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Our Story….
In July 1915, Kankakee County hired an advisor, Miss Eva Benefiel, a graduate of the University of Illinois, to develop a home improvement association. This was the first county to be organized in Illinois and only the second in the entire United States.
In the beginning, the idea of the Home Advisor was misunderstood. Instead of regarding Miss Benefiel as an educator, she was regarded as a sort of maid in the home. Eventually, with surely great patience and perseverance on her part, people recognized Miss Benefiel's true function. Mercer County organized in 1917, and thirteen more counties organized by 1918-1919.
Some women organizing a county in 1918 rode horseback seven miles to board a train, which then took them fifteen more miles to Champaign, the county seat. On January 14, 1925, the first formal Annual Meeting was held and officers elected for one year.
Copies from IHBE (Illinois Home Bureau Federation) Minutes of 1925: The Illinois Home Bureau Federation came into being in January, 1924 by the action of the State Conference consisting of the Representatives of the various counties. As what these pioneering women did for the IAHCE women of today, we now are shaping what life will be for the next generation when IAHCE celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024.
An Aim for the Homemaker
To have the home
Economically sound
Mechanically convenient
Physically healthful
Morally wholesome
Mentally stimulating
Artistically satisfying
Socially responsible
Spiritually inspiring
Founded upon mutual
Affection and respect
—Juliet Lita Bane, Home Economist, 1919
