|
The art of benevolence or
charity has been one of the
guiding principals of
Masonry. Upon their first
entry into a lodge of
Masons, new initiates (known
as Entered Apprentices) were
always taught that relief
for others should be given
as widely and effectively as
possible without hampering
one抯 own state of well
being.
As we enter a new
millennium, this simple
lesson remains the central
focus of Free and Accepted
Masons throughout the world.
Below are just a sampling of
some of Masonry's charitable
organizations. There are
thousand of programs,
scholarships, hospital
visitations, etc., in which
many Masons contribute time,
energy, and money.
  
Shriners Hospitals for
Children is a network of
pediatric specialty
hospitals, founded by the
Shrine, where children under
the age of 18 receive
excellent medical care
absolutely free of charge.
There are 18 orthopedic
Shriners Hospitals, three
Shriners Hospitals dedicated
to treating children with
severe burns, and one
Shriners Hospital that
provides orthopedic, burn
and spinal cord injury care.
Shriners Hospitals are
located throughout North
America ?20 in the United
States and one each in
Mexico and Canada. These
"Centers of Excellence"
serve as major referral
centers for children with
complex orthopedic and burn
problems.
There is never a charge to
the patient, parent or any
third party for any service
or medical treatment
received at Shriners
Hospitals. Shriners
Hospitals accept and treat
children without regard to
race, religion or
relationship to a Shriners.
Any child may be eligible
for treatment at a Shriners
Hospital if the child is
under 18 and if, in the
opinion of the hospital's
chief of staff, the child
has an orthopedic or burn
condition that Shriners
Hospitals can help.
All of the orthopedic
hospitals are equipped and
staffed to treat children
with congenital orthopedic
deformities, problems
resulting from orthopedic
injuries, and diseases of
the musculoskeletal system.
Three of the orthopedic
hospitals (in Chicago,
Philadelphia and Sacramento)
also have special programs
dedicated to caring for
children with spinal cord
injuries.
The Shriners Hospitals in
Boston, Cincinnati,
Galveston, and Sacramento
treat children with acute,
fresh burns; children
needing plastic
reconstructive or
restorative surgery as a
result of "healed" burns;
children with severe
scarring, resulting in
contractures or interference
with mobility of the limbs;
and children with scarring
and deformity of the face...
 |
Each year 1
Million children are
reported missing in the
United States alone. While
most children are eventually
found, many are not.
Massachusetts Freemasons in
cooperation with the
Massachusetts Crime
Prevention Officers
Association and the
Massachusetts Dental Society
have organized MYCHIP in
order to provide parents
with the needed materials to
protect their families.
CHILD IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM (CHIP)
The Masonic CHIP Program is
the most comprehensive
service of its kind
anywhere.
CHIP is provided free of
charge to the public and all
of the identifying items
generated during CHIP are
given to the child's family.
|
The CHIP program
includes the
following:
VIDEOTAPE: A
brief videotaped
interview that can
be quickly
distributed to the
media in order to
reach a huge
audience.
FINGERPRINTING: Fingerprinting
is a well-known
means of
identification.
Resourceful parents
keep fingerprints
available should the
need arise.
TOOTH PRINTS TM: A
tooth print bite
impression is quick
and easy. Teeth,
like fingerprints
are unique. A dental
imprint gives both
accurate and
important
information for
identification
purposes.
If you have any
questions about the CHIP program,
please email us:
General Information
or Questions chip@glmasons-mass.org
 |
That Others May See
Mission Statement of the
Knights Templar Eye
Foundation, Inc.
To provide assistance to
those who face loss
of sight due to the need for
surgical treatment without
regard to race, color,
creed, age, sex, or national
origin provided that they
are unable to pay or receive
adequate assistance from
current government agencies
or similar sources and to
provide funds for research
in curing diseases of the
eye.
 |
32 Masonic Learning
Centers for Children
A Brief History...
A small boy sits at
his desk, looking
down at his open
book as his
classmates read
aloud. He wrinkles
his forehead and
squints his eyes but
the letters and
words he sees are
jumbled, twisted and
senseless.
He grips the book
tighter, holds his
breath and makes a
silent wish that the
teacher will not
call on him ...
This child has
dyslexia, a common
learning disability.
He needs help to
overcome it before
it sets him back
emotionally as well
as educationally.
Since 1994, many
children have
received free
specialized
instruction at
32?Masonic Learning
Centers for
Children. Our pledge
is to continue to
offer this service
for as many children
as we can - free of
charge. We also
provide guidance and
funding for other
means to defeat
dyslexia, such as
teacher tutor
programs, research,
and scholarships for
teachers.
Centers are now open
in Bangor, Maine;
Nashua, New
Hampshire;
Newtonville (outside
Boston) and Lowell,
Massachusetts;
Rochester, New York;
Pemberton, Scotch
Plains and Tenafly,
New Jersey;
Allentown,
Pennsylvania;
Cincinnati, Toledo
and Youngstown,
Ohio; Detroit,
Michigan; and
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Scheduled
to open within the
next few months are
Chicago, Illinois
and Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
Fund raising
continues to operate
existing Centers and
fund new ones. While
all contributions
benefit children
with dyslexia,
donors can designate
how they want their
gifts to be used.
All donations are
tax exempt under
Section 501(C)(3) of
the Internal Revenue
Service Code.
Do You Need Our
Help?
For information on
dyslexia and
procedures for
admitting a child
into the program,
call the hotline at
1-800-647-3394
We Need Your Help
Do you have skills
which you will make
available to us?
Could you volunteer
an hour a day, a
week, or a month?
Your time and
expertise is very
valuable to us and
the children we are
serving. Please call
1-800- 647-3342 and
volunteer. The
children will
benefit and you will
experience the
satisfaction of
helping improve
these children's
lives. Whether it is
answering phones,
soliciting
contributions,
playing with kids,
pounding nails,
painting walls or
murals or just
giving moral support
to others, you can
make a difference.
Scottish Rite
Schizophrenia
Research Program
Since 1934,
Scottish Rite in the
Northern
Jurisdiction has
been in the
forefront of the
fight against mental
illness and
schizophrenia, the
most prevalent and
serious type of
mental affliction.
Our efforts to
conquer this dreaded
affliction grants
for both
psychological and
biological research.
Since that time,
several hundred
projects have
received Scottish
Rite grants which
have totaled over
$21 million.
Progress has been
slow due to the
complexity of
understanding the
functions of the
human brain. The use
of antipsychotic
drugs has helped
reduce some of the
problems associated
with the affliction.
Today our
emphasis is placed
on fellowships for
graduate students in
behavioral science
at colleges and
universities located
within the 15 states
of the Northern
Masonic
Jurisdiction.
All contributions
are tax-deductible
in accordance with
the Federal Internal
Revenue Code. For
information on how
to contribute to
this effort or
details on the
fellowship program,
contact the Supreme
Council at 33
Marrett Road,
Lexington, MA 02173. |
|
