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Whole Family Oriented
The first lodge of Odd Fellows in Texas was instituted in
Houston, as Lone Star Odd Fellow Lodge Number One on July 25, 1838 by
Jacob DeCordova , Grand Master of Louisiana.
The origins of Odd Fellowship are lost in ancient
history. The signs and symbols used by Odd Fellowship over the past
200 plus years have been found in Egyptian Tombs and in Roman Temples in
the same arrangements that we use them today. However, the earliest
documented record of an organization called "Odd Fellow Lodge" Number
9 in England dated March 12, 1748. By being number 9, there must
been others before this date, but we do not have documented evidence.
In July of 1817, Thomas Wildey, an Odd Fellow belonging to
the Order of Odd Fellows Number 17 of London, England emigrated to America
and arrived in Baltimore, Maryland. In April 1819, he met with four
other Odd Fellows who had come from England and they formed Washington Odd
Fellow Lodge Number One in Baltimore. In February 1820, a Charter was
received from the Duke of York's lodge of Preston County of Lancaster,
England. This Charter listed the titles of "Washington Odd
Fellow Lodge Number One" as well as the Grand Lodge of
Maryland. The Grand Lodge of Maryland and the United States of
America was given power to grant Charters to other Lodges on the North
American Continent.
Some programs, projects and foundations that Odd
Fellows and Rebekah's support are:
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World Eye Bank Odd
Fellows and Rebkeahs work to advance eye research through
Professorships in Ophthalmology at the workd famous Wilmer
Ophthalmoligical Institute at John Hopkins School of Medicine in
Baltimore, Maryland. The
Odd Fellow World Eye Bank and Visual Research Foundation
established in 1956 conducts intensive studies of corneal
transplantation, allergic and congenital diseases of the eye.
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Texas Visual Assistance Program The
Texas Visual Assistance Program allows the membership of Texas
to belong to the World Eye Bank, but to retain 75% of all
donations, funds, and property received in Texas and send 25% to
the World Eye Bank. The Texas Visual Assistance Program provides eye glasses, minor eye surgery, and visual aids such as
magnifying glasses and high intensity lights to those people in
Texas who can satisfactorily demonstrate a need.
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United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth
Provides the opportunity for students who have completed their
sophomore or junior year of high school to learn about the work
the United Nations is doing to promote world peace, to educate
the people of the world and to relieve their suffering whether
by famine, disease, or by war. No other organization is
accorded this privilege.
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Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers
The Department of the Army, Official custodian of Arlington
National Cemetery, has granted the first Sunday of May each year
that members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow and Rebekahs
pay tribute and homage to fallen heroes who sacrificed their
lives in defense of our country. Members of the Order
place wreaths at the tombs of the Unknown Soldiers in
Washi;ngton, D.C.
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Odd Fellow and Rebekah Homes
The first Odd Fellow Home was established in 1872 in
Pennsylvania. A Children's Home was established in 1885 in
Corsicana, Texas. The Home for the Aged was established in
1905 where many members of the Order as well non-members have
called this their home. The Retirement Center provides
private rooms for each resident where all meals are provided and
residents live independently with planned activities and plenty
of time for socialization. A Nursing Home was opened in
1962 as an annex to the Home for the Aged. In July 1989 a
newly designed 120 bed, nursing home was opened. The
Nursing Home is staffed by full
time registered and LVN nurses, pharmacist, dietician and an on
call physician.
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Friendship Towers The
Odd Fellow and Rebekah Friendship Towers, Inc. was chartered in
1978 to operate as a separate non-profit corporation.
Texas has two Friendship Towers; one in Dallas with 150
apartments and another in Corsicana with 100 apartments.
Residents must be retired and be fully capable of caring for
themselves.
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Education Foundation
The Education Foundation of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
began on September 20, 1927. The purposes of the
foundation is to operate a Revolving Loan Fund for students and
is supported by donations to a trust. Low interest rate
loans are made for two or four year programs at an accredited
college or university and for study at any recognized trade
school after completion of high school.
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World Hunger and Disaster Fund
We demonstrate our obligation in "relieving the distressed" by providing funds for aid in
natural disaster of flood, fire or earthquake. This fund
is supported entirely by donations and contributions by Odd
Fellows and Rebekahs and the need for donations in always
eminent.
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International Peace Garden
The Garden, dedicated in 1932, spreads over 888 acres of North
Dakota and 1,451 acres of Manitoba Province and commemorates
more than 150 years of harmony and cooperation between two
neighboring nations, the United States and Canada. At the
entrance to the Peace Garden stand the majestic gates designed
and built for the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs diagonally span the
boundary. One fourteen foot high native fieldstone pillar
rises for Canadian soil and the other from United States
soil. The gates bear the inscription: "THIS
ENTRANCE BUILT AND DEDICATED TO THE CAUSE OF PEACE BY THE ODD
FELLOWS AND REBEKAHS OF THE WORLD". We take great
pride in having contributed the largest single part of a
non-governmental organization in the creation of the
International Peace Garden.
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