Garrettsville – The Garrettsville Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE) celebrates an incredible 75 years in Garrettsville on Saturday, October 13th. Back in 1947, 108 founding members joined together in Garrettsville to form a local chapter of this national service organization. To mark this special occasion, the FOE will host an anniversary celebration and open house on Saturday October 15th.
The purpose of this event is to honor the founding Charter Members and to celebrate the FOE’s years of service to the local community. The Eagles Aerie is the men’s organization. The Garrettsville Aerie has 286 members, while the Eagles Auxiliary, the female counterpart, has 181 members locally.
“We’d like to invite any living Charter Member and their families to attend,” Dale Cressman, Garrettsville Eagles Aerie Secretary noted. Members and their guests are welcome beginning at 3 pm that day, while a special ceremony to mark the occasion takes place at 4 pm. While they only anticipate a few original members will be in attendance, families of past members and anyone interested in membership is welcome to attend.
“The Fraternal Order of Eagles is an International non-profit organization uniting fraternally in the spirit of Liberty, Truth, Justice, and Equality to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills,” explained Cressman. “Our motto is People Helping People.” The local Eagles Chapter – charter number 2705 in the nation – take that mission to heart.
In fact, over the years, many local charities have benefited from Eagles charitable efforts. Organizations including the Garrettsville and Windham libraries, Friends of Melana, Garrettsville Curtains Up Theater, NGCC Food Cupboard, Garrettsville Fire Department and Community EMS. In addition to making a positive impact locally, the Eagles also support a number of charitable organizations on a national level, including research for diabetes, heart and kidney diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and spinal cord injuries.
The organization’s recent event, an annual golf outing held on September 10th, raised funds for the Fraternal Order of Eagles national charity, the National Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa. Cressman noted that over the last 75 years, the Garrettsville organization has donated over $100,000 to charity.
Founded in 1898, The Fraternal Order of Eagles includes nearly 800,000 members and more than 1,500 locations across the United States and Canada. Nationally, the FOE is credited with founding Mother’s Day, working to help end age-based job discrimination for those over 40, serving as a driving force behind Social Security, and distributing Ten Commandment monoliths across the US. The organization also created the $25 million Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa. For more information on the national organization, visit www.foe.com.
The Garrettsville chapter of the FOE is located at 8149 Water Street in Garrettsville. For more information, visit the Garrettsville Fraternal Order of Eagles #2705 on Facebook or contact Dale at Dbcressman1973@live.com.
