For members of the Order in financial need
The Gerald Poarch Member Assistance Program.
A need-based fund for California Odd Fellows and Rebekahs facing financial hardship. Confidential. Considered case by case.
For members of the Order in financial need
A need-based fund for California Odd Fellows and Rebekahs facing financial hardship. Confidential. Considered case by case.
About the program
The Gerald Poarch Member Assistance Program is available to California Odd Fellows and Rebekahs who have a financial need. It is a need-based fund, and the names of applicants are kept strictly confidential by the Board.
Most commonly, the program assists members with the necessities of life — housing and healthcare. On a case-by-case basis, the fund will consider other applications based on the level of financial need. Applications are reviewed by the appropriate committee of the Board, and decisions are made with the discretion and discretion-of-purpose that the trust placed in us by the Order demands.
Download the application form below, complete it, and return it to the Chairman of the Board (contact information in the footer of this page). All applications are treated as confidential.
The program is available to members in good standing of a California Odd Fellows lodge or California Rebekah lodge who can demonstrate financial need. Length of membership, age, and the nature of the hardship are all relevant factors. Members who are uncertain whether they qualify are encouraged to apply or to contact the Board directly — the program exists for the very purpose of helping members who do not know where else to turn.
In memory of
The program bears the name of a longtime servant of the Order, whose stewardship of the OFHC and concern for members in need shaped the fund into what it is today. By naming the program for him, the Board honors a tradition of looking out for one another that is older than the Order itself.