SCOTTISH RITE HELPING CHILDREN
by Jess W. Gern, 33ø S.G.I.G. in Colorado and Grand Almoner of The Supreme
Council, 33ø, Southern Jurisdiction 1370 Grant Street, Denver, Colorado
80203-2397 and J. Philip Berquist, 33ø Deputy for Massachusetts, Northern
Masonic Jurisdiction 21 Studio Road, Auburndale, Massachusetts 02166-2808
The Masonic Service Association is pleased to bring this significant new
Scottish Rite philanthropic initiative to the attention of the Masonic and
general public via this "Short Talk Bulletin. " Congratulations to the Scottish
Rites, Southern and Northern Masonic Jurisdictions, for those sterling and
expanding examples of Masonic charity in action! Editor
Philanthropy is an essential part of Freemasonry. In helping others, each
Mason puts our Craft's key principles of brotherhood and service into action.
Every Blue Lodge has an Almoner's fund to help the needy, and every Appendant
Body of Freemasonry provides charitable outreach, often focusing it on a
specific need.
- The Knights Templar serve children with strabismus, cross-eyes.
- Job's Daughters supplies aids for the hard of hearing.
- Tall Cedars of Lebanon supports muscular dystrophy research and treatment.
- The Grottoes of North America offers dental services to the handicapped.
- The Masonic Service Association organizes disaster relief and hospital
visitation programs.
- The Prince Hall Masonic Youth Fund provides camps for urban youths.
- The Shrine finances 22 specialized hospitals for burns victims and crippled
children.
These are only a few of the hundreds of Masonic philanthropies serving the
young, elderly, handicapped, and needy throughout America. As recently as
September 1994, a new era began in Masonic service to the nation when Ill.
Robert O. Ralston, 33ø, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Northern Masonic
Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, U.S.A., announced the addition of a fourth
charity to that Jurisdiction's existing philanthropic efforts. Now, in addition
to providing for schizophrenia research, youth scholarships, and the Masonic
Museum of Our National Heritage at Lexington, Massachusetts, the Brethren of the
Northern Masonic Jurisdiction will dedicate themselves to creating Childhood
Learning Centers in cities throughout the 15 states of the Northern Masonic
Jurisdiction of the United States.
This major step forward for Masonic philanthropy follows the path blazed by
the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry as early as the
1950s. It all began with the need of one child in Denver, Colorado. The young
widow of a Brother had two small children. The youngest had a problem with his
speech. At school, neither his teachers nor his peers could understand him.
Local community services were not available at that time. Language and learning
disorders in children were just beginning to be understood.
The widow appealed to the Brethren of Denver's Scottish Rite Bodies. Judge
Haslett P. Burke, 33ø, then Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Colorado and
Lieutenant Grand Commander of The Supreme Council, 33ø, Southern Jurisdiction,
called the Brethren of Denver's Consistories together. Unanimously, it was
decided to raise Scottish Rite dues by $2.00 annually and to dedicate that money
to the local Children's Hospital in support of the study and treatment of
aphasia.
Today we know communications disorders, like aphasia where the child cannot
connect verbal and written words with actions or objects, affect one out of
every ten children in America. Among other forms of childhood language and
learning disorders are dyslexia, stuttering, delayed learning, attention
deficit, hearing loss, and many more. Often the cause is unknown. Always it is
treatable.
Affected children are usually of normal or even superior intelligence. Yet
they cannot communicate at the level of their peer group. Remedies may be, on
occasion, hearing devices or surgical procedures. More often, however,
remediation, even total elimination of the problem, can be managed by the child
receiving therapy individually or in small groups from a certified Speech
Language Pathologist.
In sessions that appear more like fun than lessons, a child can learn to
speak and understand. The earlier the intervention, the more effective the
treatment. Left untreated, a child with learning and communication problems
becomes withdrawn and unhappy. He or she slips behind academically. Disturbed by
the inability to communicate adequately, the child becomes frustrated and,
often, disruptive. Left untreated, these conditions can permanently damage a
child' s development and severely diminish chances for a fulfilling life as a
productive adult.
Often local school systems and social services are strapped for funds and
cannot provide the treatment necessary. This fact was evident in the first case
accepted for Masonic assistance in Colorado in the 1950s, and it remains so
today. To meet this need, the Brethren of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry,
Southern Jurisdiction, established and gradually expanded a Childhood Language
Disorders Program which now serves thousands of children in clinics, centers,
and programs throughout 35 states and the District of Columbia.
In our nation's capital, for instance, there is a state-of-the-art center
adjacent to the Scottish Rite Temple. Dedicated by Mrs. George Bush on June 23,
1989, the $3 million dollar facility is only one of the 110 clinics, centers, or
programs throughout the Southern Jurisdiction as of late 1994. And, responsive
to local needs and support, the program continues to grow and evolve. Aside from
direct therapy for children and training for their parents, there are such
diverse programs as volunteer-directed videotapes to remedy dyslexia, Computer
Assisted Language Therapy (CALT) where the child uses interactive media for
self-teaching, and mobile diagnostic clinics which visit schools for on-site
evaluations and referrals.
The Southern Jurisdiction's flagship philanthropy inspired the Northern
Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite to follow suit. Already, two
Children's Learning Centers are in place in Newtonville and Lowell,
Massachusetts. In addition, a summer program of a similar nature is sponsored by
the Brethren of the Scottish Rite Valley of Marquette, Michigan, at Northern
Michigan University. These are the first three links in what is intended to
become a chain of Scottish Rite Children's Learning Centers throughout the
Northern Jurisdiction. As complements to the already existing network of
clinics, centers, or programs in the Southern Jurisdiction, this new Scottish
Rite philanthropic endeavor will bring needed services to children who might
otherwise go untreated wherever they may be throughout America, including Alaska
and Hawaii.
Brother J. Philip Berquist, 33ø, is the founder of the first two centers in
the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. He will lead the new program with the
assistance of 111. Drew W. Washabau, 33ø, 111. James W. Salmons, 33ø; and the
overall guidance of Sovereign Grand Commander Ralston. Similarly, in the
Southern Jurisdiction, Sovereign Grand Commander Kleinknecht will continue to
provide leadership for that Jurisdiction's rapidly expanding program, while
Brothers Thomas M. Boles, 33ø, Director of Development, and J. Howard Rodman,
Jr., 32ø, Assistant Director of Development, provide general guidance for
fundraising.
The programs of both Jurisdictions are deeply rooted in the needs of local
communities and the local Valley' s response to those needs. Thus, while
provided with jurisdictional seed money for new centers, continuing financial
assistance for existing facilities or programs and an effective public relations
effort by the Supreme Councils of both Jurisdictions, all local clinics,
centers, or programs are strongly dependent on grassroots support by the
Brethren.
For more information, call or write W. Gene Sizemore, 33ø, G.C., at The
Supreme Council, 33ø, S.J., 1733 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-3199
Tel. 1-2()2-232-3579 Fax 1-202-387-1843; or J. Philip Berquist, 33ø, N.M.J., at
the Masonic Temple, 458 Newtonville Avenue, Newtonville, MA 021601925 Tel.
1-617-965-3960 Fax 1-617-965-6415.
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