‘Fraternity First,
Fraternity Forever’

With that new motto, Baile to push upgrades in Moose Legion numbers--and standards; to revitalize pride in Degree of Service

> ‘I am proud to stand before you today to deliver a report from the International Moose Legion to the Convention body for the first time since 1997,” declared Director Shawn Baile Tuesday morning. Such presence on the General Session agenda (and in the appointment of Baile, a dynamic 33-year-old Penn State graduate) are both indicative of the renewed emphasis Director General Bill Airey intends to place on renewing the energy of the Degree of Service--both as an engine of fraternal pride and advancement, and as a counted-on generator of funding for essential projects.

Baile recounted the strong emphasis that Jim Davis placed in the Moose Legion, from the time he created it in 1913, to his final Convention speech in 1947 when he successfully fought to save it from efforts to reduce its prominence.

The Moose Legion “has survived for 93 years,” Baile said, “but it has been a long time since the Moose Legion has thrived.” Too often, he said:

• Lodge Moose Legion Committees exist but don’t meet regularly or offer activities;
  
  
• Members see the Moose Legion as “an extra set of dues”;
  
  
• Moose Legion is viewed merely as a “rest stop” on the road to the Fellowship Degree; too often Moose Legion dues are dropped because a member thinks: “I should have gotten my Fellowship Degree by now.”

“It is time for us to rebuild the Moose Legion,” Baile said. “There are some very basic aspects of our program that are immediate focal points,” he said, including:

• Membership quantity--increasing Moose Legion membership on the rolls and in good standing.
  
  
• Membership standards--developing criteria to be eligible for Moose Legion membership.
  
  
• Membership activity--both within each Lodge and in Moose Legion jurisdiction.
  
  
• Moose Legionnaires should willingly embrace fundraising projects at Mooseheart and Moosehaven.

Baile has coined a new motto for the Moose Legion: Fraternity First, Fraternity Forever. “We will have fun--but we will not be a farce. We will restore dignity and pride ...we will continue to lead and we will succeed!”

Moose Legion Breakfast:
Annual Eye-Opener--But Plenty of Fun

> While it may be possible to walk into an International Convention Moose Legion Breakfast half-asleep with 900 of your Brothers shortly after 7 a.m., it’s impossible to leave that way at 8:30 or 9.

Amid the fun of the Moose Legion is the solid support that the Degree of Service has always offered the fraternity--as witnessed by a $150,000 check given to Director General Airey for restoration of the Mooseheart Campanile tower by outgoing International President Robert Neff of Illinois.

Legionnaires enjoy breakfast.