The Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center News

Expect an outstanding Masonic experience Regardless of whether a candidate chooses to join the Lodge only or to also join the Scottish Rite or York Rite, he is guaranteed to have a complete and outstanding Masonic experience at his Grand Master’s Class. Each District will pull together its best ritualists for the work of the day, and the experience of sitting with men from across the district will be something that he remember forever.

What to say to potential candidates? So how do you go about talking to your friend, golf buddy, son, nephew, or church member about becoming a Mason? It’s easy. Tell him three things: 1. You believe he would make a good Mason because he is a man of honor and integrity. The men in your Lodge would enjoy getting to know him. 2. He would enjoy getting to know the men in your Lodge and building new friendships with good men who can be trusted to do the right thing. 3. You would be honored to carry his petition to Lodge and sponsor him for membership, but the decision has to be his. As a Mason, you can say all of these things. What you have to do is let him make his own decision. He needs to “knock on the door” of his own free will and accord.

Where can you get a Petition for your candidate? The best place to find a petition is at your Lodge. If you can’t get to a meeting, call your Lodge secretary and ask him to send you one or two. You can also find a general petition on the Member Portal of Grand View in the Master Mason Resources. This petition does not list the amount for degree fees as that will vary from Lodge to Lodge. Again, the Lodge Secretary can help with that.

When do you have to turn in a Petition? Ideally, you want to turn in your candidate’s petition in January, February, or March. The Lodge must still have time to receive the petition at a stated meeting, investigate the candidate, and vote on the investigation report. The Lodge then needs time to order supplies such as Aprons and Bibles and turn in the paperwork to Grand Lodge by early to mid-April.

Before all this can take place, most Lodges will want to invite a potential candidate to any Lodge activities that are open to the public: breakfasts, awards presentations, and the like. In this way the members get to know the petitioner, and he in turn, gets to know the Lodge. This is also important because two members of the Lodge must be prepared to sign a petition, and those two men should truly believe in the moral qualifications of the petitioner.

How do you get a Scottish Rite or York Rite Petition for your candidate? The best option is, as with the Lodge, to call the local Valley or Chapter. Generally, the Lodge Secretary will know who you should contact.

What can you tell a potential member about Freemasonry? The Grand Lodge of Ohio offers excellent information on its website: www.freemason.com and on its Facebook Page, Grand Lodge F&AM of Ohio. There are three important messages to tell someone about Freemasonry:

1. Freemasonry is thriving in Ohio. Each year, we can see several thousand men join the organization. Be Positive. This is a great time to be a Freemason! 2. Freemasonry is a system that unites men from all walks of life who want to improve themselves, and by so doing, make a positive difference and do good in the world. 3. Ohio Freemasonry, though not a charity itself, donates several million dollars a year to charitable works and its members contribute thousands of hours of volunteer service to good causes.

Other sources of Masonic information In addition to the Grand Lodge website, good information about Freemasonry can be found on the Scottish Rite and York Rite websites as well as that of the Shriners. The Shrine offers a website BeAShrinerNow.org and there is a new website BeAFreemason.org, which will go live in mid-February. Both of these sites offer honest and accurate information.

Is there something for women? Freemasonry is a fraternal society for men. For those candidates who are looking for opportunities to do something with their spouses, there are other organizations such as the Eastern Star or Order of Amaranth, which are related to Freemasonry but welcome both men and women. Contact information for these organizations can be found on the Grand Lodge website, Freemason.com. T he G rand L od e of O hio

Greetings from the Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center! We are excited for the New Year and new opportunities to make a difference! We are the living expression of our Masonic values. We serve as the trusted partner to help people age respectfully. One of the ways we do that is through connecting you to resources. Local communities often have assistance available but many people are either unaware of what is available or unsure of how to receive assistance. Your Liaisons from the Resource Center are well-versed in community support across the state and are here to help you access programs in your area. One example is various programs that deliver nutritious meals. Another example would be local transportation programs that operate and are available to our clients. Many times we find that those with whom we work may qualify for specific programs such as Home Health, Hospice, HEAP, and PIPP but were not aware that assistance was available to them. Our Liaisons also offer assistance to caregivers. In life, one of the biggest decisions we are faced with is when loved ones need more help. Many of our clients want to stay at home longer, while others seek senior living communities. That decision is often weighted by how much care is needed and what is appropriate for that individual. If you are caring for a loved one at home, an important thing to remember is to acknowledge the impact caregiving has on you, and get support and help finding available resources and services. We are here to help. One of our Liaisons is currently working with a family whose mom is in an assisted living facility, and they want to bring her home to care for her. In order to do this, they need to make home improvements to make their home accessible. We have connected her to resources to be able to get these things prior to her mom coming

home. Our Liaison also referred her to the local Area Agency on Aging to have a long term care assessment done. This will help to see how long her money will last so that they can make a plan as to how they can best help her at home. Our Liaisons can talk to clients about Palliative Care vs Hospice and other services like having a doctor or nurse practitioner come to the home, when it is difficult to get loved ones out to doctor appointments and for other care needs. There are services available that can help with things like light housekeeping, driving, grocery shopping, and medical care and financial responsibilities.

Please don’t hesitate to give us a call for additional support, resources, and assistance, whether you are already a caregiver assisting a loved one, or need assistance for you or someone else. NEWS FROM THE OHIO MASONIC HOME RESOURCE CENTER

The Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center Welcomes our newest Liaison, Bobbi Schickler!

Bobbi is now the Liaison for NE Ohio. Prior to coming to The Ohio Masonic Home, Bobbi worked at Ohio Living for over 8 years as a business development liaison. Prior to that she worked at Wayne County Hospice and Palliative Care for 4 years, Omnicare Pharmacy for 7 years, and AAA Ohio for over 10 years. Bobbi is passionate about helping people age in place and is excited to be part of the team! Bobbi lives in Wadsworth with her husband of 32 years, and she has 3 boys who all live out of state. If you would like information on resources in NE Ohio please contact us at 877-881-1623, or you may reach Bobbi on her cell phone at 216-408-8132. 8 WINTER 2020

Does your district have a Masonic Volunteer Program committee? Would you like to enhance communication between the Lodges and Chapters in your district? When you hear of a Brother or Widow in distress, do you know how to help? The Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center has a volunteer program designed to help connect individuals in need with the appropriate level of assistance. That may involve having a Resource Center Liaison come out to meet with a caregiver to coordinate services for their spouse or parent, or, it could also include a visit or a friendly phone call from a member of that person’s Lodge or Eastern Star Chapter. Having a Masonic Volunteer Program committee in your district enables Lodges and Chapters to strengthen their ties with their older or infirmed members, help their widows and widowers feel connected to their husbands’ Lodges and promotes deeper relationships between those who help as a group. The Masonic Volunteer Program has committees in 10 districts at this time, with over 240 volunteers. If you would like more information or wish to schedule a presentation or training, please call DeAnna Kinney at 740-262-1974. Masonic Volunteer Program