President’s Message
Dear Sisters of P.E.O. Alabama State Chapter,
It is a great honor to serve as President of the Alabama State Board. I look back in wonder
at the path that has brought me to this special moment, lined with so many supportive
women who believed in me! I am grateful and humbled by their friendship and generosity of
spirit.
One of my most important roles as President is to take up the challenge posed by
International to conceive of one Wildly Important Goal this year for our state. Our board has
chosen to focus on the growth and sustenance of our chapters, with a special focus on
preventing sisters from going inactive. I have grown in the belief that P.E.O. is a unique
women’s organization because it can conform to any phase of a woman’s life.
However, it is a hard truth that statistically, 36% of our initiates go inactive in the first ten
years. This year, I will be encouraging each chapter to recommit to the importance of pre-
and post-initiation counseling with new sisters, taking time to educate and invite new
members into the life of your chapter. You worked hard to find them; work equally hard to
keep them close in the new bonds of love.
Once you have educated them, include them. Offer them space to connect. Don’t gatekeep.
Pull up an extra chair. P.E.O.s are not wallflowers! We are daisies, hardy stock that can
cover a mountainside! Remember that everyone needs a sense of purpose in their chapter,
a space to take root. Share leadership and committee work. Extra hands lighten the load!
Don’t sit back and expect new leadership to thrive. Support them and encourage them.
Finally, once a P.E.O., always a P.E.O. When sisters must step back due to family crises,
healthcare challenges, and simple old age, never forget them. Call them. Send cards.
Support their families in their final days. Impress upon them the importance of keeping their
loved ones active members. Simply paying dues is a continued act of faith that supports the
important work of our sisterhood. Let the bonds remain unbroken.
Sisters, let our infant intentions grow in full stature as we share this purposeful path of
P.E.O. May the star guide you in this path of confidence and love!
