The P.E.O. chapters of Montana are planning their 2017 state convention in Sidney, Montana on June 9-11. Lois Frank, past state president of P.E.O. and a resident of Sidney, is the chairman of this year’s convention. P.E.O. chapters in Sidney, Miles City and Glendive are the official hostesses for this year’s event.
The convention opens Friday afternoon with “A Time of Remembrance” to honor Montana members who have passed away in the previous year. On Saturday a luncheon will be held honoring those members who have been in P.E.O. for fifty years. Throughout the weekend, emphasis is placed on the scholarship projects, for which P.E.O. is known. State officers who will be presiding over the convention are Anne Marie Kloppel, President; Sharon Tandberg, Vice President; Beverly Wornom, Treasurer; Pauline “Sissy” Nygaard, Secretary; and Karen Leftwich, Organizer.
Montana P.E.O.s are proud to have Beth Ledbetter, President of International Chapter, as the keynote speaker for the weekend. Beth was born in Jacksboro, Texas. Her P.E.O. journey began 38 years ago in Chadron, Nebraska. In 1978, Beth, her husband Howard and their three sons moved to Johnson City, Tennessee. Beth attended East Tennessee State University as a nontraditional student to finish a B.A. degree. Shortly after graduating she opened N. Beth Ledbetter & Associates, a successful real estate appraisal business.
Beth was president of Tennessee State Chapter in 2000-2001 and served a six-year tern on the board of the P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (PCE) before being elected to the Executive Board of International Chapter in 2007. Beth says, “Becoming involved in P.E.O. has been a huge education for me and an opportunity to grow in so many ways. I believe in what I promised–what we all promised–to devote a due share of our interest and energy to the Sisterhood.”
Lois Frank, convention chairman, has been actively engaged in and dedicated to P.E.O.’s values and projects for 48 years. Lois and her team would like to thank the many businesses, organizations and individuals across eastern Montana who have made gifts of support to this year’s convention in Sidney.
About P.E.O. – There are over 3,650 members of P.E.O. in the state of Montana. They are part of a women’s organization with almost a quarter million members in chapters in the United States and Canada. This Philanthropic Educational Organization has given over $172 million in education loans, $49 million in Program for Continuing Education grants to women who have had their education interrupted, $34 million to international students, and $21 million in scholar awards to those women who are pursuing the highest level of education in the United States and Canada. The newest scholarship program for young women entering post-secondary education has awarded over $5 million. P.E.O. has provided financial assistance to over 99,000 women pursuing educational opportunities since 1907.
For more information please contact Carol Condon, convention publicity chairman, at 406-939-4053 or email her at [email protected].
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