
Hospitality
Service
Loyalty
Protection
Fraternal History
In the beginning, powered by the principle of brotherhood and a belief that each individual has a responsibility for his fellow men and women, fraternal-type organizations developed in ancient Greece and Rome, which offered financial aid to their members in time of sickness and death. More recently the Guilds of England, which were organized as groups with common interests, formed the prototype of our fraternal benefit societies. Although several societies trace their roots back before the Civil War, the origin of the American Fraternal Benefit System is agreed to be in 1868 when the Ancient Order of United Workmen was formed in Pennsylvania. The basic principles of brotherhood, good citizenship and the values of human dignity combined with an insurance plan attracted thousands of members to the numerous fraternals chartered during the late 1800's.
Today America's fraternal benefit societies represent one of the nation's largest and most effective volunteer networks. In thousands of communities across the U.S., members finance, organize, and deliver a wide variety of social services to those in need. Fraternal benefit societies also help secure their members' financial futures by offering them an array of financial services, including life insurance and annuities.
Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association carries with it a rich history and noble beginnings in and of its own.