The Philanthropic Education Organization (PEO) - DZ chapter of Fountain Hills celebrated its 30-year anniversary Monday, Jan. 8, at Fountain View Village.

Some 35 members and many past presidents attended the event.

PEO-DZ has nearly 60 members in its chapter. Pat Schmid, the founding president, started the DZ chapter on Jan. 15, 1994.

PEO is a philanthropic organization where women motivate women to achieve their highest potential. The PEO Sisterhood was started over 150 years ago in 1869 by seven founding members who attended Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, for the purpose of supporting one another.

Although friendship is the cornerstone of PEO, it has evolved to include fundraising to support women’s education, according to a press release. PEO came to Arizona in 1912 with the organization of Chapter A in Phoenix thanks to the efforts of Faith McKee who is regarded as the “Mother of Arizona PEO,” the release said.

The Arizona State Chapter was organized with 11 chapters at its first convocation, and Faith McKee was elected the first state president on April 17, 1931.

Today, Arizona has 142 PEO chapters and over 5,254 members. PEO has helped more than 122,000 women pursue educational goals by providing $415 million in grants, scholarships, awards and loans and the stewardship of Cottey College as of 2023. There are currently 200,000 members in 5,600 chapters in the U.S. and Canada with deep roots in local communities.

In addition to the six international projects, PEO-DZ contributes to Arizona State Chapter projects and awards several local scholarships each year to female high school seniors who are residents of Fountain Hills.

For more information about PEO, visit peointernational.org or contact the PEO-DZ President Deborah Murray at drbm313@gmail.com.