The P.E.O. Sisterhood is an international women's organization of about 250,000 members with a primary focus on providing educational opportunities for female students worldwide. The Sisterhood is organized with chapters throughout the United States and Canada, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Elizabeth E. Garrels is the president.
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The Sisterhood was founded January 21, 1869, as a seven-member sorority at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It is the second sorority to be founded in the U.S.[1] The founding members were Mary Allen [Stafford] (1848–1927), Ella Stewart (1848–94), Alice Bird [Babb] (1850–1926), Hattie Briggs [Bousquet] (1849–77), Franc Roads [Elliott] (1852–1924), Alice Virginia Coffin (1848–88), and Suela Pearson [Penfield] (1851–1920).
The first non-U.S. chapter was established in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1911.
The Sisterhood also established in the 1960s a number of retirement homes for its members in various U.S. states, some of which still operate.[2]
The literal meaning of "P.E.O." in the organization's name has been, and may continue to be, an official secret.[1][3][4][5]In 2008, the Sisterhood revised its website to indicate that "P.E.O." stands for "philanthropic educational organization". P.E.O. was originally formed as a college sorority, but moved off of college campuses early in its history. P.E.O. is not a secret society. It has some information shared only among its members, but its mission and its educational projects are very public. For information about these, view the P.E.O. website public section.