| An Oasis In The Desert Of Central Illinois |
|
|
| Most people are aware that Shriners support the Children Hospitals, however, they have no idea of the cost of these services or the charities supported by the other Masonic Orders. To become a Shriner, an individual must first be a Master Mason. Additionally, most Shriners belong to either the Scottish or York Rite bodies, many belong to both. There are 191 Shrine Chapters in North America, with a total membership of more than 496,000 Nobles. Ansar, which was chartered July 13, 1915, is number 136 in seniority, but 18th in size. The word Ansar is Arabic and means “Those Who Give Aid”. Ansar’s 5,000 Nobles try to do just that through their support of the 19 Shriners Hospitals for Children and 3 Burn Institutes. “Our Hospital” is the St. Louis Unit, a totally up-to-date facility and one of the larger hospitals in the system. It is located at 2001 S. Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63131, telephone 314-432-3600. The hospital would welcome a visit from anyone. Some Key Points About Our Charities 1. Our 22 hospitals cost 1.7 million dollars a day to operate. 2. To date, we have treated over 500 thousand patients at no cost to the patient. 3. This is the most expense free services offered by any hospital. 4. Scottish Rite spends 80 million dollars a year on charity. 5. York Rite spends 4.4 million dollars a year on charity. 6. Our Masonic Homes cost 225 million dollars a year to operate. 7. The Masonic bodies fund medical research 31 million dollars a year. 8. Our scholarship programs are funded 7 million dollars a year. 9. Community Services are supported with an additional 5 million dollars a year. 10. Buildings open to the public cost 4 million dollars a year. 11. The above activities total roughly 750 million dollars a year. 12. Total Masonic Charitable contributions equate to 2.1 million dollars a day. 13. Over 80% of the recipients are non-masonic families. 14. Our Scottish Rite Valley of Springfield is the first in the nation, in cooperation with Prairie Cardiovascular, to offer simulators (dummies) that can be checked out to teach people the important life savings techniques of CPR. 15. Our Springfield Masonic Lodges has a scholarship program that is not only set up for its members and their families, but for anyone in the community that has a real need. The above information adds new meaning to the phrase the “World’s Greatest Philanthropy” and the “World’s Greatest Fraternity”. As you can see, Shriners are much more than units in a parade, clowns, men who wear a Red Fez, and an organization that brings the circus to town. Shriners believe in God and that He created man to serve His purposes, among which is service to other in His name. We believe that care for the less fortunate, especially children who suffer from burns and crippling diseases, is our institutional calling. We are proud to be Shriners. Dennie L. Miller Circus Chairman |