4 minute read
Generous Stories and Steps
Harry Kirchhoff has left a mark wherever he goes, especially across Masonic groups and charities. As he approaches his 70th year as a Mason, he continues to support a fraternity that has given him so much.
Following his wedding, his wife suggested he take some of the money they received as gifts and join the Masonic lodge. In 1951, he petitioned Frankford Lodge No. 292, Philadelphia. (After his first wife passed away, and he married Dolores, he petitioned Warren Lodge No. 310, in Collegeville, which was closer to her home.)
“I never regretted it,” Harry said. “There’s good harmony in the lodge. I enjoy the fellowship and look forward to the meetings. The way they want you to be – helpful, etc., – it rubs off on you.”
Harry’s career with Ford Motors included fixing telephone systems and merging systems together, so people could direct inward dial and eliminate the need for switchboards. The job had him traveling across the country and prevented him from serving as a lodge officer, but he took part in as many Masonic activities as he could. He was actively involved in the Children’s Identification Program (CHIP), through which he fingerprinted and interviewed children across the country to provide parents with information to give law enforcement and recovery officials in the event their child went missing.
Harry also volunteered as a transportation driver for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
“When you see them [kids] smile when they’re coming home, that’s the reward,” Harry said.
He was active in DeMolay, serving as chapter advisor of the Northeast Chapter and as Master Councilor. For his efforts, he earned the DeMolay Degree of Chevalier, Legion of Honor and Cross of Honor.
A few years after Harry’s first wife passed away, he reconnected with Dolores, the widow of a friend who Harry knew through DeMolay. He and Dolores wed, and a couple of years later, she suggested they move to Masonic Village at Elizabethtown. Dolores had visited friends at Masonic Village frequently and knew it was “the best place to finish up your years.”
Harry has taken full advantage of the campus’ wellness options, swimming frequently and walking 10,000 steps every day at the Baird Wellness Center. He also appreciates that the dining servers grow to know what each resident does and doesn’t like.
His Masonic experience has served him well as he reunites with friends who are now neighbors. Harry’s neighbor across the street was in DeMolay with him.
“It’s a small Masonic world. I always know somebody because of Freemasonry,” Harry said. “I’m known for eating and talking.”
“Harry knows more stories than anyone I know,” Dolores added.
“This place [Masonic Village] means a lot,” Harry said. “I want to help maintain it. The most important thing is this place will keep caring for Dolores after I go.”
“A lot of people come here with nothing,” Dolores said. “You couldn’t pick them out from those who are wealthy. We’re all family. Everyone is so well taken care of. That’s so important.”
Harry knew he wanted to support Masonic Villages’ Compassionate Care Fund for health care residents whose assets have been depleted. He was born during the Great Depression, and he knows times can get tough. He contacted David Whitenack, director of gift planning, for a solution. David suggested a Qualified Charitable Distribution (learn more about this option below).
“David found a way to help me,” Harry said. “He was very nice, social and caring.”
Harry gives of himself because of what he’s gained through Freemasonry.
What is a Qualified Charitable Distribution?
If you are older than age 70½ and have a traditional IRA, hands down, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is the number one way to give to the Masonic Villages. You avoid tax on any amount given from your IRA to charity, which is like getting a free tax deduction. Yes, it’s more complicated than writing a check, but once you do, you will never look back.
Please contact the Office of Mission Advancement and Development (formerly the Office of Gift Planning) for a FREE QCD Kit, and then talk to your advisor about dividing up your QCD among your favorite charities, including the Masonic Villages. Remember, if you don’t need your Required Minimum Distribution, then turning it into a QCD is an added benefit.
We can help you create a QCD to achieve your goals while supporting Masonic Villages’ mission. Please contact us using the enclosed business reply envelope, by calling 1-800-599-6454 or by visiting our website www.MasonicCharitiesLegacy.org for more information. Everything we do for you comes with no cost or obligation.
