Gourmet dinner raises scholarship funds

A five-course gourmet dinner was served to 30 guests at Jen's Garden on May 4 to raise funds for scholarships for women of Sisters to pursue education beyond high school. The event was co-sponsored by TR and Jennifer McCrystal, owners and operators of Jen's Garden, and the Sisters chapter of PEO, a national philanthropic and educational organization.

More than $2,500 was raised. During the planning session for the event, TR explained, "We want to be part of the community where everyone contributes something to make things better for all of us."

Jennalee Mathey of Sisters has been awarded a Program for Continuing Education (PCE) grant for graduate studies at the OSU Cascades Campus in Bend. She is a single parent, with a son in kindergarten, working towards a master's degree in teaching. She maintains a

4.0 GPA.

The Program for Continuing Education was established in 1973 to provide need-based grants to women whose education has been interrupted and who find it necessary to return to school to support themselves and/or their families. Since its inception in 1973, more than $35 million has been awarded to more than 34,000 women in the U.S. and Canada.

The local PEO chapter also awards a $1,000 scholarship every spring to a female graduating senior at Sisters High School. Erin Kanzig received the award in 2008; Aubrey Cretsinger was the recipient in 2009. Students attending college in Oregon can apply for additional assistance in subsequent years.

PEO was founded 141 years ago at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Besides the Program for Continuing Education, grants are made to overseas students who come to the U.S. for graduate work and to scholars working towards doctorate degrees. Chapter FS in Sisters is one of more than 6,000 chapters in the U.S. and Canada with nearly 250,000 active members.