Vol. 126, No. 11
INSIDE Medicare open enrollment ➤ Pg.4
Extended Camp session ➤ Pgs. 12
Healing Hearts Purse Bingo ➤ Pgs. 10, 11
hermannsonslife.org
November 2023
New Greater Texas Lodge will be virtual SAN ANTONIO – In an effort to grow membership throughout all of Texas and to provide a wider outreach of community service, Hermann Sons Life has created the first virtual lodge, the Greater Texas Lodge. Vice President of Member Benefits Cecily Kelly explained there are several lodges that are currently inactive but still have membership. Many of these lodges are in remote areas and since there are no other lodges nearby, merging into another lodge is not an option. Some of these locations include El Paso, Lubbock, Del Rio and Amarillo. “We are excited about the Greater Texas Lodge! By having a virtual lodge option, we are better able to serve all of Texas and provide support and community service efforts in underrepresented areas,” President and CEO Robin Czarnek
said. “When COVID hit in 2020, many members were not able to attend lodge meetings in person and some areas don’t have a lodge nearby, so we recognized the need for a virtual option. And with so many members having busy schedules, the virtual lodge option will better fit into their schedules.”
Cecily said when meetings stopped due to the pandemic, some lodges successfully continued meeting virtually. “We saw there was a way for members to connect even when miles apart – they can still interact and serve their communities,” she said. The Greater Texas Lodge is
open to any interested member and will be based out of the Home Office in San Antonio. Dues will be $1. Its primary focus will be community service projects. The first meeting will include the election of officers, schedule and community service planning. “Hermann Sons Life’s mission is to ‘strengthen community through financial protection and service’,” Cecily said. “By creating this virtual lodge, we now have an opportunity to provide just that in these unserved communities.” Connection details for the January virtual meeting will be provided closer to the meeting date. For more information or for questions, call Vice President of Member Benefits Cecily Kelly at 210-226-9261, ext. 257 or Leonni Avalos at ext. 238.
Purse bingo raises $10,000 for Grief Support Camp SAN ANTONIO – The Hermann Sons Life Home Office hosted the very first Healing Hearts Purse Bingo on Saturday, Oct. 21, and raised more than $10,000 for Grief Support Camp! More than 100 participants played for 20 different designer purses, and the very lucky grand-prize winner was Kelsey Earnhardt, a member of La Vernia Lodge. She won a Louis Vuitton carry-all valued at $2,500! “It was a success!” Vice President of Member Benefits Cecily Kelly said. “And donations are still coming in. You’re never sure what to expect when The Healing Hearts Purse Bingo grand-prize winner was you hold a new event for the very first Kelsey Earnhardt of La Vernia. She won a Louis Vuitton car- time. But so many generous individury-all purse valued at $2,500. See more photos, Pg. 10-11. als, lodges, members and businesses
came through for us and I can’t thank them all enough. I also thank all who purchased tickets and came out and played. Judging by the smiles and comments, everyone had a fun time, especially the lucky winners.” “I am so thankful for everyone who helped make Healing Hearts Purse Bingo a huge success,” President and CEO Robin Czarnek said. “Purse bingo is an exciting twist on the traditional game, with the allure of designer handbags. It was a fun-filled day with camaraderie and entertainment and our bingo players are already eagerly anticipating our next event!”
See PURSE Pg. 10