Rallying together – The early causes at Foresters
The historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake that reached a 7.9 magnitude was one of the earliest instances of Dr. Oronhyatekha and Foresters providing large-scale emergency relief to members. This natural disaster was the precursor that led to the creation of the first two Foresters member benefits – a home for orphans and the tuberculosis clinic benefit.1
Helping orphans and members with tuberculosis
The original IOF Orphans Home was located on Foresters Island Park. It was a majestic building that closely resembled a castle. It stood four stories tall, 150 feet long and 50 feet wide. The tallest of its towers stood over 80 feet tall. Inside the building were apartments, offices, a dining hall, dormitories for girls and boys and a school. It was well-supplied, thanks to its dedicated steam-powered yacht that would go back and forth from the mainland. At its peak, around 40 orphans lived at the castle. According to Oronhyatekha, this was his crowning achievement throughout his career.
Unfortunately, in 1907, the IOF Orphan Home castle was forced to close due to being $232,000 in debt. The orphans living there were temporarily housed in foster homes as a new home for orphans was built in Oakville, Ontario. The Oakville Orphanage was also an impressive structure like its counterpart, with extensive gardens and a fruit orchard. This home in Oakville was the first true fraternal benefit.1
After this first venture into providing residential care to members and their families, Foresters also wanted to help members facing illness. The second benefit would focus on caring for members suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.2 A clinic was created at Rainbow Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State in 1910. Two years later, a second clinic was opened in Lopez Canyon, outside of Los Angeles
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Our Lopez Canyon clinic
Situated on 40 acres of land in the Sierra foothills, the Lopez Canyon clinic cost the organization $33,000 for all the building and land expenses. This location came at the request of members of the Pacific courts, who raised $6,000 towards the overall building costs.
1, 2. Member benefit no longer available. For a full list of current member benefits, visit https://www.foresters.com/member-benefits
Article source: https://www.foresters.com/en-ca/about/foresters150
That's a fascinating piece of history, showing how adversity can lead to compassionate innovation. As Helen Keller once said, "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." ?? On a related note, for those inspired by such historical acts of kindness, Treegens is sponsoring an opportunity related to the Guinness World Record of Tree Planting, which similarly seeks to leave a positive mark on the world. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/TreeGuinnessWorldRecord ????
"Out of adversity comes opportunity" - Benjamin Franklin ?? The historic relief efforts by Dr. Oronhyatekha and Foresters in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake truly embody this spirit. Their actions not only provided immediate aid but also paved the way for long-lasting support systems like the orphan home and tuberculosis clinic. ???? #HistoryMeetsHumanity #Resilience