Valleys of Excellence

by Joann Williams-Hoxha, Content Manager

To see the complete Valley of Excellence rankings, visit the full version of the August issue. Below are features on a few of the Valleys who achieved Valley of Excellence status.

The Valley of The Firelands

Just call The Firelands the little Valley that could. In addition to being one of the smallest Valleys in Ohio, they are also one of the newest Valleys within the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, comprised of approximately 150 Brothers.

The Valley of The Firelands was the first to achieve a perfect score within all categories for the Valley of Excellence. Pictured here are the 14th degree team and five new members that were recruited in the spring.

Valley Secretary Dwight Damschroder, 32°, said his Valley does not have a brick-andmortar building of their own, but they effectively use all the Masonic temples within their region to cater to members. They run approximately two events each month typically in different parts of their Valley to be sure each member can attend an event that is close to home.

“We’re not tied to any building; we’re tied to the people,” Brother Dwight said.

That mentality is likely the secret to their success; they not only met, but exceeded, many of their goals within all categories for the Valley of Excellence. Their Brother-to-Brother calling goal was 31. They knocked it out of the park with 150. How about providing educational programming to a minimum of eight Brothers amid a pandemic? No problem— they went ahead and quadrupled that goal!

With COVID restrictions, Brother Dwight said they were forced to cease gatherings for a bit, but they have not missed any of their degree work since then. They leveraged the help of a Brother who is a respiratory therapist and carefully drafted protocols to ensure the safety of their members. These included sanitizing areas and equipment before and after events, checking temperatures, and filling out health screen forms.

Jaxin and Maddie Mohr enjoy their ice cream cones at the Valley of The Firelands’ ice cream cruise-in at Lisa’s Ice Cream in Willard, Ohio.

“We’re getting plural members in our Valley, because they see all that we’re doing,” Brother Dwight said. “It’s been really wonderful helping other lodges and our Valley to grow.”

Deb Kemerley enjoys an ice cream during the family life cruise-in event, the 12th family life event of the year for The Firelands, giving them a perfect score of 100 for The Valley of Excellence. “No Valley in NMJ can beat us; only tie us,” touted Valley Secretary Dwight Damschroder, 32°.

The Valley of Northern New Jersey Gets Creative to Achieve VOE Status

Where most of us saw a restrictive pandemic in 2020, the Valley of Northern New Jersey saw an opportunity. With a little ingenuity and the Valley of Excellence scorecard as their framework, they continued to connect with Brethren in their Valley, provide help to their fellow man, and even recruit new members.

“We had come to a consensus that, regardless of the lockdown requirements, the Valley was going to fight, but in a different way. From there, we began a steady march with the purpose of giving our members the best possible experience,” Valley Secretary Paul M. Ferreira, 33°, MSA, said.

Regular meetings continued twice a month for the Valley with their newest tool: Zoom. Scheduled presenters provided the education and fellowship that members craved during a time of isolation, and Brother Paul said his Valley began to see increased attendance from members who had not participated in quite some time.

Their online efforts worked exceedingly well. Their Valley of Excellence goal for recruiting new initiates was 38. Their actual results were 129 new initiates as of press time.

For Brothers over the age of 75, the Valley developed a door knocker program, providing in-person visits to see how they were doing. For those who didn’t answer, Valley Brothers left behind a door tag with contact information for the Valley office explaining the reason for the visit. If they needed anything, whether it be a grocery run or a phone call to ease the isolation, they were encouraged to reach out.

They also established a food bank, partnering with a local charity that offered meals to seniors and those in need. With an initial goal of 300 pounds of food by the holiday season, they far surpassed expectations. The Valley received $4,800 in donations in addition to more than 1,500 pounds of food!

Valley Secretary Paul Ferreira, 33°, shows off the first 300 pounds of food the Valley of Northern New Jersey donated to a local food pantry.

“We can say with certainty the [Valley of Excellence] program helped us to become the creative mindset we were but with new and exciting twists on how to address traditional areas of weakness. It acted in many ways like a SWOT [Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats] analysis which basically defines strengths and weaknesses of an organization,” Brother Paul explained.

Brothers from the Valley of Northern New Jersey enjoyed a luau as one of their family life events.

“Our tips on attaining the Valley of Excellence award would simply be to allow your Valley leaders to think outside of the box and find new ways to apply the many categories of opportunity that exist,” Brother Ferreira said. “Become the creative animal that our goals and purposes drive us toward.”

The Valley of Rockville Centre

What is the secret to the Valley of Rockville Centre’s success for achieving Valley of Excellence status? Brother Mark Berkson, 32°, Valley of Rockville Centre Secretary, says it takes a group of dedicated Brothers who all bring something unique to the table.

Officers of the Valley of Rockville Centre welcome some of their new 32° Masons.

“It all started with an executive board meeting to discuss the Valley of Excellence,” Bro. Berkson said. Various Brothers then handled different categories under the Valley of Excellence umbrella. Brother Jim Calkins, 32°, the Valley’s MVP for Brother-to-Brother calls, is now working with Brother Mark on revamping their Ambassador Program. Brother Michael LaRocco, 32°, MSA, is known as the Valley’s “Ritual Director” and serves as the point person for all the degrees the Degree Team does. And of course, there’s Brother Mark himself, who is the main contact for every candidate who walks through the door. He has a humble demeanor and is not one for bragging; but his Valley scorecard shows their recruitment goal for new initiates was 42, and they exceeded it, with 57 new initiates as of press time!

Brother Mark credits a team of Recruitment Ambassadors who helped to earn that win. In addition, they refined the program and expanded the number of ambassadors for both recruitment and restoration. Perhaps the most difficult category in which to meet their Valley of Excellence goal was family/life events.

“Fortunately, we were able to have our blood drives,” Brother Mark said. “We are hopeful that fewer restrictions (due to COVID) next year will help us meet our goal.”

Dist. John Hansen, 32°, MSA participates in a Valley of Rockville Centre blood drive.

And it is not just Brothers who are helping with the Valley’s success. Judy Smith, widow of Brother Linton Smith Jr., 33°, MSA, volunteered to help coordinate programs and events for Valley widows. Judy said, “Just tell me what you need help with, and I’ll do it.” Brother Mark summed up the secret to his Valley’s success very succinctly: having a group of enthusiastic members who enjoy working as a team to make the Valley of Rockville Centre a Valley of Excellence.

A big congratulations to the Valley of Rockville Centre on a job well done!