Woman of Distinction Luncheon
Historically, ABWA Career Chapter has held a luncheon in March to honor a local Woman of Distinction. This event raised funds for our scholarships that we award to Washburn University and Washburn Institute of Technology.
Over 38 years of this event, we have been able to provide $10,000-$12,000/yr in scholarships to area students to assist them in reaching their higher education goals. The luncheon has now funded well over $365,000 in scholarships.
Unfortunately, we have been unable to hold our event recently, and do not have any plans at this time to hold another. We have continued to support women with scholarships during this time, albeit at a reduced capacity. We invite you to help us continue our tradition of helping women attain higher education with a donation. You may make that online by going to the Topeka Community Foundation site and selecting “ABWA Career Chapter Scholarship”, or if you prefer to mail a check, you may make it out to the Topeka Community Foundation and mail it to:
ABWA Career Chapter
PO Box 3811
Topeka, KS 66604
Please click here for a brief overview of our accomplishments over the years.
Our Past Honorees:
• 1983 Kay Kruse
• 1984 Joann Davis-McKinney
• 1985 Georgia Neese-Gray
• 1986 Peggy Greene
• 1987 Nancy Kassebaum Baker
• 1988 Irene Nunemaker
• 1989 Helen Hocker
• 1990 Harriet Lerner
• 1991 Marge Selby
• 1992 Kay Houser
• 1993 Velma Paris
• 1994 Marg Roberts
• 1995 Neta Pollom Jeffus
• 1996 Rita Wolf
• 1997 Jayne Cafer
• 1998 Joan Wagnon
• 1999 Nancy Perry
• 2000 Marilyn Ault
• 2001 Blanche C. Parks
• 2002 Anita Wolgast
• 2003 Connie Hubbell
• 2004 Alicia Salisbury
• 2005 Pamela Johnson Betts
• 2006 Linda D. Elrod
• 2007 Susan Garlinghouse
• 2008 Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
• 2009 Marjorye Savage Heeney
• 2010 Martha Bartlett Piland
• 2011 Beth Fager
• 2012 Carol Wheeler
• 2013 June Windscheffel
• 2014 Christel Marquardt
• 2015 Dr. Brenda Dietrich
• 2016 Dr. Grace Morrison
• 2017 Linda P. Jeffrey
• 2018 Karren Weichert