Masonic Charity and community
service programs
Helping Kids and Saving
Lives Is What We Do!
One of the most
important principles of Freemasonry is charity. Our
organizations is based on taking good men and making them better
fathers, husbands, and to support community service by helping
others in need. We have several programs that support
children's hospitals, eye, speech and hearing foundations, but
also support education programs for our young citizens planning
to go to college.
Today, we raise more
than 2.6 million dollars a day to help people in need. Here is
a list of charities that could use your financial support. Be a
part of something great by helping out people in need.
Masonic Community Service
Masonic
Community Blood Program
The Grand Lodge
Community Blood Program is designed to get every Lodge in the
State to support the American Red Cross and to save lives. Our
Lodges have been organizing and hosting blood drives throughout
the State of Virginia.
Masonic Child
Identification Programs (CHIP)
are a charitable initiative by North American
Freemasonry lodges to aid in the identification
and recovery of missing children. CHIP programs
are supported monetarily at the Grand Lodge
level, and are staffed by volunteers from
subordinate lodges as well as law enforcement
and dental professionals.
The
Grand Lodge of Virginia CHIP programs allow
Masons, Organizations, Schools, and Parents the
opportunity to create a kit of identifying
materials for their child, free of charge. The
kit contains a fingerprint card, a physical
description, a video or DVD of the child, a
dental imprint, and a DNA sample. The purpose of
the kit is to provide critical information to
the public and to law enforcement in the event
that a child goes missing. The
National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children has described the system as "one of
the most comprehensive child recovery and
identification programs in the nation".
Masonic
Charities
Grand
Lodge of Virginia Masonic Home
The Masonic Home of Virginia is a vital, dynamic home
environment for over two hundred and forty Masons, their wives
and widows. Our residents live in a beautiful, healthy setting,
surrounded by friends and cared for by professional staff in a
supportive manner. The Home is designed to provide for all
levels of resident independence, from independent living units
in our
Masonic
Village
to higher levels of medical assistance in our
Care
Center
Grand Lodge of Virginia Scholarship Program
In general, Virginia
Freemasons are committed to high standards of excellence, and
part of this commitment is carried out by The Scholarship Fund,
Grand Lodge, A.F.& A.M., of Virginia. It operates exclusively
for charitable and educational purposes under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code and is a Virginia Corporation
licensed by the State Corporation Commission.
Its purpose is to
provide scholarships, fellowships and other forms of financial
assistance to deserving men and women from the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
Grand Lodge Masonic Relief Fund
The Masonic Relief Fund was
initiated in 1988, by assessing each Lodge 50 cents per member
on a one-time basis, and was so named in 1989. Under Section 170
(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and Section 106 (5) of the
United States Master Tax Guide, contributions made from
individuals, as opposed to corporations, are deductible when the
donation is deposited into a fund which is used exclusively for
charitable purposes. Donations made be made payable to
"The
Masonic Relief Fund," c/o the Grand Lodge of Virginia, 4115
Nine Mile Road, Richmond, Virginia 23223-4926.
Its purpose is to make funds
available to Virginia Master
Masons, their widows, and orphans, wherever a bona fide need
exists.
Other Masonic Charities
Grottoes of
North America
Welcome to
the Humanitarian Foundation -- a Masonic Charity -- where
our primary purpose is providing dentistry for special needs
children.
Masonic Service Association
Providing relief
around the world for national disasters.
Our first
disaster relief appeal was in 1923 to help the victims of an
earthquake in Japan. Since that time more than 50 appeals have
been made on behalf of individual Grand Lodges.
Shriners
Hospitals
Shriners
Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 pediatric hospitals in
the U.S., Canada and Mexico providing specialized care for
orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft
lip and palate.
All services are
provided at no charge.
Knight
Templar Eye Foundation
To provide
assistance to those who face loss of sight due to the need for
surgical treatment without regard to race, color, creed, age,
sex, or national origin provided that they are unable to pay or
receive adequate assistance from current government agencies or
similar sources and to provide funds for research in curing
diseases of the eye.
RiteCare Childhood Language Program
Today, there
are 170 RiteCare® clinics, centers, and special programs
operating or planned for children and therapists located
throughout the United States. Each facility is staffed by
speech-language pathologists or other trained personnel.
Royal Arch Masons
Supporting the
Alzheimer's Association, a national network of chapters, is the
largest national voluntary health organization committed to
finding a cure for Alzheimer's and helping those affected by the
disease. At the Alzheimer's Association, 75 percent of revenues
go to programs, such as research, while the remaining monies pay
for management, general expenses, and program improvement.
Order of
the Eastern Star
Eastern Star
Chapters donate funds to a wide variety of worthy charities.
Some examples are: Cancer Research Project, Arthritis Fund,
Heart Fund, Knights Templar, Eye Foundation, Shriners' Hospital
for Crippled Children, orphanages and many other charities
within each Grand Jurisdiction. In the United States alone,
Masonic organizations give more than 2.6 million dollars a day
to charity.
