Local PEO Chapter celebrates 50th birthday

Press release

Tuesday, May 16, 29 local ladies celebrated the 50th Birthday of the AZ Chapter of P.E.O. in Havre. The setting was the Antique Room at the Duck Inn and daisies were the theme of the day. Members of Chapter AZ, organized April 14, 1967, were joined by several members of Chapter V, the group that Chapter AZ was originally a part of. Chapter V was organized May 28, 1928, and will celebrate its 90th birthday next year.

P.E.O. was founded Jan. 21, 1869, by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Their desire to start their own sisterhood was a result of the exclusion of some of the friends by the local sorority at their college. This circle of kindred spirits - bonded by their enthusiasm for women's opportunities - eventually expanded to include women off campus as well. Today, P.E.O. has grown from that tiny membership of seven to nearly a quarter of a million members in chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"Friendship is the cornerstone of P.E.O. - it is the legacy left by our founders and it thrives in our unique sisterhood. P.E.O. exists to be a source of encouragement and support for women to realize their potential in whatever worthwhile endeavor they choose," said Virginia Heberly, president of Chapter AZ. "Local members enjoy not only the friendships of P.E.O., but the sense of fulfillment when we are able to help other women with their goals."

True to the mission of promoting educational opportunities for women, education continues to be the primary philanthropy of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. In fact, the P.E.O. Sisterhood proudly sponsors six international philanthropies, or projects, designed to assist women with their educational goals

As a result, P.E.O. is clearly making a difference in the lives of women all over the world. Almost 99,000 women have benefited from the organization's educational grants, loans, awards, special projects and stewardship of Cottey College, a P.E.O. owned institution in Nevada, Missouri. To date, P.E.O. has awarded Educational Loan Fund dollars totaling more than $172 million, International Peace Scholarships are more than $34 million, Program for Continuing Education grants are more than $49 million, Scholar Awards are more than $21 million and P.E.O. STAR Scholarships are more than $5 million. In addition, 8,875 women have graduated from Cottey College. People are encouraged to read about these opportunities on the group's public webpage at http://www.peointernational.org.

"Celebrating our birthday today was a wonderful feeling," Heberly said. "We're proud of our age and all that we've accomplished both here locally and on an international scale."