Valleys of Excellence

by Joann Williams-Hoxha, Content Manager

Q&A Pete Saunders, Valley Secretary for the Valley of Central Jersey

TNL: How did your Valley work to achieve the Valley of Excellence?

PS: We looked at each category as a whole then broke them down into individual tasks. Some were things that we do as a matter of course under normal circumstances, and we were able to just mark them off as they occurred. When looked at as a whole, the tasks themselves were not difficult. We are, at the heart of our organization, all about contact with our members and making sure their needs are met. We are also very lucky in our Valley; we have a tremendous team of leaders that will step up to any challenge. I am very happy to say that when presented with the idea of this Valley of Excellence program it quickly became a part of our weekly routine... ‘How can this be used towards our VOE challenge?’ was a question we had floating around at all times.

TNL: Obviously the pandemic put a strain on meeting your Valley of Excellence goals, but what else would you say was the biggest challenge? `

````PS: I think the biggest challenge we had was the realization that we could not use our ability to host social events successfully to promote a cause. We had to come up with a way of using our building under the constraints we were faced with and still manage to get the job done. In the end, the one thing we realized was we could use the building as a Red Cross blood bank, because all of the buildings in our area were far too small in square footage to host them under the CDC guidelines for available floor space. This allowed us to show our community we were truly a part of it. If nothing else comes from all that effort, we may have turned a few heads of potential members as they had the opportunity to look around the building as they waited for their time to donate blood. That alone would make the efforts worth it.

Ill. Mark Megee, 33˚, MSA, HGA, displays their Valley of Excellence Award.

TNL: Which Valley of Excellence category was the most difficult to achieve?

PS: To be honest I don’t think that we found any of the categories difficult as such. We typically do most of the things on there in our normal course of business. It was just a matter of keeping track of them and then marking them down on the list. In and of itself, that was not very taxing either, just another detail to take care of.

TNL: What would you say to a Valley that didn’t meet their Valley of Excellence goals—any words of wisdom?

PS: The best we could offer as “Words of Wisdom” would be, don’t look at it like a task or a chore. It is something you should be doing for your members as a Valley to begin with. It is a great method of inspiring your own members to take a task upon themselves and make it their own. You can make this a building experience, we certainly found it to be one.

Q&A Gary Beier, 33°, MSA, Valley of Milwaukee

TNL: How did the Valley of Milwaukee achieve the Valley of Excellence?

GB: The Valley of Milwaukee used a combination of tradition and innovation to overcome the COVID challenge. Normal stated meeting schedule continued virtually, and our committees used either Zoom or email as necessary to conduct their ongoing business. We didn’t miss a beat with outreach to members and widows during the year. New members were initiated using Rite on the Road tools, either on location or at the Valley itself. The Thursday Night at the Rite series was a big draw for both current and incoming members. Our degree team and officers came up with a new concept early in the year—the Radio Degree. We actually performed two public presentations as Radio Degrees. December’s Rose had a final audience that totaled just under 200, and our Paschal Lamb presentation drew over 100 views. The Valley also participated in some new philanthropic programs that helped needy and disabled children and brought new light to what the Scottish Rite is all about.

TNL: Obviously the pandemic put a strain on meeting Valley of Excellence goals, but what would you say was the second biggest challenge?

GB: A big challenge is providing a sense of value to our overall membership. Their time and talents are a valuable resource, and I believe that the pandemic taught us to use new technical tools to create a lasting impact on them.

TNL: Which Valley of Excellence category was the most difficult to achieve?

GB: The Family Life events category was the most challenging for us in that health considerations made it hard to reach out to our whole Valley family in a meaningful way.

TNL: Any advice to other Valleys?

GB: For Valleys that didn’t meet their goals: Dig a little deeper during this coming year. You will find that the effort involved in attaining VOE status is worth it, because it will drive you and your fellow officers to try new ideas that have the potential to produce a strong impact on your Valley and its future. That’s what we discovered here in Milwaukee. Good Luck!