women within those organizations. But, this group seems different. Its purpose is to foster the development of confident, caring and loving women, who bolster and support one another, not compete or take advantage. What a blessing and a breath of fresh air in a very polluted society to have such a group of ladies to call friends. Thank you for identifying me as a possible member. I’m deeply appreciative and honored to be a part of it. — Sue Willke, BW, Wexford, Pennsylvania
P.E.O. Sheila Gray (first row, far right) was thrilled to meet a group of Cottey students and Shaun West, director of student life (second row, far left), on a flight to Hawaii
Connecting with Cottey Students on Flight to Hawaii While landing in Hawaii for a vacation with my husband, a young man helped us fill out our agricultural card. He mentioned this was his third trip to Hawaii in a month! Not a businessman, he worked for a small, women’s college in the Midwest! That’s how I discovered I was on the same flight with one of the Cottey College sophomore trips. Since they couldn’t travel internationally because of COVID-19, they postponed the trips to the end of the semester and went to Hawaii in smaller groups. I jumped at the chance to talk with the students for a few minutes when we deplaned, finding out about suite life and changes to the school year due to the pandemic. They were as excited as me to spend 10 days in the paradise that is the state of Hawaii. Also, Shaun West, the Cottey director of student life, has no idea that he was spared a nine-hour interrogation about all that is Cottey College if we had introduced ourselves at the beginning of the flight! So glad that Cottey figured out a way to give the students a great travel experience in a safe environment. — Sheila Gray, T, Fort Thomas, Kentucky
License Plate Frame is Moving Billboard for P.E.O.
I was away frommy home community recently, shopping at a plant nursery when I was approached by a woman asking if it was my car that had the license plate frame stating “P.E.O., Educating Women.” I proudly answered “Yes, I am a P.E.O.!” She said she wanted me to know that she has two daughters who have benefited from P.E.O.’s Educational Loan Fund. Because of P.E.O., both women have become medical doctors, one finishing a residency in Salt Lake City and another who is at Mayo Clinic, both as anesthetists. She said her daughters would not have been able to accomplish this without
the help of P.E.O. “It made all the difference,” she said. She was quite emotional as she told me again and again how grateful she was for P.E.O. and what a wonderful organization it is. We talked more about P.E.O. before departing and that conversation has stayed with me, knowing I needed to share it with my P.E.O. sisters. How amazing is our P.E.O.! How incredible to know the impact we have had on the lives of these two women, who are now a part of the medical community that is so critical for our world today. My P.E.O. license plate frame is like a moving billboard for P.E.O. and has sparked more than one conversation since I put it on my car, prompting interest in P.E.O. or acknowledging sisterhood wherever I travel, and I am so proud to broadcast our goal of advancing the lives of women everywhere through education! — Sandra Thompson, Q, Montevideo, Minnesota
Sandra Thompson’s P.E.O. license plate frame sparks conversations with strangers and P.E.O.s alike
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THE P.E.O. RECORD | January–February 2022
Women helping women reach for the stars
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