Roma Lodge #1573 Tulare, CA

For the first time I have had a Roma Lodge member ask if he could pay his $75 dues and have it all go to the Roma Lodge instead of the 25 cents the lodge gets. He no longer wanted to be a member of the state or national organizations. The strength of the Grand Lodge and National organizations comes from the local lodges. It is difficult to justify a member continue their membership when we have not had a meeting since last February- 2020 and it looks as though we may not have another meeting until May or June-2021 and that may be difficult with the COVID pandemic still with us.

When I read the IL Leone our leadership continues to discuss the importance of membership and getting new members into the organization. It is documented that the primary reason anyone joins a particular nonprofit organization is belief in the organization’s mission. If you read the OSDIA Constitution the preamble states, in part, the purpose of this organization shall be: (a) to enroll in its membership all persons of Italian birth or Descent. I guess as president of Roma Lodge, I should be going around Tulare County and asking everyone of Italian Descent to join the Lodge.

I hope that our leadership realizes it is difficult to attract new members into the organization when you do not have meetings, fundraising activities, or anything else bringing members together to socialize fraternally. We shall see what the future brings, but until we can start meeting again we will be lucky to keep the members we have.