WHAT WE DO

Social Activities

One of the primary purposes of IOOF is to develop life-lasting friendships among people. In connection to this, many lodges also organize social activities where members can enjoy each other’s company. An ideal lodge is a place for fellowship in all its forms – from meetings, to Initiation ceremonies, to dinners, to hanging out and just having fun, to discussion and collaboration on creative and constructive projects, all with an eye not only on our own satisfaction but on what we might offer to the community at large. We aim to be a good venue for a lot of positive energy and all members are encouraged to contribute their ideas in harmony.

Philanthropic Projects

The first lodges were first set up to protect and care for their members and communities at a time when there was still no welfare state, trade unions or national health insurance. The aim was and still is to provide help to people and communities in times of need. The Odd Fellows are also large fundraisers for local, national and international charities.

Today, the highlights of the fraternal organization’s Philanthropic works include:

• Educational Foundation provides low-interest student loans and scholarships.
• Living Legacy Program focuses on planting trees and enhancing the environment.
• Arthritis Advisory Board works in donating over $500,000 annually to support research by the Arthritis Foundation (USA) and Arthritis Society (Canada).
• Visual Research Foundation endowed $2.5 million and continues to donate over $500,000 annually to support vision care and research through the Wilmer Eye Institute.
• Pilgrimage for Youth sponsors a group of high school students for an educational trip in the U.S. and Canada.
• SOS Children’s Village provides a caring home for orphaned children in 132 countries around the world.
• Annual Patriotic Pilgrimages to the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, USA, Canadian War Memorial and others.
• Odd Fellow and Rebekah Homes provide a caring environment for the elderly.
• Odd Fellow and Rebekah camps and parks provide recreation for the youth and families.
• Each Lodge is also involved in various local or national community projects.

WHAT WE OFFER

A Philosophy for Life

We are a diverse group of people who want to make a difference in our communities and the world by turning the lessons taught in our Initiation and Degrees into direct action. 

The degrees of initiation in our fraternity seek to improve and elevate the character of members by imparting moral principles exemplified through story, drama and symbols which we adapted from the Medieval Trade Guilds.

Our lessons aim to promote the lesson of tolerance which results to harmony and understanding between people from different walks of life. We endeavor to bridge the gap of differences and serve as venue where acquaintances and even enemies can become true friends using the purest and practical form of fraternity. We are simply about promoting the culture of caring and sharing, of not leaving each other behind, of thinking beyond self, and of helping others in need. The command of IOOF is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.”

The Original “Social Network”

The Lodge provides a place to foster new friendships with people you can depend on. The structure provides a way to learn valuable skills that carry over into all areas of life and the flexibility makes each Lodge have its own unique culture. Members also enjoy an international social network of many thousands that extends to more than 30 countries worldwide. If traveling is an interest, membership can provide a valuable network that will very much welcome an international visitor, and assist in their enterprises, and certainly their travels wherever possible. Members can attend a meeting at any IOOF Lodge in the world.