Chamber Member of the Week: The Fraternal Order of Eagles
Six theatre owners from the Seattle area gathered to discuss a musician’s strike in 1898. They called their group “The Order of Good Things” and sought to find a joint resolution. As the membership grew, they selected the bald eagle as the official emblem and changed the name to “The Fraternal Order of Eagles.”
Owensboro locals formed the Yellow Banks #4168 charter in 1987 to expand the nonprofit’s activity in the community.
“We unite fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness, and hope,” said club member Debra Creamer.
The local club hosts and promotes fundraisers to assist several tristate charities. The club contributed over $145,000 to 45 community nonprofits and $5,000 to the 4 local colleges through chicken and burgoo cooks and other events.
“Our charitable giving is orientated toward our local nonprofits,” Creamer said. “Our belief is that the stronger our nonprofits are, the stronger our community is.”
The club is open to anyone over the age of 21 with good moral character and who believes in the existence of a supreme being. Active and retired law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, correctional officers, active military, including the National Guard and reserves, volunteer firefighters and EMTS, and honorably discharged or inactive military personnel are eligible for an inaugural complimentary year.
Creamer said the organization is incredibly proud of 2 significant accomplishments: founding Mother’s Day and forming The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center.
“In 1904, the Fraternal Order of Eagles Past Grand Worthy President Frank E. Hering was inspired by his class at the University of Notre Dame when he found his students preparing postcards and packages to send to their mothers,” she said. “He opened up and made a plea to recognize mothers everywhere, and a decade later, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day a reality. President Wilson designated May 10, 1914, the first Mother’s Day.”
Just over a decade ago, the group completed a $25 million pledge to the University of Iowa for a comprehensive research facility dedicated to progressing diabetes research in the hope of finding a cure.
The Diabetes Research Center opened in 2014 and occupies 1.5 floors within the John and Mary Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building with a team of 100 researchers who work daily to conduct various research studies centered around maintaining, preventing, and ultimately curing diabetes.
To learn more about The Fraternal Order of Eagles, visit its Facebook page here.
By John Kirkpatrick The Owensboro Times