Donations for Hurricane Victims in Florida
On September 8, 2004, Grand Commander
Ronald A. Seale, 3°, sent a memo to all Active
Members, Deputies of the Supreme Council, and Personal
Representative
regarding disaster relief for the hurricane victims in
Florida. Should you wish to support this cause, please
note the following.
TO: Active Members, Deputies of the Supreme Council,
and Personal Representatives
FROM: Ronald A. Seale
RE: Donations for Hurricane Victims
in Florida
We are all aware of the recent devastation
in Florida as a result of this most active hurricane
season. To
aid the unfortunate victims of two back-to-back hurricanes,
and possibly another one on the way, causing extensive
damage and hardship in Florida, I appeal to you to send
donations from Almoner’s funds, Valley funds, and/or
personal funds to:
SCOTTISH RITE FOUNDATION OF FLORIDA
P.O. Box 5736
Winter Park, FL 32703-5736
All donations sent to the Foundation,
designated for the Hurricane Appeal, will be distributed
where the
need is greatest.
A donation of any size would help the
unfortunate hurricane victims during the difficult time
of recovery.
On behalf
of the Supreme Council, I am forwarding an initial
donation of $5,000.00 from the Scottish Rite Foundation,
S.J.,
U.S.A, Inc, to assist in the recovery efforts.
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Congressman Ruppersberger,
33°, Commends
Partnership between Delta’s
SkyWish Program and Fisher House
Congressman
C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger,
33°
On
September 14, 2004, Congressman C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger
(D-MD), a 33° member of the Valley of Baltimore,
Maryland, praised the new SkyWish partnership with Fisher-House
Foundation that will enable Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles
program members to donate miles to assist families of
hospitalized military personnel with their travel needs.
The Delta SkyWish program will help strengthen "Operation
Hero Miles," the innovative program created by Congressman
Ruppersberger to help troops on emergency leave or Rest
and Relaxation (R & R) from Iraq and Afghanistan
fly home for free. See “The Operation Hero Miles
Story,” Scottish Rite Journal (May-June 2004).
The Fisher House Foundation is a non-profit
organization that donates "comfort homes" built on the grounds
of major military and VA medical centers throughout the
United States and overseas. The network of 32 homes enables
family members to be at the bedside of a loved one who
is receiving care at the nearby hospital.
In December 2003, the Hero Miles program
partnered with the Fisher House Foundation so that Hero
Miles tickets
can be used to fly family members of wounded soldiers
to U.S. military hospitals and be with their loved ones.
Often these families have to make many trips and stay
for months at a time to help seriously wounded soldiers
through long recuperations and multiple surgeries. The
Fisher House provides free lodging for the families and
Hero Miles provides transportation.
"
I applaud Delta and Fisher House for supporting our men
and women in uniform. The SkyWish program offers patriotic
Americans the chance to help our military personnel risking
their lives for their country in Iraq and Afghanistan" said
Illustrious C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, “Sometimes
the love and support of family is the best medicine to
help an injured troop recover from his or her injuries.
We are thrilled that this new program will help soldiers
heal with their families at their side during this very
important time."
Delta Air Lines is proud to celebrate
its 75th anniversary in 2004. Delta is the world’s second largest airline
in terms of passengers carried and the leading U.S. carrier
across the Atlantic, offering daily flights to 493 destinations
in 87 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta
Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. Delta’s
marketing alliances allow customers to earn and redeem
frequent flier miles on more than 14,000 flights offered
by SkyTeam, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines
and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam,
a global airline alliance that provides customers with
extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services.
For more information, please visit delta.com.
More information about "Operation Hero Miles" can
be found at www.heromiles.org.
Additional SkyWish donation information
can be found at delta.com/skymiles/use/donate
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Rain
Does Not Dampen Spirits
of “Tar
Heel” Brethren
For the first time ever, 22 members of
the Scottish Rite from throughout the Orient of North
Carolina gathered
at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, North Carolina,
to participate in the annual St. John’s Day parade
on Saturday, July 26. This was a unique occasion since
the Brethren received a dispensation from Ill. William
B. Brunk, SGIG of North Carolina, and the approval from
Ronald A. Seale, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander,
and W. Gene Sizemore, 33°, Grand Cross, Grand Executive
Director, to march in the parade while wearing the colorful
regalia of the Scottish Rite Degrees. Bro. Larry B. Thompson,
Jr., 32°, coordinated the effort to gather volunteers
from across the state, acquire regalia from participating
Valleys, and obtain a spot in the parade.
Unfortunately, when the big day came,
so did the rain, and the parade was canceled. But the
Brethren would not
be put off so easily. Each donned the apron, cordon,
and jewel from the various Degrees and quickly posed
for a picture (above) to commemorate the event. The idea
for participating in the parade came from the Orient-wide
Customer Focus Committee, which was established by Inspector
Brunk in 2003 to:
Of interest, out of the 22 Brethren who
participated, the youngest man was just 18 years old
and the average
age was 48.
Submitted by P. Shaun Bradshaw, KCCH
Valley of Greensboro, North Carolina
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The Enemy Within:
International Spy Museum
The Supreme Council, 33º, and the J. Edgar
Hoover Foundation have loaned J. Edgar Hoover’s
personal telephone used during his time in office to
the International Spy Museum for its newest exhibit,
The Enemy Within. The exhibit will reveal nine major
events and periods in U.S. History when Americans were
threatened by enemies within its borders: depicting how
the government and public responded, illustrating the
corresponding evolution of U.S. counterintelligence and
homeland security efforts, and examining the challenge
of securing the nation without compromising the civil
liberties upon which it was founded.
The Enemy Within will support these stories
with historic photographs, themed environments, interactive
displays,
film, artifacts, and video. An audio tour, developed
by Antenna Audio, further enhances the guest’s
experience, evoking the spirit of the times. Exhibit
highlights include:
The International Spy Museum is the only
public institution in the world dedicated to presenting
the world history
of espionage. The museum features the largest permanent
collection of international spy-related artifacts on
public display. Visitors can see Hoover’s telephone
on display at the Spy Museum through 2006. The International
Spy Museum is located at 800 F Street NW, Washington,
D.C., 20004. For more information, please contact the
museum directly at www.spymuseum.org, 1.866.SPY.MUSEUM
or locally at 202.EYE.SPY.U. Museum visiting hours are
9:00 am to 8:00 pm.
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Remembering 9-11 and Our Military
Members of VFW Post
1165 and the Valley of Fort Scott, Kansas, worked
together to raise
more
than $1,200 for the Operation Uplink phone cards for
military personnel stationed overseas. Pictured above
(l. to r.) are: Gary Reed, VFW Quartermaster; Charles
Klenklen, Commander of the Combat Infantryman's Association;
Bill Danly, VFW Trustee; Ross Bryant, 32°, VFW and
Valley of Fort Scott Member; Mrs. Debbie Martin, Co-Chairman
of event; Charles M. Parker, 32°, Commander of Council
of Kadosh, Valley of Fort Scott, and Co-Chairman of event;
Ken Duvall, Commander of the VFW Post 1165.
On Saturday, September 11, 2004, the citizens
of Fort Scott, Kansas, again remembered the tragic events
of
9-11-2001 and honored our military men and women who
are currently serving overseas.
Part of the observance was a card signing
and VFW Operation Uplink Phone Card Benefit at the Olson-Frary-Burkhart
VFW Post #1165 in Fort Scott. Hot dogs, chips, and a
drink were available for a $2.00 donation, and all proceeds
were given to the Post for the purchase and mailing of
phone cards to Fort Smith area service men and women
who are stationed overseas. Also, cards were available
for signing and delivering good wishes to area service
personnel stationed overseas.
Families of deployed personnel were asked
to furnish the overseas address of their loved ones to
Mr. Gareth
Reed, Chairman of the Post’s Operation Uplink,
and he forwarded the phone card directly to the service
man or woman.
Bro. Charles M. “Charlie” Parker, 32°,
a member of the Valley of Fort Worth, and the Scottish
Knights of St. Andrew coordinated the sponsors of this
event so that all proceeds benefited the area’s
military personnel.
Sponsors include VFW Post #1165, Fort
Scott; the Fort Scott Livestock Sale Barn Restaurant;
the Fort Scott
Scottish Rite Council of Kadosh; the Scottish Knights
of St. Andrew; Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Pittsburg;
KOAM / KMDO Radio Station, and the Combat Infantryman’s
Association & Members.
This is the third September 11 Remembrance
Benefit that has been organized by Brother Parker and
the Scottish
Rite Masons of Fort Scott. The 2002 benefit was in
honor of firefighters, with proceeds going to the Bourbon
County
Rural Fire Departments. On September 11, 2003, a large
card-signing benefit was held with the resulting cards
and letters being sent to many area service personnel
stationed overseas fighting the war on terrorism.
September 11, 2004, continues to honor
our area service men and women serving our country in
uniform.
Submitted by Mrs. Deb Martin
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Scottish RiteCare Learning Center of
Austin Looking to a Bright Future in New Facility
The fall 2004 Scottish Rite Messenger
of the Valley of Austin, Texas, features the above drawing
on its front
cover. It is an artist’s conception of the new
Scottish Rite Learning Center of August in Children’s
Village at the old Mueller Airport site. For now, the
clinic is located in a transitional facility at 1622
E. Riverside Drive. In May 2004, the center graduated
a class of 11 students, and each boy or girl received
a certificate and engraved trophy. Also, 14 certified
dyslexia teachers from the Austin area and as far away
as San Antonio received their diplomas after many hours
of clinic work, classroom study, and being observed in
their school setting.
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