Maverick and the White Mountain Shriners

Little Hats and Big Hearts: the White Mountain Shrine Club

White Mountain Shriners

The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, commonly known as Shriners, were established in 1870 as an appendant body to Freemasonry. The organization is best-known for the Shriners Hospitals for Children they administer and the red fezzes that members wear. Shriners International is a fraternity based on fun, fellowship and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. There are around 340,000 members from 193 temples (chapters) in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Republic of Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Europe and Australia.
Shriners International supports Shriners Hospitals for Children, a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

The White Mountain Shrine Club was chartered on October 2, 1976 under Potentate Harry Ebbeson of El Zaribah Shriners. After pleasing crowds during the Fall Festival Parade, I was invited to join the Shriners for lunch at the Chuckwagon Steakhouse and learn more about this fun-loving group of do-gooders. The lunch was an extra special occasion as the current Potentate and his lady were visiting.

“Currently, there are 25 members in the White Mountain club. We meet once a month on the 3rd Sunday at JB’s in Show Low. Our ladies also attend this luncheon meeting and are quite active with their Shrine husbands,” explains local Shriner President Dick Doane, “Our membership consists of Shriners from El Zaribah Shrine in Phoenix and Sabbar Shrine in Tucson. We participate in the 4th of July Parade in Show Low every year, as well as the Fall Festival parade in Pinetop-Lakeside.

We have not had an Official Visit of our Potentate since 2007, but we do appreciate seeing Divan members at some of our meetings, as well as some other non-Club Shriners who come to the Mountain to participate in our parades.”

When they are not thrilling parade spectators with their funny little cars, the White Mountain Shrine Club is busy organizing their annual fund raiser, the Jordan Family Circus and offering a helping hand in a number of charitable events.

“We have held the Jordan Family Circus in Show Low since 2006 and we assist with ticket taking, car parking and greeting the guests. At times, we have held yearly raffles. We have also sponsored the Run with the Wolves motorcyle rally in Springerville,” notes Dick, “Our Club is also very active in assisting the White Mountain Clothe-A-Child program every year.”
For more information about the White Mountain Shriners’ Club, please email President Dick Doane at rdoane54@gmail.com.