About Us

We are members of the International Moose Fraternity and as such, we all have our unique stories of how we became members. We come from all walks of life and all ages. Our ranks include the construction worker, the retiree, the business owner, the ex-service member, the politician, the homemaker, the hardware store employee, the tech guy who fixes your computer, and many others. 

We all joined for different reasons some joined because they wanted to help others, and some joined for purely the social aspects of our fraternity. Nevertheless, for what ever the reason, when we joined we all took an oath to uphold the traditions and ideals that were set in motion in 1888 when Moose International was created. 

Our Moose Fraternity supports many different deserving charitable organizations and individuals through our philanthropic volunteering and donations, but our most important charities are Mooseheart and Moosehaven. 

Mooseheart is a “child city” which was founded in 1913 as a place dedicated to providing a home for children in need. It is located 40 miles west of Chicago on a 1000-acre campus. It provides a place where kids can go and stay in a safe, secure, and nurturing environment while receiving a top-notch education. The school is home to kids of all ages from infancy to high school. Mooseheart takes in kids that have lost parents and others in just unhealthy environments.

We also support Moosehaven the "City of Contentment,” on the shore of the broad St. Johns River in Orange Park, FL, 15 miles south of metropolitan Jacksonville. It has provided thousands of Moose members and their spouses with a secure, relaxed, and enjoyable retirement experience. 

Although our origin was in Centreville, VA, we are proud residents of the City of Fairfax.  As of July 1, 2021 all Loyal Order of the Moose Lodges have converted to being One Moose. This means that our membership is no longer exclusively for men.  All members of our Women of the Moose (WOTM) organization automatically became full voting members of the Loyal Order of the Moose. We are excited about this change and are looking forward to the dynamic civic leadership that all members can offer to the organization.

You may have heard the saying, “A burden heavy to one is borne lightly by many.” This is at the core of the Moose organization and what makes us unique in our Lodges, local communities and charitable “cities” that we support. 

In addition to Mooseheart and Moosehaven, the Moose fraternity’s Heart of the Community effort is multifaceted with internally developed programs like Tommy Moose. Tommy Moose aids in helping children overcome fears and anxiety during times of stress. Donated to law enforcement, fire fighters and other emergency workers, Tommy Moose plush dolls are presented to children in various traumatic situations. The external focus of our service is directed towards many worthwhile national charities, a few of which are: Salvation Army, Safe Surfin’USA Foundation, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and St. Jude. Locally we have provided donated food to the Lamb Center, the Van Dyke Blessing box, and some selected shelters such as Robinson House in the area. Other charities we support are the K9s for Warriors, VetsHouse, Challenger Softball (intellectually disabled children), and we host Appalachian Highlands Honor Flights for dinner and lunch when their vets come to visit Washington DC war memorials.

With all we do for others, we work just as hard to make our members happy too! We regularly hold dinners, shrimp feasts, chili cook-offs, Texas Hold’em poker games, pool, cornhole and shuffleboard competitions, Lazy Moose Competitions, kid’s parties, and holiday parties. We are always looking for ways to keep our membership entertained and involved in the community such as soda can pull tab collections for Ronald McDonald Charities, food & clothing donations to Lamb Center, Robinson House, Salvation Army and Girl Scout Blessing Box, movie nights, eye glass collections for the Lions Club, and numerous other activities. 

So who are we?  We are Moose members (over 1 million men and women strong) who believe in our fraternity, in its usefulness, in its influences and its accomplishments, to help our cherished youth and honored seniors.

For more information on Moose International, please visit www.mooseintl.org.  To see whom our lodge has been helping in the local community please visit “Our Impact” on this website..