Odd Fellowship is a benevolent society with a history that dates back to the seventeenth century and earlier. Odd Fellowship paralleled Freemasonry in the foundation of the United States and Texas, her ranks being drawn more from the working men and artisans. While dress and deportment are similar, Odd Fellowship is more practical in its purpose as well as being more overtly charitable. In its heyday, Odd Fellowship provided its members with benefits including rent relief during unemployment and retirement housing. The first public cemeteries were owned and operated by Odd Fellows under the proclaimed directive "to bury the Dead." The other directive, " to educate the Orphan, " spurred the foundation of a network of orphanages that spanned the country. A number of notable figures have been Odd Fellows including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, William Marsh Rice, and Jesse Jones. Unfortunately, with the increasing reliance on insurance and social security, Odd Fellowship went the way of many fraternal organizations, declining and even ceasing to exist as the twentieth century drew to a close. Heights #225 is committed to reviving and upholding the principles of Odd Fellowship with the long term goal of providing its members with some of the same kinds of benefits as years past. We are actively looking for opportunities to give back to the community. We have been assisting the Descendants of Olivewood in working to restore the Texas Historical Cemetery, Olivewood Cemetery, located in Houston's First Ward. We have also been volunteering for shifts at the Houston Food Bank. These are ongoing volunteer projects and as our membership expands, we hope to do more.
