News

From the desk of the Supreme Secretary
by Scott T. Pogorelec, F.I.C.
FALL IS HERE!

I hope everyone is enjoying the end of the summer months as we prepare for the fall season. Things seem to get busy as the kids go back to school and schedules really fill up quickly. This time allows us to look back at the memories of the summer and look forward to the Holiday Season. The months of September and October mark two important awareness events that are near and dear to our hearts as a Fraternal Benefit Society.

The month of September is always a good time to do a life checklist. One of those items on that checklist should be answering if you have enough life insurance coverage. September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. It is an industry wide campaign designed to educate Americans about the importance of life insurance and helping them get the coverage they need. In honor of this month, I urge all our members to examine your current life insurance and find out if you are adequately covered. Unfortunately, I can tell you that much of our membership is under insured, but we can fix that. If you have any questions and need assistance, please give me a call at the Home Office at (800) 886-7656, and we would be more than happy to assist you. Remember, life insurance coverage protects the people that are most valuable to you, your loved ones!

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer in women. The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it is found and treated early enough. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a chance to raise awareness about the importance of detecting breast cancer early.

There are many walks, runs, and activities around the country during this month to promote the awareness of this disease. There are also many charities associated with breast cancer that are looking for a donation of your time or financial assistance. I would like to urge all our members to get involved as we all know someone either in our family or circle of friends that has been affected by this disease. As a strong fraternal that has a membership that dedicates our time to helping others, I know the Slovak Catholic Sokol is up for the task!

With that in mind, I know that there are many local Assembly/ Wreath functions planned for the Fall Season. I urge all our Officers to announce the events in our publication and to follow up after the event with brief articles and photos. As I always say, it is so important to let everyone know the excellent work and volunteerism that our local lodges do!

Congratulations to all our flight winners at the recent 70th International Golf Tournament held in West Middlesex, PA at Oak Tree Golf Club. A wonderful time was had by all and the spirit of fraternalism shone brightly. Thank you to our Director of Sports and Athletics, Kathleen Watkins, and her entire staff for their efforts to make this wonderful event a success. A big congratulations to our 2025 Frank S. Petruff Award winner, Stephen Papcun, from S-036, Detroit, MI. Brother Stephen is a longtime attendee at our golf tournaments and is truly deserving of this honor. Congratulations Brother Stephen!

Until next time, enjoy the last few days of summer, Happy Labor Day to all, and may God Bless you!

Stay safe, stay strong, and
STAY POSITIVE!
Zdar Boh!