C E L E B R AT I N G T H E S P E C I A L O LY M P I C S I N T H E D I S T R I C T O F C O L U M B I A
Celebrating The Special Olympics In the District of Columbia he opening day of the 2006 Special Olympics Summer Games in the nation’s capital was indeed a special day for all of those who participated in this annual event, in one way or another. On a fine, sunny and pleasant day, boys and girls, men and women of all ages, and from every walk of life, gathered at the Catholic University of America to once again celebrate what has become one of the major attractions in this wonderful city of ours.
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The Grand Master, MW Albert McNair Smith, having chosen this event as one of his charitable projects for the year, and believing that serving humanity is the highest form of worship, opted to combine our annual Day of Thanksgiving with opening day ceremonies of the Special Olympics Games in Washington, D.C. As such the Grand Lodge made a commitment to not only provide the opening day feast, but also bring out the Masons to serve the many hundreds of athletes, coaches, officials and dignitaries attending the festivities. And so it was that on Wednesday, May 24th, 2006, while the sun was yet at meridian, dozens of our brethren, from every unit of our Masonic family, some accompanied by their spouses or significant others, were called to labor. They gathered under the huge tent, set up for this day and jointly paid for by Masons, put on their volunteers’ Tshirts and Masonic caps, and began setting up tens of tables and hundreds of chairs to seat nearly a thousand guests expected to attend the ceremonies and the games. They set up multiple serving stations close to the caterer’s huge trucks and began laying out the food prepared for the occasion: loads of the corn of the cob, hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls and buns, beef barbeque, coleslaw, potato salad, relishes of all sorts, potato chips, cookies, sliced water melons, all sorts of soft drinks, cold bottles of water, and above all service with courtesy and broad smiles! And this by no means was the highlight of the day. This was not an event to be described or remembered only by the great food offered. The Voice of Freemasonry
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Mansour Hatefi, PGM Grand Secretary There was a festive mood to be sure. Loud rhythmic music bursting out of huge loudspeakers, beckoned the enthusiasts from near and far to dance to their hearts content. The athletes, old and young, away from the athletic fields for the time being, danced to the upbeat tunes, showing their stamina, skill and competitive spirit on the soft grass, as well. It was catchy. It seemed that no one was immune. Our brethren and their spouses, manning the serving stations, were also moving to the beat, while getting ready to serve. Then the loudspeakers went silent, and Brother Daniel D. Darko, Assistant Grand Chaplain, with a moving and inspiring prayer, gave the much awaited signal calling everyone to dinner. They kept coming in bus loads: athletes with their coaches from various schools, health and educational institutions, in their colorful sporting attires and smiling faces, joining the crowd already under the tent on the way to the serving stations. Food was still in abundance, well past the 5:30 p.m. deadline set by the program organizers, but it was time to close shop and start the task of cleaning up and getting ready for the opening ceremonies in the gymnasium. The smiles had not faded and they worked as hard and efficiently as they had started. They did us proud! Our Grand Master was entrusted with the pleasant task of closing the first part of the program, getting the crowd ready for the ceremonies. In his brief remarks, appropriate for the occasion, he expressed his deep gratitude for the opportunity afforded to Freemasons to serve the community and thanked all for their participation. He got everyone exited by his calls of, “who is number one?”, and “who is the winner? “To be sure, the response was thunderous and heart warming; arms raised high and waving in the air, index fingers, big and small, pointing to the heavens. continued on page 24
