It’s that time of year again!

Is everyone ready for the cold weather? Are your appliances going to make it through the cold? Is the engine on your vehicle going to withstand the cold? If you catch yourself in a situation where one or the other breaks down and you cannot afford the repair costs, please call IMOS to see if you qualify for our assistance program. If you know any Master Masons, Spouses, or Widows that are without heat for whatever reason, please refer them to IMOS immediately to see if we can help.

Have you or your Lodge checked on the Widows lately? Now would be the perfect time to reach out and make sure they are doing well. One little phone call can go a long way! That is a great way to be active.

Speaking of phone calls IMOS has added the option of “phone” pal to our “pen pal” program. If you know of anyone that could benefit from having a pal to correspond with please let me know.

If you know of anyone that needs a referral to IMOS, please do not hesitate to call us and give us their name and we can discreetly reach out to them. We at IMOS keep everything strictly confidential and do not share anyone’s information unless we have received permission.

To go along with the theme of this issue titled “Activity” let’s get a refresher on “You’re IMOS”! IMOS continues to encourage lodges to provide time and resources to visit homebound individuals, provide transportation, meals, offer home maintenance repairs, share holiday gifts, coordinate fellowship opportunities, trip planning, and re-establish a sense of caring and belonging for everyone involved. Lodges are encouraged to keep IMOS up to date with their efforts, so that this can be shared with other lodges, in hopes of inspiring others to instill similar programs in their own lodges. We continue to see and hear great things from lodges throughout the state! Do you want to get involved? We developed a Volunteerism Packet just for you! Please visit our website https://ilmasonicoutreach.org/get-involved for more information, or just give me a call and I will send you information.

Speaking of being active, one of our heroic Master Masons was right at the heart of where the tornado hit in Mayfield, KY. Within the first 48 hours of the disaster, Brother Paul handed out 210 gallons of coffee, 62 cases of water, 1 case of pop tarts, over 100 packs of peanut butter crackers, 250 breakfast sandwiches, and over 300 cold cut sandwiches to the emergency personnel. He also referred others in need to IMOS. Give a big thanks to Brother Paul R. McCormick for volunteering his time and resources to help those in need!!

One last thing, please let IMOS know if you have a business or know of anyone that is hiring and in need of help we may be able to refer someone. This goes along with our Career Development program we discussed a few issues back! You can also add an update by joining our linked in group at: https://www.linkedin.com/ groups/12468536/

I hope everyone has had the happiest of holidays and a blessed year ahead.

Thank you so much,

Jennifer Martin Director, Illinois Masonic Outreach Services Grand Lodge of Illinois