tenets of Freemasonry – brotherly love,
relief, and truth,” he says.
Anaheim Lodge also uses comedy
to thank local veterans. In March, for
example, the lodge sponsored “Spring
Up and Laugh,” a comedy show at
the medical center for veterans and
their families. Featuring professional
comedians from a troupe called The
Comedy Machine, the show entertained
more than 250 attendees, while helping
raise funds for other projects, including
Operation Greatest Gift.
“It’s said that laughter is the best
medicine,” Maxwell says. “We wanted
to bring a little comedy to the veterans
and some relief from what they’re going
through on a daily basis.”
Seasons of caring in
Long Beach
The VA Long Beach Medical Center
also receives support from their local
lodge, Long Beach Lodge No. 327. Four
times a year, about 20 brothers visit the
hospital’s spinal cord injury unit to play
games with the patients, sit and chat, and
distribute gifts of snacks, sweatshirts, and
hats. On a recent visit, the lodge raffled off
four quilts sewn by members’ wives.
“They’re always happy to have
visitors and to see people,” says Robert
Townsend, junior steward. “And it’s
a great feeling of being there for your
fellow man.”
Veterans aren’t the only beneficiaries
of the lodge’s gratitude, as Long Beach
Lodge recently hosted a bon-voyage party
for one of its own. Brother Ivan Sanchez,
a crew chief on a Black Hawk helicopter,
is destined for his first tour of duty in Iraq.
“Ivan is such a great guy that we wanted
to do something for him,” Townsend says.
“We gave him a good sendoff.”
Special Ops
Thanks to the generosity of Masons throughout California who
provided funding and their time as volunteers, the spring flights
for Operation Greatest Gift were an amazing success, enabling
366 veterans to visit the World War II Memorial.
A number of lodges made coordinated efforts to help at the
ground level (and one, in the air). A few examples of this special
support:
Hemet Lodge No. 615
When Hemet Lodge brothers learned of Operation Greatest Gift,
they quickly searched their membership rolls for World War II
veterans. Of several dozen identified, 18 signed up to make the
journey, along with a few veterans from neighboring San Jacinto
Lodge No. 338. To make sure their veteran brothers got to take
this trip of a lifetime, members of Hemet Lodge drove the group
about 100 miles to Los Angeles to catch their flight. And for one of
the trips, the lodge provided each traveler with a commemorative
blue polo shirt featuring the veteran’s first name, the lodge name,
and the Masonic logo.
Oakland Durant Rockridge Lodge No. 188
Oakland Durant Rockridge (ODR) Lodge’s unprecedented
$10,000 donation to Operation Greatest Gift was just the start
of their involvement. Rallied by the veterans in their lodge, in
particular Brother John W. Carter – a World War II veteran and
former paratrooper – a dozen brothers volunteered as guardians
to accompany a trip. In fact, ODR Lodge was the only lodge to
provide a full staff of guardians for one of the trips. The crew of
guardians took the rest of the fraternity inside the experience, too,
by posting message and photo updates on Facebook, Twitter, and
Flickr throughout the trip.
Humboldt Lodge No. 79
Five veterans from far-north Humboldt Lodge in Eureka were
able to make the trip, and their brothers made sure they traveled
in style. The day before the flight to Washington, D.C., Humboldt
Lodge covered the cost of transporting the veterans and their
guardians to San Francisco and putting them up for the night.
When the group returned home, the lodge hosted a special
breakfast for veterans, families, and friends to view a slideshow and
hear stories about the remarkable journey.
