Three PEO members from Perry attended the 126th annual convention of the Iowa State Chapter PEO Sisterhood held June 2-3 in Des Moines.[wpedon id=”82220″ align=”center”]
Perry attendees were the presidents from each local chapter — Becky Greenwald, Chapter DE, and Laura Stebbins, Chapter OK — along with Lori Gilroy, Chapter DE, who completed her term as chair of the membership committee and was integral to membership presentations given at the convention.
With the theme of “Make a Difference,” Pat Shipley, Chapter CH, Villisca, presided over 800 delegates and visitors.
In September 2019, PEO will celebrate 150 years — from 1869 to 2019 — of women helping women reach for the stars, with hundreds of volunteers welcoming thousands of delegates home to Iowa. Lori Gilroy, Chapter DE, serves as treasurer of the executive committee planning this historic event.
PEO is a philanthropic organization where women celebrate the advancement of women, educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans and stewardship of Cottey College, and motivate each other to achieve their highest aspirations.
There are about 6,000 chapters in the U.S. and Canada, with nearly 250,000 members. Iowa is the second-largest state chapter, with 380 chapters and more than 16,000 members.
PEO is one of the pioneer societies for women and was founded Jan. 21, 1869, by seven young women at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Originally a small campus friendship society, PEO soon blossomed to include women off-campus.
Today, PEO has grown from that tiny membership of seven to almost a quarter of a million members in chapters in the U.S. and Canada. The PEO Sisterhood is passionate about its mission: promoting educational opportunities for women.
The sisterhood proudly makes a difference in women’s lives with six international philanthropies: PEO Educational Loan Fund. PEO International Peace Scholarship Fund, PEO Program for Continuing Education, PEO Scholar Awards, PEO STAR Scholarship and the ownership of Cottey College in Nevada, Mo. The international headquarters of the PEO Sisterhood is in Des Moines.
