Most people have heard of service clubs like the Eagles, Lions and American Legion, but what exactly do they do?
February is known as the month of love, but five area clubs are spreading the love year-round. Tracy members of the Masons, Lions, Legion, Eagles, and Kiwanis clubs have been dedicated to improving their community for decades.
It’s quite the feat for a town the size of Tracy to have five different service organizations.
And although they all have the same goal — to give back to their community — they accomplish that in different ways.
MASONS AND EASTERN STARS
The term “mason” originally referred to a skilled stonemason, one who traveled middle ages Europe, building castles and other stone structures. Masonic lodges were places for members of the occupation to gather and learn more about their craft.
While these are the origins of the organization, today most members are what are called speculative masons, or non-operative masons.
“The history of the Masons is pretty incredible,” said Doug Pamp, the secretary for the Masons in Tracy. “Not only did stonemasons build some pretty phenomenal structures, but here we are 300 years later and they’re still standing.”
Today, masonic membership is open to any man who is well-recommended by current Masons. Female relatives of masons, and now any woman who is recommended by two Masons, are able to join the appendage body, the Eastern Stars.
“We try to teach morality, provide fellowship, and allow for personal growth.” Pamp said. “We do that through charity.”
Their mission is simple. “We try to do good things for people who need help,” said Eastern Stars chapter leader Melanie Pamp.
Both organizations raise money throughout the year to provide scholarships for Tracy Area High School seniors and to support the food shelf.
“The neat thing about us is that we can double what we raise,” Doug explained. “We have access to matching funds through the Minnesota Masonic Charities.”
Whether it’s working at the bingo tent during Box Car Days, selling Subway meal deals at high school sporting events, or taking donations at National Night Out, both groups feel the impact of the community support.
“We try to be a visible, active organization that is relevant to Tracy. The funds we raise don’t leave our community,” Doug said.
LIONS
At more than 300 homes within a 50 mile radius of Tracy, the impact of the Lions Club can be clearly seen.
“We’ve made 360 beds and donated 28 cribs,” said Lions President Tom Hesse, referring to the “Help Tuck Them In” project spearheaded by Lori Alf and Joe Buyck; it has been the Lions’ biggest project for the past two-and-a-half years.
Every bed is handmade by volunteers, from sawing and sanding to staining. The cribs cannot be handmade, so they are purchased using donated funds and then handdelivered.
“It’s the most rewarding yet heartwrenching thing,” Hesse said. “We never thought it would get this big.”
To receive a bed, community members in need must be referred to the Lions by one of their partner organizations, most commonly by a Southwest Health and Human Services office in Murray County, Lyon County, or most recently, Cottonwood County. They also occasionally work with WoMen’s Rural Advocacy Programs (WRAP).
The beds are assembled by a slew of committed volunteers from Tracy to Marshall and points in between, and supplies needed are purchased using funds raised throughout the year. In September, the club threw a block party, complete with a raffle, which was a huge success, Hesse said.
In April, the club will host its annual banquet at The Caboose, with all the funds going toward a special project. The money raised the past two years went for improvements at Swift Lake Park, but this year the group has decided to save for other celebrations.
Tickets to the banquet are currently available and can be purchased from any Lions member.
“We are going to contribute something special, whether it’s fireworks or something else, with the Box Car Days committee for the big anniversary,” Hesse said.
The Lions also volunteer to conduct eyesight screening for students at Tracy Area Elementary School, organize quarterly blood drives, and take donations of old eyeglasses and shoes for those in need.
“It’s a relationship with the community,” Hesse concluded. “Lions membership is all about serving the community.”
EAGLES
The Eagles Club has been located in its downtown Tracy storefront for over 50 years. Remodeled in 1981, the building has long provided a place for people to gather and gamble, and raise money while doing it.
“That’s our whole gig. We donate money;” said President Rick Ross.
Last year, the organization was able to donate just shy of $70,000, all to local projects and organizations. Some of what they raise can go toward building repairs, but the organization has strict rules about how much money can remain in the bank account. That means every other week, Eagles members gather to select to whom they’ll donate next. To request funds, organizations must send a letter to the group, or preferably attend a meeting to explain where the funding will be going and its impact.
Most recently, the group donated to Lyon County Relay for Life, and members of the Business Professionals of America group at Tracy Area High School.
“A lot of our money goes to the school,” Ross said. “It’s important to support things the students are involved in.”
Each year, the Eagles awards at least two scholarships to graduating seniors, and sponsor a number of sports teams and other extracurriculars.
Ross added that things are going well for the group; better advertising and marketing special events on social media has been something new that seems to have drawn more people through the doors. The inside of the bar was updated last year, and that also seems to have led to an increase in business.
“We are planning to do some upgrades with new siding and signage outside, and possibly a new patio out back,” Ross added.
The building itself is also used by a number of other service clubs occasionally for other fundraisers and events, and can be used by anyone who simply needs a space to host something.
“Our whole goal is to raise money and give it away,” Ross said. “We’ve got a great bunch of people who volunteer to help do that.”
AMERICAN LEGION & AUXILIARY Legion members know the impact service has, and providing the Tracy area with ways to honor and remember veterans is much of what they do.
Earle Ray Post 173 of the American Legion provides Honor Guard services at veteran’s funerals and performs Color Guard demonstrations during area parades.
“Just having our equipment in working order, looking professional; it makes a difference to those families, for their loved ones to be honored,” Post Commander Dave Dieter said.
Annual Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day programs — the former hosted at The Caboose and the latter at the high school — are also hosted by the Legion and aim to publicly showcase local veterans and their service. For Veterans’ Day, three area veterans are selected to be honored at the convocation.
Dieter emphasized the need to recognize our veterans, stating that when he calls a selected veteran he often is asked, “Why me? Why don’t you pick someone more deserving?”
“A veteran is a veteran!” Dieter exclaimed. “We’re just looking for guys in our community that served our country. It blew my mind that people thought they weren’t deserving of recognition.”
The Legion and Auxiliary have also found ways to support other members of the community. The first Sunday of each month during the winter season, the Legion hosts a pancake breakfast to raise money for scholarships, awarded to graduating seniors at Tracy Area High School. Additionally, they host a Sweet Corn Feed in the fall and a Halloween event for kids that members hope will continue in the new community center. Started by Auxiliary member Jan Bornitz and currently led by Jane Wahl, the inside of the Legion building for years has been decked out in Halloween decor, designed for children to enjoy and walk through.
“We’re hoping to continue that, and everything else we do, as long as we can,” Dieter said. “We have some very generous members, which allows us to do what we do without worrying too much about our funds. It’s a great thing.”
KIWANIS
This organization’s title is based on the algonquin phrase “Nuec Kee-wanis,” translated as “we trade,” or “we build.” But since 2005, the local organization’s motto has been “Serving the children of the world.” And current President Darcy Carlson said the Tracy club aims to do just that.
“We focus on children,” she said. “Almost everything we do is designed to benefit the kids and students here in our community.”
Over 100 years old, the organization was originally a businessman’s club, but is now open to everyone. However, the Kiwanis has still kept up the tradition of meeting for lunch during the work week. Every Thursday at noon, the club meets at Subway and often hosts a guest speaker to present about something happening in the community.
“That makes us unique,” Carlson explained. “It also allows us to invite seniors from the high school to be a part of our meetings and expose them to a service club.”
Carlson said it’s also especially important right now for the club to be visible to younger members of the community. With increasingly aging membership, it is necessary for the club to have some participation from younger generations.
“We try to find things all of our members can help with,” Carlson said. “It does narrow what we are able to do, but we try to adjust where we can.”
One way members are able to volunteer is by doing “split the pot” fundraisers at some high school sports events, where participants buy in and the winner “splits the pot” with Kiwanis.
In the past, their largest fundraiser was a waffle breakfast, done twice a year. This year, they switched to a raffle, presented during the holiday season, with prizes including gift cards, half a hog, and other giftable items. Carlson said it was a huge success.
Along with most of the other clubs, the Kiwanis awards scholarships at the annual Senior Awards Night Scholarship Banquet in May at the high school, and recently the group started to donate books for children who attend Greenwood Nursery’s visit with Santa during the holiday season. Additionally, the club hosts an Easter Egg Hunt at the elementary school and participates in Meals on Wheels.
“There is so much good happening out there in the world,” Carlson said. “You have to look harder sometimes to find it, but it’s always there.”
All of these organizations provide crucial support to the community in unique ways, but that support isn’t possible without donations and membership. Every organization is always open to new members, and each leader encourages the community to reach out to learn more if they have any interest in giving back to the community.
Volunteers are, of course, always welcome.
