On Dec. 27, the Masons of Olive Branch Lodge No. 38 presented checks, totaling $5,500, from the lodge and the Illinois Masonic Children’s Assistance Program or IMCAP, to Fair Hope Children’s Ministry to help the Ministry provide winter clothing, boots and accessories to the children it serves.
Fair Hope Children’s Ministry provides clothing for children, newborn to 18 years of age, who are referred to them by pastors, case workers, nurses, doctors and school social workers.
Since last year, the Ministry learned that an organization that had been a major donor of children’s winter coats for several years would no longer be able to donate. In November, Olive Branch Lodge No. 38 learned of the situation and also learned that IMCAP, an Illinois Freemasonry Charity which partners with local lodges to serve children and young adults in their communities, had challenged all lodges in Illinois to partner with a youth organization to help provide clothing, coats, boots, food, gifts or anything else needed to make this a happy holiday season and then to apply for funding from its Youth Organization Connection micro-grant program.
The Lodge voted to work with the Ministry to apply for a grant. It also voted to donate $500 from its own funds.
In mid-December the Lodge learned that a grant of $5,000 had been approved by IMCAP’s Board. Members of the Lodge were pleased to be able be part of helping Fair Hope overcome this year’s challenges and accomplish their mission of providing for children this winter.
A member of the Lodge commented that the community is blessed to have an organization that does what Fair Hope does and that partnering with them helped the Lodge to get the most good from the generosity of Illinois Masons and to keep more Vermilion County children warm this winter.
Olive Branch Lodge No. 38 is a local unit of the Fraternity of Freemasons whose members support each other as they seek to become the best men they can be. For more information about Freemasonry or the lodge, email the lodge at olivebranch38@gmail.com or call 217-446-7620.