Creative Connections by Sara Aeikens

I’m a member of the Western Fraternal Life Association because my mother maintained a frugal life in North Dakota, including growing her own gardens, cooking family meals and sewing for her three girls. She lived to be 96 years old and spent several years near my sister in Oklahoma in an independent living  facility and later received assisted living. She then moved to a nursing home. Since she outlived our father, she took charge of the family financial distribution between my sister and me. 

Our mother never worked outside the home and our father was a teacher. They both volunteered a lot and were generous to charities. When our mother passed away, I did some extensive research about life insurance policies. I decided to buy a Western Fraternal Life Insurance Association policy that will provide our son a portion of my family inheritance when I die. 

I also set up a nonprofit fund called the Freeborn County Wellness Workshop Fund. I used the charity money to sponsor speakers from throughout the United States to bring wellness presentations to Albert Lea for more than a decade.

Since I joined Western Fraternal Life Association, I decided to learn as much as I could about it because I’d never heard of it or its origin as an ethnic Czech organization.  Some members bought the insurance because they wanted the far-reaching heritage and cultural aspects.

There are presently more than 300 members in the Hayward/Myrtle/London local lodge in Freeborn County. It is one of the few lodges in the U.S. that has an historical building. A tour of the Bohemian Brick Hall gives one an idea of the rich history. It is a few miles east and south of Hayward and less than a mile from the Bohemian National Cemetery. 

The Brick Hall hosts an annual autumn event the second weekend in September called the Czech Fest. Molly B and the Jim Busta Band (her father’s band) will return to perform outside the Brick Hall. Molly B plays around 11 instruments and encourages singing along and dancing. It is events like these that the younger generations might enjoy.

The Czech Fest is one of the many fundraisers of the fraternal organization. The group provides college scholarships, life insurance for orphans, matching funds for families if medical issues arise or responses to tornadoes, fires and floods. It also supports charitable nonprofit funding for the Ronald McDonald House and donates school kits for children.

The winter monthly meetings are at noon Sunday at the Glenville American Legion. The group welcomes non-members to attend. For more information call Dan Rayman at 507-383-1340. On Sunday, March 18, members will sponsor a fundraiser pancake breakfast and a bake sale at the Glenville American Legion, featuring the delicacies of Czech kolache. While attending, if interested, ask for more information about the Czech Brick Hall or the Western Fraternal Life Association. They welcome new members, and I am not Czech. I am mostly German!

Sara Aeikens is an Albert Lea resident.