In an era of #metoo, heated political debate on whom to believe, and ongoing issues of social justice, a small group of Washington women and one dad, created a nonprofit to educate and empower women.

With a belief in the advantages of higher education, Woman of Wonder, a 501(c) (3), took its inspiration from Wilma A. Doane, a woman who had no financial support to attend college, worked until she could pay her own way, paid for her husband's college, returned to work to ensure that she and her husband could provide college tuition for their children, and in between volunteered for an organization that awarded college scholarships to women.

Three generations of Wilma A. Doane's family serve on the board of Woman of Wonder. Her daughter, President and Founder, Carol Doane, her husband Kenneth M. Doane, and her granddaughter Kailynn. Other board members include Debbie Doane-Dunn and Kim Gramm. The Doanes are a family known for their support of education; previous generations founded Doane University in Crete Nebraska. This group of Doanes reside in the Pacific Northwest and started the nonprofit to support, as a first step, women who are residents of Washington State.

Currently, Woman of Wonder is raising money to fund the first round of scholarships slated to be awarded Spring 2019.

To qualify for a Woman of Wonder Scholarship, a woman must be a resident of Washington State, be accepted to an accredited college as a full or part-time student, demonstrate need through a current Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), and demonstrate desire via a short, personal essay. Scholarship distribution traces the lives represented by the women in the Doane family, preference is given to women on their own with no support, to single moms, or to women raised by a single parent.

Applications will be available on the site January 1 through March 30 and are accepted during the same timeframe. FAFSA® must be submitted by April 30.

Donations are accepted on the website’s donation page, on the nonprofit’s Facebook page, on Guidestar, where Woman of Wonder earned a Bronze seal of transparency, and through Paypal.

Employer match donations can be made through Benevity, and Woman of Wonder can also be chosen as an Amazon Smile recipient.

LEARN MORE

www.womanofwonder.org