Harrison Moose Lodge Earns Awards at State Conference

5185 N Clare Ave
Harrison, MI 48625

There are 84 Moose Lodges in Michigan, all of them part of the Loyal Order of Moose, an organization that serves its members and their communities. The Harrison Moose Family Center is one of the largest in terms of membership, the activities it sponsors and the activities it supports. At the Michigan Moose Association Annual Convention held Aug. 15-18 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the Harrison Lodge received a record several awards, including being named Michigan Lodge of the Year. The lodge also received the Eddie Dalsasso Cup, an award created in 1998 to recognize Administrator performance as well as Lodge based quantifiable factors such as membership growth, financial strength, volunteer support, charitable donations, and event sponsorships.

Harrison Lodge members were also recognized for making the most contributions to Moose charities, including Mooseheart, a residential childcare facility in Illinois and Moosehaven, a retirement community in Florida. Moose International recognizes Community Service a Lodge does statewide and locally.

“It’s a great feeling to walk away with so many awards and certificates of achievement, including being recognized as the top lodge in the state for 2018/2019 by our peers,” said Harrison Lodge Administrator Jim Sage who was named the state’s Moose Member of the Year and Administrator of the Year at the convention. “We are especially proud of the Dalsasso Cup given that Ed Dalsasso was a founding member of the Harrison Lodge and the Lodge had never before earned the cup named after him. Our members and our community should be proud of our all volunteer staff, I know I am.”

“We don’t go to these events looking for awards and we certainly don’t run our Lodge with a eye on winning them, but it’s great to see our efforts pay off and to know that others see it too,” said Bill Murray, who serves as lodge governor was one of those who attended the convention or hear the applause when our treasurer Dan McLearen was voted the state’s Deputy Supreme Commander.”

While both Sage and Murray have attended state conventions in the past, this was Harrison Moose Senior Regent Donna Merritt, first time at the convention, an event that draws over 500 people from across the state. “It was wonderful to hear our Lodge named again and again during the award ceremony,” she said. “I always knew I was part of a special group of people and a special organization, but these awards are even more evidence of what the men and women of Harrison Moose accomplished in the last year. I’m hoping for a repeat performance at the next convention,” she added with a smile.

The Moose is about celebrating life together, serving those in need within our local community, supporting our children at Mooseheart and standing by its senior members at Moosehaven. With a combined membership of more than 1 million members, the Moose presence is felt in more than 1,500 communities across all 50 states and four Canadian provinces, plus Great Britain and Bermuda. The Moose organization contributes between $75 million to $100 million worth of community service (including monetary donations, volunteer hours worked and miles driven) annually. In a local lodge, one will find a wide array of activities to participate in both as an individual and as a family, including holiday parties, dances, sports, food and drink, themed dinners and live entertainment.