POTENTATE'S MESSAGE

My message this time has two parts. First I want to tell you about my experience in donating to our favorite charity, Shriners Hospitals. My friend, Mark Berillo, a Medinah Shriner and member of the Chicago Hospital Board of Governors, has undertaken the challenge of running a 50 mile UltraMarathon to raise much needed funds for Shriners Hospitals. I felt good just making a pledge and helping my friend make a contribution to Shriners Hospitals through his extraordinary physical effort. But when I received an email thanking me for my gift that related stories of "pretty Melissa attributes her 'I can do anything' attitude to the years of intensive therapy she has received" and young Cecil remembers "how the nurses talked with him each night until he fell asleep" it literally brought tears to my eyes.

All of us and our children and families have problems. I cannot minimize how these problems affect our daily lives. I must however speculate that our problems are minimal compared to those of the families of the children treated in our hospitals. Why oh why, are those helpless infants handicapped by such crippling ailments? Is God challenging or testing us? If so, I believe we are meeting this unbelievable challenge with the very best effort possible.

As a young Shriner I took my wife Peggy to "Hospital Day" at our Chicago Hospital. It was 1966 and she was pregnant with our first child. Most of the children there had birth defects and the thought that our child could be affected petrified me. Fortunately, both of our children were born without physical limitations, but I am extremely proud and grateful to belong to an organization that supports and helps parents who are less fortunate than I.

Your Shrine dues include a $5 donation to the hospitals. If you feel you can make an additional contribution, I encourage you to do so.

While the first part of this message concerned the hospitals, the second part concerns what you can do to help the fraternity. Membership is the key to our future success. We need to get good men to become Master Masons and then Shriners. If you are reading this, you did it, and you should agree that you are a better man for becoming a Mason and Shriner.

Here is what I am asking you to do; in fact I am challenging you. Identify a man who you believe has the character to be a good Shrine/Mason. He could be a family member, a friend from church, a colleague at work, or even an acquaintance from a social organization. Approach him with the attitude that you are doing him a favor. Explain what is involved and invite him to join you. Tell him you will support him on his journey. To select a man, look not only to your family and friends, but also to business and social acquaintances. Remember, good men can be found everywhere, and you will be doing this man a tremendous favor.

We have a Ceremonial on November 19. If you are approaching a Master Mason, he can certainly qualify and petition for membership on that date. If he is not yet a Mason, please continue to bring him forward for the next opportunity to become a Shriner. What you can do for that man will change his life forever. It will benefit his wife and family and most importantly will make him a better man. Please give this opportunity to a man you know.

Thank you my Brothers,

Paul Barber

Potentate

Sunshine Fund

Please don't forget about this special fund to assist a Noble who needs help paying his dues. This fund exists because of donations from members, units, committees and clubs. It's all about Nobles helping Nobles.

Scott W. Sonnenberg, Recorder