Verhovayak Lapja, 1949 (32. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1949 / Verhovay Journal

/VorhovayJournal

VOLUME XXXII. JANUARY 19. 1949 51 NO. 1

Will You Help Our Crippled Children?

— 1949 VERHOVAY CHARITY DAY APPEAL TO CALL FOR INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS TO CRIPPLED CHILDREN’S FUND FROM ALL VERHOVAY MEMBERS. —

February 21st, the birthday of the Verhovay F. I. Association, designated “Verhovay Charity Day” by the XXI. National Convention, again comes to us with the challenge of a great and noble cause, dear to the hearts of all Verhovayans. The birthplace of this cause was the Verhovay Home of Alliance, Ohio, where the foundation for the Verhovay Fund For The Aiding of Crippled Juvenile Members had been laid two years ago with the first donation of One Thousand Dollars voted by the directors of the Verhovay Home, to which more than Five Hundred dollars had been added immediately by a large number of donors. In September of the same year the cause was adopted by the National Convention of the Verhovay in a resolution setting aside the birthday of the Association for nation-wide drives to be conducted annually for the augmenting of this fund. Pursuant to the action of the National Convention, the first “Verhovay Charity Day” was observed last year when various social affairs for the benefit of Verhovay’s Crippled Children’s Fund were held by many branches, adding the proceeds of these affairs to the fund. As a result, by the end of 1948 the fund has grown to $2,909.03.

Plans for putting the fund into operation were discussed at the last semi-annual meeting of the Board of Directors, in September, 1943. In view of tthe fact that at least $15,000 is needed if effective aid is to be rendered from the proceeds of the fund, the Board agreed to commence operations as soon as this amount will have been attained. It was decided, therefore, to make a general appeal to the entire Verhovay membership on the occasion of the second “Verhovay Charity Day” to be observed on, or about, February 21st, the 63rd birthday of the Association.

While the arranging of benefit affairs on Verhovay’s birthdays is encouraged as a matter of permanent policy, this year’s special appeal is designed to give every member of the Association an opportunity to make some contribution to this worthy cause, because it is hoped that in this manner the amount needed for commencing the operation of the fund may be attained by the time of the next Board of Directors’ meeting.

This may seem rather a great, deal to hope for, but considering the number of Verhovay members, it is entirely within our possibilities. For, if every adult member of the Association would contribute not more than 40 cents, the fund could be put into operation without further delay, providing medical treat1 ment or rehabilitative training for those Juvenile members of the Association who have become crippled due to accident or illness.

Of course, once this point will have been reached, efforts toward further increasing the fund must continue, for the proceeds of a $15,000 capital cannot possibly meet every deserving appeal for help to be brought before the Board of Directors on behalf of Verhovay’s crippled juvenile members. Each of these cases represents prolonged hardship requiring an extensive program of sustained assistance until either recovery or rehabilitation is attained. Half measures will not suffice, for a crippled child’s problem cannot be solved by charitable pittances. The need for such a fund arises from the fact that the average pa rent is unable to carry the entire burden of such a tragic situation and that, as a result, unless effective help is forthcoming from other sources, a crippled child is condemned by the lack of funds to face life hopelessly handicapped, a burden to himself as well as others, deprived of every possibility to become a self-supporting, independent member of society.

It goes without saying that a fraternal society has a moral obligation to came to the aid of a member-family struck by such misfortune. The willingness of the Verhovay members to assume this obligation is the proof of the brotherliness that we profess. This is one responsibility that cannot be relegated to others without a repudiation of the principles of fraternalism.

The need that the Verhovay Fund For the Aiding Of Crippled Juvenile Members is designed to meet has been existent for some time. The launching of the fund two years ago has brought new hope to a number of Verhovay families. They have been

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IN 1949 TOURNAMENT CITY

— FIRST FOUR MONTHS’ NEW MEMBERS IN DETROIT TO BE INITIATED AT TOURNAMENT BANQUET. — SPONSORS

OF NEW MEMBERS TO BE GUESTS OF NATIONAL TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE. —

Branch managers in Detroit, Mich., are now engaged in a great membership drive under the leadership of Field Supervisor Nicholas Takacs. The drive, to last four months, concludes on April 30th, 1949.

All members in the Detroit area are invited to join the campaign by recommending and sponsoring new members and to become eligible, thereby, to attend the Tournament Banquet and Dance, to be held on Sunday, May 29th, 1949, as guests of the National Executive Tournament Committee.

The terms and conditions of the campaign are as follows:

1. ) All new members joining the Association between January 1 and April ^30, 1949, will be ceremonially initiated on Sunday, May 29th, at the Tournament Banquet, which they shall be invited to attend, free of charge, as guests of the National Executive Tournament Committee, provided that said new members will have paid at least three months’ dues in advance at the time application for membership will have been made.

2. ) For each juvenile member joining an ordinary'life insurance class of the Verhovay, the parent signing the application shall be eligible to attend the Tournament Banquet and the initiation ceremony, provided the application of said new juvenile member shall be accompanied by at least three months dues in advance.

3. ) Any member of the Association recommending or sponsoring at least TWO (2) new members in either the Senior or Juvenile Order, or both, shall be eligible to attend the Tournament Banquet and Dance as a guest of honor of the National

I Executive Tournament Committee, provided that at least three months’ dues will have been paid in advance by the applicants sponsored or recommended.

4. ) Applications for JUVENILE TERM certificates (40 cents monthly dues) shall not be counted toward this campaign and parents desiring to attend the initiation ceremony shall be required to do so at their own expense.

No doubt, many of our fellow-members in Detroit will want to avail themselves of the opportunity to attend the Tournament Banquet as the guests of the National Executive Tournament Committee. This will not be difficult since simultaneously with the opening of the campaign the Verhovay F.I.A., introduced the Payor Benefit Juvenile Insurance. All a member has to do to gain the Committee’s unusual award, is to recommend at least two prospects to the Manager who, in turn shall mark the name of the sponsor on the bottom of the application.

waiting, anxiously, for two years, and it seems unfair to keep them in continued suspense by postponing from year to year the operation of this fund. Some start should be made now.

25,000 individual letters will be mailed to Verhovay memberfamilies by the Home Office around the first of February. A return envelope will be enclosed with each letter. Postage on these return envelopes will be paid upon delivery by the Home Office.

We appeal to every Verhovay member who receive one of the 25,000 letters, to place a donation toward the Verhovay Fund For the Aiding of Crippled Juvenile Members in the envelope and drop it in the mailbox on, or before, February 21st, the 63rd birthday of the Association. Each donor is requested to mark his name, address, and branch-number on the return envelope in order that due acknowledgment may be made of every do* nation in the official organ of the Association. No other writing, nor postage is required.

We hope and pray that the members of our Association will generously respond to this year’s “Verhovay Charity Day” appeal making it possible, thereby, to commence the operations of the Verhovay Fund For The Aiding Of Crippled Juvenile Members at the earliest possible date.

Of all the sad sights in our afflicted world none is more heartbreaking than that of a crippled child, rendered helpless, unhappy, by accident or illness. Of all the tragedies appealing to our sympathies none is more deserving of our generous response than that of a father and mother weeping in impotent despair over the misfortune of their child. May this year’s Verhovay Charity Day bring aid, comfort and the assurance of a happier future to every crippled juvenile member of the Verhovay, and to every father and mother bearing the burden of such tragic responsibility. May those blessed with whole and healthy children have a heart for every father and mother deprived of such happiness.