Some of you know the story about how
I came to join the Independent Order of Odd Fellows here in Minnesota. For
those who do not, please let me fill you in! Last year I was the Worshipful
Master of Red Wing Masonic Lodge #8 in Red Wing, Minnesota. It was my fourth
term as Master of the Lodge and another Brother Tom Hendrickson and I came up with an idea to
have Masonic Educational Nights every other month on nights where we did not
have a stated communication. Often there is just not enough time during a
business meeting to explore topics in depth and these Educational Nights were
designed to help educate our members, visiting Brethren, and their families.
One of the topics that was proposed was reaching out to the Minnesota Grand
Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and see if they would be gracious
enough to send a delegation to our Lodge to discuss the history of their
organization, their philanthropic ventures, and what their organization offers
to its members and the world.
After a few months of corresponding
with The I.O.O.F. Grand Secretary, Alex Saloum, I was notified that at least
three members, Dave Sebesta, David “Ace” Adams and Grand Master John Sonnek
would be in attendance. After a few more e-mails back and forth, the night
Educational Night last October finally arrived and after a large barbecue meal
complete with all the side items and dessert bar, everyone in attendance, all
thirty of them, including the Grand Master of Minnesota Masons, Tony Krall,
settled into the Lodge room and listened intently to what our visiting guests’
presentation. It was truly a great night of Fraternalism shared by members of
both Fraternities! Although Odd Fellowship and Freemasonry are different in a
few ways, they are more alike than most people know. Religion and politics are
forbidden in both organizations’ meetings, and at the core of both is the love
for each other, the love of ritual, and the bonds of Fraternalism that continue
outside of the Lodge room. The Core Tenets of Freemasonry: Brotherly Love,
Relief and Truth, are the same as the Core Tenets of the Odd Fellows:
Friendship, Love and Truth. The same ideals just worded a bit differently! Both
organizations believe in giving back to their communities while taking care of
the widows and orphans of their members.
As Grand Master John was explaining
Camp Fa-Ho-Cha, a summer camp that is for boys and girls ages 10-12, I was
struck by what a great program this was! The camp is on a 27 acre private
island that is owned by the Minnesota Odd Fellows on German Lake in Cleveland,
Minnesota. Due to the hard work of an Odd Fellow member from Mankato, C.W.
Brandt, who approached the U.S. Department of the Interior in the 1950’s to
purchase the island to establish a summer camp for underprivileged youth, the
groundwork for the legacy of the Camp Fa-Ho-Cha (short for Faith, Hope and
Charity,) was laid and many, many children have been fortunate to enjoy a
summer camp experience, paid for by individual sponsors and Lodges! John and
Ace also explained to us that there was a catch: no electronic devices for the
campers for the entire week of camp! Cell phones, tablets, computers, etc.,
were not allowed. The intent of the camp was to let kids explore nature,
participate in fun activities, make crafts, and just be kids, all without being
connected to an electronic device. Another thing about the camp that I found
endearing was that it was only accessible by boat!
Even before I had finished my Odd
Fellow Degrees, I inquired about volunteering at the camp. My daughter, Amelia,
was going to be turning 11 and said she would love to attend camp if one of her
friends could go. When none of them were able to go, I asked her if she would
attend camp if I volunteered to cook that week, and she agreed to go. I am a
cook and baker by trade and cooking for crowds is not an issue for me. After
submitting my application, I was informed a few weeks later that I would be the
head cook for Girl’s Week. I was very excited! My son, Bennett, and I had the
opportunity to help get the camp ready for the summer camp weeks. When the time
came to leave for camp my daughter and I loaded up our car and headed west to
Cleveland, arriving the evening before camp was to begin. After a short pontoon
ride to the island, we were able to get settled and I was able to start to plan
menus for the week with the foodstuffs that had been donated from members, area
food shelves, and a Boy Scout Troop that helps to do maintenance on the island
in the spring and fall.
Girl’s Week this year was July 23rd-29th.
For the most part the weather was great but there were a couple days that were
near 100 Degrees. I had to use up the groceries that I had on hand and after
the third day the girls were very hot, and I know that some of the heavy
casseroles that I made for them would not have been their first choice on those
hot days, but they were very thankful and polite. I had brought three big bags
of freeze pops with me and that was a great relief to them, as were the root
beer floats that we had thanks to our own Chaplain, Bill Alitz.
Let me tell you something about Bill! Not only is he the Chaplain for Friendship Lodge #50, but he is also the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Camp Fa-Ho-Cha. With this title comes many, many, responsibilities, one of which is to be the onsite maintenance person while camp is in session. There is a reason that Bill was awarded the Meritorious Service Jewel at the 2023 Grand Lodge Sessions this past June. His commitment to Fa-Ho-Cha goes back many years. He is a third generation Odd Fellow, and his mother spent many summers as the camp cook there. Bill is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the history of Fa-Ho-Cha, and he happily shared it with me or anyone else who asked him. He is passionate about this camp and its vision to provide kids with a summer camp experience. Some of his duties as the maintenance person are running garbage back and forth from the camp to the dumpster at the camp parking lot on the shore, making sure the bathrooms are cleaned, assisting in the kitchen if needed, helping to dispatch a few mice we caught on sticky traps, etc. The maintenance person is a busy staff member during camp! Another duty that this person performs, if needed, is to make the eleven-mile trip to the grocery store in Le Center to pick up any needed extra items that the cook may run out of. That’s how we got the root beer, ice cream and cups to be able to provide the girls with root beer floats on the hottest days of camp. The girls were extremely thankful!
The camp counselors, Juane, Ashlyn, and Robin were a delight
to work with and were the perfect staff to work with the girls! They had many
activities scheduled for the girls, whether it was making friendship bracelets,
playing yard games, painting, woodburning, chasing frogs and toads, paddling
canoes, pedaling paddleboats, or just splashing around in the lake to cool off,
the girls were in terrific hands for the week. One of the activities that the counselors
helped with, as well, was assisting Gene Lewis, a member of Mapleton Lodge #101,
with teaching the girls in learning how to make their own fishing lures! Gene arrived
at the island on Monday night of camp along with three other volunteers and showed
the girls how to assemble their own fishing lures. Gene has been making his own
lures for over 40 years and has been showing the boys and girls at Fa-Ho-Cha
how to make them for many years. The next night he, Bill and the other
volunteers helped to take the girls out on the pontoons to show them how to use
their lures. Whatever fish they catch is later filleted by the volunteers and
the camp cook prepares a big fish fry for the campers. Before the girls left
for their fishing adventure, they were all vowing to catch more fish than the
boy campers had the week before. The 29 boys who attended camp that week caught
a total of 59 fish. The 18 girl campers caught 120 fish! Not too shabby! I was
able to fry up the fish the Thursday night of camp and the girls got their fill
of corn on the cob, fish, au-gratin potatoes and fruit crisp. They all told me
it was the best fish they ever had and thanked me profusely. I thanked them in
return, and Bill, for being the ones who caught the fish. I told them they did
the most important part.
The next day, Friday, was the final full day of camp. We all
got to pick out our Fa-Ho-Cha t-shirts, get them signed by everyone, and took
photos before the girls had a fun-filled last day at camp. The girls wrote thank
you cards to their sponsors and were able to exchange contact information with
each other. That night, after a well-received hotdog and corn on the cob meal, and
a talent show, the girls were disappointed that they did not get a chance to go
swimming due to the extremely choppy lake water. But that disappointment quickly
dissipated when Bill built them a fire in the large firepit, and the girls were
able to make s’mores, sing, dance, laugh, and even shed a few tears as they
enjoyed the final night of camp. For a few of the girls this would be their
final year of eligibility for camp as they would be too old to attend next year.
The girls had waited all week for this night, and it really made my heart happy
to see them all enjoy themselves. They had made it all week without any
electronics devices, for some they renewed friendships, and they all made new
friends. Before the girls settled into their cabins for the night, I asked
Amelia if she would want to attend camp next year. She had a rough first couple
days at camp as she was a bit homesick, but she smiled at me and said she would
love to return next year! Some of the girls had a hard time getting to sleep
that night, as did I. After a late night of cleaning and making the girls all a
chocolate popcorn and peanut snack bag to take home with them the next morning,
I sat to reflect on my week at camp and how my daughter, the other campers,
staff, and myself, had grown so much. I fell asleep in the wee hours of the
morning with a smile and a heart that was full.
The following day the schedule was tight as the campers needed to board the pontoons at 9 AM so they could meet their parents who would be there to meet them at the parking lot. I woke up early to be able to pen a letter to the Camp Board of Directors and before a light breakfast of cereal, milk, juice and toast, I assisted Bill in taking down the United States flag that flew on the flagpole all week long, signaling the end of camp, and helped him fold the flag as Ashlyn read aloud the significance of the solemn duty that we were performing. The girls then had their breakfast and were all very happy and laughing. Some of them shed tears of joy, and some tears of sadness as they were sharing stories of their week and dreading saying goodbye to their friends while also being excited to be going home to their families. After what seemed like a few short minutes, it was time to leave. I quickly washed the few remaining dishes and tidied up the kitchen before we gathered for a few more pictures and I handed out the popcorn snack bags, much to the surprise of all the campers! The pontoon ride back to shore was over all too quickly and soon everyone was on their way home, full of memories and a list of new friends to keep in contact with.
I cannot state how great it was to volunteer for the week I
spent at camp with my daughter. To see how she gained confidence and made new
friends was very heart-warming to me. But she wasn’t the only one to do this as
all the campers were able to accomplish the same things. I know I grew as a
person, as well. I cannot wait to volunteer again next year for Girls Week and
to see Amelia return to camp and rekindle friendships and make new friends. In
my letter to the Board of Directors I told them that I felt like I gained 17
more daughters that week and I meant it!
In F, L,
&T,
Gary A.
Thomas, Jr.
Noble Grand,
