Masonic Charities

CHARITY – A “FEW WORDS” FROM YOUR STEWARD OF CHARITY

Apart from the normal “Charity giving” (approximate support £1.6m per annum, a combination of annual donations and investment income) 2008 saw the launch of the third Grand Master’s Festival (ie for non Masonic Charities). The first Festival in 1989 raised £360,000 for Medical Research. The second Festival in 1995 raised £560,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society. 2001 saw a Grand Master’s Appeal (for Masonic Charities). The 2008 Festival will support three charities:-

1. The Samaritans

The Samaritans is an All-Ireland Organisation operating from twenty branches throughout the Country and has some 1,700 volunteers. They are available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Their Vision is for a society where fewer people take their own lives, a society where people are able to talk about their feelings openly and are able to respect the feelings of others. Suicide is extremely prevalent in young people aged between 19 and 25. People who die as a result of suicide outnumber the deaths on our roads!

2. Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice

The Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice is situated in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim and provides respite care and end of life care to terminally ill children. The hospice has 10 Bedrooms and facilities for family members to stay with their loved ones. They care for 300 families per year who have a life-limited child, in the Children’s Hospice or in the child’s own home. It costs approximately £1.8m per year to run the Children’s Hospice service and they do not receive any ongoing funding from the government, being totally dependent on voluntary contributions.

3. The Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice

The ‘Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice’ Foundation was set up in 2001 as a result of an enormous personal tragedy in the lives of Jane and Brendan McKenna which saw them lose both their precious daughters Laura and Lynn in the space of just two years. The aim of the Foundation is to provide respite for the family as a whole. It is about putting ‘Life into a child’s day, not days into a child’s life’. For parents, it will give that much needed break – often as simple as a decent night’s sleep. It will also support healthy siblings, who are very much left out, when a sick child needs 24 hour care. They have teamed up with the Children’s Sunshine Home with a view to providing the first hospice for children in Southern Ireland at Sandyford, Co Dublin. As we, as a Lodge, hold the number 2000 we hope to raise £2000 as our donation to the Grand Master’s Festival. All donations and suggestions for fund raising would be welcome.

Our existing Charities – Please click on the following Link:- http://www.irish-freemasons.org/gl_charities.htm