Sharon Warga Honored with Fraternal Communications Award
Woodmen of the World/Omaha Executive Receives 2007 Marcia D. Heywood Award

10/05/07

OAK BROOK, IL – Sharon Warga, Fraternal Communications Specialist and Editor, for Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society in Omaha, Nebraska, received the 2007 Marcia D. Heywood Memorial Fraternal Communications Award from the Communications Section of the National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA).  The award was presented at the Communications Section Breakfast held during the 121st NFCA Annual Meeting, September 6-8, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Warga was recognized for her numerous contributions to the advancement of the fraternal benefit system.  As the lead communications professional in the Fraternal Division at Woodmen of the World/ Omaha Woodmen Life insurance Society, she is the go-to person for messages about fraternalism.  She has worked in the Fraternal Division for the vast majority of her 26 years at Woodmen of the World, and her leadership style both respects the past and has a strong, positive vision for the future.

In 2006, Warga contributed her talents to many communicative efforts that introduced fraternalism to countless new people, and energized current fraternalists to reinvigorate their efforts.  She is the editor of Lodge Leader magazine, a bi-monthly publication that is mailed to every Woodman of the World lodge president, secretary, field associate, home office associate and director.  Warga also led efforts to organize current Woodmen of the World fraternal programs and introduce new fraternal programs in a “Projects-in-a-Box” format, programs organized in a booklet that make it easy for Woodmen of the World members to implement the project in their area.  In addition, Warga was instrumental in communicating to members about JOIN HANDS DAY, and Woodmen of the World-specific projects like Flags Across America, In Honor and Remembrance and the summer camp program.  Two of the biggest fraternal projects of 2006 for Woodmen of the World were led by Warga:  initiating a partnership with the National Arbor Day Foundation and launching a new Web site for Woodmen of the World lodge leaders and field associates called myfraternalweb.com, which has proved to be an invaluable resource of information for fraternal activity all over the nation.

Warga doesn’t just talk and write about fraternalism—she lives it.  She finished a two-year term as president of Woodmen of the World Lodge #704 in Bellevue, Nebraska, in 2006, and she serves on the Woodmen of the World Nebraska Jurisdiction.  She is past president of the Fraternal Section of the NFCA, and is a director on the State Fraternal Congresses Section.  Finally she has served as past president of the Nebraska Fraternal Congress (NFC), where she served on the boards since 1998.  She was instrumental in planning and launching the NFC’s Web site, one of the first independent Web sites run by a state fraternal congress.  Warga also leads the NFC’s annual Breakfast of Fraternal Champions at the Nebraska State Capitol, which gives NFC members the opportunity to interact with state senators and educate them about JOIN HANDS DAY and other fraternal activities in the state.

Established by the NFCA’s Communications Section, the award honors an outstanding communicator for contributions to the communications profession and the advancement of the fraternal benefits system.  The award was named in honor of the late Marcia D. Heywood, Woodmen Financial Services, Inc., a communications professional who actively volunteered to serve her society, her state fraternal congress and the NFCA.

As a personal note, Marcia Heywood served as a mentor to Warga and was the one who invited Warga to become a board member of the NFC back in 1998.

To receive the Marcia D. Heywood Award, nominees must be employed by a member-society of the NFCA and must show excellence in educating membership and/or the general public about fraternal benefit societies and their benefits/products/services through specific communications vehicles.  Award winners are selected by a panel of officers from the NFCA’s Communications Section.

About Woodmen of the World/Omaha
Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society, founded in 1890, is a fraternal benefit society that offers insurance protection with member benefits. Woodmen members, who belong to more than 2,000 lodges throughout the United States, conduct volunteer, charitable and patriotic projects that benefit individuals, families and communities.  For more information, visit www.woodmen.org.

About the NFCA
The 121-year-old NFCA unites 75 not-for-profit fraternal benefit societies operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.  The association represents 10 million fraternalists in 37,000 local chapters, making it one of America’s largest member-volunteer networks.  Fraternal benefit societies provide their members with leadership, social, educational, spiritual, patriotic, scholarship, financial and volunteer-service opportunities.  Combined, the NFCA’s member-societies maintain more than $329 billion of life insurance-in-force and, in 2006 alone, contributed almost $410 million to charitable and fraternal programs, and volunteered nearly 95 million hours for community-service projects.  These statistics demonstrate the commitment that fraternals make to those in need and exemplify the true meaning of the NFCA signature phrase:  Joining Hands to Touch Lives.