Ottawa, Kan.
Modern Woodmen member since 1993

Natalie and Bill, members from Kansas, first met Modern Woodmen representative Dale Pearson, Ottawa, through a Modern Woodmen fundraiser to benefit the Ottawa Suzuki Strings, an ensemble of young musicians to which two of the Roberts’ kids belong.

“When Dale presented the check to our group and talked about Modern Woodmen, I was really impressed,” Natalie recalls. “The organization seemed to be concerned about their members and providing a good product.”

Natalie was a substitute teacher until later in her career life when she took a job with an accountant. Before that she stayed home to raise her kids, Lydia, Matthew, Ryan and Brianne, until they reached school age. While she wouldn’t trade those years for anything, she regrets not having put money toward her retirement.

“I basically didn’t work outside the home for a decade, so I didn’t have a paycheck for that period of time,” explains Natalie. “When I substitute taught, I had no opportunity for retirement. So here I was 44 years old with a new job and no retirement funds. I kept thinking, ‘I’m behind. I’m behind.’”

That’s when she turned to Dale for financial advice. Dale helped Natalie discover how her current employer and Modern Woodmen products could help her catch up to her retirement goals.

A sigh of relief
That first fundraising project for the Ottawa Suzuki Strings is not the only experience the Roberts family has had with Modern Woodmen fraternalism. In 2003, daughter Lydia won an $8,000 Modern Woodmen scholarship.

When Dale first met with Natalie he explained the many fraternal benefits her family would have access to just for being members. The Fraternal College Scholarship Program peaked Natalie’s interest immediately. With only six years between her oldest and youngest and dreams of graduate school for at least two of them, Natalie could see the education dollar signs mounting.

“Coming down the pike, we’re going to have four kids in college at the same time. We’re going to be poor for years to come,” Natalie says with a laugh.

She’s only half kidding. Without the scholarships she received, Lydia’s first year at Kansas State University would have cost over $9,000 for tuition and housing. Multiply that by four to six years, four kids and inflation. The total will be considerably higher if someone chooses a private or out-of-state school.

“When Lydia got that scholarship we were ecstatic,” says Natalie. “She worked so hard throughout school. It was like Modern Woodmen recognized all her hard work and rewarded her for it. We were very thankful for that.”