January 3rd, 2019 Newsletter

 
“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” – Anne Frank
 
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.” – Edward Abbey
 
“The wilderness and the idea of wilderness is one of the permanent homes of the human spirit.” – Joseph Wood Krutch
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes courteous of the erudite Mary Hodson)
 
Bob passed around a sign-up sheet for our next Habitat project, scheduled for January 19.   He also introduced his son, David.
 
February bucket money will go to Books 2 Prisoners.   Mary will  also be collecting books you wish to donate.   The most requested include paperback dictionaries, Spanish-English dictionaries, other books in Spanish, books on business, writing and the trades, and mysteries by popular authors.
 
PROGRAM
 
Charlie introduced Jori Orsini, Executive Director of LODGIC.   She explained that the fraternal order of the Moose is the parent organization of LODGIC.   With membership falling, they came up with a new concept for raising funds to support Mooseheart, their school for children in crisis in North Aurora, and Moosehaven, their retirement home in Florida.
 
Jori pointed out that millennials are not joining fraternal organizations but they do want to do good in their communities.   Many of them are free lancers and contractors.  The founders of LODGIC asked themselves, “How can we assist them?”    The Champaign property currently has four programs:
 
1)  LODGIC Kids Camp, flexible, on demand, pay by the hour child care, open from 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM.  They take children from 12 months to 12 years of age.   A membership costs $60 per year.
 
2)  Workplace, offering a desk, printing and quiet call booths and accessible 24 hours a day.
 
3)  Clever Moose, a market cafe open at 6:30 AM
 
4)  Everyday Kitchen, offering craft food and drink, open for lunch and dinner.   They also have event space for social and corporate events.
 
Champaign was selected for the first LODGIC location because it is a college town with an urban mindset but which is underserved by national players.   The next installment will be in Madison, WI. They are also looking at Iowa City and Ann Arbor.
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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)
January 10th – Kim Gollings from Habitat for Humanity (Bob)
January 17th – PDG Larry Howell will discuss the Heart to Heart Zone trip to Mexico (Mary)
January 24th – Viktor Gruev, Associate Professor, UI Electrical and Computer Engineering, will speak about his research applications