Members come from Tipp City, Troy, Piqua, Union, New Carlisle, Huber Heights, Dayton and other nearby towns. They range from college-age to some in their 90s, said Nancy Loudin of New Carlisle, Worthy Matron of the chapter.
Men who are Masons also can be members. Women members must have some affiliation with a Mason, either in their family lineage or marriage.
All religions are welcome and the only criteria is that “you have to have a belief in a supreme being,” said member Dixie Lee Wyan of Piqua. She has dual membership in the New Bradford and Tipp City chapters.
“We’re all sisters,” she said.
“They’re family, someone who’ll be there for each other,” said member Carol Eshelman.
When her church pastor recently asked the congregation “Where else can you go where you know you’ll have brothers and sisters be there for you?” She wanted to raise her hand and shout, “I know, I know,” she said.
“Anywhere there’s an Eastern Star, you’ll find a sister,” Wyan said.
The Tippecanoe chapter often eats together. They have a covered dish dinner before their second meeting each month and have shared lunch at least four times a year for the last 15 years, an outing organized by member Carol Monroe.
“There’s a lot of eating involved with this chapter,” Wyan said.
“There’s a standing joke that OES (The Order of the Eastern Star) stands for The Order of the Eating Sisters,” said member Dee Gillis, mayor of Tipp City.
Some older members can’t make it to meetings, but they attend card parties and domino playing nights, Gillis said.
While they have their share of fun being together, their main goal is doing charitable works, doing for others, Gillis said.
Loudin said they use the money they earn from cooking lunch for the Rotary Club every Wednesday for charitable work. The money helps reduce their grand chapter dues and supports the Ohio Eastern Star Home and the Ohio Masonic Home for elderly members. They donate to the Crippled Children’s Fund, Estarl (scholarships for religious leader training, which includes social work as well as the ministry), and local groups in Tipp City, like Hospice, the Tipp Monroe Community Services, and student scholarships.
“The Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world to which both men and women can belong,” Wyan said. “These are such special people. They are your sisters and brothers, your mothers, sometimes more than your family. Our joy comes from helping someone else. It’s special.”
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