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nology, followed Catanzara’s lead by stepping up to the micro- phone to talk about a member struggling with mental health is- sues who had reached out to her. She wanted to share her story because she knows the current way of the Lodge makes it OK to make things personal.
“The FOP has a lot going on for members, their benefits and their well-being,” Crump commented. “I encourage them to get more involved so they can know what’s going on right now and try to improve the Department for future officers.”
The general meeting has certainly become a venue for mem- bers to express how they feel about anything. When the discus- sion turned to how the Lodge has worked to get coverage for officers who have had to be out with COVID, 14th District Unit Rep Marianne Horan Dawson spoke up with intense volume about how she wants reimbursement for her lost time and ex- penses when she contracted the virus.
“If you’ve got beefs or questions, this is a great place to be,” stated Horan Dawson, who has been on for 22 years. “I really feel bad, because I didn’t get involved with this in the beginning and I should have a long time ago.”
The attraction of the meeting, the understanding of how being there can become addictive, enveloped Officer Esli Kil- ponen. She attended her first meeting in March, having become a watch rep recently.
Kilponen stayed until the final words were spoken at this meeting. And it wasn’t because of the pizza served afterward for those who endured the two-and-a-half hours of this meeting.
“If I left early, I would have worried if I missed something,” she declared. “It was very energetic. It was very interactive. It was very helpful. I have a long way to go on this job, so I want to be a bigger part of it. And this is the start.”
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40 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ APRIL 2021