Jefferson County Unity F.O.P. Lodge #58 - Pleasant Grove, al

12/12/2025

The 2025 FOP Lodge 58 Christmas Dinner was held last night at the Bright Star. 45 active participating members qualified to attend by attending at least one meeting in 2025. I counted 40 heads at the dinner and it was awesome. Best steak I have had all year.

The attendance requirement has 2 goals.

First, its a stimulus to boost meeting attendance and Lodge participation. The bar is set really low with only one meeting being the number required. It helps with regular attendance. We have to have 3 officers and 2 at large members to be able to hold a meeting. There have been times in the past when we did not have the 2 members attend so no meeting could be held. That has not happened in a few years now. We get about 20 at any regular meeting. Each meeting is followed up with a dinner at a local restaurant for those who attended, which I am sure also helps attendance.

Second, it is a means of controlling costs. We have 88 active dues paying members at the moment. About half of them qualified for the Christmas dinner. About half who qualified attended. In years past, we have had the bill go over $4k, feeding faces we didn't recognize because they never ever participated in meetings. The ticket this year was about half of what it has been. We use a Banquet Menu with reduced prices for the event instead of the full menu with its $40 crab claw appetizers. Alcohol is available like the full menu items but those are paid by the member if they want something different.

The money...
The Lodge is doing fine. With income generated by the gun range, we finished the year with $15,987.25. I reset the account to $8500 for 2026 leaving $7487.25 that is used for the Christmas Dinner and charity. The dinner cost $2391.54 and that leaves $5095.71. We decided as a Lodge to donate that to the Birmingham Ronald McDonald House for its use. Its a very worthwhile cause.

I thank all for your participation in the Lodge this year and look forward to doing this again next year (and yes, I made a reservation for Dec 10, 2026 before I left).
Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year.
Jon Grigsby

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12/11/2025

The 2025 Lodge Christmas dinner is tonight at the Bright Star at 630. All membership who have participated in meetings this year by attending one meeting are invited. Bring a date. The menu will be the special event menu. You may order from the regular menu but the Lodge will only pick up the tab on things from the event menu. Alcoholic beverages are on you from the bar. These guidelines keep costs manageable and contribute to the size of charitable contribution we will make to the Ronald McDonald House this season. Hope to see you there,

Jon Grigsby

08/12/2025

Lodge meeting tonight at 6 pm in the classroom at the range. Come hungry. I'm picking up Uncle Sam's BBQ for dinner for all. We were going to grill steaks but that turned out to be a little more than our dinner budget could handle so the next best thing it is. And there shall be pie.

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07/08/2025

Lodge meeting July 8, 6 PM, tonight. See you there.

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07/04/2025

Next meeting is July 8th at 6 pm in the classroom on the training range. See you there.

And... Have a great 4th!

01/13/2025

Lodge meeting Tuesday January 14 at 6 pm. Dues for 2025 are due at the first meeting in January. $25 for active and associate members, $18 for retired members. Payments received after the February meeting will incur a $25 late fee. If unable to attend either meeting, mail dues payments to FOP Lodge 58, PO Bix 215, Pleasant Grove AL 35127. Call me at 205-966-2137 if you have questions or need assistance. Jon Grigsby

12/19/2024

Letter from your President, December 2024.

That is another year in the books. We made some big changes to the way our Lodge runs this year and today is proof that our efforts were productive.

This year we overhauled the Lodge’s bylaws, setting up better fiscal planning and management. Before, we just kind of winged it and it somehow worked out. We also closed 2 bank accounts and combined the Lodge’s assets in one checking and savings account, simplifying reconciliation. Our primary goal with the financial changes is to be in a better position to serve our members when in need and to be able to contribute to a worthwhile charity that supports local children at the end of the year with 100% of the unused income. After settling all bills, we were able to donate $4803.86 to our local Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.

Regular Membership dues of $25 are due at the first meeting of every year (January 14th). The new bylaws provides for a late fee of $25 if they are not paid by the end of the February meeting (February 11). Our Lifetime Members now tote the load of their $18 membership dues that the National FOP and State FOP require. If you cannot attend the meetings due to your work schedule, mail it in to the Lodge’s PO Box. The address is FOP Lodge 58, PO Box 215, Pleasant Grove AL 35127. Joe Tew will mail your card to you. Don’t wait until your car tags are due later in the year to handle it.

Regular members pay only $25 a year to be affiliated with an Alabama FOP Lodge, getting them access to National and State FOP benefits such as personalized FOP car tags, moonlighting insurance, prescription medication programs, prescription weight loss programs, low cost life insurance, a free life insurance program, and input/support for pro-FOP legislative changes at our state level.

Lodge 58 membership also gets you free use of the FOP Range Inc’s main range 4 times a year for practice prior to qualification, reduced cost membership to the FOP Range ($75 instead of $300), an invite to a meal at a local restaurant after attending any meeting, and a Christmas Dinner at the Bright Star if you attend one meeting during the year. The $7 in profit from your membership payment goes a long way here. There are no plans to increase dues.

I have enjoyed serving the Lodge as President for 28 years and look forward to the new year.

Jon Grigsby

10/20/2024

2024 Christmas Dinner Info

The 2024 FOP Lodge Christmas Dinner will be held at the Bright Star on Tuesday December 17 at 6:30 PM. All lodge members who have attended a meeting this year are invited to attend. The menu will be an abbreviated special event menu. Attendees are responsible for their adult beverages and anything ordered that is not on the event menu. Following the dinner, a donation to a worthy charity will be made in the name of the FOP Lodge 58.

In the planning for this dinner, the date of Dec 12 was set as a goal for the dinner but the 12th was not available at the restaurant.

We will hold our regular December meeting at the range on the 2nd Tuesday in December on the 10th at 6:00 PM. In years past, we merged the meeting with the dinner but that is not the plan this year. We have the matter of which charity to select for the donation prior to the dinner. See you there.

Jon Grigsby

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02/29/2024

Next meeting is March 12, 6:00 PM, FOP Range classroom. See you there.

02/04/2024

Our next meeting will be Feb 13 at 6 pm at the range classroom. Dues are late and will incur a late fee if paid later than this meeting.

There are 2 ways to pay your dues, attend a meeting and pay in person or mail a check or money order to FOP Lodge 58, PO Box 215, Pleasant Grove AL 35127. Dues are still $25 unless you are a retiree in which case they are $18.

I look forward to seeing you there, Jon Grigsby

02/04/2024

Attention all FOP members,
As most should know time is short to pay your dues. I have tried to make sure everyone knows this. The last day to pay your dues without incurring an additional $25 penalty is Feb 13, 2024. This is all members, including retirees. As I have found out in doing mail outs and bulk emails, I believe some of our members are undercover as they have a bad email and bad home address. If that is the case, please don't come with "no body told me." I have a job to do. Please don't make it any harder.

Joe Tew
Lodge 58 Sec/Tres