Western Fraternal Life Association

The Western Fraternal Life Association, formerly known as the Western Bohemian Fraternal Association, is a fraternal benefit order in the United States.

History

The Association began when dissension arose within the Czech-Slovak Protective Society in the 1890s. Several western lodges were unsatisfied with the way the Society was being run. In February 1897 a convention of western lodges met and agreed to form a new fraternal order, if their concerns were not satisfactorily addressed. In June 1897, the issues still not being resolved, these lodges split and formed the Western Bohemian Fraternal Association and charted it in Iowa. The new organization began with 49 lodges, most of them formerly in the CSPS.[1] The Association was opened to people of non-Czech descent in 1947.[2] The name was changed to Western Fraternal Life Association in 1971.[3]

The organization conducted its early meetings in English, rather than Czech.

The Association was very active during World War II. It bought enough war bonds to buy three bombers. Funds were also given to the American Red Cross and the United Service Organizations.[4]

Organization

The local units of the Association are called lodges and the highest authority is the quadrennial national convention. A board of directors elected by the seven districts of the Association runs the group in between conventions.[5]

The WFLA claims to be the first Czech fraternal association to accept women as full members (in 1899), and to have established a junior department (in 1919).[6][7]

In 1923 the headquarters of the organization were at 307 12 Avenue, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[8]

Membership

In 1923 there were 20,616 benefit members and 980 social members in 254 lodges and the Juvenile Dept. had 957 members. At that time the Association was active in California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan.[9]

There were 43,471 adult members in 1979 and 8,590 junior members.[10] In 1995 it had 41,030 members .[11]

Membership is open to all above 15 years of age.

Benefits

The association claims to be the first Czech society to establish a reserve insurance fund and to adopt a table of rates based on the age of the member at their time of joining and to introduce "endowment and twenty-payment life insurance certificates". The Association supports a home for the aged in Chicago, sponsors scholarships, and contributes to charities such as the March of Dimes, the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Junior Achievement and muscular dystrophy groups[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Schmidt, Alvin J. Fraternal Organizations Westport, CT; Greenwood Press p.350
  2. ↑ History
  3. ↑ Schmidt p.350
  4. ↑ Schmidt p.350
  5. ↑ Schmidt p.351
  6. ↑ Schmidt p.350
  7. ↑ History
  8. ↑ Preuss, Arthur A Dictionary of Secret and other Societies St. Louis, B. Herder Book Co. 1924 p.476
  9. ↑ Preuss p.476
  10. ↑ Schmidt p.351
  11. ↑ Axelrod pp.264-5
  12. ↑ Schmidt p.350
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