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CHIEF FRATERNAL OFFICERJill Lain Weaver
EDITORJennifer Meyer-Michels Corporate Communications
DESIGNERDenise Chandler Corporate Communications
CONTENT EDITORNora Johnson Fraternal Department
FRATERNAL DEPARTMENT STAFFBill BakerCortney CarterMichelle DuyvejonckCynthia FloresMelissa GottwaltAnn HeldBritney HolstMelissa MayersTammy MielkeKaren MiznerMartha NelsonAmber NicholsKristen Roberts
IMPACT MAGAZINEOfficial fraternal publication of Modern Woodmen of America1701 1st Avenue PO Box 2005Rock Island, IL 61204-2005
What is an Impact Institute?Impact Institutes are fun and interactive regional conferences for fraternal leaders. Starting at the end of 2018, they’ll replace the Youth Club Leader Symposium (formerly MCLC) and offer opportunities for you to: • Enhance your leadership role. • Gain ideas for fun and
meaningful events. • Ask questions and exchange
ideas with other leaders.
Is my chapter or club on track to earn premier status?It’s easy to check achievement progress by logging in at imakeanimpact.org and viewing the blue bar at the top of your screen. You can review the requirements for premier status in the Fraternal Leader Handbook, and remember to plan wisely (only three events can be held per month).
How can I attract members to participate in service projects?A lot of leaders feel members aren’t interested in service projects (31 percent said so, based on our research). The trick is finding a project that your members are passionate about. Poll your members to learn more about their interests. They’ll buy into the project when your chapter or club supports causes and organizations they care about. For a summary of fraternal research, go to Support Materials at imakeanimpact.org and click on Fraternal Leader Research.
Have a question? Email it [email protected].
Do members know there’s still time to join in the 2018 Summit Celebration? Members and their guests (regardless of age) are invited to Las Vegas from Oct. 9-12. For just $300 per person, they can enjoy three nights at Caesar’s Palace and Casino (including parking) and a paddlewheel boat cruise on Lake Mead. Summit chapter members will receive a $50 Modern Woodmen Bank Visa® card to help with expenses. Members are responsible for their own transportation to and from Las Vegas and other costs, including participation in Modern Woodmen-sponsored excursions. For more information, go to Member Login at modernwoodmen.org or call the Fraternal Department at (800) 322-9805.
"This time of year, we just like to hang out together – preferably outside! We catch up, share traditional family recipes and relax for a bit." (From left, Martha, Nora and Melissa.)
What activities do you enjoy with your family?
Share this great benefit
l o o k i n s i d e S U M M E R 2 0 1 8
Meet fraternal leader Daniel BlevinsHost a sellout crowd.4Follow the leadersWinners of the first Impact Maker Awards.6Symposium workshopsClub leaders share the power of planning.8Modern Woodmen's 43rd National ConventionScavenger hunt helps the homeless.9Do it differentTwist the plot on door prizes.10Plan a projectKids save the day with superhero cuffs.11
Frequently asked questions
Try something newMake your next activity super.12
c o n n e c t w i t h S T A F F
There’s one thing I know about you as activities
coordinators and youth club leaders. You possess
super powers!
You know where to look and who to ask to find
unique educational events for your members. At
social events, you’re prepared for the unexpected,
whether that’s 75 guests when you planned for 50
or rain when you’re hosting an outdoor event.
And you know how to stretch funds to purchase
the most supplies you can for service projects.
In this issue of Impact we celebrate some of our
superheroes from last year – the winners of the
2017 Impact Maker awards. Check out their
award-winning projects. Tap into their super
powers to make your next social, educational,
volunteer, Matching Fund or Hometown Hero
event an award winner.
All of you are superheroes to us in the Fraternal
Department. Thank you for creating unique
fraternal activities for members.
So, what’s your super power?
Jill Lain Weaver
Chief Fraternal Officer Jill Weaver cleans up brush as a volunteer during Plant A Tree Quad Cities.
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S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 | I M P A C T 32
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D a n i e l B l e v i n sHOW-TO GUIDE:
Make more impactas an amazing duoCity: South Charleston, W.V.
Occupation: Modern Woodmen managing partner
What’s your favorite chapter memory? We partnered with the fire department to purchase toys for kids. Our service aspect would have been fulfilled by collecting, wrapping and dropping off the toys to be delivered. But I decided I wanted to put on the red suit and white beard. Members joined me on a sleigh drawn by a firetruck. We went to some depressed areas, turned on the sirens and handed out toys. The looks on these kids’ faces … this might have been the only toy they got for Christmas.
What’s your most successful event? We partnered with local businesses and the city of Charleston in 2016 when the 1,000-year flood hit. Including Natural Disaster Matching Funds, we raised over $33,000 to help people back into their homes.
What inspires your planning? My mind is always thinking, how is this activity going to impact our members? How is it going to impact the community our members live in? Thinking that way always helps me take our plans to the next level.
What’s your biggest challenge? Sometimes, it’s member support. You have to look at who your members are and find the right activity that matches their interests and abilities.
What would we be surprised to learn about you? I’m a big guy and people expect me to have a larger than life personality, but I’m actually very shy. Yet, I spoke a month ago in front of 7,000 people!
How do you spend your free time? I’m not originally from West Virginia, so I make it a priority to see the sights.
What’s your personal motto? Just believe!
What’s your favorite movie? "Rain Man." The interaction between the characters is for one reason at the beginning and a very different, right reason at the end.
Daniel Blevins likes to take chapter activities up a notch – and finding the right partner helps. In June, his chapter honored Hometown Heroes in front of a crowd of 7,000 at a community event where the chapter was matching funds.
“You can accomplish a lot with your board and your members,” Daniel says. “But when you start to partner with others in the community, it amplifies your impact tenfold.”
Here’s how Daniel organized a successful Hometown Hero presentation.
Perfect pairOrganizers of the Capitol City Biker Bash invited Daniel and members to attend planning meetings. One meeting included a presentation from a HospiceCare volunteer coordinator on services the fundraiser would help support.
During the presentation, Daniel turned to one of the event organizers and HospiceCare’s marketing director.
“Both of them could see it on my face,” Daniel says. “I sent a text that said we have to honor one of these volunteers!”
Teaming upAfter the presentation, Daniel spoke with the HospiceCare coordinator.
“I said, 'Why don’t we honor the volunteers in front of the crowd at the Capitol City Biker Bash,’” Daniel says. “And the coordinator was all for it!”
Daniel shared more information about Modern Woodmen with the coordinator in follow-up conversations. Together, they selected two Hometown Hero recipients: the team of therapy dog Armada and his handler Colleen, and another volunteer.
With the coordinator’s help, Daniel says, “We surprised the recipients on stage and recognized them in front of a screaming crowd.”
Flourishing friendshipDaniel says the opportunity to learn about HospiceCare volunteers was a benefit of the chapter’s partnership.
“One thing continues to lead to another when you do things for the right reasons,” he says.
Armada and Colleen recently visited Daniel’s Modern Woodmen office.
“We were talking about Modern Woodmen’s free youth educational programs and the jump ropes we give to schools, and Colleen thinks she can teach Armada to jump rope!” Daniel says. “This would be a way to get Armada into the community so he can have an even bigger impact.”
“I was born and raised as a volunteer. My grandmother and mother volunteered.
Becoming an activities coordinator was just an extension of what they taught me.”
From top, activities coordinator Daniel Blevins presents matching funds for a project benefitting the local humane society; with therapy dog Armada and his handler Colleen; leading a service project; and as Santa with the fire department.
S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 | I M P A C T 54
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Impact Maker Award recognizes outstanding activitiesThe new Impact Maker Award recognizes the difference our superheroes – our members – make in their communities through Modern Woodmen activities. Each year, the Impact Maker Award honors outstanding, homegrown chapter, Summit chapter and youth service club activities. Winners earn a $250 donation to a nonprofit organization the chapter or club chooses.
Service projects
Chapter 147Members in Starkville, Mississippi, packed disaster-preparedness kits for 125 local, low-income seniors. The plastic boxes contained hand sanitizer, pill dispensers, wipes, bathroom tissue, a flashlight, batteries and a whistle. The kits also included suggestions on additional items and instructions for storing the kit and responding if an emergency occurs.
Youth Service Club 17049-2LMembers in Mitchell, South Dakota, repainted fire hydrants in their community. Kids scraped away old paint, taped the fire hydrants for repainting and applied a fresh coat.
Chapter 144Members in Starkville, Mississippi, created activity aprons for seniors with disabilities. They sewed and glued embellishments to stimulate the senses of dementia patients, then helped deliver the aprons to a local nursing home.
Social activities
Summit Chapter 18122Members in Richmond, Virginia, spent time talking and playing trick-or-treat bingo with residents at a local senior care facility. Members also handed out goody bags, which included puzzle books, pencils, tissues, lotion, snacks and other items they helped buy for residents.
Chapter 11071Members in Anderson, South Carolina, had fun at a local hockey game, while supporting a good cause. After the team scored its first goal, attendees tossed new stuffed animals onto the ice to be donated to Toys for Tots.
Summit Chapter 18188Members in Rowley, Massachusetts, gathered at the home of a fellow member. They shared good food, favorite chapter memories, ideas for future activities – and more than a few smiles.
Educational events
Youth Service Club 16836-4Members in Lakeland, Florida, toured their local food bank and learned about its operations, U.S. and world hunger, and food safety. Kids also learned about reasons why people might rely on the food bank, whether they’re homeless, going through a tough time, or can’t afford food after medication costs.
Chapter 18305Members in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, learned how to make their own natural personal care items, including cleaners, soap, moisturizers for lips and skin, and muscle rub. The instructor also shared information about chemicals contained in common store-bought products.
Chapter 11071Members from Anderson, South Carolina, tailgated at the University of South Carolina for the August 2017 total solar eclipse. Science teachers from a local high school explained the phenomenon. Members watched the eclipse through a monitor set up to a high-power telescope or through eclipse glasses provided by the chapter.
Hometown Hero honors
Youth Service Club 7015-1LMembers in Liberty, Missouri, honored a young woman who started a local animal rescue. Kids surprised her with Hometown Hero recognition and donated pet food and homemade treats for animals at her shelter.
Chapter 192Members in Taylorsville, Kentucky, recognized a local hero for his service as a police officer, volunteer first responder and member of the U.S. military. Members presented the man with a shadow box they made to display the badge, patches and medals he’d earned throughout his career.
Chapter 120During the local baseball team’s “Superhero Night,” members in Omaha, Nebraska, honored a police officer who risked his life to rescue an elderly man from his burning home. The officer received his Hometown Hero recognition at home plate before the game.
Matching Fund projects
Youth Service Club 15262-4Members in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, hosted a quarter auction – raising funds 25 cents at a time. Kids collected donated items, and fundraiser attendees bid on them with quarters. The event raised more than $1,000 to purchase clothing and personal items for local students in need.
Chapter 210Members in Ball Ground, Georgia, organized a raffle to raise money for a community butterfly garden. The garden, which members also helped plant, memorializes a young woman who grew up in the foster system and lost her battle with leukemia. Open to all, the garden was intended especially as a place of respite for foster kids and troubled teens.
Chapter 156Members in Lomira, Wisconsin, hosted a brat fry and fishing derby to raise money for the local high school’s fishing team. Kids fished in the derby, and adults helped measure and register fish and pass out trophies and prizes donated by local businesses.
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Engage online! Join the closed group "Modern Woodmen Fraternal Leaders" on Facebook. Exchange ideas, ask questions, get tips, and more!
What are your favorite service projects for kids?
Sara Smallman, TennesseeMaking goodie bags for kids at a local hospital.
Becky Schnapp, MissouriMaking handprint eagles to hand out to veterans – or thank you cards and cookies. We also made ornaments for nursing homes and potted flowers for assisted living residents.
Judy Davis, FloridaChristmas in July. Kids shopped for toys (or made a $10 Build-A-Bear) to deliver to children at a local hospital. We also made “cookie drops” with platters and thank-you cards for local emergency rooms, fire and police stations.
Glenda Vizecky , MinnesotaWe made May baskets and brought lunch, played games and sang with nursing home residents. We made simple cards for veterans on Veteran’s Day and placed flags on graves. Kids also donated a favorite book to the library, visited a veterinarian’s clinic to learn about animals and packed bags for the homeless.
Lowanda Johnston, IllinoisKids loved planting flowers on Main Street.
Kari Velder, NebraskaWe packed sack lunches for our local mission to deliver to homeless people on the streets, and we toured the shelter.
Maria Bartoszewicki, MassachusettsKids donated new or gently used stuffed animals for police to hand out in emergency situations. The kids loved it and they got a tour of the police station.
Heroic service
Club leaders share 'Power of Planning'During the Youth Club Leaders Symposium in Orlando in June, leaders shared how they plan engaging activities and stay organized. Here are a few highlights from their workshop presentations.
Shannalee Hansen, Pocatello, IdahoMembers of Shannalee’s club plan all activities for the year at once – so they’re always excited about a coming event. They brainstorm ideas, taking previous successes, premier status requirements, available funds and time needs into account.
Shannalee uses technology to stay organized. She sets reminders for herself in Google Calendar and uses OneNote to store activity ideas, make to-do lists and file photos, receipts and attendance sheets. A big advantage is that OneNote documents are shareable.
Lisa Poll, Farr West, UtahActivity ideas come from Lisa’s members, their families, the fraternal leaders Facebook page and online resources. She keeps track of previous activities and lists any new ideas. She develops an activity, from the big idea down to the details, using worksheets (see in the training section at imakeanimpact.org) outlining the following information. • Focus: Lisa starts with a broad focus topic, such as veterans, the homeless or children. • Ideas: She lists activity ideas, researches each option and chooses the best one. She keeps notes on any unused
activities for future planning. • Activity details: Lisa creates a unique name for the activity. She talks to any applicable partner organization
about how to best involve kids. • Contact information: She notes the name, phone number and address of a contact at the partner organization. • Things to do: Lisa writes a list of instructions for herself – as well as points to communicate to members. • Highlights/Lowlights: After the activity, she assesses what went well and what didn’t.
Tracie Surridge, Sheffield, VermontTracie guides members through: • Reviewing the previous year’s activities and premier status requirements. • Brainstorming community causes and projects to help. • Deciding when and where the activity will take place.
Tracie encourages skills that build kids into strong, community-minded adults. Members are engaged and enjoy planning, organizing and executing activities themselves. They gain confidence and pride by serving their community, and learn responsibility, creativity, teamwork, leadership, community awareness and respect for others.
Leaders who attended workshops at the Youth Club Leaders Symposium in Orlando in June. In addition to learning the “Power of Planning,” leaders discussed communication and engagement topics with each other during the “Bare Necessities of Communication” workshop, and participated in a service project safari.
Capture the Magic for a causeScavenger hunt raises money to help Florida homeless
Modern Woodmen raised more than $32,000 for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. In June, participants in Modern Woodmen’s 43rd National Convention, Youth Club Leaders Symposium and National Sales Conference joined in a scavenger hunt to raise money to help a nonprofit organization that assists families and individuals in need.
Through registration fees, T-shirt sales and other donations, Capture the Magic scavenger hunt participants raised $22,379. Modern Woodmen contributed a $10,000 match to donate a total of $32,379 to help the homeless of central Florida.
During the scavenger hunt, nearly 300 teams documented completion of almost 100 different tasks using a cell phone app called Scavify. Tasks included making Modern Woodmen’s logo mark in the sand, leaving a nice note for housekeeping and taking a photo with their regional director in a Capture the Magic T-shirt.
Did you miss the opportunity to Capture the Magic in Orlando? Organize a scavenger hunt for your chapter or club members to raise money to help a local community cause.
p l a n a P R O J E C T
Kids save the day with superhero cuffsVolunteering is a super power. Help kids see themselves as the superheroes they are by making cuffs they can wear during a service project. Whether it’s picking up trash, helping at an animal shelter or spending time with seniors, kids will look and feel like superheroes to your community.
Project type: Service
Issues you’ll impact • Community • Senior citizens* • Animals** Depending on service project.
Budget: $25 or less
Supplies you’ll needMaterials to make cuffs: • Empty toilet paper rolls. • Painter’s tape. • Old newspapers. • Paint. • Glue. • Glitter. • Gems or other embellishments.
Steps you’ll take 1. Cut the toilet paper rolls once down the back.
Then cut the roll in half. Tip: Use painter’s tape on the inside of the rolls
to piece the ends back together. Then stuff the inside with old newspaper. This will help the rolls hold up (rather than become soggy) when kids apply paint.
2. Apply a light layer of paint. 3. Apply a light layer of glue and then roll in
glitter. Allow to dry. Tip: Construct bracelets prior to your service
project. Use drying time to talk to kids about the importance of volunteering and how their efforts will benefit the project recipients. You’ll build anticipation for kids to return and make an impact – while wearing their Superhero cuffs!
4. Seal the glitter by applying a glue-glaze (1 part glue to 2 parts water). Allow to dry.
5. Add gems and other embellishments. 6. When glue has dried, remove the newspaper
and painter’s tape from inside the roll. Cut rounded corners at the slit of the cuff.
Tip: Save time by doing this between the craft and service projects.
7. Bring the cuffs for kids to wear for the service project. They’ll look and feel like a superhero while picking up trash, helping at an animal shelter or spending time with seniors. Check out more service project ideas for clubs on Page 9.
Facebook post you can write for your closed group“Be a superhero for [recipient group]! We’ll make super-hero cuffs [time, date, location] to wear when we [describe service project] at [time, date, location].
d o i t D I F F E R E N T
Clark Kent didn’t call his alter ego “Good Guy in a Cape.” Instead, he resolved to help humanity as Superman. And the Fantastic Four didn’t settle on “Scientific Mutants against Evil” as the team’s superhero name.
Why not? These alternative names accurately describe Superman and the Fantastic Four. But they’re basic and a little boring. They don’t convey excitement. (And they wouldn’t capture the attention of a grateful city or world.)
Keep this superhero strategy in mind when
you’re creating activity invitations. Capture attention by choosing a title that does more than simply describe what your activity is – use a headline that expresses excitement, invites intrigue and shares what’s fun or unique about the event.
Here are five more tips to create a super activity title.1. Short and sweet. Get to the point.2. Impactful words. When every word
matters, pick ones that have the greatest impact!
3. Alliteration. Catch member’s attention with terrific titles.
4. Rhyme(ish). Be exciting and make your titles inviting!
5. Ask a question. If you don’t create a great title, who will?
6. Remember … have fun!
5 fantastic tips to name a super activity
It’s fun to win prizes … and even more fun when the suspense lingers. Here are five ways to turn giving a door prize to one lucky member into an experience you can give all members.
1. Rock, paper, scissors contest. Ask members to pair up and face off. The winner of each round advances – with other members cheering them on – until you’re down to the final two. The final winner takes the door prize.
2. Reverse elimination. Ask all members to stand, then sit as their name is drawn. Instead of the first name drawn, the last person standing wins.
3. Brain teaser. Before a social event, tape a brain teaser under each chair. During dinner, ask members to solve the puzzle. The first person with the answer wins.
4. Pin the tail on the donkey. The member with the closest pin gets the win!
5. Memory. Show a large photo of random items to members for 30 seconds. Then hide the image and ask members to write down as many items from the image as they can remember. The member with the best memory wins.
on door prizesTwist the plot
DETECTIVE NAMEFirst name: Favorite animalLast name: Name of high school
ROCK STAR NAMEFirst name: First pet's nameLast name: Name of the street your grew up on
SUPERHERO NAMEThe Color of your shirtObject to your right
Ask members to write their favorite alter ego on a name badge as a fun ice breaker or an impromptu game. (Example: Everyone gets a clothes pin. Members lose their pin by calling another member by their real name instead of their alter ego name. The last member with a clothes pin wins a door prize.)
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Flight, sonic speed, superhuman strength or laser vision. If you were a superhero, which power would you choose?
You’re already a superhero – and you possess an awesome power: fraternal focus.
Side by side with Modern Woodmen, you use your power to make an impact in members’ lives and communities. The social, educational and volunteer opportunities you organize are like a mighty ground-pound that ripples outward, engaging members.
Use your power to give your next chapter, Summit chapter or youth service club activity the strength of the Incredible Hulk. Try lending one of these superpowers to your next activity.
• Mutation. Breed a new variation of your event by adding a theme. Your activity will be unforgettable when members are
t r y S O M E T H I N G N E W
engaged and having fun. Ask them to dress up as their favorite superhero for a comic-themed dinner. Or pass out leis and offer coconut bowling for a luau-themed dinner.
• Inner cognition. Enhance members’ self-perceptions by helping them discover something new about themselves. This new awareness sparks a realization that creates an emotional tie to the event.
• Levitation. Lift members’ pride by commemorating their achievements. Recognize meaningful milestones, such as a member reaching his or her 100th volunteer hour – or celebrating their 25th or 50th year as a Modern Woodmen member.
• Fusion. Help members bond over meaningful experiences and shared feelings of unity, empathy and validation. Projects such as feeding the homeless or reading to nursing home residents help members connect with their community – and with each other.
Channel your superpower4 ways to make your next activity ‘super’
