Special Olympics of DC

Special Olympics of DC A Worthy Cause Supported Through the Worthy Efforts of the Masonic Family

Kurt Hamrock, Worshipful Master Singleton-Hope-Lebanon Lodge No. 7

For the second time in as many years, the Masons of the District of Columbia recently joined with other members of the Masonic family to support a very worthy cause : Special Olympics. Special Olympics provides sports training and competition opportunities for DC residents with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics of DC held its Summer Games beginning on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, on the campus of Catholic University, and we were there to help.

One of the most important events of the Summer Games is the Opening Ceremonies, which are preceded by a barbeque for the athletes, their families, and coaches. The Grand Lodge donated a substantial amount of money to fund this barbeque. It also encouraged the entire Masonic family of the District of Columbia to participate in the event and volunteer their time.

R.W. Bros. Jesse Villarreal, Teko Foly, and Ken Fuller spearheaded the recruitment effort. They organized several dozen volunteers from individual lodges,

Eastern Star chapters, the DeMolay chapters, the Shrine, and other groups within the Masonic family of DC. They set up for the barbeque, served the BBQ, hamburgers, hot dogs, and other food prepared by Atlantic Caterers, helped move the athletes through the serving lines, and cleaned up afterwards.

We served over 1000 people that day, and the Special Olympics was extremely grateful for our contributions, both in time and money. The organizers recognized our efforts at the Opening Ceremony later that night and introduced our Grand Master to all assembled. M.W. Bro. Robert Heyat accepted their thanks on behalf of the fraternity and complimented Special Olympics for all it does to improve the quality of life for citizens with intellectual disabilities. He pledged his support for Special Olympics and hoped that the Masons of the District of Columbia would only increase their support in the future.