Continuing a legacy of supporting women, the Monte Vista Chapter V Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) established a scholarship for Adams State University students to assist women in reaching their academic goals.
The Adams State Foundation will present members of the PEO Chapter V with the Willis Fassett Jr. Award at the Annual Donor and Student Recognition Dinner on November 6. Kathy Metz, president of the Chapter V PEO, and Devi Jardon, scholarship committee chair and past president, said they appreciate the recognition. “It is an honor to be recognized by Adams State for our commitment to improving the lives of women,” Metz said.
According to Metz and Jardon, the Monte Vista Chapter was established in 1911. Jardon has been a member for 40 years. “PEO supports women in all aspects of their lives,” she said.
Metz, a member for over 15 years, said the women who receive assistance are remarkable. “They are amazing women.”
Receiving a financial inheritance from Marian Sims Baughn, a former Monte Vista resident and PEO member, they created an Adams State Chapter V PEO Scholarship. “We took the money and set up a scholarship for up to 4 female students who graduated from a San Luis Valley high school,” Jardon added. The scholarship was established in 2002 and has increased to $3,000 a year per recipient.
The Monte Vista PEO has 19 active members and 4 non-resident members. “We serve women from all walks of life,” Metz added. “We are all proud to receive the Willis Fasset Jr. Award.”
To be eligible for the PEO Scholarship, students must be an incoming freshman female, with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better, and be a graduate of a San Luis Valley high school. The scholarship is renewable for four years as long as recipient maintains a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better.
The Willis Fassett Jr. Award is given by the Adams State University Foundation to strong supporters of the University. The award is named for the late Willis Fassett Jr., who was a long-time president of the Foundation Board of Directors.
PEO is an international women’s organization dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for women. PEO was established in 1869 by seven women who wanted to start an organization to provide scholarships and other opportunities for women. The founders were college students at Iowa Wesleyan College and their commitment to supporting women continues in small and large chapters across the United States and Canada.
