The Masonic Service Association of North America has issued an appeal for relief for the states of Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia and New York.

Hurricane "Irene" caused devastating damage, both along the East coast and further inland.

While extensive damage was done in several states this appeal is on behalf of the Grand Lodges of Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia and New York. Hurricane "Irene" caused damage in New York who then suffered even more damage from tropical storm "Lee."

When remitting funds to the MSA, in response to this appeal, please mark clearly on your check how you wish the funds designated. If no designation is made the funds will be divided equally between Connecticut, Vermont and Virginia and New York.

Please make checks payable to the MSA Disaster Relief Fund and send to:

8120 Fenton Street, Ste. 203,
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4785.

Thank you very much for your help!

The Widows Sons International Motorcycle Association has expanded over the last few years into eleven states in the U.S. and five countries outside the U.S. The club is open to Freemasons who ride a street or highway-legal motorcycle and are in good standing in their blue lodge.

The Widows Sons Masonic Riders of Indiana regularly participate in the Miracle Ride for Riley Hospital For Children here in Indianapolis. This motorcycle ride takes place annually, and thousands of riders come from all points of the state to end up at the Riley Hospital for Children. In 2010, the Miracle Ride raised $285,000 with about 7,000 motorcycles participating.

Riley is consistently ranked among the top comprehensive pediatric hospitals in the nation. Funded solely by donations, Riley offers medical care to all Indiana children, regardless of a family's ability to pay.

This year's 18th annual Miracle Ride will take place on June 4th & 5th. Brother Aaron Taylor from Valparaiso has again set up a sponsor page for the Miracle Ride in the name of Indiana Freemasons and the Widows Sons Masonic Riders of Indiana. As of today, they need only $3,000 to reach their goal of $10,000! If you feel so inclined, please take a moment to click here and make a donation.

A nonprofit group has been formed by Prince Hall Masons in Omaha, Nebraska, to reduce violence by encouraging fatherhood and mentoring. The Fatherhood-Family Initiative was announced today, and the Masons are working with a local Catholic school on the project.

See "Program’s aim: More father time" at Omaha.com:

Leaders of the effort hope to counter long-term trends of increasing numbers of children growing up without fathers, said Chip Maxwell, executive director of the initiative and a former senator and Douglas County Board member.

They’ll start simply — with weekly informal basketball games at Jesuit Middle School, 2311 N. 22nd St., for sons and their fathers or other father-figures in their lives. The organizers said tthat hey hope the boys and men will bond in the Home Team Sports Club and that the initiative can help link the families with services they might need. They want to expand the program to other sports and activities.

“The basketball is just a vehicle for getting people together,” Maxwell said. “The relationship is the thing. For those who are estranged, we hope to help re-introduce in the young men’s lives the stabilizing factor of a father or a father figure.”

James Karnegis, a retired Omaha cardiologist and long-time Masonic leader, came up with the idea. He said he believes trends in American family structures — of children being born to unwed mothers and growing up without fathers — “will destroy our country” if they continue.

[snip]

A nonprofit group formed by Masonic organizations, the Omaha Masonic Community Center Foundation, will sponsor the initiative.

Members of the Prince Hall Lodge, a historically African-American group of Masons based at 2418 Ames Ave. that gives college scholarships among other community service, are among the leaders and volunteers in the initiative being announced at 9 a.m. Saturday at Jesuit Middle School.

There are many good efforts aimed at reducing violence in north Omaha, and this one focuses specifically on fatherhood, said Eric Critchlow, grand master of Prince Hall Lodge and a member of the Fatherhood-Family Initiative’s board of directors.
“We need strong male leadership in the city,” Critchlow said. “We want to try to unite the father with the child, get them off the street, give them some positive guidance and leadership, have them do more things with their kids and become more a family unit.”

Once volunteers get to know the families, they might learn ways that they can use their community and Mason connections to help them find jobs or get needed services, said Fred Wisdom, a Prince Hall member who will volunteer as a coach and mentor.
The program is for boys in fourth through 12th grades, and there is a $5 annual membership fee. Any son and father or father figure (such as an uncle or grandfather) may participate. Organizers want the boys to choose who participates with them, but it can’t be a different person each time, Maxwell said. Organizers deliberately are not providing outside mentors or father figures, because their purpose is to help build family relationships, he said.