Members of Verde Valley Moose Lodge 1449 rolled out the red carpet for Supreme Gov. George W. McCullough III, top elected leader of the 800,000-strong Loyal Order of Moose, who stopped by on his way to Prescott on Friday, July 23.
McCullough was visiting Moose lodges across Arizona on his way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Moose Lodge 319, one of Prescott’s oldest community service organizations.
His stop in Clarkdale was considered a “great honor,” Verde Valley Moose Lodge Junior Gov. Brian Adams said.
McCullough, a Baptist preacher, spoke as if from the pulpit about the fraternity’s many accomplishments, including the support for Mooseheart Child City & School, a 1,000-acre community for abused and neglected children, and Moosehaven, the organization’s retirement community open to members who serve with the club 15 years or more.
“It can truly be said that we take care of people from cradle to grave,” McCullough told the packed clubhouse.
“Community service is one of the greatest contributions we can make,” he said. “Community is where we get our funds. Community is where we get our members. Community is where we do our service, and we thank God for that.”
Like the Prescott lodge, the Verde Valley Moose Lodge, founded in 1971, supports a variety of community activities, including the Cottonwood Junior Police Cadet program, the Trauma Intervention Program, Habitat for Humanity and a college scholarship program, member Jim Boyd said.
Founded in 1888, the Loyal Order of Moose counts 1,800 lodges in all 50 states, four Canadian provinces, Great Britain and Bermuda, McCullough said.
Support for Mooseheart, located just south of Chicago, means paying the living expenses of roughly 75 residents and providing for their education, including providing scholarships to college if they choose to attend, McCullough said.
“Would you believe that out of the 24 students who graduated from Mooseheart school this year, 22 will go on to college and two are joining the armed forces?” he asked. “That, to me, is phenomenal.”
Each year, Moose lodges conduct approximately $50 million worth of community service, counting monetary donations and volunteer hours worked, according to the fraternity’s official website.
For more information about Verde Valley Moose Lodge 1449, call 634-8668.
