The NFCA Proudly Recognizes "Fraternalists-in-Action"
Fraternal MVPs—Week of September 17, 2007
The National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) is proud to recognize the following individuals as Fraternal MVPs (Most Valuable Participants) for the week of September 17, 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.
Rodney Oligmueller
Catholic Order of Foresters
Immaculate Conception Court #1727
Omaha, Nebraska
Rod Oligmueller’s fraternal enthusiasm knows no boundaries. He first joined Catholic Order of Foresters (COF) in 1991, while residing in Sioux City, Iowa. As chief ranger, he played a vital role in reactivating St. Philip Court #880. In 2002, he became a charter member in the newly established St. Patrick Court #2495 in his hometown of Jackson, Nebraska. After relocating to Omaha, Rod immediately transferred his membership to Immaculate Conception #1727, and currently serves as the court’s chief ranger. Since joining COF, Rod has participated in many fraternal events including Easter egg hunts, Halloween and Christmas parties and basketball free-throw contests. He also serves as Nebraska State Court secretary.
Active in other organizations, Rod was elected to St. Michael’s school board (South Sioux City), and for the past 10 years, volunteered as football coach and athletic director. As a Knights of Columbus member, he has served on various committees over the past 22 years.
Rod is Catholic Mutual Group’s reinsurance and specialty claims manager. He and his wife, Janice, have one son and two daughters, and spend much of their free time supporting their children’s’ sports activities.
Phyllis Stadlman
The Catholic Aid Association
Holy Cross & St. Mary’s Council
Parkston, South Dakota
Phyllis has been a member of the Catholic Aid Association for 59 years and has served as the Fraternal Secretary for the Holy Cross & St. Mary’s Council since 1998. She has attended 15 conventions, the first in 1978 as a delegate.
Phyllis assisted with three fundraisers, including support for surgery expenses for a local resident, rebuilding costs for a family who lost their garage in a fire and expenses for a 17-month-old suffering from a cancerous eye tumor.
Phyllis received the South Dakota Fraternal Congress award for fraternal services to Catholic Aid in 2002, and was named as the Catholic Aid Fratnernalist of the Year in 2003.
In addition, Phyllis is involved with her local church organizations. She was a CCD (Catholic religious education) teacher for 12 years, and is an active member of the Altar Society, holding the band-leader position and helping serve funerals. She also is a member of Catholic Daughters and served as a recording secretary. Ave Maria Study Club is another community activity of Phyllis’, in which the members prepare fruit baskets for Our Home residents (ages 12 to 18) on St. Nicholas Day and make May baskets for Bormann Manor and assisted-living residents.
Her involvement in the Parkston Community includes delivering Meals on Wheels to the homebound every Monday for two months a year, for the past 10 years. She has assisted with blood drives and received a certificate of support from Siouxland Community for helping organize the first blood drive in Parkston in 2005. Phyllis also volunteered as a daycare provider for Mothers Morning Out, helped with the third graders in a reading program at the local elementary school and assisted with a JOIN HANDS DAY project of Bingo at the nursing home. She is a member of the Heartland Quilters Guild of Mitchell, serving as president of the guild in 1999 and on a three-year committee to organize the Shop Hop Bus Tours. She has been a participating member of Hutchinson County Farmers Union since 1949 and presently is the Secretary-Treasurer of the county and Vice President of St. John’s local chapter. Phyllis received a 25-year Youth Leader Award at the State Convention in Huron in 2005 for her continued work as assistant Education Director for youth workshops and day camps.
Phyllis and members of her family prepare and deliver lunch to youth and adult instructors for the Youth Hunter Education Challenge Program at the National Guard Armory in Mitchell. Her son, Gary, has been chairman of this program for the past nine years and continues to involve his family every year. Phyllis and her late husband, Francis, have six children, 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
James Willoughby
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Central Alabama Chapter #30430
Montgomery, Alabama
Jim served as the president of Central Alabama Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Jim was activity director for the Christmas Clearing House that raised a total of $2,000 for 10 needy families. Jim also led a project which raised $4,800 to assist two seminary students at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C.
Jim identified more than 72 residents in poverty housing who had great needs. He held collections and appeals at churches, taking the funds to the Montgomery Food bank and levering these funds raised by the project teams and supplemented by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans into food with a value of more than $10,000. Jim and his group then distributed the food to these residents.
Jim served as the team leader for a state-wide Care in Regions project, which raised more than $6,000 to support the summer ENRICH program in Alabama. The ENRICH program provides six weeks of summer school and meals for disadvantaged elementary school children. The programs impacted more than 350 children in Montgomery and the surrounding communities.
As a Thrivent Builds Chapter Specialist for the only Thrivent Builds in Alabama, Jim brought together five Lutheran churches in Montgomery and two in Birmingham to support the Autauga County Habitat Affiliate build for the Paula Cutler Family. Paula, her two daughters and disabled mother needed a special handicapped-assessable home to accommodate the family’s needs. Under Jim’s leadership, more than $9,000 was raised for the build and there was never a shortage of volunteers to work on the site. Jim made certain that the Thrivent Builds Homes project was inclusive, assuring everyone who wished to help could participate.
Jim recruited students from Troy University to serve as tour guides when the Thrivent Builds Mobile visited Montgomery in May. They worked with other volunteers to take visitors’ photos and to tell the Thrivent Builds/Habitat for Humanity story as they led groups through the vehicle. Youth participated in a “Sign a Stud” event to raise funds for the Thrivent Builds Homes project by gathering donations for signatures. They raised more than $500, and the stud was nailed to the rafters of the new house. All the signatures are reminders to the partner family of so many who were dedicated to helping them have decent, affordable housing.
Jim helped facilitate three JOIN HANDS DAY events which benefited the communities, churches and Habitat for Humanity affiliate. One, at United Lutheran Church, combined youth and adults to repair and paint playground equipment for Head Start. A second, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, brought the generations together to paint and repair the facility. The youth from Trinity Lutheran in Auburn, Ala., worked a yard sale to benefit the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Opelika, Ala.
Debra Mueller
Catholic Knights
Branch #194
Charlestown, Wisconsin
Debra Mueller has been a member of Catholic Knights for 27 years. She became a branch officer seven years ago, serving as a trustee for five years and now as vice president. In that role, she plans many of the branch’s social activities, such as the Fall Meeting and the Christmas Party. But what makes Debra special is the work she has done organizing activities for JOIN HANDS DAY, Make A Difference Day, other service projects and fundraisers.
Last year, Debra organized a fundraiser to benefit the Free Spirit Riders, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to enriching the lives of children and adults with disabilities through safe, therapeutic interaction with horses. Gentle, older horses are donated to the organization and money is raised to feed and care for the animals. Debra is gratified to witness the joy these animals bring to the disabled, and the special bond that develops between horse and rider.
Debra also is a board member of Dear Friends of St. Martin – Charlestown. Following a parish consolidation that reduced six local parishes down to just one, this group purchased the former St. Martin’s church, social hall and grounds. They plan to maintain the building, possibly for use as a wedding chapel, and transform the grounds to create St. Martin’s Heritage Park, Charlestown, Inc., a non-profit park for the benefit of the community. Debra recently co-chaired a brat fry to raise money for the organization.
In support of JOIN HANDS DAY, Debra organized an activity in cooperation with the Pine Creek 4-H group, to plant over 150 varieties of flowers at Century Ridge, a local assisted living facility. The results brought smiles to young and old. Debra also organized a bake sale to benefit the 4-H group, encouraging the young people to take a more active role in helping raise funds for the organization.
According to Branch #194 President, Roger Woelfel, “Deb is untiring in her need to volunteer. She has been active on her parish council (and) involved in local emergency medical technician fund-raising events.” Debra promotes membership in Catholic Knights and has been instrumental in recruiting new members through Catholic Knights’ social membership program. She also has gained recognition for Catholic Knights by submitting photos and information about branch events to local newspapers, with successful results.
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 week's MVPs, click here.
|
