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mardi 5 avril 2016

Info Post
By Janet Snyder


At its most basic, a service organization is defined as an organization that provides a service to users. It is most commonly a voluntary, charitable organization. In practice, a service club is defined first of all by its mission and secondly by its benefits to its members. These are often intangibles, like social interaction, business networking, and personal growth. Many service clubs have earned recognition by the United Nations. 19 Lions is an example of such a club, as are the Kiwanis, Soroptimists, and the Apex Clubs of Australia.

Lions International was established in Illinois by Melvin Jones, who happened also to be a member of the Freemasons. He strongly believed that to make progress in life, you had to get involved in helping other people. Founded in 1917, by 2015 it had 46,000 chapters in 200 countries all over the world. It presently has more than one and a half million members.

The official colors of the Lions are gold and purple. To be a member, you have to be above the age of majority and have a good reputation within your community. If you are interested in becoming a Lion, the first step is to get in touch with your local branch. British Columbia in Canada, the state of Washington and northern Idaho are represented by Multiple District 19 (MD19). The chapter is headquartered in Bellingham.

Rotary International is a similar organization. The club got its start with just four businessmen in an office in Chicago. They met for the purpose of fostering high ethical standards in the conduct of business and professions. They called themselves Rotary because their meetings rotated from one office to another. Within a year, the membership had grown to such an extent that they adopted the practice of meeting in larger venues.

Rotarians apply what is called the 4-way test to determine whether a project is compatible with Rotary aims. It is a set of guidelines for helping faltering businesses get back on their feet. In order to qualify for support, it must be true, fair, foster friendship and goodwill, and it must be beneficial to everybody involved.

A more complicated, and sometimes controversial, group is the Freemasons, which are fraternal organizations that trace their origins to the stonemasons. Steeped in history, the absolute requirements for a candidate for the Freemasons is that they are free and of good character. The basic unit of the Freemasons is the Grand Lodge, most of which require prospective members to demonstrate a belief in a Supreme Being. Some expect their members to be of a specific religion

George Washington was a Freemason and was the master of his lodge. There is even a portrait of him dressed in full ceremonial regalia. When he died, he was buried with full Masonic honors.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks was established in New York City in 1868 by a man named Joseph M. Norcross. It, too, has its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the largest fraternal orders in the United States and has more than one million members. Not bad for an organization that started out as a social club for minstrel performers. The Elks were originally a whites-only organization and got themselves in hot water in the courtroom over this policy in the early 1970s.




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