he Slovene National Benefit Society enjoys a rich history that stretches over a century. Founded on April 6, 1904, the Society initially incorporated as Slovenska Narodna Podporna Jednota and now best known by its Slovenian initials SNPJ was originally comprised of nine independent benefit organizations. The members, however, desired a more constituent-based and democratic economic benefit society. The SNPJ founders, a group of 12 Slovenian immigrants, answered the call for a new benefit society that was published in an early Slovenian immigrant newspaper. Organized with the express intent of offering life insurance and sick and disability benefits (which many Slovenian immigrants were denied in the workplace), the SNPJ founders established a unique centralized sick benefit and death claim system which allowed for the Societys rapid development and growth across the various regions of the country