Pianist and former Webster City resident Brian Nass will be the guest artist for Sunday's Pie & Piano event at Asbury United Methodist Church in Webster City. The event is hosted by Chapter JE PEO, Webster City.

P stands for pies, piano, people and projects.

But P also stands for PEO — Philanthropic Educational Organization — as they work to help others.

PEO Chapter JE in Webster City is hosting a Pies & Piano event at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, featuring Brian Nass in a piano concert at the Asbury United Methodist Church.

Nass, the son of Marjorie and Ed Nass, graduated from Webster City High School in 1976. He attended Iowa Central Community College in Webster City for a year, then finishing his electrical engineering degree from Iowa State University. He and his wife, Rhonda (Carlson), who grew up in the Stanhope area, live in the Rochester, Minnesota, area.

A musician since an early age, Nass also played trumpet in the high school band, but has truly honed his skills on the piano. He has published nine albums of his solo acoustical piano selections and has plans to stream some of his work in the future.

The afternoon of entertainment on April 27 is a project that will help the PEO chapter support both scholarships and projects locally in addition to those with a far-reaching impact.

Nass has a sister, niece and mother who are members of the local chapter and was prodded into offering his musical talent for the fundraising event.

Diane Bahrenfuss, president of Chapter JE, teaches during the day, but in her free time she is leading her chapter in quietly helping others in the community.

As the chapter raises money to help with projects far from home, they are also assisting those needing a little extra help in the Webster City and Hamilton County areas.

Often they help women who are trying to further their personal education. It might be in the form of scholarships or a low interest loan. Sometimes they help families who do not know where to turn for help.

“Some families have been faced with personal tragedies and other financial hardships who just needed a little extra help to get over the hump,” she said.

“This past year, we sponsored a family who received the Sarah Porter Beckwith Friendship Fund to help with medical bills and travel expenses,” she said.

These families received help under the umbrella of the Iowa PEO Project Fund, a fund that needed a little bit of paperwork and a sponsor. Bahrenfuss took the lead. The applications submitted were funded.

In addition, two local college students received the Educational Loan Fund in 2024, and another student is applying for this low-interest loan this year.

PEO was organized in 1869 by seven women attending Iowa Wesleyan college in Mount Pleasant. These women decided to band together to help other young women at a time when women did not have choices for vocations, colleges or a voice in their communities. Some of their work focused on women’s right to vote, and they were leaders in that effort. The 19th Amendment, which finally gave women the right to vote, was passed in 1920.

PEO is now a national women’s organization that crosses borders and oceans assisting with educational opportunities on many levels. Today, the PEO International offices are located in Des Moines, offering support to nearly 200,000 members.

“Chapter JE has tried to embody the theme for the year: ‘We Rise by Lifting Others’,” Bahrenfuss said.

Even though the chapter was chartered in 1946, one of two PEO chapters in Webster City at that time, most are not familiar with their projects.

The Educational Loan Fund was established in 1907 and Cottey College, a private women’s college located in Missouri, has been owned and supported by PEO since 1927. Yet until recent years, few outside of PEO membership were aware of their programs and the impact they could access for their own communities.

“I think we are just realizing that we can work together with the PEO chapters around the country,” said Bahrenfuss. “Our projects can be more far-reaching, so by combining all our funds together, we have been able to nominate candidates for the Educational Loan Fund (ELF) and other Iowa PEO projects. Once we found success with nominating our candidates, we feel more confident in spreading the word to encourage people to apply for the projects.”

Last summer the chapter started selling pies during Market Nights on Thursdays in downtown Webster City, and talked with more individuals about the PEO projects. They plan to do this again this summer to generate more awareness and more funds to assist others.

The performance at Asbury United Methodist church begins at 2 p.m.

Pie and fellowship will be featured in the basement at the end of the concert. Homemade pies will be made by members of the chapter. A freewill offering will be taken.

Chapter JE PEO members work during Market Nights in 2024. They include, from left, Linda Kidney, Milissa Bailey, Diane Bahrenfuss, Billie Smid, Theresa Turpin, Barbara Golberg and Gayle Anderson.