As the summer comes to a close and we head into the fall, I want to take a moment and reflect on all we have accomplished over these past three months. This year saw a brand new Home Day festival, with a focus on bringing together Masons from across the state of Ohio and the residents living in Springfield. Families spent the day riding on a horse-drawn carriage, going up in a hot air balloon, and trying to hit the target at the dunk tank.
It was great to see everyone together in fellowship and enjoying all of the activities Home Day had to offer. I look forward to seeing even more of my brothers at next year’s festival. As we moved into the end of July I felt blessed to see the fruition of so much time and effort in the form of two new memory care centers. On Wednesday July 24, Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the public to celebrate the opening of Pathways at Browning. It was a blessed day with cool temperatures and blue skies as our brothers and community members joined us and Grand Master Easterling.
On Sunday July 28, Western Reserve Masonic Community in Medina, Ohio opened the doors to the Connecting Realities memory care center with a similar ceremony. These state-of-the-art neighborhoods are designed for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Each has special design features which aid in the independence of residents, and help to ease the stress of their loved ones. Before long we will be riding down the road for the Miracle Miles for Memory Care road rally. Thanks to the fraternity we have come a long way in raising the money needed for the memory care centers.
However, continued support for the centers will go toward programming and providing the best for each of the residents. I hope to see many brothers riding with us for the cause in this and coming years. Finally, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support of the Ohio Masonic Home and its subsidiaries. In reflecting on the past summer and the events that we have had, I cannot help but think of the initial reason for the founding of the Home. We began as a place to care for Masons, their widows and orphans. Today we continue that mission in ways our founding brothers could only dream.
Thank you for partnering with us now and we look forward to exploring the ways we can serve the fraternity in the future.
