Dear Odd Fellows and Pledges,
1. Odd Fellows Book Club. The book club will hold a planning meeting on February 2nd at 6pm in the Committee Room. Discuss which books to read, develop a process to select future books, and determine how often and where to meet. If you cannot make the meeting, but still want to participate, send an email to Heather Barnes at hjbarnes76@gmail.com.
2. Davis Chocolate Festival Committee. A meeting of the Davis Chocolate Festival Committee will take place at the Lodge, February 2nd at 6:30pm in the Lodge. Any members or pledges interested in helping plan this new event are invited to attend and join the committee.
3. Odd Bowling Rolls Again on February 6. Bob Dovi, Chair of the Odd Bowling Committee, has set up the next bowling excursion. It will be Saturday, February 6, from 11 to 2 at the Capital Lanes in West Sacramento. Last bowling excursion attracted a lot of Odd Fellows, Pledges and guests. There is no need to RSVP, but contact Bob if you have questions at bdovi02@yahoo.com.
4. 2016 Lodge Dues are Now Due. Annual dues to be an Odd Fellow are a reasonable $55. 2016 dues are now due to the Financial Secretary Duff Devine. Checks should be payable to “Davis Odd Fellows” or pay online via PayPal at https://www.davislodge.org/membership-renewal/. Be sure to include your name as part of the PayPal order. If any member is having financial challenges paying dues, contact Dave Rosenberg at daverose@jps.net. We have a fund available to help and the matter will be handled with complete confidentiality and privacy.
5. Possible Committees. Recently there has been some interest expressed in starting a couple of new fun committees: Odd Skiers (Snow Skiing) and Odd Anglers (Fishing). If you are interested, please email me at falible@gmail.com to let me know!
6. Homeless Assistance Committee. A new committee has been formed to help the homeless of Davis. If you are interested in helping with this noble cause, please contact Arun Sen at arun.sen@sbcglobal.net.
7. 1000 Mentors for Youth Committee. A new committee has been formed to help youth of all ages access opportunities and reach their potential through connecting with mentors in a variety of situations. For example, Ed Lewis volunteers with the Writing Buddies program that teaches mentors how to help children improve their writing skills. If you are interested, please contact Ed Lewis at ed-lewis@sbcglobal.net.
8. Adopt-a-Highway Committee. The next date for highway clean-up is February 27 at 12:30pm (weather permitting). If you are interested in participating, please email Sheryl Cambron at sacreed@sbcglobal.net or John Steele at jcsteele53@gmail.com.
9. We now have two new corporations at the Lodge. The Lodge, itself, is now incorporated. The official title of the Lodge entity is now Davis Odd Fellows Lodge #169 Inc. It is a 501 (c) (8) mutual benefit society. We also have a new public charity entity called Davis Odd Fellows Helping Hands Inc. It is a 501 (c) (3) public charity. Donors to events at the Lodge (for example, Taste of Davis, Breakfast with Santa, etc.) can now write checks to “Davis Odd Fellows Helping Hands Inc” and are entitled to a tax deduction for that donation. Our new 501 (c) (3) corporation will then write checks to the Lodge in the amount of those donations. The EIN for “Helping Hands Inc” is 47-4578511, and the DLN is 26053413002886.
10. Theatre Trip. CHANGE: There is a change of venue. We are going to the California Stage Theatre to see a comedy, Happy Armenians, February 20th, in Sacramento. The cost is only $12 per person for the group rate.
11. Committee Room. The Committee Room is open for use! There is a sign up calendar on the back of the door. To use the room, simply put your meeting on the calendar.
12. Team Baldfellows Fight Cancer. Our Lodge has organized a team of Odd Fellows, family, and friends to participate in the St. Baldrick’s head shaving fundraiser at de Vere’s Irish Pub on March 10, 2016, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. To donate or learn more, please visit https://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/teambaldfellows.
13. Sponsor Taste of Davis. The Taste of Davis Committee cordially invites you to consider being listed as a Sponsor of the 2016 “Taste of Davis” – the biggest social event of the year. Hundreds of folks come to the Lodge to sample good food, wine, beer and desserts from some of our best local vendors. To participate in sponsoring, please contact Lea Rosenberg – (530) 756-0697 or e-mail: learose@jps.net. Taste of Davis will be April 28, 2016.
14. The Davis Rebekahs Present: Bollywood Night! The Davis Rebekahs are hosting a Bollywood fundraiser, happening April 2nd, 2016 at our Davis lodge at 7:00PM! A wonderful Indian inspired cuisine will be provided included with price of ticket, and beer and wine will be available for sale at the bar. This event will benefit the Rebekah Children’s Services Home who provides support for foster care and adoption needs of children and families. Your ticket purchase will count as a donation to this cause, with ALL proceeds going to the Rebekah Children’s Services Home.
To purchase tickets or for more information please visit our Eventbrite page: https://davisrebekahbollywood.eventbrite.com
15. Club Night at the Lodge This Thursday. Club Night at the Lodge- every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Lodge, Lower Hall. A great social time for members, pledges and guests. Grilled Chicken with Mediterranean Sauce Pasta, and Salad at $7 per plate. Trivia Night at the Lodge with Débuting Trivia Master Kevin Sitz. Also, enjoy the big screen TV, the full bar, puzzles and table games, and socializing with members and guests. Presented by the Good Fellowship Committee.
16. Davis Odd Fellows Charities, Inc. Educational Scholarships. Deadline: March 1, 2016. The family of Triffle P. and Annie G. Ivancovic have made a generous financial contribution to establish a charitable fund called Davis Odd Fellows Charities, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) corporation, to operate a scholarship program for the benefit of orphans and young men and women who grew up in the foster care system. There are stringent requirements to qualify, but the fund is available for applicants from California and throughout the United States. Scholarships can be awarded in the range of $5,000 to $10,000. All eligibility and award decisions are made at the sole discretion of the corporation board of directors. To apply for a scholarship, there are two forms to fill out. The forms are found here: https://www.davislodge.org/lodge-documents/.
17. Odd Fellows Classic Film Committee Continues. What a fantastic run of Classic Screwball Comedies! The final film in this series is His Girl Friday on February 7th. Doors open each Sunday at 6:29 p.m. and the film starts rolling at 7:01 p.m. (this Sunday might be delayed slightly to accommodate Super Bowl Fans). The shows are all free of charge and open to all ages. Donations are welcome. We also feature a full no-host bar for your pleasure. Popcorn is free and plentiful.
18. Golfers, Please Note. The Lodge has an Odd Golfing Committee, and it’s looking to set up some foursomes in the near future. For more information, or to sign up as part of the Odd Golfing Committee, contact Charles Filmer at clrfilmer@sbcglobal.net.
Jean-Paul Montreuil
Noble Grand