Records of P.E.O. Chapter CO Colorado

The P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded January 21, 1869, as a seven-member sorority at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. While established as a collegiate association, in 1902 P.E.O. became a community organization. There are currently thousands of P.E.O. members in chapters across the United States and Canada. The mission of P.E.O. is to support women's education through grants, loans, awards, special projects, and stewardship of Cottey College.

The CO Chapter Colorado was established in 1936 in Fort Collins, the 93rd P.E.O. chapter in Colorado. Founded during the Great Depression, activities of members were limited to small fundraising opportunities and volunteer activities, but membership and opportunities increased rapidly. During World War II, members were involved with war activities such as knitting, making surgical dressings, seal campaigns, belonging to rationing boards, buying war bonds, and creating U.S.O. scrapbooks, as well as P.E.O. projects such as contributing to Cottey College and the State Welfare Fund. Chapter CO Colorado continues to be involved with the local community by volunteering in hospitals, with Avery House, and Read Aloud, and to fulfill the P.E.O. mission by supporting the Colorado Foundation Fund, the International Scholarship Fund, Cottey College, and the Colorado Welfare Fund.