Modern Woodmen of America

Headquarters along the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Illinois

Modern Woodmen of America is the third-largest (based on assets) fraternal benefit society, with more than 760,000 members. Total assets passed US $11 billion in 2011. Though having had the same founder, it is not affiliated with the society, Woodmen of the World.

Financial standing/Rating

A.M. Best rates Modern Woodmen’s financial stability, security and management performance as A+ (Superior), the second highest of 15 ratings. The rating is based on a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the organization’s balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile. Insurers in the superior category are considered to have a superior ability to meet their ongoing obligations.

Modern Woodmen follows a conservative investment approach, holding more than 80% of its portfolio in corporate and government bonds. Currently, Modern Woodmen holds $112.51 for every $100 in liabilities.

Fraternalism

Membership dues receipt circa 1923

Modern Woodmen is a tax-exempt fraternal benefit society. The membership organization sells life insurance, annuity and investment products not to benefit stockholders but to improve the quality of life of its stakeholders – members, their families and their communities. They accomplish this through social, charitable and volunteer activities.

As a fraternal organization, the society is organized around a lodge system, called chapters. Camps offer fellowship and community service opportunities for members. Modern Woodmen members are part of more than 2,600 chapters nationwide and more than 900 youth service clubs.

Modern Woodmen members across the United States participate in Join Hands Day and Make a Difference Day, which are national days of service; camps and youth clubs also participate in frequent family oriented activities, volunteer and social projects throughout the year. The organization’s Matching Fund Program matches money raised by individual chapters for community members or local organizations in need.

Modern Woodmen’s fraternal expenditures for member benefits and community programs totaled more than $26 million in 2011. These programs included disaster relief, college scholarships, tree planting, testing kits, member discounts and educational programs.

Products

Modern Woodmen and its subsidiaries provide life insurance plus annuity, investment and banking products to the family market. Life insurance in force totaled over $34.2 billion in 2011. Modern Woodmen has two wholly owned subsidiaries: MWA Financial Services Inc., founded in 2001 to distribute investment products to Modern Woodmen members, and MWABank, founded in 2003 to offer checking, savings, and loan services as a direct bank.

History

Modern Woodmen of America was founded by Joseph Cullen Root on January 5, 1883. He had operated a number of businesses, including a mercantile establishment, a grain elevator, and two flour mills, sold insurance and real estate, taught bookkeeping classes, managed a lecture bureau, and practiced law. Root was a member of several fraternal societies through the years. He wanted to create an organization that would protect families following the death of a breadwinner.

During a Sunday sermon in Lyons, Iowa, Root heard the pastor tell a parable about the good that came from woodmen clearing away the forest to build homes, communities, and security for their families. He adopted the term Woodmen. To complete the name, "Modern" reflected the need to stay current and change with the times. "Of America" was added to symbolize patriotism.

Root visualized a society that was not limited to a certain religion, although membership was first restricted to rural Midwestern white men between the ages of 18 and 45. Certain professions were not allowed to join because of the danger present in their profession.

In 1884, the head office was organized in Fulton, Illinois. The first death claim of $698.58 was paid the same year.

Modern Woodmen moved its home office to Rock Island, Illinois, in 1897. In 1898 Modern Woodmen officially opened its Home Office at 1504 3rd Avenue. In 1967 Modern Woodmen opened a new facility to accommodate its rapid growth which is located at 1701 1st Avenue.

Drill teams

One of the most visible elements of the organization was its drill teams. These groups came to be known as Modern Woodmen Foresters and became well known in America. The first drill team was organized in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1893; these groups became nationally known for events held from 1890 to the late 1930s. The Foresters were even honored by Herbert Hoover at the White House. “Rainbow Parades” were hosted by cities across the United States and included 10,000 units of Foresters, with more than 160,000 men participating. Each group was differentiated by a different style and color of uniform. The last known “Rainbow Parade” was held in Chicago, on Michigan Boulevard, and halted traffic for more than two hours while thousands of spectators viewed the scene.

Sanatorium

During the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic of the early 1900s, Modern Woodmen opened a 1,000-acre (4.0 km²) facility in Colorado Springs in 1907. The facility cost $1.5 million to create and was named one of the most outstanding institutions for the treatment of tuberculosis by the American College of Surgeons. From 1909 to 1947, the sanatorium provided free treatment to more than 12,000 members. It offered board, lodging, treatment, medicine, dental work and laundering, all at no expense to the patient.

Tuberculosis was the leading cause of death among Modern Woodmen members when the society opened the Modern Woodmen Tuberculosis Sanatorium. Following World War II, antibiotics became available, and TB declined in the United States. The facility closed in 1947, when TB ranked as the eighth in causes of death.

External links

• [4]
• [5]
• Modern Woodmen of America
• Modern Woodmen Bank