IN THE ISSUE

New Board Elects

Grants Approved

Recent Presentations New Hire

MCFOK The Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma Newsletter

SPRING 2020 ISSUE 1

“Continuous effort - notstrength - is the key tounlocking our potential."

- Winston Churchill

2020 ELECTION OF OFFICERS

It's 2020 and we have newly electedofficers!

President: William J. Cloud Blanchard #3951st VP: Neil A. Stitt Lone Grove #252nd VP: C. Kent Callahan Moore #359Secretary: Robert G. Davis Guildhall #553Treasurer: Elwood M. Isaacs Norman #38Asst. Secretary: John L. Logan Guildhall #553

Thank you for your service on the board!

Ordo Ab Chao

GRANTS AUTHORIZED FOR 2020

4-H Foundation of OKAutism SpeaksCavett Kids FoundationChildren's Center and Rehabilitation HospitalCommunity Food Bank of Eastern OklahomaDale K. Graham VeteransFoundationDemolay International Foundation Century FundFFA Foundation of OKGeorge Washington Masonic National MemorialHearts For HearingJunior Achievement

Masonic Service AssociationNewView OklahomaNextGen Under 30Payne Education CenterPromises MatterRegional Food Bank ofOklahomaSenor Essay ProgramTeach of the YearUSAO HS Scholastic ProgramVizavanceYMCA Military WelcomeCenterYouth Order Trusts

I

WELCOME OUR NEW COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Lauren Riepl is an avid historian who graduated with a master’s degree inPublic History in 2017 and a Bachelors in History/Museum Studies in 2010.Lauren is active in the arts and culture community, serving throughmembership and volunteering in such organizations as the OklahomaArchivists Association, deadCenter Film Festival, the Oklahoma MuseumAssociation, and the Oklahoma Arts Council . In her free time she alsoserves on the Young Professionals Board for Wings OK and is a Big in theBig Brothers Big/Big Sisters of OK. She was previously the ProgramsDirector for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. She has helddirector and administrative roles pertaining to communications andprogram development. Lauren has always found joy in nonprofit workand she currently serves on committees for the Oklahoma Women’sCoalition, The Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma, and the AmericanCancer Society.

RECENT PRESENTATIONS

PAYNE EDUCATION CENTER 

NEW VIEW

Payne Education Center, an Oklahoma City-basednonprofit teacher training and dyslexia advocacy center,was awarded a $130,000 grant from the MasonicCharity Foundation of Oklahoma to offer an in-depthseries of online Structured Literacy best practice videosfor teachers and parents, as well as trainingscholarships for Payne Education Center’s StructuredLiteracy-based reading instruction programs forOklahoma’s teachers. This unprecedented fundingincrease reflects the Masonic Charity Foundation ofOklahoma’s understanding the need for more onlineresources and training for teachers and parents as wellas more reading instruction training using StructuredLiteracy-based programs.“The Masonic CharityFoundation of Oklahoma’s commitment to education,specifically literacy and those who struggle to attain it,has allowed Payne Education Center to extend ourreach to give teachers the necessary tools to successfullyteach children how to read,” said Heather Johnson,Executive Director of Payne Education Center. “Thanksto their sustained generosity over 30 years, Payne willnow be able to extend access to online resources andinteractive curricula for teachers and their students andparents of those who struggle with dyslexia.” JohnLogan, Executive Director of the Masonic CharityFoundation, commenting on their initiative, stated, “Weare excited to help make Structured Literacy videosaccessible for teachers and parents across the state ofOklahoma.”

The Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahomarecently awarded NewView Oklahoma with agrant totaling $256,650. This gift will offset costsfor capital needs for NewView’s Center for LowVision and Blindness and will cover expenditures forbuilding improvements, including greateraccessibility and security. A generous donor toNewView Oklahoma since 2017,the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma hasbeen an enthusiastic supporter of NewView’sefforts to improve the lives of visually impairedaOklahomans. Gifts from the Foundation haveplayed a vital role in NewView’s recent renovationof and relocation to a facility on Classen Boulevard,a move that has dramatically expandedNewView’s capacity to serve individuals challengedby vision loss.This additional gift will ensure that thenew facility is up to date on security andaccessibility measures. “We are deeply grateful forthe immense generosity of the Masonic CharityFoundation of Oklahoma,” said Lauren Branch,NewView president, and CEO. “This gift allows usto serve our clients and community to the higheststandard, and we are excited about the additionalopportunities it creates.”

Masonic labor is purely a labor oflove."- Benjamin Franklin

RECENT PRESENTATIONS

VIZAVANCE

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT

Today, over 30 years later, the Masons are stillpartnering with Vizavance to provide visionscreenings for children throughout the state. ThePartners in Prevention is the oldest partnership of theMasonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma, and overthe years the vision of thousands of Oklahomachildren has been saved. Currently, 191 Lodges assistwith screenings in their communities. The OklahomaMasonic Charity Foundation has contributed over 4million dollars to fund the Partners in PreventionProgram since its inception, and over 5 millionchildren have been screened for vision problems.Three organizations are working together with OneGoal, One Vision, and One Mission, AdvancingChildren’s Education Through Better Vision! InMarch, the Masonic Charity Foundation presentedVizavance $50,000 to advance children's educationthrough better vision.

The Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahomarecently granted $50,000 to Junior Achievement ofOklahoma.“These dollars will continue support for ourefforts teaching the important life lessons ofbudgeting, financial investments, philanthropy, andpersonal finances through Junior Achievementcapstone programs like JA Finance Park-Mobile thatprovide the outreach necessary to serve ruralOklahoma students,” said Brian Jackson, developmentmanager, Junior Achievement of Oklahoma. Throughhands-on classroom activities and site-basedexperiences, JA Finance Park students build afoundation for making intelligent, lifelong personal-finance decisions. The JA Finance Park-Mobile willnow include a new philanthropy kiosk named for theMasonic Charity Foundation. The Park-Mobile isdedicated to educating 7.000 Oklahoma middle andhigh school students in the basics of financial literacy,budgeting, investing, philanthropy, and managingrisk, all while reinforcing the value of education andhow it affects one’s future. "The Masonic Fraternity isproud to support financial literacy educationprograms such as those offered by JuniorAchievement. The financial knowledge gained in thisprogram will empower students to make goodfinancial decisions as they begin their adult lives,” saidBob Peters, grand master of Masons in Oklahoma.

"Every member of the fraternity, aswell as those publications, that discoverthe principles which actuate them, maytend to convince mankind that thegrand object of Masonry is to promotethe happiness of the human race."

- George Washington

RECENT PRESENTATIONS

OMRF

ETHICS BOWL

On March 11th the Masonic Charity Foundation ofOklahoma awarded $250,000 to OMRF. The fundsare designated for research in OMRF’s Aging andMetabolism Research Program, where scientists areinvestigating a wide range of age-related diseases, suchas Alzheimer’s, age-related muscle loss, osteoarthritis,diabetes, vision loss and neurodegenerative disorders,among others. “The Masonic Charity Foundation has along history of supporting the needs of all Oklahomansfrom all walks of life,” said Bob Peters, Grand Masterfor the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma. “Ifyou live, you also age, and OMRF is looking for waysto add more healthy years to all our lives. We arehappy to provide this grant in support of OMRF’smission, which serves our Oklahoma families.”In 2017,OMRF dedicated its Masonic Charity Foundation ofOklahoma Aging and Alzheimer’s ResearchLaboratory, which houses Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D.,chair of OMRF’s Aging and Metabolism ResearchProgram. Van Remmen’s research focuses on diseasesof aging, with an emphasis on loss of muscle as peoplegrow older.The Masons have supported research atOMRF since 1999, with gifts totaling $1.2 million. “Witha growing aging population, these issues are becomingmore and more important,” said OMRF VP ofDevelopment Penny Voss. “The Masons deserve all ofour thanks for their continued support of Oklahoma’saging population and they’re an important partner inthe hunt for solutions to diseases of aging.”

High School Ethics Bowl is a new initiative bythe Student Ethics and Education Development(SEED) Foundation and sponsored by theMasonic Fraternity in Oklahoma. It is acompetitive yet collaborative event in whichstudents discuss real-life ethical issues. In eachround of competition, teams take turns analyzingethical cases and responding to questions andcomments from the other team and a panel ofjudges. An ethics bowl differs from a debatecompetition in that students are not assignedopposing views; rather, they defend whicheverposition they think is correct, provide each otherwith constructive criticism, and win bydemonstrating that they have thought rigorouslyand systematically about the cases and engagedrespectfully and supportively with all participantsThe fourth Oklahoma Region High School EthicsBowl was modeled after the National High SchoolEthics Bowl competition. All public, privateinstitutions and home-school cooperatives areeligible to participate. A total of fifteen highschools competed in the third regional competition,fielding a total of twenty-eight teams. DoveScience Academy won 1st place, receiving for thefourth year in a row, winning $4,000 towardstraveling to the national competition. Second placewas won by Oklahoma School of Science &Math, and third was Ringling High School.Congratulations to our winners.

The Masonic Charity Foundation willrespect the order of the Governor but willcontinue to serve the needy members of theMasonic family. Members are asked toemail us at information@mcfok.org tocontact the Foundation. We will monitorthe mail and will return phone calls whenmessages are left.

We encourage all of our members to actresponsibly, check on their fellow members,and communicate with us when a memberneeds assistance.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Scholarship applications are now being accepted onlineuntil May 1st for Youth Order members onlyat www.mcfok.org. If you have any questions pleaseemail us at at information@mcfok.org or call the officeat 405-348-7500.ONLY ONLINE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Oklahoma DeMolayOklahoma RainbowOklahoma Job’s Daughters

COVID-19 UPDATE

Our annual ⭐ PHOTO CONTEST ⭐ is open until July15, 2020! 12 photos will be chosen for our calendar andthe photographer for each pic chosen for the calendar,receives $25 for each winning photo! Submit yourentries to: information@mcfok.org

Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma · 3424 French Park Drive · Edmond, OK 73034 · (405) 348-7500

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT MCFOK

We are inspired by our grantees’ steadfastcommitment to serving vulnerable communities andappreciate all the ongoing efforts to strengthenfamilies, educate children and provide critical servicesto Oklahomans. Without supporters and generationdonations the Masonic Charity Foundation ofOklahoma could not continue to do good work. Pleaseremember MCFOK in your charitable giving and helpus continue our mission to improve the lives ofOklahomans through hard work and good deeds.