MN Masonic Charities - 2014 Stronger Together

H/T goes to Chuck B.

Polar Plunge 2013

"Jump in a frozen lake", they said; "it'll be fun" they said. 

Okay, quit whining. You'll be fine. They'll have EMTs on staff. 

EMTs?! Am I going to die?

Knock it off you baby.

Okay, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Ok, now I'm ready to do it. I'm ready to jump in but I'm going to need everyone's help to get me over the mountain.

Polar Plunge 2013 is a great charitable event for Special Olympics Minnesota. My lodge, Corinthian Lodge No. 67, is fielding a team of crazy... intrepid brothers who are going to jump into the freezing cold water of Crystal Lake in Burnsville. Our team name: The Stonecutters. The jump will be on February 23rd. The actual plunge starts at 2:30 pm but I'm unsure when my team will be jumping. There will be a free shuttle going back and forth from Brunswick Bowl in Lakeville just so you can avoid the parking snares that may occur.

If you would like to donate, just visit our team page and pick any of the team members to donate. We're all swell guys and would really appreciate your support in this extremely worthy cause.

I think I can, I think I can.

A Relief Request for the Victims of Hurricane Sandy

I have received word that a brother from Minnesota has started collecting supplies for those in need of relief following the tremendously powerful and devastating Hurricane Sandy.

Dear Brother,
My name is Steve Willett, a Master Mason with Lake Harriet Lodge No. 277 and 32° Scottish Rite member in Minneapolis.
I have spoken to the New Jersey Grand Master, Glenn Trautmann. He stated that anything we can send would be appreciated. The food shelves are dry, people are in serious shape; besides being homeless, there is no food or drinking water.
We need to make this happen. They are setting up lodges to help with the distribution. I am also talking to Hormel foods  Cabela’s and Kenny Anderson (owner of Barrel of Fun and Kenny’s Candies) about contributions.
Buzzy Olson and I started this Friday at noon. I already have 10 pallets of bottled drinking water donated. We need food, clothing, tents, eating utensils, can openers, sleeping bags, diapers and blankets. We will also gladly accept monetary donations for fuel to deliver the donations.
We sincerely appreciate any and all help anyone can provide. Buzzy Olson and I will personally be going to New Jersey to help with the relief.
Sincerely,
Steve Willett
Minnesota Freemason

Contributions can be sent to the Grand Lodge office, 11501 Masonic Home Drive, Bloomington, MN 55437-3699.

This is not the only response that will be coming from the state of Minnesota. I have also received word that the Grand Lodge will likely be contributing as well to the Masonic Service Association's efforts. Donations sent to the Masonic Service Association for disaster relief are used 100% for that purpose, no administration fees or other expenses are taken from the donations. I will let everyone know about that as well.

Movember 2012

The Masons of Australia, led by the brothers of the South Australian Constitution, are looking to do something huge. I hope some of you have heard of Movember but if you haven't here's a short explanation from the Grand Master of South Australia:

Movember

Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne Australia, Movember has grown to become a truly global movement, inspiring more than 1.9 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate with formal campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, the UK, South Africa, Ireland and many more.

Movember is already an established fundraiser at an international level and popular with men of all ages.

Last year, over 854,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas around the world got on board, raising $124 million and Movember is now recognized as the largest advocate and fund raiser for research and support programs for men’s health issues.

Movember is our major focus for the next couple of months with a video already shot, used to 'rally' the troops and gain increased involvement from our members. Interstate jurisdictions are all on board as are several overseas, so this year could well be a very big promotional November for Freemasonry.

As registrations are soon able to be made on the Movember website, our efforts will accordingly gradually increase.

This is a truly national Masonic effort, ensuring that our reach is even greater than last year. We all operate in different jurisdictions with different members, different circumstances, different Grand Lodge officers and different agendas - but in this instance we can all work together towards one goal and I commend this project to you all.

To view the above mentioned video and registration page, go to the Movember section below and click on the pictures.

MW Bro Bob Parsons

The money raised within Australia will be used for two major health concerns for men, prostate cancer and mental health. Here's some more great information

The Movember Effect: Awareness & Education, Survivorship, Research

The funds raised in Australia support equally the two biggest health issues men face – prostate cancer and male mental health. The funds raised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Together, the three channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in line with our strategic goals, in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.

Let's support our brothers in Australia and get the word out. Visit the Movember.com Freemasons global site. What a great idea brothers. Now to find some face Rogaine.