The P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded on January 21, 1869, by seven young female students who were enrolled at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. What once was a small group of college students has become an international organization dedicated to promoting educational and personal growth opportunities for women.
Membership in a local P.E.O. chapter provides friendship and support for more than a quarter of a million women throughout the United States and Canada. Illinois State Chapter was organized in April 1903 after nine chapters were established in the state. Today, there are more than 300 chapters in Illinois with an average of 37 members per chapter.