Masonic Angel Foundation Special Broadcast
December 20th - "A Good Day to be a Mason -
Part III"
Dear friends,
Today we reviewed the holiday and other benevolences reported to us since our
last update on December 11, 2003. What a wonderful host of stories we have to
share!
Here is a sampling of the stories we've received...
Mariner's Lodge (Cotuit, MA) - in their own
words... Mariner's Lodge has recently given $288 to the Horace Mann School in
Marstons Mills to purchase glasses for a student there. The boy had never had
his eyes tested and it turned out he's legally blind. The guidance counselor,
Alice Howe, said she'd never experienced anything quite like it when she was
driving him home after he received the glasses (after two months of trying,
she'd never been successful in getting a family member to take any
responsibility for driving him to an appointment!) and he kept exclaiming about
the things he could see.
We have also responded to a request from the Sturgis School by providing $500
which will be used primarily for clothing for several students (one family's
living in their car) and have given $400 to Hyannis East, again to provide
winter clothing for students in two families.
At the beginning of the school year, we paid for a student at Cotuit Elementary
to be included in the after-school program. There were several problems with his
non-English speaking family, the most pressing of which apparently was that they
didn't understand the school wasn't open 24 hours a day!
Hope Lodge (Gardner, MA) - in their own
words... On Monday evening three Members of Hope Lodge,Gardner,traveled to Bob's
store in Leominster to purchase coats and mittens... Coats with price tags of
$119.00 we received for $59.00, after the bill was totaled Bob's took an
additional 10% off. [ed note - Hope Lodge MAF spent some $2818.11 on this
benevolence - my math says that's <>53 kids.]
St. Alban's Lodge (Foxboro, MA) - Provided
initial support for twenty children's Christmas needs at $75 per child ($1,500)
on 12/11/03. Later provided another $250 in assistance for additional children
in need.
Russell Lodge (Arlington, MA) - in their own
words we have been in direct contact with the outreach worker from the Thompson
School and will make a gift today of $300 from the Russell Lodge Angel Fund: 2
winter coats to one family - 3 year old girl; 7 yr old boy; one winter coat to 4
yr old girl; sweatpants and sweatshirts to a third family 8 and 10 year old
boys; and a variety of winter clothes and boots to a family with a 3 year old
and a five year old.
Boston First Fund - Friday afternoon we
received a call from the Roxbury office of the Department of Youth Services.
Referred to us by Tri County Youth Programs, the DYS social worker needed
assistance with very basic Christmas items (i.e. clothing, outerwear and
underwear) for twelve children in the foster care program. We completed this
process in about fifteen minutes, much to the delight of the staff contact at
DYS.
St. Andrew Fund, Boston First Fund and local Masonic
Angel Funds - A "coalition" of the BFF, St. A's Fund and individual
MAF's came together to provide basic clothing and other necessary items to
thirty children in foster care in the Boston and North Shore area.
Universal Lodge (Orleans, MA) - On Monday,
the ULMAF provided $800 to purchase necessary clothing and other Christmas items
for seven children at the Stony Brook School in Brewster. Thursday saw the ULMAF
fund a ten year old boy's participation in an after-school karate program for
$50. The ULMAF raised over $2,300 at a charity auction last week.
These are just a random sampling of the good things our Masonic Angel Funds are
doing in their respective communities. This holiday season certainly is the
busiest one that we Foundation-side have seen yet. Thanks to the generosity of
our donors and the hard work of over 200 individual MAF trustees, we Masons have
truly made a difference this year.
Yes, today is a great day to be a Mason!
Regards to all,
Bob Fellows, Co-Founder/Board Secretary
Masonic Angel Foundation, Inc.