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About WOTM
Established in 1913, the Women of the Moose is a unit of Moose International, Inc. We are a private organization open only to our members and their qualified quests. Membership is by invitation only. Women, over the age of twenty-one, who are interested in joining, can make application for membership into any one of over 1600 local Chapters throughout the United States and Canada.
The Women of the Moose provides social, sports, family and community service opportunities in a fraternal setting. Members of the Women of the Moose dedicate many volunteer hours to those in need, not only in their own Chapter and Lodges, but more importantly, to those in the community.
Other programs which are proudly supported by the Women of the Moose include Scouting, drug awareness, crime prevention, adopt a highway, adopt a park, youth and adult sports leagues, scholarship programs, toys for needy children, feeding the hungry and disaster relief efforts. The Women of the Moose also provide assistance to countless national charities such as MDA, Arthritis Foundation, American Cancer and Heart Associations and veterans’ organizations to name just a few.
The two main objectives of the Women of the Moose are Mooseheart and Moosehaven. The maintenance and financial support of these two communities comes almost solely from the men and women of the Moose Fraternity.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE WOTM
The Women of the Moose, with roughly 500,000 members in 1,800 member Chapters, comprise the female component of the Moose organization and have greatly contributed to the successes of Mooseheart and Moosehaven through the sponsorship of many projects.
Part of the per-capita tax remitted by Chapters to the Women of the Moose office each quarter is earmarked to finance the operation of the Health Department at Mooseheart. This means the Women of the Moose is helping to maintain the hospital and staff responsible for the excellent care given to the boys and girls at Mooseheart. The health center is well-equipped and incorporates complete dental care and orthodontia, provided by licensed consulting professionals. Complete eye care is also furnished, and corrective lenses are provided to students who require them.
A portion of the scholarships for Mooseheart graduates is provided by the Women of the Moose for many years. Since 1949, a special sponsor's music scholarship for four years of training in a music school has been available.
A nurse's scholarship fund is available for Mooseheart students who desire to enter hospital training schools. This fund is provided by voluntary contributions from the hospital committees in the Chapters; it has aided thousands of students in obtaining training in nursing.
Supplying the libraries at Mooseheart with books and other materials originated in 1928 and has continued ever since. This is a project of the library chairman and her committee. Countless books also get donated to libraries in the respective communities of the Chapters.
One of the big projects each year is the holding of "Christmas in October" parties. Every Chapter collects gifts for the children at Mooseheart and for the elderly at Moosehaven. It is the generous outpouring of gifts and money from the Chapter co-workers that makes it possible for the children and elderly to have a joyous holiday season.
The Women of the Moose have been responsible for many improvements at Moosehaven. Most recently in the 1990s, the Women of the Moose have funded extensive renovations of Academy Hall (of which they originally funded construction in 1965) and of Cluster Hall (now renamed for Grand Chancellor Emeritus Vivian Borom).
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