Dear Odd Fellows and Pledges,
1. Second Sunday Bingo!. Bring your sweetheart out on February 14th for bingo, supporting the Davis High School Madrigals. Doors open at Noon, games begin at 1PM.
2. 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.
3. Cigar Lounge Committee. Back by popular demand! For those of you who like to enjoy an occasional fine cigar and some good conversation, the Cigar Lounge Committee will meet at 1PM on Sunday February 28, at the Hatuey Cigar Shop, 2201 16th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. The Hatuey Cigar Shop is loaded with their own brand of cigars – quite good, fresh and a large assortment. Open to any member or pledge. We can teach newcomers the proper way to enjoy a fine cigar.
4. Children’s Concert with Ed Lewis. Young children ages 2-10 years old are invited to join Ed Lewis in an interactive performance at the Davis Odd Fellows Lodge. Enjoy storytelling, puppetry, singing, and dancing! March 5th, 11AM – 12PM. Admission is free, donations are kindly accepted.
5. Odd Fellows Wine Club. Next gathering will be Friday, March 11, 7:00PM at the home of Diane and John Steele.
6. Odd Fellows Book Club. The first book for the Odd Fellows Book Club is Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey, by Marie Mutsuki Mockett. The book club will meet to discuss the book on Tuesday March 15th at 6pm. For questions, send an email to Heather Barnes at hjbarnes76@gmail.com.
7. Golf Committee. The following Odd Golfers have expressed interest in playing: Charles Filmer, Jeff Oblinger, John Knotts, Greg Simmons, David Hafter, Chuck White, and Darrell Pereira. Please let Charles know if you wish to be added to the list of players to be notified of activities (clrfilmer@sbcglobal.net). Initially, we have scheduled the very odd time of the Wednesday afternoon before the third Thursday of each month to play a round of golf. Other dates and activities (group lessons, driving range, etc) can be proposed.
8. Odd Bowling. Eleven Odd Bowlers hit the lanes last Saturday on February 6th and had a smashing good time! Thank you to Tony Pruitt for sharing his sage bowling wisdom, it improved the scores of many players. Keep an eye out for the next Odd Bowling date.
9. 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.
10. 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! As of today, there has been more interest in fishing than there has been in skiing… not that they are competing, I’m just saying that fishing is more fun.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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
19. 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. Chef Julie’s homemade lasagna, salad, and garlic bread at $7 per plate. Trivia Night at the Lodge with Trivia Master Dave Rosenberg. 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.
20. 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/.
Jean-Paul Montreuil
Noble Grand