North Allegheny Women’s Association will have a busy spring hosting an adult-only egg hunt in April and inviting local women to apply for the association’s 2023 academic scholarship.
NAWA, a local social and charitable organization uniting women through service and community, will hosting its annual adult egg hunt April 14, at 6 p.m., at the North Park Lodge in North Ridge Road in North Park.
The cost is $35 for anyone 21 and older, and identification must be provided. People can register starting March 1 through nawaegghunt.eventbrite.com. Space is limited.
Admission includes dinner, five starting tickets for gift baskets, one drink ticket for an adult beverage, and a 50/50 raffle.
Chances are the eggs will be filled with something other than candy, according to NAWA member and co-founder Ronette Blake. She said the eggs may hold tickets to win gift baskets to some “very cool items,” including spa and other gift cards, sports merchandise, food baskets, and more.
The egg hunt will benefit the NAWA scholarship and the association’s community support fund and the Highmark Caring Place, a center for grieving children, adolescents and their families. The women’s group picks a nonprofit every year to support.
NAWA is accepting 2023 academic scholarship applications, open to a woman residing in the North Allegheny School District who is beginning or continuing her education in college or vocational training in the upcoming academic year, said Blake.
Scholarship applications must be received by March 24. The scholarship is $1,000 and applications can be found via www.nawomen.org.
Applicants don’t have to be a current high school student, but they must demonstrate experience with community services.
The 2022 NAWA scholarship winner was Ashley Zeman, a graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School, who now attends Penn State, according to Joslyne Counselmen, NAWA president.
Blake, of McCandless, said that NAWA recently received its 501(c)(3) nonproft status under the Internal Revenue Code, which will allow it to expand its philanthropic reach by increasing donations and helping build charitable influence.
“Over the years we have been approached by outside funding agencies, grant sources, individuals, businesses, and family trust funds asking how they could donate to our organization and our mission, but unfortunately, they were unable to provide this funding because they required an official 501(c)(3) designation. Additional funding will enable us to better serve community members and other organizations working with women in our community,” Blake said.
She said the 501(c)(3) designation requires adherence to certain quality standards and rules and this level of monitoring which may require “a little extra work on our end, but sets us up for future growth and solidifies our philanthropic reputation.”
NAWA meets the third Thursday every month at 7 p.m. at Ascension Lutheran Church on Peebles Road in McCandless.
Those interested can visit the group’s Facebook page or visit www.nawomen.org.
