“What the heck is a Clamper?” you may be asking. And what is an organization like this doing in Helper, UT helping out with a sub for Santa program?
The E Clampus Vitus organization dates back to the early 1800s and is rumored to have members of stature like Ulysses S. Grant, J. Pierpont Morgan, and even Ronald Reagan.
Whether you choose to believe that is entirely up to you, but in their heyday they did a lot to help the widows and orphans of dead coal miners.
The brotherhood was formed by men who thought organizations like the Odd Fellows and Masons were way too stuffy, and the requirements to join too arduous. As far as the ECV is concerned, all members are officers and as such are “all of equal indignity.”
New members, referred to as “Poor Blind Candidates,” could present a “poke of dust,” valued at the discretion of the brotherhood to join, and it wasn’t uncommon for the fee to be waived if the man could not afford it.
The organization got its start in Helper in 1985 when larry Wright moved in from San Jose, CA. He was wanting to start a charter organization here that began the process in 1979 and ended in 1987 when it was granted.
In the ensuing years the group has raised funds and purchased plaques as well as written the information concerning 44 different historic settings in Carbon and Emery County. They will install a new plaque on Soldier Summit next year.
When they have enough information they will even publish a book to go along with the plaque. The group has published one or two books a year since 1990.
The group started their sub for santa program in 1985 where they purchased and donated a $50 gift certificate to one family that year. This year they will spend over $10,000 on 34 families and 95 kids.
“We are helping families in need and if you want to know the truth of it, this is the main reason I joined the Clampers,” said new member Mike Sartori. “I just like helping kids.”
Clampers contribute to community
Clampers