140 year of Shriners

140 year of Shriners

Friday, July 30, 2010

Greetings from Shriners Hospitals for Children - Northern California!

Adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, is a deadly genetic disease that affects 1 in 18 000 people. To give you a perspective on the rarity of this disease, consider that you have a better chance of scoring a hole in one in golf*.

ALD destroys myelin in the brain which then destroys a person’s ability to think and control muscles. ALD knows no racial, ethnic or geographic barriers – and most severely affects boys and men. Hope for children and their families is scientific research. The critical ingredient is funding.

No one understands the urgency of ALD research better than Ed and Barbara Crane. They lost their sons Timmy and Brian to ALD. Intent on providing hope by funding research, the Cranes established the Golf & Grape Gathering. Proceeds from the two day event benefit the Timmy and Brian Crane Foundation and Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California – which is actively involved in ALD research.

Your sponsorship of this event at any level is the key to saving lives. The purpose of the event is profound. The events themselves are focused on friends, food and fun. Details can be found on the Web site and attached Golf & Grape Packet. I hope you will join us. Shriners Hospitals for Children gratefully acknowledges Ed and Barbara Crane, their family, Tom Kees, and presenting sponsors, Hanson McClain and NewsTalk 1530 KFBK for producing the Golf & Grape Gathering. Thank you for your consideration. - Alan Anderson

Thursday, July 29, 2010

PNSA- Spokane

The Pacific Northwest Shrine Assoc. is under way at ElKatif Shrine in Spokane check out their web site for more information http://www.elkatif.org
They have a big Parade, Gala, Competitions, all set for your enjoyment.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Get Ready for the Al Kader Shrine Golf Tournament

The Wilsonville Al Kader Shriners 65th annual golf tournament will be held on Friday, Aug. 27, at the Oregon City Golf Course. Entry fee is $65 per person or $260 per team and includes 18 holes of golf, cart, 2 drink tickets, lunch, and raffle tickets. For a registration form or details call 503-682-4420.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

VV Masonic Lodge experiencing an influx of younger men



Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • It’s part of a fraternity that’s more than five centuries old, shrouded in mystery and conspiracy theories.

Now the Victorville Masonic Lodge is experiencing an influx of younger men looking to belong, to give back to their community — and to learn those cryptic handshakes.

“I think there’s a little piece of everyone that wishes they could be a part of a super-secret clubhouse,” said Joseph Fernandez, who, at 25 in January, became the youngest Master Mason in the local lodge.

That attraction to the more esoteric side of the Masons has been fostered of late through documentaries on the History Channel and the “National Treasure” films, portraying the Founding Fathers as having used symbols from the ancient masons’ guilds to hide great treasures.

But once the novelty of learning those secrets wears off, Fernandez, now 26 and a station commander at a local Army recruiting office, realized he’d joined a brotherhood he’s truly proud to be part of.

“What we teach is really a way of life, that’s all,” said Horace Larkin, who just turned 80 and is going on 49 years as a Mason. “We have a saying: We take good men and make them better.”

The Freemasons date back to the Middle Ages, keeping many of the fraternity’s traditions but opening membership to men from all professions in the 1700s. Today there are an estimated 5 million Masons worldwide, with more than 60,000 in California’s 340 lodges.

For the full story, read Monday's Daily Press. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or go to their Web site

Friday, July 23, 2010

UpDate on Bicylist pedals across country to help Shriners Hospitals for Children


Willard White is riding his bike across the U.S. to raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Story & Photo by Jason Hickman, Oglecountynews.com Illinois


After seeing firsthand the impact the Shriners Hospitals for Children can make in a youngster’s life, a Utah man has taken to the road to help pay them back.

Willard White, 46, Morgan, Utah, strolled through Oregon July 19 on a trip to cross the country on two wheels in order to raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children.

It all stems from the help the hospitals have given his family and his three adopted daughters, one of whom spent five months in the hospital, including eight weeks in intensive care.

“They have spent over a million dollars just on my family, and they do it for free,” said White. “This is a way to give back.”

The high school teacher started his trek in Coos Bay, Oregon, on May 28, and he plans on finishing up his trip in Coney Island, New York, on Aug. 11.

The trip is planned out down to the last detail, with White traveling 60-70 miles a day, and his wife and two of this three daughters driving to meet him at the end of each leg of the trip.

Each night the family either finds a place to camp out, or they are helped by local churches that find the group a place to stay and a hot meal to eat.

“It gives you hope in humanity because people have been so great,” said White. “They are so willing to help out. People let us stay in their homes, feed us all kinds of good food. We have met a lot of really nice people along the way.”

Along the way he has had to deal with rains and hail out West, and some very hot and humid weather here in the Midwest.

“The weather is always a big concern,” said White. “One day when I was in Des Moines the heat index was 118. I was just wiped out that day.”

Another interesting part of his journey has been the many animals he has encountered, some friendly and some not.

“I was almost attacked by a badger,” said White. “I had antelope running right next to me, and I also saw some wild horses. Seeing all the animals has been kind of neat.”

To track his progress, read his blogs, or to donate to the cause, visit his website at www.inspirationalroad.com.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Country star Gretchen Wilson-Al Kader Fundraiser

The Molalla Buckeroo, Battle of the Bands, La Fortuna Mexican Festivals and junior rodeos have made Molalla’s rodeo grounds a happening place on recent summer weekends and this Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24, will be no different.

Country music star Gretchen Wilson is coming to town to perform along with the Piedmont Boys as part of the Al Kader Shriners rodeo fundraiser.

“This is the first year that we’ve ever done it,” said Greg Jenkins of Al Kader Shriners, a fraternal club that supports Shriners Hospitals for Children. “We’re looking at this as a new fundraiser to have. If this works, we look to have one every year.”

While the Al Kader Shriners do a lot of work to support their 22 children’s hospitals located throughout North America, this particular event will raise funds for the club’s operating costs, rather than going directly to the hospitals.

“We have to raise funds so we can keep going, so we can do other things to raise money for the Shriners Hospitals,” Jenkins said. “We’re hoping that it will get people to know more about the Shrine and who the Shriners are and what we do. We’re trying very hard to get more Shriners.”

The Shriners contacted Molalla event planning company Like That Productions, which coordinates the annual Ross Coleman Invitational among other events, to organize the concerts and rodeo.

The two-day event starts on Friday night with an exhibition rodeo, silent auction and cowboy dance, with live music provided by the Piedmont Boys, a country, bluegrass and southern rock band that has made numerous appearances in Molalla.

Gretchen Wilson, whose hits include the Grammy Award-winning song “Redneck Woman,” will perform Saturday night following the bull riding and barrel racing competitions.

The gates at the Buckeroo rodeo grounds (815 Shirley Street, Molalla) will open at 6 p.m. for both the Friday and Saturday events, with rodeo performances starting at 7 p.m.

Admission for Friday’s show is $10 and general admission for Saturday’s show is $25. Arena floor tickets for the Gretchen Wilson concert on Saturday night are $75.

Tickets may be purchased at Wilco Farm Stores, Cutter’s Hi-School Pharmacy, Union Mills Feed Store or from Like That Productions.

For more information, visit www.alkadershriners.org or www.likethatproductions.com or call 503-759-5372.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Shrine Game attendance higher than previously thought


To Play Video go to http://www.kxlf.com/news/shrine-game-attendance-higher-than-previously-thought/

By Melanie Yuill
More people attended the weekend's East-West Shrine Game than originally thought.

The attendance number announced at the game was 4,954; however, Ryan Jonart of the Shrine Game Board says the attendance number announced at the game of 4,954 is incorrect. He says the official attendance number is actually much higher, coming in at 5,562, a big increase from what they originally thought attended.

Jonart also said the event raised close to $70,000. But expenditures have not been factored in yet, so there is no word yet on how much of that will go to the Shriners Hospital in Spokane.

Final numbers will be released later this week.

Shrine Football descends on Eureka

Jul 20, 2010 @ 05:22 PM
Players from across the state gather for workouts for the 36th annual Shrine All Star Football Game Tuesday at Eureka College.




FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STAR
Shriner Wally Crouch, far right, lets the guys know they are missing the action as players from across the state gather for workouts for the 36th annual Shrine All Star Football Game Tuesday at Eureka College. The Shriners had gathered to take a group shot with the players.

Chief of Staff Earns Teaching Honors




July 20, 2010

Perry L. Schoenecker, M.D., chief of staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children® – St. Louis, has earned two awards this year in recognition of his work as a professor of orthopaedics at Washington University School of Medicine.

Earlier this year, the residents at Washington University School of Medicine voted to award Dr. Schoenecker with the Palma Chironis Award for excellence in teaching. This is the third time Washington University residents have honored him with this award, previously in 1995 and 1998.

The 2010 graduating orthopaedic residents from the University of Kansas, Wichita, School of Medicine voted him the “Outstanding Teacher of the Year for 2010”.

Dr. Schoenecker has served as chief of staff for Shriners Hospitals for Children® – St. Louis for 33 years. In addition to serving as professor of orthopaedics at Washington University School of Medicine, he is also acting chairman of the department of orthopaedics at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Shrine Fest Benefit to Feature Texas Music Artists - August 22, 2009

by Brad Brite, Special to Texas Republic News

A few Texas artists are teaming up for a benefit concert in Wichita Falls, Texas held by the Maskat Shrine Temple. The 4th Annual Shrine Fest, as it is known, will be held on August 22, 2009.

Most of us music buffs know the Shriners from a song that Ray Stevens sang years ago. As funny as that song was, this is serious business. The Shriners are involved in a number of fundraisers and activities including the Shrine Circus, the Shrine Hospital Golf Tournament, annual Easter egg hunts, etc., all benefiting good causes.

This event however is something any good Texan or fan of Texas music can get behind, and yours truly will be helping any way I can.

Let’s check out the line up, how about Charla Corn and Josh Abbott. If that’s not enough lets throw in my friend Casey Donahew. Still not happy? Well get ready: Closing the show will be none other than The Randy Rogers Band.

What more could you ask for? Well guess what there’s more if you buy tickets on line you will be entered in to a drawing for a 52” TV, you get better parking, the first 500 at the gate with online tickets will get a free koozie, and you get into the event an hour early to pick out a good spot to sit. The only stipulation is you have to buy the online tickets before August 18, 2009.

With everything the Shriners are doing I just can’t see this being anything but a great music festival and fundraiser. Instead of reading about this after the fact why not go and witness it first hand, you’ll have a great time and be supporting a worthy cause.

All proceeds from Shrine Fest will benefit the Maskat Shrine Temple activities. To learn more about the Maskat Shrine Temple go to www.maskatshrine.com, and to purchase tickets and/or learn more about Shrine Fest go to www.shrinefest.com. I encourage everyone to come out and help make this event the best one yet, the average attendance is about 5K lets try and double it this year. I hope to see you there.

Remember to close your eyes and open your mind to truly hear the music in life.

Thank you, Brad Brite - for questions or comments. bbkcbrite@juno.com Click on the ShrineFest Logo on the right for more Information

Century-old Port Townsend Masonic hall gets face-lift; members hope to spruce up organization's image,



Masons Bob Ryan, Fred Johnson and Drew Coleman stand outside the Masonic Lodge in Port Townsend. -- Photo by Charlie Bermant/Peninsula Daily News


By Charlie Bermant, Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND,Wa-- The worse-for-wear Port Townsend Masonic Center No. 6 is getting a face-lift, but the changes are more than just brick deep.

"When we are finished, this will be the best looking brick building in Port Townsend," lodge Secretary Drew Coleman said.

"It's symbolic of our rebirth, where we are becoming more involved with the community."

The lodge is commemorating its 151st anniversary this year in a building that was built in 1901, burned in 1934 and rebuilt shortly afterward.

In recent years, the brick facade at the corner of Jefferson and Van Buren streets has deteriorated, with members hoping to rehabilitate the exterior.

It came to a head last year when one of the entrance bricks fell out.

Coleman pushed it back into place, but the project took on a sense of urgency.

The deadline to buff up all 4,500 bricks is Sept. 11, at which time the lodge will hold a celebration for members and widows.

The event begins at 3 p.m. and will be preceded by an open house from 9 a.m. until noon that will welcome the public into the renovated building.

Now in its third week, the project included a powerful water blast, followed by drilling out the mortar between each brick by about an inch.

This is enough to allow the application of a new layer of mortar, but not so much that the building will tumble down.

The project is planned to be completed well before the rainy season.

It will cost about $45,000 and is being completed by a local contractor.

"The Masons is a volunteer organization," Coleman said, "but you can't get any of these old guys up a scaffold."

The lodge now has 50 members with an average age of 70.

Recognizing this, the local lodges are making an effort to get younger people involved.

Coleman said Masons have never talk about their accomplishments, preferring to perform good deeds under the radar.

In the past 50 years, they have been talking even less, which has built the group's reputation as a "secret" society.

The high age average is attributable to this trend, as those who are Masons today were recruited at a time when the lodges were more forthcoming.

Today, a trend toward openness along with publicity on cable TV and the Internet have helped to spread the word.

The depiction of the Masons in popular novels by author Dan Brown has also helped.

"Dan Brown's books were obviously fiction, but they helped to tell people what we were all about," Coleman said.

In simplest terms, the Masons are a fraternal -- that is, all male -- organization that strives to help the community.

Members need to be 18 or older, of good character and have never committed a felony -- or if they have, they must have made restitution or served the time.

They also must believe in a supreme being.

"We don't accept atheists," Coleman said. "You have to believe in God to be a Mason, but it doesn't matter which one."

The Masons aren't secret because all of the teachings are in books available online, according to District Deputy James Hansen.

In addition to their low visibility, they do not proselytize, and new members have to ask to join.

Once a petition for membership is received, the applicant is vetted and begins three levels of training, which usually takes from three to six months,

New recruits are assigned a mentor and taken through the three levels.

Those recruits who become masters become mentors for new members.

Masons are worldwide and recognize each other by a tie, ring or lapel pin.

"Whenever I travel and meet other Masons they treat me very well," said Fred Johnson.

"We are getting the word out," Coleman said.

"We are becoming more a part of what is going on in the city."

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Audie Murphy/Pamela Murphy


I don't know how I missed this story about the wife of one of our great Heros. Some of Audie Murphy's item's are in the Libary at the North Hollywood masonic lodge.

Story By Dennis McCarthy, Los Angeles Times on April 15, 2010
Pamela Murphy, widow of WWII hero and actor, Audie Murphy, died peacefully at her home on April 8, 2010. She was the widow of the most decorated WWII hero and actor, Audie Murphy, and established her own distinctive 35 year career working as a patient liaison at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration hospital, treating every veteran who visited the facility as if they were a VIP.

Any soldier or Marine who came into the hospital got the same special treatment from her. She would walk the hallways with her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see the specialist they needed.

If they didn't, watch out. Her boys weren't Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like Audie, but that didn't matter to Pam. They had served their country. That was good enough for her. She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always "Mister." Respect came with the job.

"Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy," said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years. "Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into the doctor's office. She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn't matter to Mrs. Murphy. "Only her boys mattered. She was our angel."


She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment - taking a clerk's job at the nearby VA to support herself. At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, though, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy's widow. It was like saying General Patton had just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a hug.
"Thank you," they said, over and over.

The first couple of years, I think the hugs were more for Audie's memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, they were for Pam.
One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran's Day column for all the work she had done. Pam just shook her head no. "Honor them, not me," she said, pointing to a group of veterans down the hallway. "They're the ones who deserve it."
The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said. Incredibly, in 2002, Pam's job was going to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered "excess staff." "I don't think helping cut down on veterans' complaints and showing them the respect they deserve, should be considered excess staff," she told me. Neither did the veterans. They went ballistic, holding a rally for her outside the VA gates. Pretty soon, word came down from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered "excess staff."

She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 when she was 87.
"The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans," said Becky James, coordinator of the VA's Veterans History Project. Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help some more of her boys. Pam Murphy was 90 when she died. What a lady.
Dennis McCarthy, Los Angeles Times on April 15, 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Shrine game comes to Butte tonight

By PAT RYAN Montana Standard | Posted: Saturday, July 17, 2010 12:00 am
BUTTE — Seven area football players will be participating in the 64th annual Montana East-West Shrine Game.

Helena High gridders suiting up for the Shrine game are linebacker Jackson Lang, kicker Chase Kloker and wide receiver Adam Johnson. Capital High’s representatives will be wide receiver Josh Dirks and linebacker Seth Walton.

Johnson is the fourth member of his family to be selected for the Shrine Game. His two grandfathers, Robert Johnson and Jim Longin, played in 1947 and 1959, respectively.

BUTTE — After a 63-year run in Great Falls, the 64th annual Montana East-West Shrine football game has made the move to Butte.

The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff tonight at Bulldog Memorial Stadium. A full parade will also course through Uptown Butte beginning at 10 a.m. on East Broadway.

The Montana event is the oldest continuous game of its kind in the nation, and has raised more than $1 million for the Shrine Children’s Hospital in Spokane.

Net proceeds from tonight’s game and surrounding events help fund the hospital’s operation.

Recently, members of Butte’s Bagdad Shrine Temple made a case for moving the game, hoping to bring back interest in the event and to create more income for the hospital.

It was later decided to put the game on a three-year rotation between Great Falls, Butte and Billings. The Al Bedoo Shrine Temple in Billings will be in charge of the 2011 game, though due to a conflict with the Montana State Games, Laurel will be the site of the actual game.

Certainly, there have been hard feelings about moving the game after such a long time in the Electric City. Still, the Butte Shriners who helped bring about the change are convinced that the move will help raise the game’s image and in the end create more money for the final beneficiary — the kids who receive free medical care at Shrine hospitals.

“The reason this game has run as long as it has is because of the work of the East and the Great Falls Shriners,” said West Shrine team coordinator Jeff Hartwick. “We just felt we could inject new life into the game and help improve it in some areas.”

Butte Shriner R.J. Olson, a member of the Shrine game board, said he was sorry to see the downward trend the game had been taking.

“We felt like the game was dying,” Olson said. “We wanted to get the atmosphere back and make it a premiere game like it used to be.”

A group of Bagdad Shriners had considered the idea for a few years before finally deciding to test the waters with the board in October of 2008.

“We had talked about it a lot, but never went further with it,” Hartwick said.

They mentioned it at a board meeting and the response was such that they drew up a proposal to move the game to Butte on a full-time basis. The vote was 5-4 in favor of the change, though it was later decided that Shrine bylaws required more than a simple majority vote.

Through mediators brought in by the Shrine, it was decided in January of 2009 to move the game to a rotation between the three Montana Shrine Temples.

“We weren’t getting the job done in Great Falls as well as we’d like to,” said Dave Bergeson of Billings, president of the board of directors of the Shrine game. He added that the board’s two goals — gaining publicity for the hospital and raising money for the hospital — weren’t being met.

“We have a young bunch of guys here who are excited about the game, so a couple of us older ones decided it was time to give it a shot,” Bergeson said. “The community here has been very supportive.”

Local Shriners are anxious to see the crowds Saturday and are looking for a successful end to this year’s work.

“Hopefully, with the money we raise and the show we put on here in Butte, we’ll set the bar high for future games,” Olson said.

The game had been played in Great Falls since the inaugural year in 1947.

The West won a 20-17 decision last year in Great Falls in the only overtime game in the history of the event. The win snapped a five game West losing streak, though the East still leads the series 36-27.

For the complete story and more player information check the Montana Standard newspaper.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Lance Burton’s Aug. 22 benefit assists Shriners Hospitals for Children


By Lance Burton, guest columnist

The Shriners has been my favorite charity for as long as I can remember because of the work they do. Once again, I’m calling upon my magician friends to put on a benefit show in my theater at the Monte Carlo. It will take place at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22, and feature some of the most talented people in Las Vegas.

I’m mostly impressed with the Shriners Hospitals for Children scattered throughout the United States, and there is one each in Mexico and Canada. The Shriners members volunteer their time and get doctors and nurses to volunteer their services to give medical services for children. It’s a crusade of sorts because there are more children needing services than there are providers.

This is why I try and make it an annual event. I also call upon my entertainer friends to perform at the annual Christmas party at the Zelzah Shrine Temple. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby began that tradition in the late 1940s during The Golden Age of The Shriners.

The Shriners have to undergo joining two other organizations before they can become members. First of all, they must be Masons, and that involves some work and dedication. The next step is to join the Scottish Rites or York Rites.

The nearest Shriners hospital to Las Vegas is in Los Angeles. The Shriners from Las Vegas drive the vans with children in need of treatment. The main office is run out of the Zelzah Shrine Temple.

There are about 900 clients under the auspices of the Zelzah Shrine Temple and 300 more on the waiting list. I’ve helped to purchase the vans used to take the children to the hospitals. Zelzah is a very active temple, and I recently had lunch at one of their fundraisers where they had a crafts fair.

The other hospitals in the West are in San Diego, San Francisco and Salt Lake City. Many of the physicians are surgeons who are tops in their field. The work that they do will radically change the life of a child.

I recently learned of an inspiring story of a 10-year-old girl who doctors said would never walk again after being hit by a car. With the help and dedication of The Shriners Hospital in Chicago, she overcame her spinal cord injury. The young dancer who was ejected from her family’s minivan is now walking again.

Getting the word out is equally important to me so people will know that this is a true charity. Shriners International supports 22 hospitals and has 350,000 members in their fraternity. There are 191 temples (chapters) in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Panama.

Children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lips and palates are eligible. Neither they nor their families are under any financial obligations for medical services. The Shriners are dedicated to improving their lives through pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs.

The Shriners have accepted cases from overseas countries such as Poland. I’m aware of one boy who through a benefactor was brought to Shriners. The doctors made a toe into a thumb so that the boy could have a working hand.

I will continue to do my share in aiding The Shriners. I need your help by coming to our show Aug. 22 by buying a ticket at $25, $30 or $35. Call (702) 382-5554 or stop by the Zelzah Shrine Temple during business hours. It’s a great cause!

Lance departs the Monte Carlo on Labor Day weekend after a 15-year headlining run.

For more information & Pictures go to http://www.vegasdeluxe.com/blogs/luxe-life/2010/jul/15/lance-burtons-aug-22-benefit-assists-shriners-hosp/

A Prelude d'Elegance will be held on July 31, 2010,

A Prelude d'Elegance will be held on July 31, 2010, at Town and Country Village Shopping Center, at Marconi and Fulton Avenues, Sacramento, where some of the cars will be on display prior to the September Concours d'Elegance for the benefit of Shriners Hospitals for Children.

The annual SCCA/SHC Concours is in its 17th year but has been moved from Rancho Cordova to a new, prominent location at the beautiful Sacramento Capitol Mall

The Capitol Concours d’Elegance is a Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Sanctioned event judged by SCCA rules. It is one of a group of Concours in Northern California that allow car entrants to earn points throughout the season culminating with a best of the best in October.

The Concours will cover multiple blocks of Capitol Mall between California’s Capitol and the iconic Tower Bridge on Sunday, September 19, 2010, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, featuring cars of Italy, France and an American Icon, the Ford Thunderbird. The Capitol Concours d’Elegance benefits the Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California.

There is more than the actual Concours though. A “teaser” event on Friday, September 17, 2010, with cars parked in lobbies and plazas up and down Capitol Mall, and on Capitol Mall itself.

A Tour d'Elegance will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, September 18, 2010, for all entrant cars and more,and a Evening Reception d’Elegance.

The Concours Sunday, September 19, includes a Ride and Drive where you will have the opportunity to take a ride in an exotic car or one of several special cars from Mercedes-Benz for a donation to the hospital or give one of the patient children the ride of his or life for a donation.

Cars will line the median down Capitol Mall and vendors and more cars will line the streets on both sides. Garage Style Magazine is hosting an Art and Automobilia tent. http://www.garagestylemagazine.com/home

Shriners unveil hospital expansion plans



By Chloé Fedio, Montreal Gazette July 15, 2010 Be the first to post a comment

The Shriners Hospital for Children is replacing its cramped quarters on the slope of Mount Royal with a new 173,000-square- foot facility with 22 patient rooms and four operating rooms adjacent to the future Montreal Children's Hospital.

The Shriners Hospital for Children is replacing its cramped quarters on the slope of Mount Royal with a new 173,000-square- foot facility with 22 patient rooms and four operating rooms adjacent to the future Montreal Children's Hospital.
Photograph by: Allen McInnis, -

MONTREAL - The Shriners Hospitals for Children is replacing its cramped quarters on the slope of Mount Royal with a new 173,000-square- foot facility with 22 patient rooms and four operating rooms adjacent to the future Montreal Children's Hospital.

The new Shriners hospital will be built on the same site as the McGill University Health Centre's superhospital in the Glen Yards, a former rail yard that borders St. Henri, Notre Dame de Grâce and Westmount.

Mounds of dirt and bulldozers currently occupy the site near the Vendôme métro station.

Plans for the new Shriners building should be finalized by Christmas, officials revealed Thursday. Construction will run parallel with the MUHC project, which is expected to be completed in October 2014.

The announcement comes after a decade of delays, which nearly led the Shriners to relocate to London, Ont.

Keeping the hospital in Montreal is a source of pride for the city, said Richard Deschamps, executive committee member responsible for infrastructure

"This achievement is part of our administration's desire to shape our city into a centre for knowledge and creativity," Deschamps said. "This confirms Montreal's mission to become a true magnet in the field of health services on the international scene."

The old Shriners hospital on Cedar Ave., in operation since 1925, is only 89,000 square feet, and the bigger hospital will accommodate more patients and research, said Robert Drummond, chairman of the Montreal Shriners Hospitals board of governors.

"With more space, we can do more and we can do it even better," Drummond said.

He added patients will also benefit from having the Montreal Children's Hospital as a neighbour.

"The need for intrahospital transport and the inconveniences that go along with that will no longer be necessary. We will have access to new technologies for research and rehabilitation, and it will facilitate us to continue to recruit and retain the best talent," he said.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system that provides specialty care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate.

The Montreal hospital, which specializes in orthopedic care, is one of 22 in North America and the only one in Canada.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/reader-comments/Shriners+unveil+hospital+expansion+plans/3282575/story.html#ixzz0trXPeRIQ

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Ben Ali Shriners Clinic Benefits Amador Children

For the first time in Amador County, Shriners Hospitals for Children® held a well attended screening clinic in the Amador County Health and Human Services Building in Sutter Creek on Saturday June 12, 2010. During this no-cost clinic, 16 children were found eligible to receive care through the specialized services available at Shriners Hospital in Sacramento with no financial obligation to the parents or families.

“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this clinic and the benefit to children in our local community,” said Tom Thompson, President of local Mother Lode Shriners. “Without the use of the Health and Human Services Building in Sutter Creek and support of our Board of Supervisors, the huge success of this clinic would not have been possible. Living and working in a community where the health of our children is so highly valued truly deserves praise.”

Mr. Thompson further commented on the local medical community who readily volunteered their time without hesitation to the children of Amador County. “Dr. Amy Appleton from Sutter Amador Pediatric Center, Dr. Bob Hartmann, and our nurses, Barbara Long, Mary Richards, and Carole Myers should also be commended for the seamless clinic operation.”

Every year, Shriners Hospitals for Children® provides care for thousands of kids, up to age 18, with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, in a family-centered environment. A family's income or insurance status are not criteria for a child's acceptance as a patient. There is no charge for services provided within Shriners Hospitals for Children® facilities. Transportation to Shiners Hospital is provided free of charge.

“As a physician in our county, I see the substantial benefit of programs like this,” commented Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County Health Officer. “The lives of each of these children will be vastly affected by the care they receive and will be evident both physically and emotionally as their conditions are treated.”

Shriners Hospitals for Children® have been changing the lives of children since 1922.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Where are You Spending the 4th


About 10,000 Shriners will be in Toranto,Can. you might see some of them aboard the "Maid of the Mist" in the Parade or Niagraga Falls.


Look for Shrine clowns everywhere:


The Apple Valley Shrine Club will be in their Little red Trucks for Red,Blue, White parade at Fontana Raceway. These are the same Little Trucks that you saw in Car & Driver Magazine or in the Radio Shack Commerical. Here is you chance to see them in-person

Several other Shrine Clubs will be in local Parades so watch for them. If your Lodge or Club is going to be in a parade add a comment to this page so we might know where to look for you.