Eagles soar to help those in need

By Submitted Article on December 24, 2013.

Lethbridge Aerie leads project to provide new roof for Raymond family

SUBMITTED BY THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES, AERIE 2100, LETHBRIDGE

In our hectic, fast-paced world, people often have precious little time or energy left over to look out for their neighbours and to help those in need.

But there are those who still find time to do good deeds for others. This is evidenced by the generosity of the Aerie 2100 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lethbridge.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles was formed in 1898 by a group of six theatre owners in Seattle, Wash., who got together to help settle a labour dispute. It has since evolved into an organization with 1,700 chapters, each dedicated to working within their communities to do good where it is needed.

Lethbridge Aerie president Dave Gulash, who lives in Raymond, recently noticed that his neighbour, Irene Loder, was facing a catastrophic situation, without sufficient means to repair her home, which was at risk of being condemned. Her failing roof had been leaking for the past couple of years and mould was beginning to spread through the insulation in the ceiling, behind the walls, on much of the drywall in a couple of rooms, and the wall and ceiling framing.

There were gaping holes in the ceiling where mouldy insulation was hanging down from places where the ceiling tiles had broken and fallen into the house because of the weight of the sodden insulation. It was a terrible mess, and if it was not corrected, Mrs. Loder, her son Glen Theriault and her two grandchildren, Amber and Gavan, were in a bleak situation, without an affordable place in which to live.

Gulash secured approval from the members of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 2100 Lethbridge to provide $5,500 in funding to repair or replace the roof, remove all the damaged and moldy drywall, remove damaged flooring (including carpeting), install new insulation and drywall, install a new furnace, and ensure that Mrs. Loder, her son and grandchildren would not be going into the winter of 2012-2013 without a place to live, other than the garage and the old pick-up camper on stands in the back yard.

In order to maximize use of the funds donated to the project by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Gulash needed to secure volunteers to provide the skilled labour needed to complete this significant project. He co-ordinated his efforts with James Graham, a member of the Raymond 2nd Ward, a local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bishop Jim Steed put out a request for volunteers, and a team of local tradesmen and weekend warriors, headed up by local builder and developer Dennis Jensen, provided muscle, brains, equipment, many man-hours, and a lot of goodwill to complete the project.

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Eagles soar to help those in need