Freemasons
support more ways to help people than any other private organization.
In the beginning--the 1700's and early 1800's, Masonic charity
was largely limited to members, their widows and their orphans.
Homes for the Aged and Orphanages were established all over
America.
But Masonic charity soon reached far beyond
that fraternity, and now the great majority of the $525 million
dollars given in America each year goes to those with no connection
to Masonry.
Perhaps the best known Masonic charity are the
Shriners Hospitals for Children, where the world's very best
care for birth defects and orthopedic problems is available
completely free of charge. In recent years, the Shrine has
established Burn Centers where childhood victims of burns
are treated, also free of charge.
The Scottish Rite has established Childhood
Language Disorders Centers across America, where children
with language problems (the most common problem children experience)
are treated. Another part of the program provides training
for teachers in a technique which is 87% effective in teaching
children with dyslexia how to read.
The York Rite Eye Foundation does important
vision research, as well as offering free eye surgery to children
when the surgery is necessary to save their vision.
There are many other Masonic organizations which
fund major research efforts into: Muscular Dystrophy, Childhood
Neural Development, Diabetes, Schizophrenia, Mental Retardation,
Learning Disorders and many other areas. One organization
provides dental treatment for children with cerebral palsy,
muscular dystrophy and myasthenia gravis, conditions that
require highly specialized treatment.
In Missouri, Masons support the Masonic Home,
with facilities in St. Louis and Kansas City. In addition,
each Lodge can apply for up to $5,000 each year in Matching
Funds from the Masonic Charity Foundation, to help fund local
needs and projects. It takes 17 pages of computer printout
to list those projects for a single year.
Caring is an essential part of the personality
of a Mason. That caring touches the lives of 1 in 4 Missourians
every year.
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