The Record Delta
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Page 5A
HOMETOWN HEROES
Upshur County Shrine Club
Members of the Upshur County Shrine Club. From left to right: Abbie Marsh, Dave Crites, Gary Given, Roy Goff and Brett Talbott. By Alison Harrison Staff Writer
BUCKHANNON — The Upshur County Shrine Club members are our October Hometown Heroes and deserve recognition for all the wonderful things they do year-round. The first thing that may come to mind when people hear Shriners is often that fez they wear on their heads or possibly Shriners Hospitals for Children. Shriners are everywhere and what they do for their communities runs deep and has lasting effects. Shriners International is one of the oldest existing philanthropic organizations. Helping physically disadvantaged children is what it’s all about for the Shriners, who are a brotherhood of men committed to family, engaged in ongoing personal growth, and dedicated to providing care for children and families in need. The background and interests of the Shriners are diverse but are bound together by their shared values and a desire to have fun, do good and build relationships that can last a lifetime. The hat the Shriners wear is called a fez, a name with Turkish origin. The felt headdress is in the shape of a short, cylindrical, peakless hat, usually red, and sometimes with a tassel attached to the top. The name refers to the Moroccan city of Fez, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco until 1927, where the dye to color the hats was extracted from crimson berries. The headgear became official for Shriners in 1872 and many other fraternal orders are also known for wearing fezzes. The history of the Shriners extends back nearly 150 years. In 1870, a group of Masons gathered frequently for lunch at the Knickerbocker Cottage on Sixth Avenue in New York City. Among the regulars were Walter M. Fleming, M.D. and William J. “Billy” Florence, an actor. The group frequently talked about starting a new fraternity for Masons, a group that would be centered on fun and fellowship, more than ritual. Fleming and Florence took this idea seriously enough to do something about it. Billy Florence had been on tour in France and had been invited to a party given by an Arabian diplomat. The exotic style, flavors and music of the Arabian-themed party inspired him to suggest this as a theme for the new fraternity. Walter
Fleming, a devoted fraternity brother, built on Florence’s ideas and used his knowledge of fraternal ritual to transform the Arabian theme into the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.). With the help of the Knickerbocker Cottage regulars, Fleming drafted the ritual, designed the emblem and costumes, formulated a salutation and declared that members would wear the red fez. The first meeting of the Mecca Shriners and of the first temple (chapter) established in the United States, was held September 26, 1872. As word got out about the fledgling organization, membership grew rapidly, spreading across the United States. In the early 1900s, membership spread into Canada, Mexico and Panama. Today, Shriners International is a fraternity with nearly 200 temples in several countries. There are thousands of clubs around the world and hundreds of thousands of members dedicated to the principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. Just like most organizations, the Shriners have a formal board to govern the group. The Imperial Divan is the international governing body of Shriners International. The governing body works as a corporate Board of Directors and consists of 12 officers, each of whom is elected to the lowest position on the Divan and moves up one position each year, with the exception of the Imperial Treasurer and Imperial Recorder. The highest leadership position within Shriners International is Imperial Potentate. The Imperial Potentate is both President and Chief Executive Officer of Shriners International, and is elected for a one-year term. He spends his year in office visiting many of the Shriner temples, attending regional meetings and visiting Shriners Hospitals for Children locations. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for both Shriners Hospitals for Children and Shriners International. A similar organizational structure is followed at the local level within each temple around the world. The Upshur Chapter is no different; Dave Crites serves as the President, Brett Talbott is the Treasurer, Steve Goff is Secretary, and Gary Given is fulfilling Vice-President duties, in
addition to being the Transportation Coordinator for the club. The oldest member of the Upshur Shriners is Max Adams, age 95, and second in line is Roy Goff. The longest-standing members are Max Adams, Gary Given, Charlie Jenkins and David Orndorff. All Shriners come from the Masonic background. Dave Crites stated, “All Shriners are Masons, but not all Masons are Shriners.” Shriners International is a spin-off from Freemasonry, the oldest, largest, and most widely known fraternity in the world. Freemasonry dates back hundreds of years to when stonemasons and other craftsmen gathered after work in shelter houses, or lodges. Over time, the members organized into Masonic guilds and the tools of their trade. The square and compass became the symbol of their brotherhood. Eventually, Masonry evolved into an organization that began to accept members who were not craftsmen. Today, Masonry is built upon a foundation of improving character and strengthening communities, though the square and compass are still the symbols of the fraternal brotherhood. When Shriners International was first founded in 1872, the organization built on the principles that guided Freemasonry, while adding an element of fun, and ultimately, philanthropy, that set Shriners International apart. From their earliest days, the Shriners were known for their philanthropic efforts across the country. By the early 1900s, the fraternity was growing quickly. And as the fraternity was growing, so was the support for establishing an official charity. Most temples had local philanthropies and sometimes the Shriners’organization offered aid. The idea to establish hospitals for children was brought to the membership in 1919 by Freeland Kendrick (P.I.P., Lu Lu Shriners, Philadelphia) after he visited a Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children in Atlanta. This visit made Kendrick aware of the overwhelming need to care for children with orthopedic disorders. During his tenure as Imperial Potentate in 1919 and 1920, Kendrick traveled more than 150,000 miles, visiting a majority of the 146 Shrine temples and campaigning for an official philanthropy to be established.
There are currently 22 hospitals in North America operated by the Shriners at a cost of $1.5 million per day. Children from birth to 18 years of age can be treated, and in some cases up to age 21. The purpose of the Shrine is to help crippled children at no cost to the child or family. No family ever receives a bill, and there are no family income restrictions. Money comes from individual donations, special fundraisers such as sporting events, raffles, dinners and onion sales. The biggest fundraisers for the local chapter are the onion sales and their Annual Elimination Dinner, which was held earlier this month at the Event Center at Brushy Fork, a sold-out event with 400 printed tickets. There are actually two Shrine organizations in Upshur County. The Upshur County Shrine Club consists of 65 members, who do most of the fundraising for the organization. There is also the Shuttle Patrol, composed of 13 members. The club, along with the Shuttle Patrol, meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Masonic Lodge on Park Street at 6:30 p.m. for a covered dish dinner, followed by a business meeting at 7:30 p.m. “The Ladies of Club Shrine members are called the Ladies Auxiliary and play an important part in the club activities and lend support to all of our projects,” explained Dave Crites. There are specific conditions treated by Shriner’s Hospitals: scoliosis and spinal deformities, clubfoot and related deformities, osteogenesis imperfecta, spina
bifida/myelodysplasia, neuromuscular disorders, hand problems, hip disorders, orthopedic problems resulting from cerebral palsy, missing limbs/limb deficiencies, leglength discrepancies, metabolic bone disease, skeletal growth abnormalities, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Brett Talbott of the Upshur County Shrine Club indicated that many people do not realize what all is available through the Shriners Hospitals for Children. “I see kids walking around with cleft lip and there is no need for it,” Talbott stated. A child must have a condition which the Shrine Hospital can treat, such as bone and skeletal problems, club foot, burns and other issues. Treatment may be short or long-term, as in the case of severe burns or skeletal problems requiring long-term treatment. The local contact person who can set up initial examinations, provide transportation, or the transportation funds is member Gary Given, and he can be reached at 304-517-6402. Given is also the club’s Transportation Coordinator. The Shrine Club of Upshur County has a transport vehicle equipped with 15 qualified drivers; each trip taken by the club requires two drivers. According to member Roy Goff, “There is no follow-up protocol in place to find out how a child is doing after treatment unless they contact us. We just assume if we do not hear from them, then they are doing well.” Given stated, “Currently, we have three children from Upshur County and the sur-
A Shriner fez bearing their official symbol.
ALISON HARRISON/The Record Delta
rounding area who are enrolled in the Shrine program.” Given furthered, “These children are such a blessing to me personally, to see how sick and in pain they are, but they never lose a smile. They become like family to us.” Abbie Marsh of the Ladies Auxiliary explained, “If you ever get the chance to visit a Shrine Hospital, they have an open house every June. It is the most amazing thing you will ever see and experience. Those kids have so much strength and they bring so much joy, even though they are so sick.” When discussing how families come to receive the assistance of the Shriners, Goff explained, “Our biggest problem is identification of children who need our help and getting the family support so treatment can be initiated and conducted.” Given continued, “Some doctors will directly make a referral or tell the family that the Shriner’s can help with this, but most of the time, people just do not know, but they will ask a member and find out they can get help.” The Upshur County Shrine Club expressed their sincere gratitude to John Jenkins of Jenkins Ford in Buckhannon for years of support to the local organization. The community also extends thanks to the men and women of the Shriners for their long-standing support to children and families in need, both locally and internationally. Anyone with questions about getting help can contact a Shriner or the national representative at 1-800-237-5055.