ZajednicÌŒar = Fraternalist. [volume] (Allegheny, Pa.) 1894-current, 1955-11-30
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:

AS
was charged with preparing report for my Committee
The of the following distinguished members of the
Committee furnished me:
Frank Kress, Supreme President American Fraternal
Unon Stephen L. Segedy, Secretary The American Life
Insurance Association Harry R. High Ben Hur Life Asso-
ciaton Theodore Huettner Supreme President Greater
Beneficial Union of Pittsburgh Susan Kusy Supreme Pres
dent, Zivena Beneficial Society," L. c. Samarza, Supreme
President Croatian Catholic Union of U. S. A. John Sabo
Secretary First Catholic Sova Unon Frank Lokar Trus
tee Grand Carnioan Slovenian Catholic Union of USA
R. j. Palan Secretary National Sovak Society," Stephen
M. Tkatch President Greek Catholic Union of the U.SA
promptly contacted these members with request for
suggestions ideas and comments be incorporated in this
report.
Your Chairman received the usual percentage of re-
plies containing neither suggestions ideas to
tribute to the report Only Mrs Susan Kusy Supreme
President of the Zvena Beneficial Society," suggested that
membership is the basic problem but there contrbu
ing factors that must be considered She further said that
conduct and appearance of Executive officers constructive
leadership contact with officers of subordinate
lodges with utmost courtesy friendship and cooperation
inspire confidence then prompt payment of claims is the
best publicity.
Of course strive to do all of these things, and it
understood that should treat the officers of subor
dnae lodges with the utmost courtesy if expect to be
reelected at the next convention to the positions occupy
But STILL do not have than handful of members
attending lodge meetings.
We all love to dream about the times when our lodge
meetings were second only to town meetings in
nifty, at which all the problems of the everyday living of
members discussed. In those days. there
Decoration Day Fourth of July celebration without the
membership of lodge appearing uniform and partc
pating in parade, preceded by oompapa band! The
sick visited and fellow members took of their
crops the farm, their housework in the city.
If would but look into charters and study the
purposes of organizations will find that insurance
protection only incidental for the existence
and growth of fraernas SO years ago. Then the
fraterna activities of prime Importance Some of
religious; others nationality organizations whose
purpose to bridge the gap between the early mm
grant and America They had real obectves those
and they fourshed.
We all very familiar with the usual excuses
why the fraterna life has vanished from organizations
We all know the assigned to why members
do not attend the meetings and often wonder whether
the real not that the faerna organizations have
departed from their original functions and have become
mere life insurance companies.
We are now trying individually within our organiza
tons to solve this vital problem of revvng the fraterna
part of the many activities which form the very nucleus
of being.
In my own organization the Croatian Fraternal Union
of America, have developed extremely active and
beneficial sports program which ties the young and old to
the organization We have films depicting the life of the
organization from the processing of membership appl
cation in the Home Office to the various lodge junior
nest activities in the field.
We have two official publications, b-lingual for
our adult and for juvenile members, upon which
spend 40 cents out of dollar collected from
the MEMBERS total of 12O thousand dollars year.
AS a nationality group, promote and encourage
educational and cultural activities, giving to America of
rich heritage We keep alive ties with the home
land the seas by bringing much of America to
them
The Croatian Fraternal Union of America equipped
hospital in zagreb the capital of Croatia with of the
most modern and uptodate neurosurgca operating
in Central Europe How did do that few years back
prominent from Zagreb to the United
States under the auspices of the World Health Organization
of the United Nations He visited the headquarters and
related the story of the extremely difficult conditions under
which surgery being performed in Yugosavia because
of the lack of modern instruments and equipment To buy
such instruments from foreign lands, needs foreign
exchange which is next to impossible to obtain in that
country because the needs all of it, and more
to rebuild the country after the ravages of
Our members very generous with their voluntary
contributions in response to appeal and sufficient funds
were collected to purchase and ship badly needed nsru
ments to fully equip operating where only the
All IIkIN/cD CITV TAAADI