Well summer is coming to an end, and the kids will be back in school by the time you read this. I hope everybody enjoyed their time with family and friends, I know I did. One of my biggest events I was involved in was the 2013 New England Regional Baseball Tourna-ment with Dover Baseball. We had a dozen Moose members volunteer their time to this event, Thank you. This type of community involvement goes a long way towards our Premier Lodge Award. One of Moose Internationals tenets is to be the heart of the com-munity. Which brings to me to a question, do you my Moose brothers and sisters know of an event that we can rally our Moose troops to get involved in. If you do please let me know. I am sure by now you have seen the flurry of activity on the patio project; tree removal, excavating. This is an exciting transformation of our Lodge. The plan going forward is to at least be able to use the patio sometime this fall. It may not have all of the encoutrem-onts yet but, we will be able to enjoy it. With this being said we will be having monthly meetings to keep everybody up to date on the progress. This meeting will be the second Monday of the month @730 look for the reminder in the calendar. This would be a good time to ask questions of the committee. Big thanks to the committee on moving this pro-ject forward. One of the steps for the patio is the fence. Do you want to help? Do you want to have a share? Do you want to be remembered as one of the members who made this possible? Then look for the plan in this newsletter, it will explain how you can help. Thank you to all of the members who make a difference everyday at our Lodge, whether its working Bingo, changing the paper towels in the restrooms, or making potential new members/visiting guests welcome. We all make a difference, thank you. Fraternally yours, Mike Dean , Governor PATIO PROJECT As you may be aware, the patio project is in full swing. Now we have an exciting opportunity for you to participate. We are looking for donations toward the Patio Fence. If you donate to this project we will erect a plaque commemorating your donation as follows. Donation Levels Gold Medal - $100 or more Silver Medal - $50 to $99 Bronze Medal - $25 to $49 Honorable Mention - Any Donation See any Bartender or Officer to make your donation. From The Administrator, We have noticed that we are signing a lot of new members every year, but we are losing as many if not more. We believe it could be because we have stopped the tradition of having the class enrollment when bringing in new members. Not performing the enrollment the new members aren’t finding out what we are all about, so we are looking for a few good men, whom can memorize a part of the ritual and practice with us to do the ritual properly. If you have any interest in this please sign up in the information center at the lodge or feel free to contact me by e-mail at elephant1058@ aol.com or lodge443@mooseunits.org. Thank You, Dolph Toigo Mission Statement The mission of our Organization is to strive for excellence in four areas: 1. A fraternal program and community service within our Lodge and Chapter system; 2. To provide a family environment and education for children in need and in residence at Mooseheart, Illinois; 3. To provide for the needs of senior members at Moosehaven, Florida; and 4. To promote membership growth and financially strengthen our fraternity. Joined ! Sponsored by Boucher, David Moynahan, Steve Coughlin, Dan Joiner, Mark Dean, Ryan Dean, Michael Hoyt, Alex Perry, Timothy G Jancosko, James Maxfield, Ronald Jobman, Tregg D'Andrea, Rocky Nossiff, Alex D'Andrea, Rocky Smith, Joseph O'Shea, Mike WELCOME WAGON From the Senior Regent The summer flew right past. Just the other morning, I went outside and the air had that Fall smell to it. Now while I feel summer flew by, I am excited for the Fall season. It’s my favorite time of the year, the kids go back to School (Yeah!), the leaves start to change colors; the air starts to get cooler. With that said are you interested in a WOTM sweatshirt? We are looking to purchase. Let me know. We are looking for some new/exciting fundraising opportunity or activity for the Lodge/ Chapter to get involved in? If you have an idea please come to a meeting, we are excited to here from you. We meet every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. The officers of the Chapter are calling all the Women to rally with us. We have been challenged by the Lodge Officers to a friendly competition. What kind you ask? Who can raise the most money towards the Patio fence? I know with your help we can win, and make the men do a silly skit. So come on ladies we can do it. Fraternally Rhonda Dean, Senior Regent Moose Legion Members Remember there are certain benefits to being a Moose Legionnaire, if you don’t remember what they are come down to a meeting and refresh your memory. The meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month following the lodge meeting. The Moose Legion dinner will no longer be held on that day, but will be held on the third Saturday of each month unless otherwise specified (Check the calendar!). A lot of information is discussed at these meetings so come on down and be informed. Respectfully Garrison Legion President Skip Flint Why Do We Ask You To Show Your Mem-bership Card? Because doing so maintains our rights as a private organiza-tion - and can, quite literally, save your Lodge (and you) from financial ruin. I have walked into several hundred Moose Lodges during my years as a member - and every time, I have been proud to reach into my wallet as I entered, to fulfill the re-quirement of displaying my Moose membership card. I have always thought of this small-plasticized card as saying several things about me - and about any other man or woman who carries one: It says that the holder is a fraternalist, a friendly person who enjoys the company of others – and who stands ready to help a fellow human being in need whenever he or she can. It says that the holder is someone who holds a special place in his or her heart for children. Through his or her Moose membership, he is doing something real and tangi-ble to provide hope and a better life for youngsters in need, at Mooseheart Child City and School in Illinois. And, it says that the holder is ensuring - even if he or she (and his or her spouse) reaches retirement age without adequate savings - that together they will enjoy a se-cure, dignified retirement without being a burden to either family or society, through the availability of Moosehaven in Florida. But, even though showing a Moose membership cards says all those positive things about a person, I know very well that the fraternity’s requirement that a membership card be shown every time a member enters a Lodge, or makes a purchase, has for years been a big point of irritation among thousands of Moose men and women across North America. "Fifteen years I’ve been a member here; why in the world should I have to show my card every time I walk in the door?" Let me pose a couple of questions in return: For those of you who play golf, say you’ve received a very nice present - three years’ membership at the exclusive golf club where your doctor plays every Wednes-day. When you walk into the clubhouse with a guest and are asked to show your card, do you roll your eyes and groan? - or do you relish the chance to pull that card from your wallet? Many of our members who travel are also members of (AAA) or (AARP) - both of which have programs enabling their members to enjoy reduced rates in roadside hotels nationwide. But when you check in, to receive that lower rate, you have to show your AAA or AARP card. Does this irate you? Thank-you for helping out and showing your card every time you walk through that day, It is much appreciated! Excerpt taken from the Moose International Webpage |