Hundreds of Children and Graduates Honor Mooseheart for 'Saving Their Lives'

The rededication ceremony also honored early 20th-century Moose leaders, including James J. Davis who eventually became Secretary of Labor under U.S. Presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, and later a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. 

Davis envisioned a place that served as an “insurance policy” for Moose families whose breadwinners died prematurely—which has evolved into today’s Mooseheart, which cares for children in need from all over the world.   

By 1913, Davis’ vision became a reality and Mooseheart was created. Mooseheart, located 40 miles west of Chicago, is home to more than 200 children providing a second chance at life, at no cost to residents or families. The children who come to Mooseheart represent all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds and are cared for by caregivers and teachers who provide day-today support and guidance and live in one of nearly 30 single-family homes, all within one block of each other. 

Though each child’s circumstance is unique, they share similar fear, confusion, hesitation and at times, anger.And the caregivers and teachers of Mooseheart are there to guide them in becoming happy, healthy children who grow into adulthood. 

Children come to Mooseheart under many different circumstances--some have lost one or both parents; others were living in volatile situations exposing them to drugs and violence; some are seeking asylum from war-torn countries, and others financial stability. No matter what, all Mooseheart students reside on its spacious 1,000-acre campus, and attend school at Mooseheart. 

Students benefit not only from academic programs through the accredited K-12 private school, but from Mooseheart’s Social Skills program which focuses on teaching more than 100 critical social and life skills such as tax preparation, money management, purchasing a vehicle, finding an apartment upon graduation from high school or college or more. 

As 18-year-old Nezra McCarty graduates from Mooseheart Child City and School, he is reminded of how much he has grown since he first came to the Mooseheart, Ill.-based child residential community.

By age 12, Nezra had seen more than most adults do in a lifetime: his mother was addicted to drugs; Nezra was selling peanuts on the side of the road; and his father, after throwing the family’s belongings in a bonfire during an alcohol-induced rage, left the house that night and was involved in an accident that killed two people. And that’s when Nezra came to Mooseheart and found his second chance at life.

After six years at Mooseheart, Nezra is leaving the place he calls home with a $36,000 scholarship to attend Illinois State University. 

Nezra’s story is typical of many other Mooseheart students’ stories. About the Moose Moose International is a four-nation organization of approximately 1.1 million men and women, dedicated to caring for the young and old, bringing communities closer together and celebrating life.

The Moose organization maintains approximately 1,700 Moose Centers across the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda, providing members with family-oriented social, dining and sports activities. The Moose organization’s main endeavors include Mooseheart Child City & School, a residential community and school for children whose families are unable to care for them; and Moosehaven, a Florida retirement community for senior Moose members.

Children at Mooseheart, located outside of Chicago, receive the nurturing home, spiritual development and solid education they need to reach their full potential through a variety of innovative, nationally recognized educational and family-living programs.  To learn more about Mooseheart, visit www.Mooseheart.org.  To donate to Mooseheart’s School Renovation Fund, visitwww.moosecharities.org.

Special thanks to Al Benson for this article and these photos.