Cover Story Institute. Nationally, since 1927, the Odd Fellows Education Foundation has provided $6.8 million in low-interest student loans and hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to low-income students. Internationally, it supports SOS Villages and homes for orphaned and AIDS-affected children. Symbols: Three-Link chain representing friendship, love and truth; All-Seeing Eye; others.
Rotary International
Kimihiro Hoshino
opmental disabilities, diabetes and children’s mental health. Internationally and nationally, the group supports programs to prevent or eliminate blindness in Third World countries and has provided aid to cities and countries rocked by disaster. Also addresses hearing loss and cancer. Symbols: Lion; double lion head surrounding a circle with “L�
Masonic Lodge The early origins of this fraternal organization are debated widely but the Masons or Freemasons date back at least to 18th-century England and was established in the United States in 1733, according to various sources. George Washing-
former exalted ruler. “It will be the flagship of Elkdom.� In order to finance the project, Elks members sold part of their property to a residential developer. The lodge is slated to open in October and is already increasing membership, according to Norville. While clubs are not forsaking their traditions — the Palo Alto Host Lions Club mounted its 44th Concours d’Elegance auto exhibition June 27, a fundraiser for 35 local charities — they are expanding into high-profile, even global, charitable efforts to attract new members. The Lions have supported disaster relief in Haiti, New Orleans and overseas, in tsunami-stricken areas, LaJoye said. “When there’s a tornado in the Midwest, you can be sure the Lions Club is there,� he said. University Rotary Club of Palo Alto/Stanford built a school in El Salvador and has worked in microlending, according to the club president, Deborah Pappas. Those activities have attracted members under 40 in the past three or four years.
ton was perhaps the most notable American Mason. The Masonic Lodge of Palo Alto was started in 1902, with several orders established at its center on Florence Street, including the Order of the Eastern Star, Palo AltoRoller Lodge, George Washington Club and Order of the Amaranth. Services: Locally, the Masons support Ronald McDonald House, diabetes organizations and soup kitchens. Nationally, the organization supports orphanages, homes for the aged, hospitals, education and medical foundations, programs for children with diabetes, burn victims, literacy, sight and medical research.
The club currently has 90 members, a mix of professionals and retired persons. Approximately 50 percent are women, she said. Many clubs are also leveraging social-networking sites and new technology for meetings and communication. LaJoye said the Internet is fast becoming a crucial way to garner younger members. Groups that have “cyber clubs� that meet online instead of requiring attendance at a traditional gathering are seeing their memberships grow. The Lions has an evening meeting at Palo Alto Airport for people who can’t make the traditional luncheon, and the Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto also holds online meetings. “In today’s economy — in our cut, paste and go society — there’s not time for a 1.5-hour lunch,� said Kiwanis secretary Howell Lovell. The club now requires attendance only once per month and involvement in one monthly service project. A satellite committee of younger professionals meets primarily through social-networking sites such as Facebook and communicates via
Symbols: Compass, right angle forming a diamond shape with a “G� at the center; others.
Odd Fellows and Rebekahs The Odd Fellows date back to the 18th century, but the modern fraternal organization is said to have taken shape during England’s Industrial Revolution. People who left their rural communities for the cities lost their social network and safety net, according to Debra LaVergne, a Palo Alto member and past Noble Grand. Members were called “odd fellows� because it was deemed odd for people to organize to give aid to the needy without recognition, she said. The
Twitter and e-mail, he said. Fehrenbach said the club’s 82 members now range in age from 24 to 89. Twenty members — one quarter — are under 40. Flexiblity is important to club growth, Rotary’s Pappas said. “These clubs have to be more forgiving.� They also have to be willing to explore new possibilities, such as working with other groups. She is trying figure out how to engage organizations doing work similar to the Rotary Club. “It would make a statement. If we all got together, we could do a big project and have social time,� she said.
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conomic and social changes have boosted groups’ membership numbers recently. Volunteers say a call to service by President Barack Obama has inspired them, and volunteerism is up in part due to unemployment. Service projects look good on resumes, and students seeking college admission also seek out service opportunities, Lovell said. The groups do countless good
Rebekahs is the ladies’ auxiliary. Odd Fellows formed in the United States in 1819 and in California during the Gold Rush in 1849, according to historian Peter V. Sellars. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was an Odd Fellow, according to the organization. Services: The group maintains two assisted-living centers in California for the aged; Rebekah Child Services, a residential and educational campus in Gilroy for deeply troubled children; and the Compadres program, which works with at-risk children and teens and their families directly in the home. The group has raised $2.5 million to support a professor’s chair at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye
deeds: visiting the aged; bringing blankets to lonely, hospitalized veterans; funding college scholarships for disadvantaged students; helping hearing-impaired children receive cochlear implants; and more. Introducing young people to service early in life builds character, the Rebekahs’ LaVergne said. The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs have Junior Odd Fellows and Theta Rho Girls groups for kids ages 8 to 18. The Lions Club’s Leo Clubs (5,700 worldwide) are designed for young people ages 12 and older. Kiwanis has youth groups — Key Clubs — at both Palo Alto and Henry M. Gunn high schools. Fehrenbach, 31, is part of the younger breed of volunteer the organizations are counting on to take them into the future. “Service has always been a part of my DNA,� he said. “We built a playground,� he said of a recent project. “It’s really touching. You see the value for yourself.� While some might argue that people can find countless volunteer opportunities online through sites such as VolunteerMatch.org
Founded in 1905, Rotary claims to be the world’s first service organization. An attorney, Paul P. Harris, started the club among professionals because he wanted to capture the friendly spirit he felt in small towns as a youth, according to the organization. Rotary’s name derives from the club’s early practice of rotating meetings at its members’ offices. After World War II, the organization called for a conference to promote international cultural and educational exchange. It inspired the founding of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Palo Alto has two Rotary clubs: Palo Alto University Rotary Club and Rotary Club of Palo Alto. Services: Locally, it supports a variety of organizations financially and through hands-on projects, including Belle Haven Community Center, the Opportunity Health Clinic, Downtown Streets Team, Stevenson House, Lytton Gardens and the City of Palo Alto. Nationally and internationally, it works to combat hunger, build schools, improve health and sanitation in poor countries, education and job training and to eradicate polio. Symbols: Gear — Sue Dremann
and Idealist.org without the club commitment, service and fraternal groups offer something that is often in short supply: a sense of community, Pappas said. “There are many aspects of a service club. You can get so much out of it. There are great speakers every week. You meet people that you may not ordinarily come in contact with. You’re connecting with likeminded people. “There’s something really valuable about connecting. There’s a lot of feeling a part of something bigger,� she said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.
About the cover: Laurie Prescott, Debra LaVergne and Pat Aanenson of the Rebekahs wear their formal dresses inside the Palo Alto Masonic Lodge at their June 9 meeting. LaVergne, center, wears a cape of the order’s Encampment Branch. Photo by Veronica Weber
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