Knights of St. Andrew Chapter Opens Virtually

by Thomas Whitney, 32˚, HGA, Valley of Binghamton

The Valley of Binghamton is a small Valley in the Southern Tier of New York. In early 2020, through efforts from our senior leadership, we had just started to rebound and gain momentum in our Valley. Then, the “wonderful” COVID-19 world decided to grace us with its presence, putting a halt to some of our events and plans. Our ranks were already diminishing, and now the pandemic gave us fewer opportunities to hold activites.

A short time ago, however, the Valley leadership began to restructure and reorganize. I say this loud and proud, because our 33rds, our MSAs, and our officers really took hold of the virtual pathway and put together some interesting Zoom programs. With guidance from these outstanding brothers, we have managed to push forward and gain momentum even in the face of this pandemic.

One of the major improvements our Valley has been working on is forming a group to get the new members and new 32nds involved. Through member discussions, we learned that the younger (in terms of years in the Craft) members wished to be more involved in planning and major events. So Brother David Karre, 32°, asked me to assist in a project to bring the Knights of St. Andrew to our Valley. We have worked closely with Brother Richard Powell, 33°, from the Valley of Syracuse, to lay the groundwork for this to happen. He and the members of the Valley of Syracuse Knights of St. Andrew provided us a wonderful Zoom Charter and Installation meeting.

Our Commander in Chief, Mark Loughran, 32°, said, “The formation of the Binghamton KSA Chapter is a transformative event for our Valley. It is the vehicle we were looking for to engage a growing group of young members and immerse them in Valley activities in a structured way. The enthusiasm of the brothers who brought this chapter to fruition has been contagious. Brothers Dave Karre, Tom Whitney, Rich Powell, and the Brothers from Binghamton and Syracuse deserve our heartfelt thanks for their hard work to make this Chapter a reality. It will surely make the Valley grow and provide benefit to its members in the form of fun gatherings, innovative programs, education, and good fellowship.”

A lovely new Knights of St. Andrew banner to proudly display for the Valley of Binghamton

The Valley of Binghamton would like to thank the Valley of Syracuse for their efforts to help us hold this event virtually, and we look forward to working together in the future to build a strong, lasting bond that we all will benefit from.

Even though times have changed, there are still ways to make good things happen. Stay safe and keep progressing; our Craft has never had stronger ties than now!