Going hungry
Winter 2018
Mission & History In 1875, MWB John C. Ralls presented the idea of “a ‘Home’ for the indigent widows and minors (orphans) of worthy (deceased) Master Masons…to be located in some suitable and healthy place.” Through the hard work of many, the Masonic Home incorporated in 1886 and opened the doors of the St. Louis Home to its first resident, a 12-year-old girl named Della Gale Farthing, in 1889. The Home expanded into a full campus of service for indigent Masons and their families. The Masonic Home opened the Western Unit in Kansas City in 1986. In 1991, the Board of Directors made the difficult decision to close the St. Louis facility and relocate the residents living there. But also in 1991, the Board created the Outreach Program, a financial assistance program that could reach qualified individuals in their communities. In 2011, the Board of Directors also sold the Western Unit to focus 100 percent of its efforts on the Outreach Programs. Outreach expanded from one program to 10, each satisfying a slightly different need throughout the Masonic Family. Three provide financial assistance to Masons, their wives or widows, ladies of the Eastern Star, and their dependent children. Three Partnership Programs partner with Lodges and Chapters throughout the state to provide for needy children, help their fellow brothers and sisters with a project, help send veterans on Honor Flights, and give care packages to active military. The final four programs are non-financial, serving the membership through financial education, honoring Masonic widows and veterans, and providing information on community resources. We encourage you to check us out on our website at www.mohome.org, give us a call at 800-434-9804, or stop in and tour the Masonic Museum at the Masonic Complex in Columbia. 2
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MAIN CONTACT INFORMATION Masonic Home of Missouri 6033 Masonic Drive, Suite A Columbia, MO 65202 573-814-4663 Phone 800-434-9804 Toll Free 573-814-4660 Fax Website: www.mohome.org Masonic Complex hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed for state and federal holidays Masonic Museum hours: (located at Masonic Complex in Columbia, MO) Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Executive Director Barbara Ramsey bramsey@mohome.org | Ext. 209 Director of Finance & Fund Development Jodi Blake jblake@mohome.org | Ext. 212 Public Relations Shannon Beck sbeck@mohome.org | Ext. 245
FUND DEVELOPMENT
Truman Club & Vincil Society, Courtyard Paver Stones, Penny-A-Day, General Donations Julie Kirchhoff, Annual Giving Officer jkirchhoff@mohome.org | Ext. 230 Legacy Society, Planned Giving, Major Gift Donations Jackie Walters, Major Gifts Officer jwalters@mohome.org | Ext. 214
MASONIC HOME PROGRAMS
Long-Term Financial Assistance Dana Morgenthaler, Financial Assistance Caseworker danam@mohome.org | Ext. 211 Donna Purdy Merry, Financial Assistance Caseworker dmerry@mohome.org | Ext. 218 Short-Term Financial Assistance, Financial Education, Children’s Outreach Carly Dibben, Accredited Financial Counselor cdibben@mohome.org | Ext. 217 Allyson Reynolds, Financial Assistance Caseworker areynolds@mohome.org | Ext. 219 Creating-A-Partnership (CAP) & Partnering To Honor (PTH) Letitia “Tisha” Woodard, Partnership Coordinator twoodard@mohome.org | Ext. 210 Widows & Veterans Programs, Masonic Family Cares Program Chantana Irvin, Masonic Family Cares Coordinator cirvin@mohome.org | Ext. 239 Museum & Masonic Complex Calendar Michelle Phillippe, Administrative Office Coordinator mphillippe@mohome.org | Ext. 213
CONTENTS
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Executive Director Notes
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Eastern Star Thank You
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Giving to the Masonic Home of Missouri
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Masonic Home Success Story: Creating A Partnership
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Program Spotlight Remembering a Legacy: MWB Dr. John Davis Vincil
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Teaching Kids Financial Literacy
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Agency Spotlight: The Food Bank
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Why Medical Professionals Recommend Vaccinations
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The Lunch of Shame
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Meet a Mason
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What’s in the Numbers?
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Annual Charity Golf Tournament
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NOTES
I
love the photo on the cover of this magazine issue. It is powerful to me, and it touches my heart. To me, it perfectly illustrates the theme of this issue—helping children in need through our partnership programs. As a mother of two girls, ages 14 and 10, it is hard to read some of the statistics in this magazine. It is hard to imagine the poverty some children in our country face each day. As I walked into my 10-yearold’s classroom for one of her events, I looked around, and it hit me that some of these children will not eat tonight. They will get their next meal at school in the morning. Their weekend meal will be found in a backpack. I admit that there have been times when my children have come home and said, “Mom, I’m out of money in my school lunch account.” I forgot. I remember the first time this happened when my oldest was in elementary school. I panicked asking if she was able to eat lunch. I hated the thought that my mistake had caused her to go hungry. She explained to me that she can still eat–just not hot lunch. It sometimes seems like the lunch account runs out of funds at the worst possible time. It hits when other bills come due. However, I am extremely fortunate. I have always been able to refill that account. I have been embarrassed to let it run out. I have panicked that the timing is going to make things financially tighter than I had anticipated until I get paid again, but I have been able to fill that account. If my husband or I unexpectedly lost our jobs or experienced a sudden healthcare crisis, would I be able to fill that account? I would like to thank Acacia Twilight Lodge No. 114 for participating in the Creating-A-Partnership program. They used the CAP funds to pay past-due lunch bills for children attending Columbia Public Schools. It was wonderful to be with them to present that check to the school board. There was a small gasp in the room when Mike Flagg read that we were presenting more than $10,000 to payoff school lunch balances. These are not the children receiving free and reduced lunch. These are children just above that poverty line. These are working parents who still live paycheck-to-paycheck. These are the children whose parents are living on the thin line between making it and not, and any loss of income tips them into the wrong direction. The holiday season is upon us. It is a time to reflect upon our blessing and remember those less fortunate. I am thankful to be part of the Masonic Home because it is truly making a difference in the lives of those in need. It is through partnerships with our donors, sponsors, lodges, chapters, and other organizations that make it all possible. Thank you! I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.
Mission Statement
To assist eligible adults and children in need by practicing the principles of Freemasonry. 4
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THANK YOU!
Resurfacing Relationships Nancy Lane, PGM and Karlene Baylous, PGM reenergized the relationship between the Masonic Home of Missouri and the Order of the Eastern Star By Brenna McDermott Nancy Lane and Karlene Baylous share much in common. They’ve both been dedicated members of the Order of the Eastern Star for decades. They’ve both served as Worthy Grand Matron. They’re both teachers. They also share credit for reestablishing a strong relationship between Eastern Star and the Masonic Home of Missouri. Or, like Nancy put it: “We were not building bridges, we were just resurfacing them.” That ‘resurfacing’ work has led to Eastern Star becoming a major funder of the Masonic Home’s outreach programs. Masonic Home Executive Director Barbara Ramsey called it a “complete shift” in the relationship between the two organizations. “They helped us bridge this gap that existed between the membership of the Eastern Star and the Masonic Home,” Barbara said.
Repaving a relationship
Karlene has been a member of the Eastern Star since 1981 and belongs to Ashland Chapter #309. Nancy became a Rainbow Girl at age 12 and joined Eastern Star in 1971. She belongs to Victoria Chapter #14 in Jefferson City.
Their journey with Masonic Home started when Past Grand Matron Marge Carney tasked Nancy and Karlene with sitting on the Masonic Home’s liaison committee in 2015. Participation on the committee had lapsed over the years. The two attribute that to leftover concerns from Eastern Star members when the two physical
“IT BLEW ME AWAY, WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND I SAID, ‘WE NEED TO HELP.’” —KARLENE Masonic Homes closed and the organization moved its focus toward helping clients in their communities. “They had developed this tie with this building for generations,” Karlene said of many Eastern Star members. “And it wasn’t there anymore, so there was kind of a loss for them.”
Many members had raised money for residents and wondered what happened to the money they raised. Karlene and Nancy endeavored to find out more in their roles as liaisons. “They took the time to sit down and get questions answered and really find out what the Home does,” Barbara said. They found out the money raised was still being given to clients all over the state in $20 monthly gifts on behalf of the Eastern Star. And the two were amazed to discover the percentage of funds the Masonic Home provided to Eastern Star members. “It blew me away, what they were doing, and I said, ‘we need to help,’” Karlene recalled.
Penny-A-Day
Nancy and Karlene continued to build a relationship with the Masonic Home board and staff through the liaison meetings. One day, the group was discussing the Masons’ Penny-ADay program when Board President Richard Smith turned to Nancy and challenged her to launch the program in the Eastern Star. Nancy accepted with one condition: Eastern Star members who participated would receive a sticker on their dues card just Masonic Outreach
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THANK YOU! like Masonic members. And their sticker would be pink. “It’s fun to watch members pull out their dues cards with pink stickers,” she said. “It may only be $3.65, but that’s more than you may have given the year before,” Nancy said. “It’s just a way to make our membership realize what’s going on.” Both chose the Masonic Home as one of the Eastern Star’s four main charities during their terms as Worthy Grand Matron.
A PR quest for the Home
Karlene and Nancy went on a public relations quest about what the Masonic Home does for its clients. Many members they spoke with had no idea Eastern Star widows and members could get help from Masonic Home programs. “Nancy and I, we wanted to make sure that our members knew what programs the Masonic Home did, and that the money we had been putting in all these years for the brick and mortar, for those clients, was still there in a separate account for those clients,” Karlene said. Using data from the Masonic Home annual report, they illustrated how people all over the state were being helped in their homes and communities. “Once they understood that, I think they opened their wallets and their hearts a little more,” Nancy said. The Eastern Star recently made a major milestone in The Vincil Society, which recognizes the financial support lodges, chapters and other organizations have given to the Masonic Home since 2014. 6
Masonic Outreach
Top: Karlene Baylous’ Past Grand Matron’s Jewel; originally presented to Annie Lee Smith, PGM 1905, and then to Marge Carney, PGM 2014. Bottom: Nancy Lane’s Past Grand Matron’s Jewel; originally presented to Fern Barton, PGM 1950.
Nancy and Karlene received the Platinum level award on behalf of the Eastern Star at Grand Chapter Annual Communication. Eastern Star is the first group to reach the $25,000 giving level. Nancy promised Eastern Star would make the $50,000 Diamond level. “I want that to be an inspiration for the men to come out and do it too,” Nancy said. “I think it’s just great. When you look at how many hundreds and thousands of dollars they give each year just to help people, our membership.”
Forging a path forward
Nancy finished her term as Worthy Grand Matron in 2017 and is finishing her last year of teaching in Linn, Missouri.
Karlene completed her time as Worthy Grand Matron in October. She feels like she and Nancy accomplished what they set out to do: educating members about what the Masonic Home is all about. They also learned how much the Masonic Home board and staff care about their clients. “They’re so compassionate. I watch those men up in that board room and the enthusiasm and the dedication they have to the Masonic Home and to the membership, the Masonic membership, the Eastern Star, the widows. That’s what this is all about,” Nancy said. Their endeavors have helped all the Masonic organizations get on the same page, Nancy said, and friendships have formed across groups. “I would say that those Masonic Home board members, and even the staff to a degree, probably did not know who was WGM or who was coming up in line, and they know who we are now, they know what we’re doing, they know that we are working with Masonic Home as one of our charities and that we care,” Karlene said. Their excitement has trickled down. Eastern Star members now make care boxes for Masonic Home clients filled with toiletries and gifts. Clubs also make blankets and quilts. “I think Karlene and I didn’t build those bridges – they were there years ago – but they kind of crumbled along the way, and she and I just had to resurface them, rebuild them,” Nancy said.
PGM Karlene Baylous and PGM Nancy Lane
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GIVING
The Vincil Society
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018 was a year of great generosity through The Vincil Society. Lodges, Chapters, and Corporate Sponsors demonstrated their dedication to the Masonic Home of Missouri programs through financial support. During Fiscal Year 2018, Vincil Society members contributed nearly $112,000 to assist eligible adults and children in need. During the fiscal year, The Society welcomed 46 new members, ending the year with 176 total members.
CHAPTERS
The support received from individual chapters, districts, and the Grand Chapter of Missouri, O.E.S. over the past year was overwhelming. The contributions made by Eastern Star chapters more than doubled, and the number of chapters supporting the Masonic Home tripled. Three O.E.S. districts joined The Vincil Society at the Bronze Level and were presented a certificate for their generosity at the Annual Session of the Grand Chapter of Missouri on October 9, 2018. Executive Director Ramsey also presented plaques to the first two members of the Platinum Level ($25,000 to $49,999). Herculaneum Chapter #325 became the first individual Chapter or Lodge to attain The Vincil Society Platinum Level with their gift of $25,000. The Grand Chapter of Missouri, O.E.S. attained the Platinum Level through cumulative giving. Both groups received a standing ovation for their 8
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Herculaneum Chapter No. 325 presents a $15,000 donation to Masonic Home of Missouri staff.
generosity. Worthy Grand Matron Baylous noted that the recognition received by the Grand Chapter was to be credited to the generosity of all the members that supported the Masonic Home Outreach Programs through the Penny-A-Day Program and other gifts.
organizations pledged their support of the Masonic Home by taking part in the new program.
Diamond
LODGES
Lodges increased their support as well, with 39 Lodges being recognized at Grand Lodge Annual Communication for their new or upgraded Vincil Society memberships. Twenty-three Lodges joined The Society at the Bronze Level for their cumulative gifts between $500 and $2,499. Fifteen Lodges attained the new Nickel Level for cumulative gifts of $2,500 to $4,999. One Lodge, Gateway Lodge No. 40, was recognized for attaining the Silver Level for cumulative giving between $5,000 and $9,999.
BUSINESSES
Businesses and other organizations increased giving by almost 50 percent. In 2018, Masonic Home introduced a new Corporate Sponsorship Program. Three
Gold
Silver
During Fiscal Year 2018, with your help, the Masonic Home touched the lives of over 22,000 individuals, with nearly $1.4 million in charitable assistance! Whether you contributed by donating, working a Program through your Lodge or Chapter, or by referring your brothers and sisters in need, we appreciate and need your continued support.
SUCCESS STORY
Partnership Program Pays Down $30,000 in School Lunch Debt By Shannon Beck
A
s the issue of “lunch shaming” is brought to light in Missouri and throughout the country, innovative use of the Masonic Home of Missouri’s Creating A Partnership (CAP) program is helping kids eat hot school lunches again. Student lunch debt is a problem plaguing families and schools across the nation—especially among a demographic of kids whose family incomes are
too high to qualify for free or reduced lunches but still struggle financially. The result in the majority of districts is students being singled out as not able to pay for lunches as schools often provide them an “alternative meal” that ranges from a full brown bag
lunch to a cheese sandwich when they reach certain debt thresholds. Some schools have been reported to take hot lunches from children with debt and toss them in the trash. Several Lodges and Chapters are stepping in to fill the void for these
(Above) Bonhomme Lodge No. 45 Masonic Home Representative Kevin Keating explains to his peers how he helped his lodge make a $10,000 donation to pay student lunch debt at area schools during the Masonic Home Representative Luncheon during Annual Communication. Masonic Outreach
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SUCCESS STORY
Masonic Home of Missouri Executive Director Barbara Ramsey and Acacia Twilight Lodge No. 114 member Michael Flagg, who is also on the Masonic Home of Missouri Board of Directors, present a donation of more than $10,000 to Columbia Public Schools to clear student lunch debt.
kids by using the Masonic Home’s CAP program to pay off student lunch debt in their communities. “I saw a story about this in our local news, and I knew we could do something to help,” Kevin Keating of Bonhomme Lodge No.45 and St. Louis Missouri Lodge No. 1 said at the annual Masonic Home of Missouri Luncheon during 2018 Annual Communication. By using the Masonic Home’s CAP program, Bonhomme Lodge was able to turn their $5,000 donation to school lunch debt into a $10,000 donation. Keating’s efforts had an unanticipated ripple effect in the St. Louis area. The story received press coverage that spurred other area lodges to get involved. According to Rick Kaeser of Fenton Lodge No. 281—who is also on the Masonic Home of Missouri Board of Directors—his lodge received a call from the superintendent of Windsor School 10
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District who saw the news story and wanted to ask the lodge for help clearing student lunch debt in his district. When Kaeser took the request to his lodge, it voted unanimously in favor of the project. “It’s an amazing opportunity for our lodge and the Masonic Home to help, and I was really proud of my lodge when they voted to do this,” Kaeser said. Fenton Lodge’s total donation— including the matching funds from the CAP program—to Windsor Schools was approximately $4,100, and Kaeser believes his lodge will continue to help other schools in the area with their lunch debt. Lodges taking note of this problem and using CAP to be a part of the solution are not isolated to the St. Louis area. Acacia Twilight Lodge No. 114 recently made a donation of more than $10,000 to Columbia Public Schools, and Blue Springs Lodge
No. 337 made a $4,500 donation to local schools. “We did it especially for the high school seniors,” Blue Springs No. 337 Worshipful Master Darron Howell said. “We didn’t want to see anyone not graduate because they didn’t pay for their lunches, and, of course, no one wants to see a kid go hungry.” Howell said the issue came to his attention through lodge member Bob Fasl, who learned of the problem by talking to school staff. By working together, the Masonic Home of Missouri and lodges around the state have paid more than $31,000 in student lunch debt throughout Missouri in the 20172018 and 2018-2019 school years. If you are interested in using the CAP program to pay down student lunch debt in your community, contact your Masonic Home Representative or contact the Masonic Home Partnership Programs Coordinator Tisha Woodard at twoodard@mohome.org.
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
Creating-APartnership Putting the Masonic Home to Work in Your Community By Shannon Beck
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hildren in communities around the state benefit from the efforts of caring Masons and members of the Order of the Eastern Star, and through the Creating-A-Partnership (CAP) program. CAP is a financial assistance program that grants up to $10,000 per Lodge or Chapter per year in matching funds to help provide for local children in need. Projects funded by CAP include Friday backpack programs, paying past-due school lunch accounts, providing school supplies, and new playground equipment. “I like helping kids, and I like helping people, and the Home helps me help people,” Sullivan Lodge No. 69 Masonic Home Representative Bob Martin said. Martin has led his lodge in working the CAP program for seven years and puts it to work for a variety of projects. In FY2018, CAP provided assistance totaling $319,198, helping an estimated 13,546 children statewide. The local contributions of CAP are a source of pride for many Lodges and Chapters around the state, such as Osage Lodge No. 303, which keeps a wall of newspaper clippings to remind its members of the good work they are doing. Osage Lodge No. 303 has donated more than $37,000 to Nevada R-5 School District to help low income students obtain winter coats, shoes, and clothing. The Lodge raises their portion of the funds through an annual golf tournament. Many Lodges and Chapters work with local schools to assess and help meet needs in their areas. “It can be work, but it’s worth it,” Eastern Star Daisy Chapter #86 member Donna Cook said of the coordination efforts. Masonic Outreach
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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
One of Osage Lodge No. 303’s newspaper clippings.
Cook coordinates between her Chapter, Weston Lodge No. 53, local schools, and the Masonic Home to provide school supplies for children in Platte County, Missouri. “Just to see the look on their faces and the teacher’s,” Donna Cook said. “They are so happy. It’s wonderful.” CAP continues to grow. In the last six years alone, funds going into local communities through CAP has more than tripled. Across the state, 79 Lodges and 18 Chapters participated in CAP in FY2018. Of those lodges, 12 have participated for a decade, and Robert Burns Lodge No. 496 and Summit Lodge No. 263 have 15 years of participation in CAP. 12
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Martin’s Lodge is among the group with 10 years or more participation, and he continues to encourage his Lodge to participate in CAP every year. “I think it’s one of the best things the Home has ever done,” he said. Martin’s Lodge uses CAP differently than Donna Cook’s Chapter. Sullivan Lodge prefers to target more individual needs of specific children in their area. One of Martin’s favorite CAP projects involved a child in need of a hearing aid. “The school said he was disruptive and didn’t pay attention and any label you could put on him, but what it was is he is deaf,” Martin said. “It’s pretty hard to
pay attention when you can’t hear what’s going on.” Through the CAP program, Sullivan Lodge was able to purchase a hearing aid, and Martin and the boy’s parents watched as his grades rose and he became a model student. “His mother came in crying and hugging us all,” he said. “She told us a lot of people had given up on him, but he just couldn’t hear.” If your lodge is not participating in CAP, and you would like to start, contact your Masonic Home Representative or the Masonic Home of Missouri Partnership Programs Coordinator Tisha Woodard at twoodard@mohome.org.
LEGACY
A Giant Among Men MWB Dr. John Davis Vincil’s Life of Service By Barbara Ramsey Photos by Keith Borgmeyer
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LEGACY
T
he Masonic Home came into creation because of the belief, hard work, and dedication of a group of men who passionately fought for it. One of the giants among men is MWB Dr. John Davis Vincil. He would serve the Grand Lodge of Missouri, the Masonic Home, and the University of Missouri, leaving each organization strong because of his passion and leadership.
The Early Years Vincil was born in Tazewell County, Virginia, on August 24, 1830. Tazewell County is located in the southwestern portion of the state of Virginia with West Virginia to its north and the Appalachian Mountains to the eastern and southern borders. Left as an orphan, Vincil was deprived of an early education and worked seven years during his childhood in a cabinet shop. He would find the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1844 at the age of 14. After finding the church, he would find education and subsequently became a teacher in the schools of the day. During his tenure teaching, his fellow townsmen elected him Justice of the Peace and a member of the County Court, serving a four year term.
Civil War and Leadership In 1854, Dr. Vincil moved to Missouri, locating in Albany, Gentry County, in northwest Missouri, where he taught school, served as Deputy Circuit Clerk, and one term as Magistrate. Vincil’s 14
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move to Missouri would come at a very difficult time in the state and the country’s history. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an 1854 bill that passed in an attempt to resolve the issue of slavery in the states wishing to join the Union. The bill mandated “popular sovereignty,” which allowed the settlers of the territories to decide if they were going to be pro-slavery or anti-slavery states. This bill overturned the Missouri Compromise, which used latitude as the boundary between slave and free territories. Kansas became the flashpoint for this new law. Pro-slavery and antislavery supporters rushed to settle Kansas in an attempt to control the first election after the law went into effect. Those opposed to slavery poured in from the northern states. Those advocating for slavery poured across the Missouri border. Regulating associations and guerrilla bands were formed on both sides. The territory earned the nickname “bleeding Kansas” as the two sides fought. This was the state of affairs when 24-year-old Vincil arrived in Missouri. He would find masonry when he moved to Albany. He petitioned Athens Lodge No. 127 in Albany, was initiated in June, passed in July, and raised Aug. 12, 1854. He would serve as Senior Deacon, Secretary, and Master of his lodge. Dr. Vincil entered the Ministry, gaining the title of Reverend in 1857. During his 20 years of service, he moved frequently as ministers of the church are regularly required to do. This caused him to have many different lodge affiliations over the years including Spring Hill Lodge
No. 155, Livingston Lodge No. 51, Hannibal Lodge No. 188, Twilight Lodge No. 114, Perseverance Lodge No. 92, Hebron Lodge No. 354, and Tuscan Lodge No. 360. Rev. Vincil first appeared at the Grand Lodge of Missouri’s Annual Communication, May 23, 1859, as a representative of Spring Hill Lodge No. 155 of Livingston County, Missouri. The following year, Rev. Vincil is listed as a Grand Chaplain, a position he holds until 1863 when he is elected Senior Grand Warden. Rev. Vincil is Grand Chaplain for the Grand Lodge of Missouri as the Civil War begins in 1861. Missouri was torn apart by the war. It became a state where families were split apart as brothers found themselves fighting each other. Rev. Vincil is living in Glasgow, Missouri at the beginning of the war. One of the earliest battles of the Civil War is the Battle of Boonville on June 17, 1861. It was a federal victory giving the Union control of the Missouri River Valley. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the third year of the Civil War approached. Rev. Vincil is transferred to Hannibal, Missouri during the war in 1863 and is elected to the office of Senior Grand Warden at Grand Lodge Annual Communication that year. In May 1864, Rev. Vincil is elected to the office of Deputy Grand Master. MWB John F. Houston is elected Grand Master. The following year at Annual Communication, both are re-elected to the same office. MWB Houston and MWB Vincil are serving the Grand Lodge of Missouri together as General
Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate troops to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia on April 9, 1865. On the night of April 14, John Wilkes Booth, a pro-slavery Confederate sympathizer, shoots President Abraham Lincoln in the President’s Box at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C.. President Lincoln passes away the next morning, becoming the first president to be assassinated. However, it would take another 16 months before President Andrew Johnson would declare a formal end to the conflict in August 1866. At Annual Communication in May 1866, Rev. Vincil, 36 years old, is elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. As Grand Master, there are many issues he is dealing with that are difficult to imagine today. There are many lodges that have seen their lodge hall burned to the ground. There are lodges that have had their charters and property stolen. There are issues of Masonic Brothers having fought each other for years. There are widows, orphans, and disabled masons that have nowhere to turn. MWB Vincil’s Grand Master’s Address in 1867 reflects the struggles, pain, and hardships in Missouri caused by the Civil War: Within the bounds of our own jurisdiction, the cruel strife became a social war more than a civil war, and consequently its wounds were deeper and more difficult to heal. Not only were great armies moving to and fro, and pitched battles fought upon our hitherto peaceful plains and prairies, but in some districts the whole population seemed transformed into Ishmaelites, with every man’s hand against his brother...
At Annual Communication in May 1866, Rev. Vincil, 36 years old, is elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. As Grand Master, there are many issues he is dealing with that are difficult to imagine today. Thousands of helpless widows and beggared orphans stretch forth their imploring hands for help, and in many cases the Lodge to which their natural protectors belonged are too weak to afford the proper aid. Let us extend a helping hand to all such, to the utmost bounds of our ability…
For those of our Brethren who, after an absence of four years, have returned to their homes (in strict compliance with law, civil and military), broken down in health, and without means to furnish themselves with food and raiment [clothing], I bespeak a cordial welcome by the Craft, not only to their homes, but to our Lodge, and by kind and fraternal treatment cause them to forget the past and return at once to those peaceful pursuits which will give life, prosperity, and happiness to our people; and while we work with our hands to build up the waste places and return the broken columns of our beautiful temple, let us pray God to spare our country for all time from the terrible calamity of civil war. MWB Vincil would serve what became known as the “long term,” lasting nearly 18 months, as Grand Lodge Annual Communication was moved from May to October. At the close of his term as Grand Master, he retired—but for only a year. He would again answer the call from the Grand Lodge to serve another term as Grand Master from 1868 to 1869. MWB Vincil’s second Grand Master’s Address has a more hopeful tone and speaks of a state and people recovering: Health and happiness, peace and prosperity, have filled the land and crowned our people. Improvements, developing and building up the country at large, and our own great commonwealth in particular, have advanced most encouragingly. The fruitful soil has largely rewarded the noble husband with plentiful crops. Success has remunerated our business men, and the citizen in general has cause for devout gratitude to a gracious heaven. Masonic Outreach
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LEGACY The leadership MWB Vincil provided also extended to other Masonic organizations. He was exalted in Lone Star Royal Arch Chapter, No. 30, in Chillicothe in 1858. He received the degrees of Royal and Select Master in the Council at Hannibal in 1864. Rev. Vincil received the Christian Orders of Knighthood in Excaliber Commandery in the same year. In the Grand Commandery of Missouri, which he entered in 1865, he was elected Grand Prelate in 1866 and 1871, Deputy Grand Commander in 1868 and 1869, and Right Eminent Grand Commander in 1871. MWB Vincil was an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star. He served as Worthy Patron of Louisiana Chapter in 1874. MWB Vincil assisted in forming the Grand Chapter of Missouri, O.E.S. in 1875, serving as the first Worthy Grand Patron. At the organization of the General Grand Chapter of the United States in 1876 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Missouri sent 7 delegates with MWB Vincil being one of them. Out of the states that created the General Grand Chapter (Missouri, California, Indiana, Illinois, and New Jersey) MWB Vincil was elected the first Most Worthy Grand Patron. Dr. Vincil would also become involved with the University of Missouri, serving on its Board of Curators and president of the Board of Curators. He served his first term beginning in 1871, a four year appointment. He received the honorable title of “D.D.” from the University in June 1873. MWB Vincil was passionate about education, 16
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MWB Vincil’s Grand Master’s Jewel.
perhaps owing to the fact that his education was delayed in childhood. He believed in public education of boys and girls, and he felt that higher education was important for all. Dr. Vincil would return to the Board of Curators for the University of Missouri in 1897, serving until he passed away in 1904. The Grand Lodge of Missouri would once again call upon MWB Vincil to serve as a Grand Lodge officer. RWB George Frank Gouley held the office of Grand Secretary from the time MWB Vincil had appointed him in Vincil’s first term as Grand Master until his tragic death in 1877. MWB Vincil was elected at the 1877 Annual Communication to the office of Grand Secretary. Due to the demands of the office, he would leave his position as a full-time minister and move to St. Louis.
Masonic Home It is clear from MWB Vincil’s Grand Master’s Address following the Civil War that the care and condition of widows and orphans where important to him. MWB Vincil’s own childhood as an orphan made the cause one of utmost importance to him. At Grand Lodge Annual Communication in 1886, the first Board of Directors for the Masonic Home of Missouri is elected. MWB Vincil is selected as one of those first 13 members. MWB Vincil would take an active role in helping the Home become reality whether serving on the Board of Directors or helping on special committees. One of these committees was the Dedication Committee for the Masonic Home. MWB Vincil understood at the inception of the Home that it would
only survive with the support and partnership of the lodges. As Secretary of the Dedication Committee, he, along with MWB John R. Parson, sent a letter to every lodge in the state requesting they sell tickets for the Masonic Home Dedication. Each lodge was further requested to furnish refreshments to sell for the benefit of the Home. Each lodge was given a table at the dedication for this purpose. The tickets and refreshments sold for the dedication raised over $7,000 for the Home. MWB Vincil was not only a man who worked diligently, but he was willing to speak out in support of the Home, particularly in the early years as it struggled. In the memoriam written about MWB Vincil by the Board of Directors, Vincil’s dedication to the Home was memorialized: Masonic Outreach
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LEGACY
Program from the 1904 Golden Jubilee Celebration.
He was always an active friend and worker either as an officer or committeeman, and in every contest where there has been any opposition to the Home, his burning eloquence has kindled a flame in the hearts of his brethren that has caused them to bear the burdens of our indigent Masons and destitute widows and to prepare the orphans for life’s’ duties. At the 20th Annual Grand Chapter Session of the Order of the Eastern Star held in Chillicothe in October 1894, MWB Vincil advised those in attendance of the need for a chapel at the Masonic Home. The Grand Chapter appropriated $500 to begin the fundraising efforts. At the time of its construction, it was reported to have been the only Eastern Star Chapel in the world and was dedicated on October 21, 1897. 18
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Celebrations and Sorrows MWB Vincil would be called upon to lead those in mourning following the assassination of President William McKinley, a mason, in 1901. Twelve hundred Master Masons, presided over by officers of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, and nearly 300 Knights Templar, all wearing regalia of the order, met to express their sorrows and honor the president who was assassinated on September 6, 1901. Rev. Dr. Vincil was asked to deliver the eulogy. The Louisiana Purchase exposition would officially open April 30, 1904, to a crowd of 200,000 on opening day. The attendees stood before a dazzling city on what had formerly been a woodland park known as Forest Park in St. Louis. The event would become known as the 1904 World’s
Fair, hosting exhibits from 50 foreign countries and 43 of the then 45 states lasting over seven months. It is difficult to imagine how incredibly different Missouri is to the 74-year-old Vincil compared to the one he saw as a young man. Later that same year, MWB Vincil would celebrate 50 years in Missouri Masonry at the Golden Jubilee Celebration held on August 13, 1904. PGM Noah M. Givan, the Masonic Home of Missouri’s first board president, was the toastmaster for the evening. The night’s primary speaker was the governor of the state of Missouri, MWB Alexander M. Dockery. MWB Dockery shared that his friendship with MWB Vincil spanned over 40 years. He knew Dr. Vincil as a young Methodist preacher with Dr. Vincil having presided over his own wedding 35 years prior. MWB Dockery spoke of Vincil’s passion on education, sharing that “for more than four decades, he has been the loyal friend of the public school and a mighty force in the development of the great University of Missouri, which fittingly crowns our splendid educational system.” MWB Dockery spends much of his speech imparting upon the 200 masons present the important and lengthy service MWB Vincil has given to the Craft. He notes that many of those present are younger men, and he urges them to see the example that has been provided to follow. He ends his remarks with a summation of MWB Vincil: A splendid organizer, systematic business man, zealous churchman, practical Mason, true friend – all these ennobling qualities are lovingly twined and clustered in the life of our brother.
At Annual Communication held only a little over a month after the Golden Jubilee celebration, the Grand Master announced that Dr. Vincil was dangerously ill. He asked all the Brethren who were in favor of re-electing him as Grand Secretary, by acclamation, to rise, and the vote was a unanimous expression of the love and esteem the Brethren showed for him. Less than a month later, MWB Vincil passed away at his home in St. Louis on October 12, 1904. MWB Vincil’s remains laid in state in the Cook Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, South, where memorial services were held. On October 15, his body, accompanied by Tuscan Lodge No. 360, escorted by St. Aldemar Commandery, was conveyed by special train to Columbia, Missouri, for interment. When he passed, Dr. Vincil was president of the Board of Curators for the University of Missouri. Upon arriving in Columbia, his body was taken to the University Auditorium, where addresses to a crowded audience were made by Dr. R. H. Jesse, president, and Honorable Gardiner Lathrop, vicepresident of the University, and other prominent men of Missouri. Dr. Vincil was the first of the original board members of the Masonic Home to pass away. He was beloved by the children of the Home, and he loved them in return. The members of the Home’s board, along with children from the Home, took the train to Columbia. The orphans sang at the cemetery, and the Grand Master MWB Leroy B. Vallian conducted Masonic services. On the train ride home, the Board of Directors for the Home called for a memoriam to be written and provided to MWB Vincil’s family.
Call to Action The Masonic Home does not exist today because of the work of one man. It is the tireless dedication of generations of men, women, lodges, chapters, and other masonic organizations. However, it is worth questioning if this great charity would be here today without MWB John D. Vincil. He believed passionately in the importance of the Home and called upon others for its support: Masons of Missouri, in the name of our Home, with its immense and opulent possibilities, I beg you to bestir yourselves and give us assurance of sympathy, help, and encouragement. It is the cause of the helpless I plead. I never knew a mother, nor enjoyed the blessings of love and home, as many have enjoyed these gifts so much like heaven, and when I look into the faces of lonely orphanage,
my whole nature is stirred and enlisted in behalf of those who appeal to us so piteously in their helplessness. God pity the Mason that can thus look and not feel…Again, Masons of Missouri, let me urge that our Masonic Home is the one great movement of this day, and should be made the one great object of our prayers and labors. The Masonic Home has changed and evolved since MWB Vincil wrote those words, but it continues to meet the call of those in need. It continues to help feed and clothe children living in poverty. It continues to call upon the lodges and chapters to join in partnership with the Home to care for those children in need. MWB Dockery challenged a group of young masons to “emulate his example.” This is a challenge that transcends generations.
Memoriam commissioned by the Masonic Home Board and provided to MWB Vincil’s family upon his passing in 1904. Masonic Outreach
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FINANCIAL EDU
The Importance of Kids Learning to Manage Money By Nicole Flood
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” —Benjamin Franklin Money can simultaneously be our greatest tool or our greatest pitfall. As adults and parents, understanding the importance of managing money not only helps us, but sets our children up for success as well. According to a report from CareerBuilder in August 2017, nearly 75 percent of American 20
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workers have debt – many never expect to be debt-free – and eight in 10 American workers live paycheckpaycheck (USA Today). To add on to the money stress, nearly 40 percent of Americans could not pay for a $400 emergency expense (CNN Money). Some of the added stress and debt comes from a growing student loan debt of over $1.4 trillion in America. In 2017, the average student graduated from
college with $37,172 in student loans (Debt.org). Children start learning about money early on through hearing adults discuss money, watching us shop, and seeing how we pay for things. “It’s never too early to help kids understand about money,” says Warren Buffett in a 2013 Forbes interview with Michael Venables. “Whether it’s understanding the cost of the new toy they want or
the value of saving money. Kids are exposed to money matters from a very young age, so why not help them understand it and develop healthy habits early on?” In the book, Smart Money Smart Kids, authors Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze focus on six strategies that help parents raise kids who are smart with money. 1) Where money comes from; 2) The value of hard work; 3) How to spend, save, and give; 4) Debt, and how to avoid it; 5) Paying cash for college; and 6) Living responsibly. One of the first steps is to make sure you’re managing your money in the way you want your kids to think about money. Leading by example teaches children so much. No parent is perfect, but it’s important to be intentional and consistent. The key in laying a strong foundation is little moments over time, a progression as they age instead of one full Saturday focused on money. In teaching kids where money comes from, it’s important to focus on the fact that they aren’t entitled to money, toys, or other things just because they ask you for it. With this you can teach your child the value of hard work by teaching them how and why work matters. Money comes from work and is traded for the work you provide. Instead of strictly giving children an allowance, Ramsey and Cruze suggest a commission system with a chore chart. This would have clear expectations for how much money the child will earn if they do the work/chore assigned. The chores can change in difficulty and frequency as the child matures.
Raise
Money-Smart Kids
1
Where money comes from
2 3
4 6
The value of hard work
How to spend, save, and give
Debt, and how to avoid it
5
Paying cash for college
Living Responsibly
THREE WAYS TO USE MONEY Spend. Save. Give. These are the three ways to use money. Teaching your children to spend the money they earn will help them learn that money is finite, and there is a limit to how much there is. Watching us swipe our debit and credit cards to buy things every day makes it difficult for them to visualize that money can run out. Having them use the money they earn to purchase things they want that you approve of can help them see that when you spend your $10, you are out of money until you earn more. It is equally important to teach children to save money.
As Ramsey and Cruze attest, wise people save and foolish people spend everything they make. Saving helps you prepare for a rainy day and unexpected expenses as well as allows us to save up for a larger purchase. Teaching kids that unexpected expenses happen and using the need for a new car battery as a teaching moment can make a lasting impact. Letting them know that while you aren’t enjoying buying the new battery, you need to so the car runs, and this is why it’s important to have an emergency fund. This can begin to help children see the value of saving. Another way to encourage them to save for a large purchase might be offering to match your child in funds if they are saving for a big goal. Maybe that’s a neat pair of tennis shoes they want in 6th grade or a good used car when they turn 16. This helps them learn patience, sacrifice, and delayed gratification. As your children get older, you can also begin talking to them about debt and the importance of avoiding it. Focusing on how much interest costs and delayed gratification can help with this, as does showing them how to create a budget or a plan for how their money will be used each month. The last principle is giving. Teaching your child to be grateful and have an ‘open-hand mentality’ helps them develop into generous and grateful adults. These principles together help lay a foundation of work ethic and money management that sets them up to be successful adults. Masonic Outreach
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AGENCY SPOTLIGHT
The Food Bank Feeding Hungry Children in Central and Northeast Missouri By Christa Holtzclaw
O
ne-in-five children in Missouri face hunger. Let that sink in for a second. These are the kids down the road. These are the kids sitting on the bus and in class right next to your child, trying to learn the same things, but hunger is a dark, looming cloud. It is a constant distraction and burden holding them back from reaching their full potential. Hunger hurts; how can we help? The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri has several programs that specifically target youth food-insecurity. The Buddy Pack, Summer Feeding, and InSchool Pantry programs are some of the ways The Food Bank aims to share food and bring hope to children across their 32 county
service area. Buddy Packs provide consistent, kid-friendly nutrition to the kids who need it most. They fill the gap for children who receive free and reduced meals during the school week. Buddy Packs consist of two ready-toeat entrees, a fruit cup, cereal with shelf-stable milk, and a nutritional bar. In addition, peanut butter is handed out monthly. The Food Bank works with more than 150 schools across central and northeast Missouri to distribute Buddy Packs to an average of 7,500 children every week. They are given to children in need every Friday, providing necessary nutrition over the weekend, so children are prepared on Monday
morning for the week ahead. The stigma associated with hunger and receiving aid poses a challenge in the Buddy Pack and all programs operated by The Food Bank. One way they combat this when feeding children is the use of in-school pantries. Stigma of hunger is more prevalent in older youths. The Food Bank provides food for in-school pantries in eight middle and high schools. These pantries allow students to get the food they need more discreetly. The Buddy Pack program is the most expensive program The Food Bank operates due to the purchase cost of ensuring consistent, nutritious, and kidfriendly food items. Despite its cost, The Food Bank considers
Child Food Insecurity How the Masonic Home, Lodges, and Chapters are making a difference in Missouri – FY2018
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Provided nearly 8,000 children with Buddy Backpacks — Keeping children fed over the weekends
Paid overdue school lunch balances for nearly 600 children — Allowing children to be served hot lunches again
Buddy Packs one of their most vital programs. No child should go hungry. It costs approximately $180 to provide one student with a Buddy Pack every weekend for an entire school year. Despite its consistent success, the Buddy Pack program only works during the school year. Summer break can pose additional challenges for children and families struggling with foodinsecurity. What do the children who rely on free and reduced lunch do for meals during the summer? The six week gap between summer school and the beginning of a new school year can be a scary time for the one-in-five children facing food-insecurity in our area. The Food Bank operates a Summer Feeding program aimed to help fill the gap. After observing low participation in the 2017 Summer Feeding program, The Food Bank joined forces with several likeminded agencies in Columbia to create an Advocacy Team consisting of representation from Columbia/Boone County
Provided afternoon snacks for 27 children — Allowing children to stay focused on their education
Department of Public Health and Human Services, Columbia Square Town Homes, Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, United Community Builders, Operation K.I.T.E, Grow Well/MU Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security, and Columbia Farmer’s Market. This group participated in
Worked with 53 entities statewide — Funding over $139,000
quarterly roundtable discussions with the purpose of identifying areas in Columbia where there was a concentration of children facing food-insecurity and how to best address that need. The group shared data and insights and the City helped create maps to narrow down six sites where they
Join the Masonic Home, your local lodge or chapter and The Food Bank to feed Missouri children.
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AGENCY SPOTLIGHT
THIS SUMMER’S PROGRAM AVERAGED 80 MEALS PER DAY, SERVING FIVE DAYS PER WEEK AND SAW 450 DIFFERENT CHILDREN. believed the Summer Feeding program would have the largest impact, only two of which were sites carried over from the 2017 iteration of the program. The new sites were an inspiring success! The 2017 program fed an average of 42 children per day across all five sites. This summer’s program averaged 80 meals per day, serving five days per week and saw 450 different children. This 75 percent increase would not have been possible without the support of the community and all the amazing volunteers who donated their time throughout the summer. The City of Columbia helped spread the word about the new sites through door hangers and a feature in the City Source newsletter. In addition to the ability to serve more food to children in need, this year’s program sought to improve the overall experience for the children participating in the Summer Feeding program. Volunteers and site coordinators made an increased effort to get to know the children attending and encourage them to come back. Activities were provided in partnership with several area organizations. 24
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The Food Bank is grateful for the partnership of the Advocacy Team members and site volunteers in making the 2018 Summer Feeding program so successful. They are also thankful
for grant funding from No Kid Hungry and Feeding America – Enterprise that helped make this program possible. The Food Bank looks forward to continuing to improve the program next summer and hopes to expand the program if funding and staffing become available. If you would like to help The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri feed children in need in your community, please visit BuddyPacksHelp. com or ShareFoodBringHope. org, or call (573) 474-1020. Making a monetary donation or volunteering your time can make a big difference in the life of a hungry child.
HEALTH
Why Medical Professionals Recommend Vaccinations By Nicole Flood
P
rior to the medical advancements that led to vaccinations, illnesses such as smallpox, polio, and the measles killed and disabled countless people worldwide each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on May 8, 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly declared the world free of smallpox. Considered the basis for vaccination, Dr. Edward Jenner published his hope that vaccination could annihilate smallpox in 1801. “Eradication of smallpox is considered the biggest achievement in international public health.” (CDC – History of Smallpox)
Today, medical professionals continue to recommend vaccinations because they save lives and protect your children and others who come in contact with your child from a myriad of communicable diseases. Many of the diseases that once were leading causes of death in children have been significantly reduced and, in some cases, completely eradicated thanks to vaccinations. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Today, we protect children and teens from 16 diseases that can have a terrible effect on their young victims if left unvaccinated.”
The AAP states there are four reasons physicians recommend vaccinations: 1) they work; 2) they are safe; 3) they are necessary; and 4) vaccines are studied. Vaccines have saved millions of lives and helped keep children well for more than 50 years. Of the vaccinations that are currently recommended for children, they are 90 to 99 percent effective in terms of preventing diseases. If, by a small percentage chance, your child does contract the disease after being vaccinated, the symptoms are generally less severe than if a child who was not vaccinated contracts the disease. Masonic Outreach
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HEALTH All vaccines must go through several steps of review to ensure they are safe and effective before they are officially recommended to be administered to the public. For a vaccine to be licensed, they must be approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. You might be thinking, if we have eradicated many communicable diseases in the United States, why is it necessary to still vaccinate our children? Medical professionals recommend children receive all vaccines because some diseases that are preventable with vaccination still occur in the United States. In other parts of the world, other diseases that are rarely seen in the U.S. still occur. These diseases have the potential of making their way back to the U.S. when Americans travel abroad in areas with a high volume of the disease. There are several vaccinepreventable diseases like the chickenpox that are still common in the United States. Others, like polio, are no longer common in the U.S. due to vaccines. However, if more and more people stop getting vaccinations, a few cases quickly turn into hundreds of thousands of cases due to the rapid spread of disease. To ensure vaccines maintain their safety, they are constantly monitored with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). This was created jointly by the FDA and CDC and doctors are required to report certain side effects of vaccines to this entity. 26
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Parents can learn more and also report to VAERS directly at www. vaers.hhs.gov or 800-822-7967. 14 VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES There are 14 vaccinations that can protect your child before they turn two as documented by the CDC. For children birth to 6-years-old, here are the 14 vaccine-preventable diseases: • Chickenpox (Varicella) • Diphtheria • Influenza (Flu) • Hepatitis A • Hepatitis B • Hib • Measles • Mumps • Polio • Pneumococcal • Rotavirus • Rubella • Tetanus • Whooping Cough (Pertussis) Additional diseases to protect preteens and teens ages 7 to 18: • Influenza (Flu) • Meningococcal • HPV (Human Papillomavirus) • TDAP Some of these vaccine-preventable diseases require a vaccination to be admitted to school or daycare. Others are optional. Be sure to consult with your child’s health care provider to fully understand the required vaccinations at various stages of child development. LOCAL RESOURCES ON CHILDHOOD VACCINES Consult your child’s pediatrician with questions and concerns regarding vaccinations and side effects.
Be sure to reach out to your local health department to find out what vaccinations they offer at reduced cost for your county. They are also a good resource for keeping an updated record of your child’s vaccination record. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is also an invaluable resource when it comes to information and assistance in obtaining vaccinations for your children. “Missouri’s immunization program is working to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases by providing vaccines to children and adolescents who cannot pay for them through the Vaccines for Children Program; educating health care professionals, medical providers, and the public on the importance of vaccinations; and ensuring that children who are in child care and school are adequately immunized against diseases that are harmful and sometimes deadly.” https:// health.mo.gov/living/wellness/ immunizations/ REFERENCES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). History of Smallpox. https://www.cdc.gov/ smallpox/history/history.html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For Parents: Vaccines for your Children. https://www.cdc.gov/ vaccines/parents/ American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). https:// www.healthychildren.org/ English/safety-prevention/ immunizations/Pages/VaccineSafety-The-Facts.aspx
IN THE NEWS
T h e Lu n c h of Shame The Brown Bag Story By Shannon Beck
I
magine you are a 12-yearold girl. Your classmates are starting to notice a friend’s expensive haircut and treatment. Suddenly, the labels on your clothing matter. Statuses matter. At lunch time, you get in line with your peers, but when you reach the cafeteria attendant, you are handed a brown paper bag rather than the divided trays of hot pizza and salad
your friends are receiving. Inside of that bag is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Outside of that bag, your entire class knows that your lunch account is negative. They know that you are poor or you have irresponsible parents. This is a scene that plays out regularly in lunch rooms across the state of Missouri. While Missouri schools do participate in the
USDA’s free and reduced lunch program to provide for children living in poverty, there is still a group of students whose family incomes are just over the limits to qualify or are encountering sudden or temporary financial hardships. Many school districts have adopted policies of handing out “alternative lunches” when student lunch accounts reach a specified Masonic Outreach
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IN THE NEWS negative balance. The practice was coined as “lunch shaming” by anti-childhood-hunger advocates and can also sometimes include activities such as throwing hot lunches in the trash after children receive them, requiring children to earn lunches through chores at the school, or stamping their hands with reminders. “I don’t think the main intention of the school meal debt policies is to humiliate,” said Jennifer Ramo, executive director of New Mexico Appleseed—an anti-poverty group that took on the issue of lunch shaming in its state—during a 2017 New York Times interview. “Mostly, school nutrition directors are trying to balance their budgets, and they see this is a necessary but effective evil.” Administrators at Missouri schools who have garnered attention related to lunch shaming echo this intention. “It’s our policy to make sure the kids are fed,” Rockwood School District Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost said when a parent in his district, Don Re of Wildwood, addressed concerns about lunch shaming with the media in 2017. “If the parents don’t fund the account, we are going to make sure they have a lunch. Eventually, it will be a different lunch than the kids are paying for.” According to Re, his middle schooler obtained her hot school lunch only to have it taken away and replaced with a cold cheese sandwich when the cashier discovered the child did not have enough money in their lunch account. “I wanna know why is this still 28
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happening? The kids are having food taken off their tray,” said Re in an interview with Fox 2 News out of St. Louis. “The school can come and make me clean tables. Embarrass me—that’s fine—but not my kid.” Knost said at the time that he planned to take steps to ensure an incident like this—where a tray of food was taken from a student— did not happen again. According to the school handbook, students at the middle school continue to receive alternate meals when accounts are negative. Rockwood is not the only Missouri school to face public criticism and media attention for claims that cafeteria staff removed hot lunches from students with lunch account debt. The district in the small southwest Missouri town of Reed Springs took to its Facebook page to issue a statement after community members discovered that trays of food were being taken from students with lunch debt and thrown in the trash before the children were given an alternate meal that contained a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, piece of fruit, cheese stick, and carton of milk. “It’s a matter of following health codes,” the district wrote in a Facebook post. “We cannot re-serve food unless it’s prepackaged.” A scan of handbooks from districts throughout the state shows that whether the hot meals are being trashed or the students are intercepted prior to receiving the meal, the practice of offering an alternative meal is common,
although the debt threshold before that occurs varies widely. At LaSalle Middle School, the Rockwood school Re’s child attended, the students may be as much as $20 in debt to the school, while the limit is just $10 at Reed Springs. Other districts, such as Joplin, do not allow students to charge meals starting at the middle school level. The school handbook states, “All meals must be paid for; charging a meal is not available at the middle school.” However, district staff confirmed that alternate meals consisting of a ham and cheese sandwich are given to students with no lunch money. Still, other Missouri districts take an even harder stance on school meals. According to the handbook for Rolla Middle School in Rolla, students may charge up to $7.20 on their lunch accounts, which would cover three full-price lunches. After the charge limit is reached, the handbook states, “Students without money will be offered our choice of an alternate item and milk at no cost for one day only.” Some states are taking action to prevent lunch shaming through legislative efforts. New Mexico is leading the way in this effort with the passage of its Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights in April 2017. Iowa followed suit shortly after with the passage of it’s own anti-lunch-shaming bill. Learn how The Masonic Home of Missouri, Masonic Lodges, and Eastern Star Chapters throughout the state are battling this issue on pages 9 and 11.
MEET A MASON
Jim Schepers
Board Member 2014-2018 Charity extends beyond the grave; it is a simple phrase understood by Masons. And to serve on the Masonic Home Board is, as Jim Schepers voices, the “easiest way to fulfill the obligation to serve the less fortunate.” As a board member, Jim served on the Finance Committee as well as Treasurer of the Masonic Home Board. Bringing his strategic and organizational skills to these roles has helped formulate the budget and outline new investment guidelines. Many people may not realize that Masonic Home Board positions are elected by the membership at Annual Communication. Schepers would like to take time to “thank the Craft for their confidence” in him to take on this role. As he looks forward to the next phase of his Masonic service, Schepers offers this advice to new board members; be an active listener. “I found great wisdom and insight listening to clients, officers, and other board members. Their experiences served me well in making decisions both for the Masonic Home and in my personal life.”
Jeffery Parrotte Ron Jones Board Member 2014-2018
Serving as a Masonic Home Board member has been a highlight for Jeffrey Parrotte. “There are so many in need, and to help has been a life changing experience.” In his early years as a Mason, Parrotte contributed to Penny-A-Day, fulfilling his obligation of charity to the fraternity. However, he had no idea how he was actually helping members of the Fraternity, Eastern Star, and non-Masonic children, until his involvement with the Outreach Programs. During Parrotte’s time, he served on the Development, Finance, and Outreach committees. In his reflections, his time on the Outreach committee gave him two years of reviewing requests for assistance, which was an eye opening and humbling experience. Helping others is at the core of the Masonic Fraternity, and being selected to participate in the primary mission of the Masonic Home has been a true honor. Parrotte encourages members to reach out to their Masonic Home Rep, consider becoming a Masonic Home Rep, and read the publications the Masonic Home produces to gain knowledge to best serve the Fraternity.
Board Member 2004-2008, 2013-2018 Board President 2016-2017 Grand Master, Honorary Chairman 2017-2018 The Masonic Home is the true heart and soul of what Masons honor to do as a Fraternity member. Knowing how many lives are changed by the assistance provided has been at the heart of Ron Jones tenure. He served as an elected board member from 2004 to 2008 ,and, by virtue of his Grand Lodge office, served as president in 2016. Jones finds it hard to pinpoint a specific program that stands out, in part because he treasures the value that each program brings to help someone. No longer a voting board member, Jones vows to continue to bring awareness to both the Chapters and Lodges he visits and continue to communicate the value of the Home’s programs. Jones offers valuable advice to both new and future board members; take the time to learn about all the programs that the Masonic Home provides so you can be ready to make good decisions about any situation that may occur. Masonic Outreach
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WHAT’S IN THE NUMBERS?
43% of children living in Missouri are low-income
Children in the United States are more likely to live in poverty than those in any other developed nation. That is
589,446 children
Poverty is the single greatest threat to children’s well-being. w
The greater a child’s hunger, the more difficult it is to concentrate on studies, leading to higher dropout rates, which lead to lower annual incomes.
a am nd suicide ts. n ong adolesce
86% 30
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on
Hunger Annual Income
hunger is associ e r ate ve iety and de Se anx g child pres d s re ith mon n i a
of Missouri children whose parents do not have a high school degree are low-income
National High school dropout rates
2.6% 5.4%
MHM and five lodges resolved
$30,012.20 in unpaid school lunches
from high-income families
from middle-income families
9.4% from low-income families
Number of children helped through CAP more than doubled in past five years
CAP provided
$319,198 97 for children in need
CAP touched the lives of
lodges and chapters participated in CAP in FY2018
13,546
Missouri children Masonic Outreach
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Save the Date Masonic Home of Missouri 17th Annual Charity Golf Tournament Monday, June 10, 2019 Columbia Country Club Columbia, MO All proceeds benefit the Masonic Home of Missouri Partnership Programs. Almost 14,000 lives were touched during FY2018 through these programs.