The National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) is proud to recognize the following individuals as Fraternal MVPs (Most Valuable Participants) for the week of January 8, 2007. Fraternal MVPs are "Fraternalists-in-Action" who volunteer their time, energy and compassion to strengthen their communities through participation in local lodge activities and other charitable endeavors.

Harry L. Andrews
Foresters
Natchez Trace Branch #1593
Clinton, Mississippi
Harry has been an active member of Foresters since 1986, serving at one time or another as Recording Secretary, Vice Chief Ranger, Chief Ranger, Past Chief Ranger, Court Deputy, Trustee, Finance Committee Member, member of his Area Service Team and Editor/Member Communication Coordinator.  Most recently, Harry was designated as Disaster Relief Administrator for Hurricane Katrina Relief in Mississippi.

During his service to Foresters and the Natchez Trace Branch, Harry has accumulated more than 8,000 volunteer hours in his community and state.  He has worked with the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon for five years and the Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon for four years.  He has been the branch “Santa Claus” for members’ children at Christmas celebrations.  He volunteered at a “Womanless Beauty Contest” to raise funds for Blair-Batson Children’s Hospital.  He helps plan, organize and present various branch social events and fundraisers.  He also volunteered three days at East Park Elementary School in Moss Point, Mississippi, helping to build a Forester-sponsored KaBOOM! playground. 

From September 2005 through February 2006, as a Forester-designated Disaster Relief Administrator for the State of Mississippi, Harry telephoned every school district (52 school districts) in the southern half of Mississippi to determine the need for Forester-supplied backpacks to be donated to school children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.  He contacted office supply companies, received donations and purchased basic school supplies for 2,000 school backpacks.  Harry also helped his branch place the basic supplies in the backpacks for the displaced children, and helped deliver the backpacks to the schools.  Harry worked with Foresters House in determining the needs of Forester members affected by Hurricane Katrina.  He helped deliver more than $9,000 in relief funds to members impacted by Hurricane Katrina, driving more than 3,000 miles in Mississippi to make the deliveries.

In addition, Harry has been involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Mississippi (CFFM), planning walks and other fundraisers.  He helped prepare materials for distribution for CFFM to aid in fundraising activities.  He also has attended six CFFM fundraiser walks since January 2006 and is involved in the planning for the 2007 CFFM walks and other fundraisers.


Larry Showalter

Sons of Norway

Bellevue, Washington

The year 1993 was an important time for Larry Showalter’s volunteerism.  That was the year in which he joined Ski for Light, a non-profit program of cross-country skiing benefiting blind, visually-impaired, and mobility-impaired individuals.  It was through this program that Larry first was introduced to Sons of Norway, of which he has been a member for a decade.

Initially joining Sons of Norway for its cultural programs and because of its Foundation support of Ski for Light, Larry has developed deep and rewarding friendships with fellow members.  His investment, too, has grown from simply being an active member at his local lodge to serving as a delegate at district and international conventions.  He also gives presentations on Ski for Light to lodges throughout the United States to increase support for the organization.

As president of Ski for Light for the past five years, Larry has accomplished a great deal.  He solidified its financial base, increased publicity and “guide skier” recruitment, created an endowment fund, engaged new board members and volunteers and added new affordable host venues.  In addition to this amazing volunteerism, Larry also has served on the board of the American Red Cross’ Columbus chapter and currently serves as chair of the King County Accessible Services Advisory Committee.

Now retired, Larry spent his career with Kraft as a networker and in consumer product management.  Larry spends time with his longtime partner, Wendy David, and has two children from a previous marriage.

Mary B. Wolfram

Woman's Life Insurance Society

Hillsdale Chapter #C-741

Hillsdale, Michigan

Mary has just finished her sixth year as a seventh grade teacher at Hillsdale Academy, a private K-12 prepatory school operated under the direction of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.  Her husband is a professor of economics at Hillsdale College and she has three children, all members of Woman’s Life.  Daughter Elizabeth, a Woman’s Life scholarship recipient, is a graduate student at University of North Carolina studying classical archeology; son Wyatt, also a Woman’s Life scholar, is studying engineering at Syracuse University and son Liam is an active fifth grader.  Mary is a third generation Woman’s Life member.  Her grandmother and great-aunt were active members in the McMechen, West Virginia, chapter and Mary grew up hearing about grandma needing to go to her WBA meeting.  (Woman’s Life Insurance Society was formerly known as the Women’s Benefit Association.)

Previous to teaching, Mary had a brief career as an environmental chemist, but quit work to stay home to raise her children.  During those 16 years at home, she found the need to “get out of the house” and keep her mind active, so she began volunteering throughout the community.  Some of her earliest volunteer efforts were with Domestic Harmony, a home for abused women, the Hillsdale Arts Chorale, for which she still sings, and the Hillsdale Community Theatre.  While on the board with the theatre, Mary actually read her insurance information from Woman’s Life and realized that by starting a chapter, she could help raise money for the various groups in which she was involved.

The rest, as they say, is history.  Mary started the Hillsdale chapter of Woman’s Life in 1994, which has since grown to more than 50 members and has helped dozens of community organizations and needy individuals.  This chapter has remained active through the years and often wins the top awards in the “Go for the Green” reward program.

Along with raising money and doing volunteer service projects for the Hillsdale Community Theatre, Hillsdale Arts Chorale, the Theatre for Youth, St. Anthony Catholic Church, St. Peter’s Free Clinic, Hillsdale Academy, Will Carleton Academy, the Red Cross and the Hillsdale Community Foundation, the Hillsdale chapter has helped several needy individuals on two occasions, raising over $20,000 for cancer victims.

Mary's greatest volunteer accomplishment is the creation of Will Carleton Academy.  This is a public, K-12 charter school based on the same philosophy and model as the Hillsdale Academy.  Mary, and the other four “founding mothers” of this school wanted the same good education to be available to all of the children of the Hillsdale community.  Mary and these four other “stay-at-home” volunteers started this charter school from scratch by researching the multiple layers of charter school law, writing the charter, gaining support in the community, obtaining a charter from the Intermediate School Board, writing the curriculum, hiring teachers and a principal, finding a site for the school, raising money, finding loans to buy the land, install water, sewage, electricity, sidewalks, driveways, modular classrooms, books and equipment and finally open the school in the fall of 1998.  Will Carleton Academy is now a popular school choice with more than 240 students and a waiting list for the fall.  This school was started completely by volunteers with a concern for their community and the help of fraternal support.

Lorraine D'Emilio

Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum

Integrity Council

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lorraine is active within Integrity Council in Philadelphia.  She has actively chaired and organized the following programs:

SAT Program—Lorraine organizes the annual free one-day seminar for all junior members of local councils.  The program is designed to help students with instructions and strategies for answering questions, vocabulary expansion, practice questions, pacing the SAT verbal and math portions, and essay training.  Student instruction is provided by Achievement House Educational Services—a major provider of PSAT/SAT preparation with group and one-on-one individually customized training for each that is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education.

ABATE Program—Lorraine organized a program for members to help the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia sort toys for the Alliance for Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) Program.  Thousands of motorcyclists arrive in early November each year with gifts for children being treated at the Children’s Hospital.  The gifts are sorted by age, type and description by Lorraine and a group of Royal Arcanum members, who spend the day organizing the thousands of gifts donated.

Swing Dance Program—Lorraine organized a Swing Dance to benefit the Maternity Care Coalition, where admission to the dance was a box of diapers, a box of baby wipes and a $10.00 donation per couple.  All of the items collected were given to the MOMobile—a program of the Maternity Care Coalition whose community health workers, known as Advocates, reach out to pregnant women, new parents, infants and their families in the community.  They help low-income families get the vital services, support and information they need to make healthy choices.

Until recently, the Integrity Council was an “all male” council, where women were not permitted at the meetings unless invited.  Since the change, Lorraine has been a driving force in revitalizing the council’s meetings and community activities.  Lorraine also is the president and owner of Incredible Italian Ices, Inc., a frozen dessert company that regularly provides water, ice and free frozen desserts to several local Catholic parishes and the local high school for summer events.  Her company joins the local library in rewarding children in the summer reading program, by giving children a coupon for a free item at Lorraine’s store when they are done reading a book. 

The NFCA salutes these outstanding Fraternalists-in-Action for their dedication, kindness and generosity.  They embody the heart of fraternalism through their volunteer efforts and commitment to their communities.

To view previous weeks' MVPs, click here.