I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving, it is always nice to get together with family and friends for the holiday.
I would like to start with an update from the fall Third District board meeting. We have started a fundraiser for the Charitable Trust. You can shop online to send gifts to friends and family and the trust will get a portion of every sale. The details were sent out in an eblast on November 27, 2023. Shop now, the sale only lasts until the middle of December. If you did not get the email about this fundraiser, it is because the district does not have your email address. Please send your email address to Third District Secretary Karen Olsen-Helmold so you can receive these important eblasts. The executive committee is working on a policy for future eblast so that you are not inundated with emails, yet we can get out important information in a timely manner. We only have email addresses for about half of our members, so please contact Karen.
As 2023 comes to an end and we look forward to 2024, there are a number of deadlines that you should be aware of: Most applications for grants from the Sons of Norway Foundation are due by 12/31/2023 and Foundation Scholarships deadlines are by January 15th and February 15th. So, if you are interested in a grant or scholarship, please check on the Sons of Norway website under Foundation for more information, exact deadlines, and applications.
Next, secretaries must update their officer lists by December 31st. This can be done as soon as you have elected your new officers. If this is not an election year for your lodge, the officer list must still be updated by clicking on the box that says no changes. Karen, as district secretary can help with this if you are having problems completing the update.
In January, lodge presidents and secretaries will receive the maximum number of delegates that your lodge can send to the 2024 District 3 Lodge meeting and Convention in June. Washington Lodge, the host lodge, is working closely with the board to plan a great time for all; delegates as well as nondelegates. I am hoping that every lodge is represented by the maximum number of delegates that they are permitted to send. I will be sending more information about the convention and deadlines soon.
In mid-February lodge secretaries will receive a link from the home office to report fraternal and community service hours. Reporting of these hours is important for Sons of Norway to keep its fraternal tax status. This same status covers each lodge. This is now being done using a program called survey monkey and must be completed by March 15th.
March 15 is also the deadline for filing the lodge financial statement, which is also know as the D-17 form. We are working with the home office to develop a way in which the district can help individual lodges submit this report. It must be done using the online program from the home office and must be electronically signed by the treasurer, president and an auditor. We have been told that while the home office was lenient in accepting forms this year, in 2024, they will be checking to see that all signatures are included.
Other committee reports were made. The rezoning committee reported that they had ideas for rezoning, but it all hinged off the international redistricting committee, which has not come up with anything yet and is hampering the efforts of the rezoning committee.
The Cultural Committee has been busy setting up 2 cultural weekends. There will be an eblast soon with the details about these 2 weekends. I hope that many members will join us for fun and fraternalism at its best at these events.
Paul Kornbrekke, our District Sports Director is planning a district picnic in April to be held at Nansen Lodge on Staten Island. There will be more information sent to secretaries and editors in early 2024.
Our youth camp will be held again in 2024 at Camp Koinonia in Highland Lake, New York. The dates for this year’s camp are Sunday July 21, 2024 to Sunday July 28, 2024. Please encourage your kids, grandkids, and other youngsters in your family to attend. The ages for campers are from 8 to 17.
This is only a part of the work that your district board is doing. As you can see, your board is working hard to make District 3 strong and to bring back the fraternalism that seems to be lost at the upper level of our organization.
Christmas and New Years will be here soon, and most lodges are having their holiday parties, so at this special time, Karen and I and the whole third district board would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
Fraternally,
Stephen Helmold