Article and Photos by Shirin McArthur
P.E.O. Purse Auction Preview
2015 P.E.O Purse Auction Preview
Purses wait to be stuffed as Carol Barrington gives instructions to Chapter AG members
2015 P.E.O Purse Auction Preview
Nancy Champlin holds up a purse she is stuffing2015 P.E.O Purse Auction Preview
From left, Deb Cosper-Hughs, Veralee Berg, Rosemary Smith and Marti Trammell fill purses with small gifts
2015 P.E.O Purse Auction Preview
From left, Mary Ihlefeld and Mary Cowan fill each purse with a piece of jewelry-?`^
2015 P.E.O Purse Auction Preview
From left, Marilyn McCracken and Marie Martin decide which scarf goes with which purse
2015 P.E.O Purse Auction Preview
From left, Mary Cosper and Dutch Kimball write price tags for purses
2015 P.E.O Purse Auction Preview
Chapter AG Purse Auction Chair Carol Barrington adds a wallet to a purse
Eighteen Grant County women gathered on Monday to prepare over two hundred purses for sale at this Saturday's Purses for Every Occasion Auction. This auction is one of the primary scholarship fundraisers for Grant County's Chapter AG, P.E.O. (which stands for Philanthropic Education Organization).
Members of Chapter AG prepared one hundred of the purses for auction by stuffing them with various gifts, while another hundred purses were tagged with a sale price. Additional silent auction items, ranging from fine art to books by local authors, are being prepared for Saturday's big event. All purses, gifts and silent auction items are donated by local businesses, authors and artists, as well as P.E.O. members and friends from the Grant County community.
For Chapter AG member Dutch Kimball, participation in P.E.O. is a family affair. She grew up in Iowa, where P.E.O. was founded by seven college girls as a friendship society in 1869. Kimball's grandmother, three aunts, and various cousins have been members of P.E.O. She has visited their headquarters and also Cottey College, a liberal arts and sciences college for women that has been owned and operated by the P.E.O. Sisterhood since 1927.
Today there are over 6,000 P.E.O. chapters around the world and 68 chapters in New Mexico. Kimball has been a member of P.E.O. for 24 years and appreciates the camaraderie of other wonderful women and the fact that P.E.O. members come from all walks of life.
Nancy Champlin is a member of Grant County's second chapter, Chapter BR, P.E.O., and the third of four generations of P.E.O. women. Champlin values the wisdom that is shared by other P.E.O. members. For example, a recent program by two of Chapter BR's youngest members taught older members how to better use the Internet and what it has to offer.
Kimball and Champlin were both present at the genesis of the Grant County purse auction. They were part of half a dozen P.E.O. Sisters who traveled to a one-time purse auction held by Chapter BT in Deming. Kimball came home feeling that €œWe can do this, but on a grander scale. € The first purse auction, held in 2012, was jointly sponsored by Chapters AG and BR, in honor of Champlin, who was then New Mexico State Chapter President of P.E.O. The goal for that first purse auction was to raise $2,000, but it raised over $6,000. In subsequent years, each Chapter has alternated hosting the purse auction and over $7,000 has been raised each year.
P.E.O. has come to stand for many things over the years. For Chapter AG, it stands for Purses for Every Occasion, and also Pecans Every October, because San Saba Pecan sales are another major fundraiser for local scholarships.
If you are interested in attending Saturday's purse auction, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., there are a few tickets available for $10.00 each. You may purchase a ticket by contacting Carol Barrington at 575-538-9471 or Greta Oberg at 575-538-3919. San Saba Pecans will be available for sale at Saturday's event, or by contacting Bonni Jo Rogers at 575-574-2002 or other Chapter AG members.