One way members share their Hermann Sons Life pride with communities is through community service. Lodges participate in all kinds of community service throughout the year, but many lodges make a special effort to participate in acts of service on Make a Difference Day. One of those lodges was Cibolo. Its members found a great way to spread cheer in their community!
On Friday, Oct. 27, 12 Hermann Sons Life Cibolo members visited two nursing/rehabilitation centers in Schertz. The first was Autumn Winds Living and Rehabilitation and the second was New Haven Assisted Living and Memory Care. In addition to visiting with residents, the Hermann Sons Life Cibolo members delivered Fun Bags to each senior.
What are Fun Bags? They are goodie bags that included a jumbo print word search book, a Hermann Sons Life pen, Chapstick, a deck of playing cards and an individual package of tissues. They also include a wish for a happy fall from Hermann Sons Life Cibolo! Three Cibolo members lovingly constructed these packages before the visits.
According to member Kasey Shepherd, Gail Gray, a member of the lodge’s Finance Committee, spearheaded the community service event. I asked Gail about highlights from the day. She recounted, “We were able to have two children attend with us and the residents love children! Maezey, the little girl who visited with us, loves kitties so she was able to really interact with the residents who owned cats!”
During a recent meeting of the Grand Lodge Community Engagement Committee, a committee member noted that she likes when community service ideas are easily shareable. Because of this, I also asked Gail if she had any tips for other lodges wanting to deliver goodie bags to nursing/rehabilitation centers in their communities. Gail gave this advice: “Contact the nursing/rehabilitation center directors. Tell them who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish. Ask them how many residents they have and what would be a good day and time to come by to deliver the goodie bags. Plan to visit several different dollar stores for items. They had everything we needed but we completely wiped out several stores with the large quantities we needed.”
She further commented that they were able to complete the project for less than $250 along with generous donations from their lodge members. “It was worth every penny to see the smiles put on the residents’ faces,” she said.
Hermann Sons Life Cibolo is always very active and finds ways to involve multiple generations in their social and community service activities. Their Make a Difference Day project is just another example of how they are sharing their Hermann Sons Life pride with their community.