 The
Perfect Gift
Giving 84 all-weather radios to the St.
Louis elementary and secondary schools was a
project branch vice president Henry Schaper,
Sr. believes in. "A lot of times the
students at school can't hear the sirens,"
Schaper said. "But if you have one of these
all-weather radios in the office everyone
can be aware."
Schaper contacted the office of the archdiocese and learned
that only 32 of the 116 St. Louis area
Catholic schools had the emergency
equipment. The radios allow school
principals to be aware of serious weather
warnings, Amber alerts, and hazmat issues
among the 60 emergency signals. The radios
feature a battery backup in case a school
loses power.
"The timing of this gift is perfect," said Assistant
Superintendent Al Winkelmann. "We are just
breaking out a new emergency response plan,
and this will help in a tremendous way."
Many of the charitable activities sponsored by the Western
Catholic Union are to aid Catholic
education. "This gift by Br. IX is a perfect
example of WCU extending its hands to help
our ch8ildren," said Mark Wiewel, National
President. |
 MATCHING
FUND PROJECT HELD BY BRANCH 314, WESTPHALIA,
MO
Three different
bingo/chili suppers were held to raise money
for a new refrigerator/freezer for Sacred
Heart School, Rich Fountain, MO. The total
amount raised was over $1,800. All of the
parishioners worked very hard to achieve
their goal. Western Catholic Union then
matched $500.
|
 JOIN
HANDS DAY 2007
The WCU Quincy JOIN HANDS DAY project entailed clearing
trees, brush, and weeds from the Fire
Department's fire training facility located
by Quincy University's North Campus.
Pictured above, youth enjoyed working with
the firemen to water newly planted grass
seed after everything was cleared.
JOIN HANDS DAY 2008 will be held on May 3.
|
2007 Baseball Bash Huge Success
Approximately 300 people enjoyed the June 9,
2007, 6:15 evening game at the NEW Busch
Stadium in St. Louis, MO. Members and
non-members joined together at the stadium
prior to the game for a delicious buffet
dinner buffet consisting of BBQ beef
brisket, jumbo hot dogs, coleslaw, parmesan
roasted potatoes, baked beans, chocolate
chunk brownies, fresh baked cookies, water
and soda beverages! The Cardinals
played against the LA Angels and won!
|
WCU
Vocation Scholarship Winners
Each year Western
Catholic Union awards three $1,000 Vocation
Scholarships to deserving young men or women
who are entering into the religious life.
Winners for 2006 were Kevin Muniz, Collinsville, IL and
Melissa Anne Blankestyn, Bourbonnais, IL.
Not pictures is Stephen A. Thompson,
Bethalto, IL.
Applications are due March 1 of each year. If anyone wishes
an application they can contact WCU Home
Office at 1-800-223-4928, or there is a form
available in the Forms section of this web
site.
|
 JOIN
HANDS DAY Project held by St. Engelbert's
Br. 177
St.
Engelbert Br. 177 chopped a huge tree down
that was dying on St. Joseph Church grounds
near Sister Rita's Convent for their Join
Hands Day project in 2006. A new tree was
then planted in its place. What an
improvement it made to the church grounds!
|
 100
Bicycles Assembled with the help
of LaSalle Br. 15 Members
On August 5, 2006 several of the LaSalle Br.
15, Chicago, IL members met at the M & R
Printing Company to assist in the assembly
of bicycles.
M & R Printing sponsored the bicycle assembly in conjunction
with the Variety Club. 100 bicycles were
donated by Huffy for assembly The bikes will
be distributed by the Variety Club to needy
children in the area.
|
 St.
Louis District Raises Funds to
Benefit the Poor Clares
The St. Louis District passes a 'Poor Box'
at every district meeting. The object is for
the attending members to place their loose
change it it. When the amount reaches $100,
a recipient is chosen. On July 19, 2006
members of the St. Louis District delivered
a $100 check to the Poor Clares. They
sisters were thrilled with the donation.
|
 Quincy
Area Branches Benefit Catholic Charities
Shown at left is WCU St. Antonius Br. 51
members presenting checks to the director of
Quincy Catholic Charities. Funds were raised
at a pancake and sausage breakfast held on
April 23 at the WCU Hall. WCU matched the
money raised through the Matching Fund
Program.
Shown at left is WCU St. Nicholas Br. 1 Vice
President submitting a check and canned
goods to Quincy Catholic Charities. Funds
were raised at their picnic held on August 7
where over 70 people enjoyed barbeque
hamburgers and hot dogs. A 50/50 drawing was
matched by WCU through the Matching Fund
Program. Each member gave two canned goods
to cover the cost of their meal. The canned
goods were then presented to Catholic
Charities.
|
 WCU
Endorses Join Hands Day
On the
first Saturday in May, fraternalists and
nonfraternalists alike come together for
JOIN HANDS DAY to make a difference in their
communities through helpful projects that
connect youths and adults.
Branches throughout Western Catholic Union participate in
Join Hands Day performing numerous projects.
Youth and adults from WCU's Quincy Area District, Catholic
Heart Work Camp from Camp Point, and
Cursillo Prayer Group worked together at
Quanada in Quincy, IL.
They washed and waxed a van, painted porch steps, spruced up
a special "quiet area" and did some weeding.
Western Catholic Union St. Nicholas Branch 1, Quincy, IL, got
together to finish the Join Hands Day
project at a later date when the weather was
sunny and warm. The group planted a nice
flower garden and painted the porch for
Quanada.
|
Money raised to benefit St. Vincent de Paul
Society
The
dinner-theater presentation, "Gone with the
Windz", was presented by Comedy Times
Productions of St. Louis, on Saturday,
April 1, 2006, at the McCormic Center at St.
Peter's Cathedral.
Over $24,600 was raised to benefit St. Vincent de Paul
Feeding Program. Br. 251 sold dinner
tickets for the theater presentation and
accepted donations. A 50/50 raffle was also
conducted.
|
WCU $1000 High School Scholarships and $500
Grade School Grants
Western Catholic Union awards five $1,000 Catholic High School
scholarships as well as ten $500 Catholic
Grade School grants.
The eligibility requirements for the high school scholarship
are as follows. To apply for the next
available, which is for the 2007 - 2008
school year, the student must be entering
Grades 9th - 11th. The student must attend a
Catholic high school. The student must be a
WCU member. At least one parent of the
student must be a WCU member.
The eligibility requirements for the grade school scholarship
are as follows: The student must be
entering Grades K-8 in a Catholic grade
school. The student must be a member of
Western Catholic Union. At least one parent
or legal guardian must be a member of
Western Catholic Union.
The high school scholarship is awarded to the student who
demonstrates both community involvement and
motivation in academics.
There is no criteria for the grade school grants. The names
of each entrant will be placed in a box and
drawn.
Deadline for both is March 1, 2007. Call 1-800-4928 for
additional information.
|
 Baseball
Bash 2006
WCU's annual Baseball
Bash was held July 15, 2006, 12:20 game, St. Louis Cardinals vs. LA Dodgers.
The
Tailgate party was held at the
University Missouri St. Louis - North NOSH
Building.
The air conditioned NOSH opened at 9 a.m.
265 people enjoyed a delicious meal of
grilled hamburgers, chicken patties, and
veggie burgers, pasta salad, baked beans,
potato chips, brownies and cookies for
dessert from
9:30 a.m. to
10:30
a.m. There was plenty of ice cold
lemonade and water to cool people off before
they headed to the game.
300 Tickets were sold this year. Despite the hot weather
baseball fans were able to enjoy the new
Busch Stadium!
|
 WCU Members Give Leaders a Vote of
Confidence -October
23, 2004
Quincy, IL – A
body of 84 delegates voted Saturday (Oct.
23) to retain the three National Officers
and all ten incumbent board members to the
Western Catholic Union Board of Control. One
new board member was elected.
WCU, a fraternal benefit society that sells
life insurance and annuities, was organized
in Quincy Illinois in 1877 and has retained
its corporate headquarters in the central
business district today. As a member owned,
non-profit fraternal organization, WCU’s
bylaws require its delegates to convene
every 4 years to elect its officials.
During the past 4 years, the organization
has experienced solid growth in all areas.
Its assets have doubled from $40 million in
2000 to over $82 million today. Its annual
revenue has grown from $10 million to over
$25 million and its margin of safety has
grown from $1,076,000 to $3,076,000. Its
20,000 members are primarily scattered
throughout the Midwest.
Those re-elected to represent the
organization from Quincy include full time
National Officers
Mark
A. Wiewel, National President;
Paul J.
Grawe, National Secretary; and
Kent
D. Stegeman, National Treasurer. Also
re-elected from Quincy were James R. Obert,
James F. Wilper, Roger W. Player, and Joseph
F. Grawe to serve as National Trustees on
the board.
Other board members elected were August H.
Boessen III of Westphalia, MO; David P. Hutt
of Troy, IL; Jerome A. Pelster of Union, MO;
Earle W. Ruhnke of Tucson, AZ; Sherri L.
Schaefer of Washington, MO; Henry G. Schaper
Sr. of Oakville, MO and Judy A. Howell of
Westphalia, MO.
Wiewel
graduated from Culver-Stockton College in
1979. He is licensed in life insurance and
was a part-time agent for WCU prior to being
appointed Director of Fraternal Activities
in 1988. In 1991, he was appointed National
Secretary and in 1994 he was appointed
National President. He and his wife Karen
have five children Caroline, Anthony,
Stephanie, Matthew and Mark Patrick.
Grawe
started with WCU in 1992 as Fraternal
Director. He previously sold insurance for
WCU and has completed the FICF program for
fraternal insurance agents. Paul also served
as National Treasurer from 1992-1994. Paul
and his wife Rita have three boys Eric,
Ryan, and Kyle.
Stegeman started with WCU in 1992
shortly after graduating from Quincy
University. Kent went on to receive his MBA
from QU in 2004. Kent is a licensed life
insurance agent and has completed the FICF
program for fraternal life insurance agents.
Kent served as Staff Accountant for WCU
before being appointed National Treasurer in
1994. He and his wife Selena have 2
children, Jordan and Peyton.
WCU belongs to the Illinois Fraternal
Congress and the National Fraternal Congress
of America and is open to anyone who
supports the Catholic faith.
|
 Rummage
Sale to Benefit Quanada
WCU Branch 1 St. Nicholas and
Agnes collected items for a rummage sale to
benefit Quanada on September 13, 2003. Items
were collected and priced to sell. They were
set up in the WCU Hall at 516 Maine Street
in Quincy, IL. The sale was a great success.
The weather turned out to be very nice for
an inside sale, as it rained most of the
day. The rummage sale was a great matching
fund project. They were able to present a
check to Quanada for $550, which included
the $250 match from Western Catholic Union.
Items left over were donated to Quanada,
Duker-Hall Funeral Home, Catholic Ladies of
Charity, and the Salvation Army. WCU Branch
1 St. Nicholas and Agnes collected items for
a rummage sale to benefit Quanada on
September 13, 2003. Items were collected and
priced to sell. They were set up in the WCU
Hall at 516 Maine Street in Quincy, IL. The
sale was a great success. The weather turned
out to be very nice for an inside sale, as
it rained most of the day. The rummage sale
was a great matching fund project. They were
able to present a check to Quanada for $550,
which included the $250 match from Western
Catholic Union. Items left over were donated
to Quanada, Duker-Hall Funeral Home,
Catholic Ladies of Charity, and the
Salvation Army. |
|
 ABC
Quilts
ABC quilts started in 1988
with an article published by Elisabeth
Kubler-Ross, M.D. The cause in need was
abandoned HIV/AIDS infected children and
infants. Ellen Ahlgren was so moved by the
article that Dr. Kubler-Ross published that
she decided to do something to bring comfort
to these little children. She decided to
have quilters across the country join
together to make “blankee’s” for each child.
Today there have been over 250,000 quilts
delivered to facilities in approximately 40
states, Puerto Rico, Chile, the former USSR,
and Romania. WCU has helped do it’s part
with this great volunteer project. Our
wonderful volunteers have produced more than
1,284 quilts since 1990. Just a few of our
volunteers are pictured above with their
donated quilts. From left to right are
Martha Fennewald of Westphalia, MO; Elsie
Neier of Linn, MO, and Edna Rost of
Morrison, MO. These quilts were presented to
WCU at the September 28th Cole-Osage
District Picnic. For more information on how
you can help, contact us at fraternal@wculife.org. |
|
 Afghans
for Vocation
The Gerald A. Wiewel Vocation
Scholarship of $1,000 is awarded to young
men and women who are pursuing religious
vocations. Your donation on membership into
WCU’s Afghans for Vocation Club will help
fund multiple scholarships of $1,000 to
deserving men and women. Membership fee is
the purchase of tickets for $1 each or 6 for
$5. Your name will be placed in a monthly
drawing for a year. A beautiful hand-made
afghan is given to the 1st name drawn. 2nd
will receive $10, 3rd and 4th - $5. WCU
members have donated hundreds of afghans
over the years to this worthy cause.
Pictured is Ida Schaeffer, who is one of our
members who donates beautiful afghans for
this wonderful program. For more information
on how you can help, contact us at
fraternal@wculife.org |
|
 The
Tin Dusters Come to Quincy
It was quite a scene in
Quincy during the weekend of Oct. 17/18!
Approximately 900 Street Rodders visited
Quincy. Western Catholic Union held a
spectacular welcome dinner in the WCU Hall
consisting of a hot roast beef dinner and
bowls of savory chicken/sausage gumbo. Over
200 people were served. Following the dinner
a fun-filled casino night was enjoyed by
members of the street rodders. The Historic
Quincy Business District sponsored a dance
on Maine Street. Downtown Quincy businesses
were open to shoppers. The Street Rodders
were then able to partake in a delicious
breakfast the next morning prior to their
events for the day. |
|
 The
Power of Pink
Western Catholic Union helped
celebrate The Power of Pink on Friday,
October 10, 2003. This event helps remind us
that breast cancer is not to be taken
lightly. Breast Cancer is the second leading
cause of death among women. 1.2 million
Women are diagnosed with breast cancer each
year world wide, 192,200 of which are from
America. If detected early most women have
over an 80% survival rate. The event took
place in Washington Park at 9:00am. Kent
Stegeman, National Treasurer of Western
Catholic Union, also the President of the
Historic Quincy Business District gave some
brief comments and read the State of
Illinois Proclamation. The event closed with
a ribbon cutting and a day of activities
around the district. Each woman attending
was given a pink ribbon and a pink flower in
memory of the women who have fought or are
fighting this deadly disease. |
|
 What
is an Annuity?
An annuity is a financial
product offered by an insurance company.
When you put your money into an annuity, the
insurance company pays you interest during
both the accumulation and payout periods of
your contract. All of the interest you earn
is tax-deferred. Tax deferral helps your
annuity value grow faster than a taxable
product. Please note: annuities are not life
insurance even though they are issued by
life insurance companies. All annuities are
considered to be retirement plans by the
Internal Revenue Service and are subject to
early withdrawal penalties for withdrawals
prior to age 59 1/2. View WCU's Annuity
Products |
|
 Youth
Halloween Party
Western Catholic Union’s
Quincy District hosted a Halloween party for
the youth in the area on October 25th. The
party was held at the WCU hall at 516 Maine
Street. It started with the children
parading around the hall to show off their
costumes. Each child was given McDonald’s
certificates and a treat bag. The children
participated in a game of musical chairs,
which was quite comical for the adults to
watch. Painted pumpkins, donated by Paula
Thoele, were given away in a free raffle.
The party ended with pizza from Papa Johns.
The children seemed to really enjoy
themselves as did the adults that attended. |
|
 Branch
51 Supports the Missions in the Amazon
On November 17 National
Treasurer Kent Stegeman presented checks
from the card party and home office to
Florence Grawe and Marjorie Benz for Sr.
Vivian Hoebing and Father Mike Grawe of
Amazon Missions. The checks to each were for
$191.40. Also present was National Secretary
Paul Grawe and trustee Joe Grawe, this was
one of Branch 51’s fundraisers.
|
|
 Deer
On Parade
HQBD has its second annual
Deer on Parade. This event is modeled after
the Chicago’s Cows on Parade. Western
Catholic Union has decided once again to
participate in this event. The deer is a 24”
standing deer. Our theme this year is
“Private John Deer” in honor of our troops.
Western Catholic Union has decorated the
front window with the deer and signs showing
support for our troops. The deer is painted
camouflage and given accessories similar to
that of our troops. The actual Deer on
Parade event will take place Friday,
December 5 with a Wine and Cheese Party to
introduce the creations to the public. On
December 12, the deer will be auctioned off
at a silent auction at the Granite Bank
Gallery & Washington Perk. Western Catholic
Union’s deer went for $150 last year; all
proceeds go to support the Salvation Army.
|
|
 William
H. Lakebrink Award Winners
According to a vote by the
WCU Board of Control in April of 2003,
LaSalle Council #15, Chicago, IL won the
Gold Award for 2002. Winning the Silver
Award is St. Francis Br. 269, Clover Bottom,
MO, with the Bronze Award going to St.
Joseph Br. 209, Krakow, MO (Pictured). To be
eligible for the award, branches may submit
nominations for the award. The branch
winning the Gold Award received a $300 cash
prize. Silver Award received $200 and Bronze
Award received $100. Each of the winning
branches also receive a nickel per member
bonus in their quarterly subsidy allowance.
The award is named to honor the late William
H. Lakebrink, Union, MO who developed
numerous branches in the Franklin-Warren and
Southeast Missouri Districts. |
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We're
Here Because We Care
