Message From the State President

I am overwhelmed with emotions from all the phone calls, emails, and texts from you, offering assistance with our Grand Lodge workings. As I have said before, we will all have to work together to get our Grand Lodge back to its former glory. Membership needs to be a priority. As a Grand Lodge or National Lodge, we can save Columbus Day, we can get Italian Language Seats in Universities, we can get respect for our wonderful culture, and we can make a better place for our Italian American children and grandchildren. We can raise large amounts of money for charities, both local and national.

After this pandemic, people are looking for places to get out and about; to have fun but contribute to worthy causes, to learn about their heritage. Reach out to them. Show them the fun you have at your Lodges and the worthy causes you help fund. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Go to them. Go to the Bocce courts, sponsor a sports team, get some PR out in the neighborhood. You know best where to go locally.

We had our first Executive Council meeting and am very pleased with those chosen to serve with me. There was so much excitement and enthusiasm from the members of our Council; suggestions for fund raising, cooperation among those involved, both returning and new. Speaking of the new members of the Council, they are infusing the rest of us with the energy needed to come back from this terrible pandemic.

All your Council members know that we are here because you put us here and we owe it to you, our members, to respond to your queries. Please feel free to reach out to me if any of the Council do not respond in a timely manner.

I am asking all Lodge Presidents to check their contact information in the Il Leone. If the information is not correct, please send the corrections to Debbie Ure and Andy Pampuro so they can update. If we don’t have the correct information, we cannot communicate successfully.

Speaking of communication, it is the best way we can know what is happening. If you need assistance, communicate with your Council. If you have questions, communicate with your Council. I promise your Council will communicate with you. We will share information from our Lodges. Please send your newsletters to me and to the Vice-President from your district.

Ken and I have been invited to the 25th Anniversary meeting and dinner of the Gold Country Lodge 2705. I’m looking forward to making new friends and seeing old ones.

My plan is to visit Lodge meetings through the year. The social affairs are such fun, but many attending are not members. I want to meet our members. I want to speak with our members. Keep in touch so I can plan.

Till next month
Fraternally
Barbara