The NFCA Proudly Recognizes "Fraternalists-in-Action"

Fraternal MVPs-Week of July 24, 2006

The National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) is proud to recognize the following individuals as Fraternal MVPs (Most Valuable Participants) for the week of July 24, 2006. 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.

Tammy Gaszak
Catholic Knights
Branch #40 Wauskesha
Wauskesha, Wisconsin
Volunteerism with Catholic Knights is a family affair for Tammy, being the second generation in her family to serve in a leadership role in her branch. Tammy’s parents served as branch leaders for 25 years. In addition, her brother serves on Catholic Knights’ Board of Directors and her sister is a local branch leader.

A working mom, Tammy does a tremendous job of putting her talents to work in service to others. Tammy is a beautician by trade and an amateur bowler. She has used both of these passions to help others. She has organized bowling tournaments to raise funds for a teenager stricken with leukemia and to create a scholarship fund for a child orphaned after her father was killed at work. Tammy and her fellow branch volunteers also assisted a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s by renovating her basement into a beauty salon, making it easier for her daughter to attend to her mother’s hair and personal needs. Tammy’s branch provided the funds to purchase materials, and Tammy and her husband provided much of the labor.

Some additional community work Tammy has been involved with includes: organizing raffles to benefit the local Catholic Churches and Schools; working at a multiple sclerosis bike race in recognition of a local member stricken with the disease; and walking in a Relay for Life to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. Tammy also volunteers with the local Clothes Closet for Waukesha County, which provides clothing at greatly reduced prices, or for free, to needy families. Her branch helped renovate a local funeral home, preparing it to be the new home for the Clothes Closet. She also organized a community clothes drive in conjunction with the site renovation.

Sandy Gietzel
Catholic Family Life Insurance (CFLI)
Fond du Lac Chapter WI-60
Eldorado, Wisconsin
Sandy is a founding member of Catholic Family’s Fond du Lac Chapter and has served in the key position as secretary since the chapter was organized four years ago. She takes part in the planning and attends all chapter events. In 2005, with Sandy’s assistance, the chapter held three matching-funds events—raising more than $15,000 for such causes as a Catholic youth mission trip, the American Cancer Society and local Catholic schools. The chapter also invited members to a Timber Rattlers baseball game and a Christmas party, as well as TV-Turnoff Week, and Make A Difference Day events, with Sandy doing much of the work coordinating the activities. For JOIN HANDS DAY, under Sandy’s guidance, CFLI members held a litter clean-up project in partnership with students from the chapter’s adopted school.

Sandy enjoys sharing her Catholic faith and has taught religious education at Presentation Parish for the past 10 years, most recently teaching seventh graders. She also helped students from Horace Mann High School have a safe, supervised post-junior-prom party. She served on the organizing committee for the party that arranged for students to spend midnight until 4:00 a.m., at the local YMCA. Her committee was responsible for all the organizational meetings, soliciting donations and chaperoning the overnight stay. In addition to swimming, the teens enjoyed a variety of activities and games.

Sandy believes that to keep kids involved in their communities, you have to show them that you really care. She tries to send this message to all the kids she works with by showing each and every student that she cares about them as an individual.

Joseph A. Malkowski
Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA)
Lodge #2109
Maple Heights, Ohio
A fraternalist all of his life, Joseph has been Financial Secretary of PRCUA Lodge #2109 (formerly Alliance of Poles of America Group #9) for more than 50 years. He also has been a delegate to its conventions since 1958, without interruption, and President Mary E. Pawlak awarded him the gold medal, the Alliance’s highest honor, in 1990. In 1994, President John Borkowski awarded Joseph the title of Honorary Delegate for life to all future conventions of the then-Alliance of Poles of America.

In January 1982, Joseph was appointed by President Ben Michalski as Chief Organizer of the Alliance of Poles of America for four years. Soon after the 36th Quadrennial Convention in Troy, Michigan, he was appointed by President Mary E. Pawlak to the post of General Secretary. (Note: On January 1, 2005, the Alliance of Poles of America officially merged with the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America.)

During his years serving in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, Joseph was awarded three bronze stars, many ribbons and achieved the rank of petty officer second class. Currently, he has been a member of various veterans’ groups such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Polish Army Veterans Post #152. Commander Joseph Lecznar of Post #152 presented Joseph with the “Sword of General Haller Award” in 1993.

Joseph has been very active in the Ohio Fraternal Congress since 1982, including serving on the Executive Board since October 1983, and serving as President in 1994-1995.

Yvonne (Bonnie) Rutz
Catholic Fraternal Life
Grantfork Council #60
Pocahontas, Illinois
Bonnie has been a member of Catholic Fraternal Life (CFL) for more than 31 years. She has been an extremely involved and dedicated member of her council, helping in all fraternal/council activities when needed. She rarely, if ever, misses a council function or meeting. Bonnie has held every elected position of Grantfork Council #60 several times. She is the driving force behind her Silver Star Council, which is the highest level a council can achieve. She participates in council fundraisers, and she coordinates Hearts and Hands, JOIN HANDS DAY, matching-funds projects and council social events. She attends all conventions, fraternal meetings and even served a three-year term on the Fraternal Committee.

Not only is Bonnie active in CFL, but she also is active in her parish and community. In her parish, Bonnie is a member of the Ladies Altar Sodality and previously has served as President, Secretary and Treasurer of this organization. She is on the Parish Council, is a Scripture reader, a PSR religion teaching assistant, and she helps decorate the church for holidays. Bonnie is active in the Grantfork Fire Department, where her husband was the chief for many years. For the past 42 years, she has had a float in the annual Grantfork Fireman’s Homecoming and has organized many fundraisers for the fire department.

Margaret Paull
Hungarian Reformed Federation of America
Branches #501-502 and #250
Metuchen, New Jersey
Margaret is very active in Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (HRFA). For 15 years, she has participated in the Hungarian Independence Day Flag Raising and the Hungarian Festival. She also served on the Maria Pocs Fraternal Day Committee for 12 consecutive years, which planned the event held by the combined New Jersey Branches of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. One year’s profits were donated to the flood victims of the Carpathian region in Europe. Among the JOIN HANDS DAY projects for her branch were baking sugar-free muffins for nursing-home residents and distributing homemade cookies with prayer cards to mothers as they departed from church on Mother’s Day.

Margaret is entrusted with the “Find Your Ancestors” portion of the HRFA Web site, which provides resources to locate members’ Hungarian ancestors and has put her in touch with people who understand and appreciate what it is to “discover their roots.”

In her spare time, Margaret creates unique craft projects, which she donates to benefit friends at Bethlen Communities, Ligonier Gardens Assisted Living Center, nursing homes, her parishioners, family and friends. Some of her projects, which are all crocheted, are jar covers, gold thread Christmas ornaments, Easter Eggs, potholders, snowflakes, angels, Christmas tree skirts and beaded garlands for Christmas trees. Whenever her craftwork is appreciated, she is happy to give it as a gift to brighten someone’s day.

Margaret has been a lifelong member of St. Michael’s Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ, and has been a regular worker at the church’s fundraising bingo events, for many years. She is a member of the Senior Rosary Society and participates in all fundraising events. Margaret has donated more than 200 Hungarian cookies for every church function, which has been greatly appreciated by her priest and parishioners. For many years, the church Sunday family breakfasts have been prepared, hosted and served by either her family or her branch members. For the past 12 years, Margaret has assisted her husband who is General Chairman of their Annual Holy Name Society Venison Dinner, which is regularly attended by more than 400 people.