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(Rock Island, Ill.) – Nancy Mwirotsi, founder of Pursuit of Innovation 515 (Pi515) in Des Moines, Iowa, has been awarded a $10,000 Nation of Neighbors℠ grant from Royal Neighbors of America, one of the first and largest women-led insurers in the US. Ms. Mwirotsi is already well-known in the area for her advocacy work on behalf of underserved women, refugees, and low-income students. She will use the grant to expand her Girls Entrepreneurial Summit program which focuses on educating young women on business basics, including planning, financials, marketing, and digital promotion.

“I am shocked and quite honored to have received this grant,” says Ms. Mwirotsi. “It’s such a blessing to be recognized for your work.” Pi515’s mission is to help create an inclusive culture for underserved women to learn STEM and provide them with the employment skills needed to launch them into new planes of achievement.

“Pi515 is taking on the inequity in STEM-related careers by directly addressing the pipeline. Each year, we embrace 100 students (particularly girls) from diverse backgrounds. We introduce them to teachers and companies with employees who look like them, providing role models that inspire them. We provide – at no cost – essential skills in coding and robotics, augmented by soft-skills training, for a well-rounded education and workforce preparedness,” states Ms. Mwirotsi.

Allowing young girls to see – and realize – their potential earlier in their lives also cultivates a highly needed perspective on innovation. “The more women and minorities we are able to launch into STEM fields, the better for society. Diversity of thought through diversity of perspective has been proven to improve bottom lines. As a society, we should strive to create more avenues so that diversity is reflected across all fields, not just technology,” says Ms. Mwirotsi.

Michelle Hilliker, Regional Sales Account Manager at Royal Neighbors, will lead the virtual award presentation. “We are honored to support Pi515’s ongoing work in the area of STEM and business education for underserved students, especially young women. For more than 125 years, Royal Neighbors has sought to empower women to make a positive impact in their communities. We believe that Ms. Mwirotsi and Pi515 fulfill this mission for an often-overlooked group,” adds Ms. Hilliker.

Nation of Neighbors is a Royal Neighbors of America philanthropy program that provides financial assistance to individuals who have a plan to start or expand a business, organization, program, or nonprofit that helps women and/or girls in their community. To date, more than $2 million has been awarded nationwide.

Nation of Neighbors is a Royal Neighbors of America philanthropy program that provides financial assistance to individuals who have a plan to start or expand a business, organization, program, or nonprofit that helps women and/or girls in their community. To date, more than $2 million has been awarded nationwide.



About Royal Neighbors of America
Royal Neighbors of America is a unique provider of life insurance and annuities whose mission is to protect women financially and empower them to improve their lives, families, and communities. In 1895, Royal Neighbors was founded as a membership organization by nine pioneering women who recognized the need to insure the lives of women and children and the importance of localized philanthropy. Headquartered in Rock Island, Illinois, with an operation in Mesa, Arizona, Royal Neighbors serves more than 215,000 members.