News and Updates

The village of Chagrin Falls is famous for its picturesque downtown waterfall and iconic local shops. But tucked nearby, another neighborhood staple is helping the community thrive. The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 2436 has stood on South Main Street for 80 years. But treasurer Bill Street says the history of the building goes back even further. "This used to be a coal dump. There used to be a big railroad trestle behind us. The train would come up, drop the coal through the chutes, into the trucks."

Over time, the century-old structure began showing its age, requiring major repairs and ongoing upkeep. "I mean, we used to flood here every time we had a really big rain."

Bar manager Bev McCleery says that turned around when the chapter introduced electronic pull tabs, giving them the funds needed to fix critical infrastructure. "We finally had the money to dig all that up out there and put bigger drain pipes in."

Revenue generated through charitable gaming funded other essential upgrades across the facility. "We actually put a new parking lot in. We have a new roof put on. We refurbished this whole dining area."

They also created an outdoor space that draws crowds for live music on weekends. "This has helped our club so much. I'm not sure we would be in business without it."

Beyond building upgrades, charitable gaming proceeds have allowed Eagles 2436 to maximize its impact across the community. "The amount of money that we paid out last year - just last year alone - is over $350,000."

That funding is channeled directly into several local causes and organizations. "We do Meals on Wheels. We do Rescue Village. We do a veterans organization, Veterans and Friends. We do Jog a Blue Coat, which is a police organization. We do the Chagrin Valley JCs, and we also donate to Women's Safe. We try to hit a little bit of everything - the elderly, the police, the fire... so we try to get a little bit of everybody that we could donate to, to make their organizations better."

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is built on people helping people, and this chapter isn't slowing down anytime soon. "Now everybody knows us as giving back to the community, which is... that's saying something."