Chancellor Commander's Message
Chancellor Commander's Message
My fellow Lodge Brothers –
We kicked off another year. I believe it’s our 26th if you count from when we first met as a Lodge – it’s our 24th year if you count from the time we were chartered by Grand Lodge.
Either way, let’s split the difference and call it a quarter century of Pythianism in the mid- Hudson Valley.
We are at a crossroads as a Lodge. In order to survive we need to find new ways to raise money for our salvation as well as to fulfill our mission of giving back to the community.
It is a general consensus among many Lodge brothers that selling the Entertainment discount coupon books just is not cutting it anymore. The book is not satisfying potential customers, there are too many other groups selling the book – saturating the market and
the time, energy and effort it takes to coordinate and fill the slots to sit at the Mall is too taxing for our aging membership. I want to thank Bob Brickner for his diligence and effort
for getting us to meet our sales goal.
In an attempt to keep the spirit going, I am trying to develop a new system for fundraising and I have to overcome some technical obstacles but I believe I can work this out. The
new fundraiser involves having a health fair for five hours at a place to be named later.
We would sell information tables to pharmaceutical companies and other
organizations who would want to participate. This idea is still a work in progress so any
input is most welcome, preferably by e-mail (dutchesspythian@juno.com) so I have a permanent copy of your suggestion. In advance, thank you for your suggestions.
For those of you who missed it, at our last meeting my opening remarks focused on the theme of Friendship. I am urging each of our Lodge brothers to treat each other with the same courtesy and respect you would offer to your best friend. Our Lodge is too small for factions and internal competitions. If we are to survive and move forward we must do so
in unison and with great enthusiasm.
I want to also let you know we are planning a July 4th picnic and August 8 we are going to the Renegades game at Dutchess Stadium. We need help putting the picnic together so any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Outer Guard Frank Herber to offer your assistance.
Vice Chancellor Len Berger is also seeking Lodge brothers to step up and formulate the Board for the Benevolent Association. This organization will also become very important
to our survival. Please help and let VC Berger know about your interest in becoming an
officer.
To end on a more positive note, June 6 will be another Ranks and we are expecting that we will be initiating six new members. I want to thank Master of the Work Alan Garman for his efforts putting together the details of the ceremony.
Finally I want to wish a full and speedy recovery to all out brothers and their wives who are not feeling well. And a hearty Mazel Tov to our brothers relishing in success and joy in their lives.
Until next time,
Fraternally,
Marc Gronich
Chancellor Commander
Dutchess Lodge 860
