MOOSEHEART, IL - Every traveler to the rural northeast wants to see a moose in their native habitat.

This August, the boys and family teachers from Mooseheart's New England Home got that wish granted many times over, although the Moose they saw all had two legs. But these Moose also came equipped with pairs of arms ready to offer hugs and hearts as big as the wilderness in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, the three states visited by nine boys and their three family teachers.

"I'd like to tell them 'thank you and I can't wait for next year,'" Mooseheart eighth-grader Paul Thomas said. "I had a blast."

The excitement started on Aug. 5 from the moment the Mooseheart visitors headed into the terminal at the Manchester, NH airport, the start of a week-long adventure to see the sights but also to get to meet the men and women who help make life at Mooseheart possible.

"We thought there would just be someone to pick us up," Family Teacher Philip Johnson said. "There were 30-40 people there, cheering and yelling for Mooseheart. It was very exciting."

Judy Davis, of Portsmouth, NH Chapter 1149, said she told Family Teacher Jilan Alderman she was worried the New England Home boys had been scared by such a raucous welcome.

"She said 'you did but in a good way,'" Davis said. "I was so happy so many of our Moose members made the effort to come to see them when they arrived."

Davis, who is also a member of the Grand Council, rearranged her work schedule to help accompany the tourists on their trip. She said many others did things both small and large to ensure that the New England Home had an enjoyable week on their vacation.

The trip started in New Hampshire. From there, the travelers moved north to Maine, came back through New Hampshire and finished in Vermont. They either visited or saw members from 10 different Lodges.

"The members thoroughly enjoyed this," Davis said. "This was something that you can't imagine. The members got a chance to see the fruits of their labor. They all just won our hearts. We hated to see them leave."

None of the boys from the New England Home hail from that portion of the country, so many of their experiences were first-time encounters.

On the first night, the New England Home tourists went on a lobster boat, got to pull a couple of traps and then ate a lobster dinner later in the evening. Despite bibs, the meal was still a messy experience.

"One time (John Stone) was cracking one of the shells and it squirted all down his shirt," Lisa Johnson said.

There were other moments where the Mooseheart students got a taste of true New England culture.

"I'd never heard of candlepin bowling," Thomas said. "It's like normal bowling, but with a tiny ball that fits in your hand. The pins are real thin. You go three times and you knock down as many as you can."

Another highlight was a whale-watching trip. Unfortunately the seas were very choppy the day the Mooseheart group headed out,, waves that normally range 1-to-2 feet in height were 6-7 feet, which proved to be a problem for some of the tourists, especially sixth-grader Hameed Odunewu.

"It's not a very big boat," New England Home Family Teacher Lisa Johnson said. "(Odunewu) got sick off the back of the boat. It was cold and raining and the sweatshirt he was wearing weighed a ton by the time we got back. But he didn't complain at all. He was a real trooper."

Despite the rough weather, the tourists got a chance to see some whales, or at least they're pretty sure they did.

"You'd see the waves and you wouldn't know if it was a whale or a regular wave," Odunewu said.

Mooseheart seventh-grader Tim Givens said the best part of the trip was getting to see the Moose Lodges and members in the three states they visited.

Lisa Johnson also said it was wonderful to see the various Lodges they visited.

"Some of them are in really historic towns," she said. "Some are set back into the mountains or have really great views."

In addition to the sightseeing, the trip enabled Moose members to hear stories of the Child City first-hand.

"You don't always get to see the things that we do," Davis said. "The most important thing we do is to care for the kids at Mooseheart and seniors at Moosehaven. A lot of these members have never been to either Mooseheart or Moosehaven. The kids were able to express something about their lives at Mooseheart and those are the things we all want to know. We all love hearing the things about Mooseheart because it connects you to them."

Plans are underway to take the boys from the New England Home to the Northeast again next year, this time for a two-week stay. Davis said she would like the tourists to see Lodges and to visit with Moose in the other New England region states - Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island in 2009.

"The members couldn't say enough good things," Davis said. "They can't wait for them to come back because it was so much fun having them here."

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.3 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,800 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, religious and vocational training, and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org or call 630-966-2229.