Let’s talk about eagles. Not the bird nor the band, but the Fraternal Order of Eagles club. To be exact, the Penobscot Eagles Aerie 3177, commonly known as the Brewer Eagles.

After attending their annual meeting to accept a generous donation to the Eastern Agency on Aging, I was so impressed by the organization that I was eager to learn more about it.

Founded more than a century ago by six theater owners in Seattle, Wash., the FOE was originally dubbed The Order of Good Things. The eagle emblem was soon adopted and the name was changed.

The concept of brotherhood and fighting for social change spread rapidly. Chapters, known as aeries, sprang up around the country. Their slogan, “People Helping People,” was more than mere words.

The Workers’ Compensation Act, mothers’ and old age pensions, Social Security laws and age discrimination are but a few of the battles fought and won by the FOE. Experts at fund raising through various events, the Eagles – nationally along with the local aeries – donate untold thousands of dollars to charity each year.

Sixty years and 3,000 miles later, the organization made its way to Brewer and the Penobscot Eagles Club was formed. The women’s auxiliary followed suit a year later.

While the mission of the FOE is helping others, members are no strangers to fun.

“Seniors are here a lot” at the Eagles building in Brewer, said Barbara Witham, a 21-year member and auxiliary secretary. “Some come every day to play cards, and we have a woman in her 80s who sings karaoke with us twice a week. At least a third of the auxiliary members are seniors.”

And then there is bingo, one of the organization’s largest fund-raisers. Eighty percent of the players are seniors, said Larry Dawson, secretary of the Brewer Eagles.

“Some play religiously,” he said. “One of our biggest nights is Thanksgiving. They aren’t cooking for families anymore.”

But a couple of seniors do more than play. Chris Ruby, 83, calls the game and has done so for 20 years.

“I’m their Number 1 call girl,” she said with a chuckle. Ruby receives a little help from her friends because she is legally blind. Someone whispers the number to her when it comes up, she said, or she “just gets real close to the screen.”

With bingo twice a week, calling the games gives her “something to do.

“And I like to do it, but my favorite part of the Eagles club is the charity of it,” she added. “They do a lot for people. I just feel that’s what the club is about.”

But Ruby has found her “calling” with bingo.

“I’m considered a good caller. The men like to think they are, but I put them in their place,” she said with a laugh.

Along with helping the community at large, the Eagles also take care of their own.

“If a member gets killed in the line of duty – on their job, the Eagles Memorial Foundation will pay for their children’s college education,” said Witham.

Becoming an Eagle requires sponsorship of two current members. Dues are $30 for men and $15 for women annually. “We pay less because we don’t have overhead,” quipped Witham. And all of the money raised by the auxiliary is given to charity, she added.

“I love this place. I have met my best friends here,” Witham said. “It’s a good feeling to sit back and know you’ve helped someone. And I have fun here. I spend a lot of time here in the office and see every kind of person, from businessmen to laborers. They sit together as friends, socialize and dig in their pockets for charity.”

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA programs and services, call the resource and referral department at 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.