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Serving All of Washington
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Monthly News & Updates for
November 2015
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Please enjoy the WA Masonic Charities November newsletter - if you're a Lodge or Grand Lodge leader, we are counting on you to forward this to your Lodge email distribution lists!
In this Issue
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 Masons Making a Difference
WA Masonic Charities Partners with Rebuilding Together, South Puget Sound.
On Saturday, October 24
th
WA Masonic Charities partnered with Rebuilding Together South Sound in a pilot partnership project to help improve the independence and lives of five low income, older adults with disabilities.
While our sponsorship helped many more, ten Brother Masons and Masonic Outreach Services Director, Byron Cregeur, also got their hands dirty by directly helping build an ADA style ramp and providing much needed yard clean up for Mary, an older adult with a disability, in East Tacoma.
The ramp will provide safe entry and exit from her home. Mary will no longer need to maneuver her walker out a side door and around rocks and mud. She is a gardener who is no longer able to tend to her yard. Additional work was done to help make the yard more accessible and lower maintenance so that Mary could continue to participate in the gardening work that she loves so much.
During the building of the ramp, an underground water leak was discovered. One Mason, along with Byron worked to dig down and find out what the problem was. It was discovered that a root was destroying the pipe and sending water into her yard (also resulting in a much bigger water bill), so the root was cut back, and one Brother went to the hardware store to get a temporary pipe sleeve to patch the pipe until a plumber could come on Monday. Rebuilding Together staff arranged for the plumber and the problem was fixed.
Ramp-a-thon is a great example of individual Washington Freemasons working with WA Masonic Charities and in partnership with a community resource like Rebuilding Together. Together we maximize our impact in support of those in need. We will be continuing to partner with Rebuilding Together affiliates in Spokane, Thurston County, and are exploring partnerships with affiliates in other parts of the state, including Seattle and Long Beach.
WA Masonic Charities was the lead sponsor of this day of giving, which resulted in ramps and yard clean up for a total of five older adults in need. Other sponsor partners included Wells Fargo, Lowes, and the National Center for Health Housing.
"Thank you so, so much," said Mary. "My daughter called so many places for help and you're the only ones who could help."
Thank you to Rebuilding Together South Sound for providing us this opportunity to give back, which is what so many Freemasons are hoping to be able to do.
Thanks goes to the following Brothers for their hard work: Aaron Gent (Ramp Project Lead), Robert Delacruz (Yard Lead), Richard Price (Photography), Natural Allah, Chuck Rudd, Joseph Pineda, Lance Olaf, John Carnes, Kevin Gent, and Bud Truitt.
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Charity Spotlight
"...may we increase daily in Faith, Hope and Charity; more especially in that Charity which is the bond of peace and the perfection of every virtue."
Brother John Moffitt was a Freemason for more than 50 years in Washington. He was especially supportive of children and education during his life. Brother Moffitt held forest lands and other interests, and before he passed on, he made arrangements that his assets would continue to benefit his community and interests in perpetuity. Today the John Moffitt Foundation is worth more than $9 million and its income supports a wide array of organizations each year in both Washington and Oregon. WA Masonic Charities received approximately $35,000 from this foundation in 2015 to provide education supports and services for children in Washington. In fact, John Moffitt's foresight in naming WA Masonic Charities as a beneficiary gives us far more flexibility and capability in supporting children's issues than we would have otherwise.
Many don't realize this, but what WA Masonic Charities is able to accomplish today is because of the foresight of individual Mason's in the past. These charitable individuals made significant contributions to the Fraternity both while they were alive, and through their estates after their passing. For us to provide high quality programs and services for youth and older adults, we need the ongoing help of each member of this Fraternity.
Every bit counts, and it is up to each individual Mason to determine what they will do, not only to support their Lodge, but also the charitable priorities of our Jurisdiction.
As the holiday season is upon us, it is time to think about how each of us may give back and help those who are less fortunate. Are you able to give today or to consider leaving WA Masonic Charities in your will? Please give it some thought, and call Ken Gibson at (253) 442-2525 if you would like to make a gift or discuss how to leave WA Masonic Charities in your will or estate plan. Checks can be sent to WA Masonic Charities 4970 Bridgeport Way W, University Place, WA 98467.
If you would like to help with our work and make a difference, click on the button to make a one time sustaining gift or a recurring gift. All donations are tax deductible.
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As times ha
ve changed, so have support and service options for older adults. Masonic Outreach Services is working hard to keep up with the times.
The vision for retirement homes, like the Masonic Retirement Center in Des Moines and its predecessor in Puyallup, belong to a model of senior care that predates the advent of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. As time has marched forward, significant research and advances have been made in the service delivery of effective methods of care for older adults.
Most seniors want to age in place. What this means is to be able to stay in one's residence of, and community of, choice. Very few seniors today have the goal of moving into what we classically think of as a retirement home. Today we have so many more options to modify and adapt our homes, to bring in caregivers to take care of simple daily tasks, and to have supports that improve our ability to age with dignity, independence, and choice.
Sometimes very simple things can make all the difference in the world. For example, in a survey of older adults who benefited from Meals on Wheels - 95% reported that this program alone made the difference between them being able to stay at home instead of going into a skilled care facility of some kind. WA Masonic Charities supports these kinds of efforts to aid people in staying in their home for as long as they are able.
If you would like to know specifically what Masonic Outreach Services does, or if you have concerns or thoughts about what the program should be doing, please go to the source and give us a call toll free at 1 (844) 288-3531 or send an email to [email protected] and we will be happy to provide the facts.
- Bro. Ken Gibson, MNPL, Executive Director
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The Public Schools Outreach Committee has been active, but we continue to need the assistance of the Lodges. Please make sure that your lodge is distributing information to their local schools about the WA Masonic Charities Scholarship offerings available for youth. Applications are due at the end of February, so we're hoping for a good showing. If you have questions, please contact Darrick at
[email protected]
. You can visit our
Scholarships Program web page by clicking here.
If your Lodge is interested in partnering with WA Masonic Charities on your Lodge scholarship program via Fiscal Sponsorship, please contact Ken Gibson at (844) 288-3531 or
click here to send an email
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Children's Programs
Masons across the state have been encouraging WA Masonic Charities to bring focus to its youth programming with an eye toward impact.
To help accomplish this, our Board of Trustees began the process of examining our strategic direction at a retreat held in September. Over time, we will be taking steps to identify our path ahead and to engage the Fraternity to participate.
Executive Director, Ken Gibson, is taking steps to develop a Youth Success Initiatives direction for the organization.
This will place special emphasis on using the Masonic values that encompass ethics, tolerance, education, philanthropy, and family, to identify issue areas for youth.
Our goal is for WA Masonic Charities to be a catalyst collaborate and partner with organizations and Lodges to improve the lives and opportunities for success for our most disadvantaged youth throughout the state.
Stay tuned for more information!
Please call Ken Gibson for more information at (844) 288-3531 toll free.
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Masonic Outreach Services
Did you know that a majority of services provided by Masonic Outreach Services are for Masons, their widows, and members of the Masonic family? We provide supports and services for older adults to aid them in aging in place and to make the transition to skilled care with as much comfort and dignity as possible.
If you don't see your question answered here, please send an email to [email protected] or call (844) 288-3531 x 404 and we'll get you an answer.
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Library & Museum Update
The Library & Museum is alive and active with many volunteers helping with curatorial and research activities.
We are looking for individuals who are willing to commit to a few hours of volunteer time to help us open the doors for longer hours. Being a Mason is not a requirement to volunteer, and ladies are more than welcome. Volunteering with the Library & Museum is a great way to contribute to keeping the Fraternity's heritage alive and visible, and it's also an opportunity to get out and be with a very friendly group of volunteers.
The Washington Masonic Library & Museum is open Mon-Wed from 9 AM - Noon, and by appointment.
Please call Library & Museum Committee Chairman, Todd Johnstone at
(253) 625-7895 for more information.
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Washington Masonic Charities is available to partner with Lodges to serve as a fiscal sponsor for work that fits within our mission and charitable purpose. WA Masonic Charities is available to partner as a fiscal sponsor for Lodges and concordant and appendant bodies which may benefit from this arrangement for youth programs, Bikes for Books, Scholarships, CHIPS, older adult services, and library & museum related activities. WA Masonic Charities would not act as a fiscal sponsor for unrelated organization, or activities that would not aid in advancing our priorities of youth, education, older adults, or Masonic heritage.
A fiscal sponsorship agreement is a great way for Lodges and Masonic organizations to focus on the charitable work without the worry of accounting systems, auditing, and need to manage charitable donations according to IRS rules and regulations. WA Masonic Charities takes on the fiduciary and technical responsibility, while the work of the Lodge charitable program covered by the agreement is conducted day to day by members of the Lodge. We work individually with lodges to assure that programs operate and meet charitable purposes under the IRS, that information is shared, and that proper accounting and recognition of funds occurs.
To learn more, Lodge officers interested in fiscal sponsorship may contact Ken Gibson at (844) 288-3531 or by sending email
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Charity - Our M
ost Important Virtue
If you would like to support WA Masonic Charities you may also send a check to:
Washington Masonic Charities
4970 Bridgeport Way W
University Place, WA 98467
Attn: Ken Gibson
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