I am very new to Odd Fellowship, having only applied in 2023, and am honored to have been elected to be incoming Noble Grand of Mountain View, Lodge #244. Both of my adult children have been Odd Fellows for many years and I supported them at their lodge events long before joining. What inspired me to join was the great heartedness of this group and their generous, selfless, long-term dedication not only to each other but to the larger community. Since serving as Vice Grand, Trustee, and head of the Fellowship Committee last year, I have many times needed to ask people to support me with tasks that are not only time consuming but potentially tedious. Many lodge members have made time and given me good advice on how to make things work better in Odd Fellows.
In this, Mountain View’s 150th year as a lodge, I think our incoming leaders represent Odd Fellows very well. My Vice Grand, Conductor, and Outside Guardian are even younger to Odd Fellowship than I am. We range in age from late teens to late eighties and cherish a range that includes new members through those who have been Odd Fellows for over 50 years. We welcome folks who are LGBTPIA+ and straight, physically-challenged and currently-wellbodied, neurodiverse and cognitive normals. We are artists, teachers, students, technical professionals, historians, retired folks, and even a jail chaplain (me!). I think our lodge’s superpowers are our diversity and big hearts. This year will be fun, inspiring, and an opportunity to learn about and do more for my community.
— by Katy Dickinson
