Let’s take a glance at how the AOH has served our fellow Americans.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) has given back to the American people in a number of ways over the years through various levels of the order and has contributed to making the United States a better place to live.
The Hibernian Hunger Project
The Great Hunger that took place in Ireland from 1845 to 1849 changed the face of the Emerald Isle forever. During this period, over one million Irish men, women, and children died from starvation. At the same time, many emigrated to Britain, Canada, and the United States in the hope of escaping this horrific tragedy that had befallen their native land.
In remembrance of this dark period in Irish history, in 2003 the AOH National President Ned McGinley and the National Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians established the Hibernian Hunger Project as a means to honor those who had died during the Great Hunger; to educate Irish America and beyond about the an Gorta Mór; to help with the hunger problem in the US and to show the generosity of the AOH membership.
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The first AOH National Hunger Project took place in March 2003, and Divisions enthusiastically responded to this call to action and resoundingly demonstrated the generosity of the AOH. It is in this spirit that today, 22 years later, many Hibernians volunteer throughout the year at soup kitchens, food pantries, and in other ways to give back to their community.
Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic that engulfed our country and the world drastically changed the economic lives of many. During that time, many groups reached out to help, including the AOH. Many divisions were among the first to step up to the plate by initiating food drives, donating money and food to local food pantries and shelters to help their fellow citizens during these challenging and urgent times of need, and still continue to do so today.
The AOH National Board, in an effort to encourage divisions to help the less fortunate in their community, stepped up with their Hibernian Hunger Grants. Over the past four-plus years, nearly $50,000 has been distributed to help AOH divisions in this endeavor. From reports generated over this period, the AOH has documented that divisions have fed well over 2.5 million people, a truly remarkable achievement!
Spotlight on local AOH Divisions
Chicago, Division 32, works closely with the Soup Kitchens at St. Mary of the Lake in the uptown area of Chicago. This is a weekly event where Division 32 supplies not only volunteers to set up, serve the food, and take down the table. They also provide funds to purchase the food that is served. Many of the brothers and their families contribute time and money to this worthy cause.
Friendship, another of the AOH’s driving tenets, is demonstrated by Chicago Div. 32 when they volunteer at Misericordia Home, which is for people with mild to profound development disabilities.
Division 2 in Cornwall, New York, provides a monthly breakfast for senior citizens. Other donations of time and money go to local organizations like fire departments. They work with local hospitals to provide toys for children while also giving them to local food banks.
Division 32 in Carnegie, PA, uses its annual Christmas Party as an opportunity to collect diapers for the local Genesis House, a maternity care facility for pregnant women in need of shelter. Div 32 also supports Light of Life Mission, which provides food for over 3100 people during the year.
Division 1, South Hills, Pittsburgh, PA, contributes to the local Food Bank and to local TV KDKA Turkey Fund annually. One of its members works with a number of community food security groups, donating around 200 hours of his time to these community groups. Other donations go to Light of Life Mission and the Red Door at St. Mary’s in downtown Pittsburgh
AOH Scholarship Grants
Realizing that education is the key to success, many AOH State and County Boards, and Divisions have established scholarships at high school, college, and study abroad levels in an effort to help their communities and their members.
Nationally, in an effort to help young Americans appreciate their Irish culture and to learn about their ancestral homeland, the National Board of the AOH established an Irish Way Program Scholarship. The summer study-abroad program has educated over 4,000 American high school students in the last 50 years and is supervised by the Irish American Cultural Institute.
The AOH National Board also supports study abroad scholarships for those who attend an accredited college or university in the United States and who have been accepted at an accredited college/university in Ireland.
When we consider all these scholarships collectively, conservatively, it can be estimated over the past 40 years that the AOH on the National, State, and County, and Division levels has given out millions of dollars in scholarships to well-deserving students.
In reality, the AOH is not just a one-day or one-month organization, but a 365-day organization that gives back on many levels in a variety of ways to the communities where they live. The motto of the AOH is “Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity.” It is a motto that this great organization and its members live by every day!
Interested in being part of America’s oldest Irish Catholic organization? Click here to learn more about how you can join your local Ancient Order of Hibernians. You can also keep up to date with them on Facebook.
