Masons pledge reading
help
LANSING -- The Michigan Masons pledged Thursday to spend 200,000 hours
over the next three years helping elementary school children across the state
learn to read.
The so-called "Beacon Project" was unveiled at a
Lansing elementary school by state officials and leaders of the 58,000-member
fraternity.
"This is the largest single volunteer commitment to
schools ever in this state," Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus said. "Think
about the number of books that can be read. Think how many lives can be
changed."
The Masons will volunteer in elementary schools near their
374 lodges. While reading with students will be the chief activity, the
volunteers also will work with school principals on other projects and
programs ranging from repairing playground equipment to chaperoning field
trips.
"We're willing to do whatever the school needs us to
do," said David Bedwell, a Ford
Motor Co. engineer from Canton Township. He's one of about 80 members of
the Masonic Lodge in Dearborn who will pitch in at schools in Dearborn and
Detroit.
Bedwell said he was stunned to learn that the school janitor
is sometimes the predominant male adult in the lives of many Metro Detroit
elementary school students.
"That was a real eye-opener," he said.
Sharon Banks, superintendent of Lansing Public Schools,
called the Masons' commitment "more precious than money."
You can reach Mark Hornbeck at (517) 371-3660 or mhornbeck@detnews.com.
South Bend Tribune - Friday, March 2, 2001
Freemasons head into schools
By ASHLEY LOWERYTribune Staff Writer
 Masons
volunteerMasonry, or Freemasonry, is the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world. There are approximately 58,000 Masons in Michigan, with Masonic Lodges in 374 communities. On Thursday, Michigan Mason Grand Master Bob Conley and Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus announced that Michigan Masons are pledging 200,000 volunteer hours to elementary schools over the next three years. Masons will offer their time tutoring or performing other necessary tasks under the direction of school principals. For more information about the project, visit the Michigan Masons' Web site at www.gl-mi.org. |
Mike Hamilton is committed to making a difference in his community.
As the Worshipful Master for Masonic Lodge 437 in St. Joseph, Hamilton is part of a fraternity that promotes community service.
In keeping with that spirit, Hamilton and other St. Joseph Masons offer their time to Helping One Student to Succeed, a reading improvement program.
For the past several months, Hamilton and a Benton Harbor fourth-grader named Maurice have spent half an hour a week reviewing vocabulary and working on reading skills.
"It's been very rewarding and very worthwhile," Hamilton said.
Soon, Masons throughout the state will begin joining Hamilton in giving their time to Michigan students.
Michigan Mason Grand Master Bob Conley and Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus announced Thursday that Michigan Masons will pledge 200,000 volunteer hours to elementary schools over the next three years.
The project is the largest volunteer effort in state history, according to Matt Resch, a spokesman for Posthumus.
"So many organizations give money -- and we do as well -- but we wanted to have much more of an impact," said Conley, a member of Three Oaks Lodge 239.
"As a general rule, you can't find a lodge that isn't active in its community one way or another," he added. "But it's always been done very quietly until now."
Michigan is home to 58,000 Masons and 374 Masonic Lodges. In the next few months, Masons will begin reaching out to elementary schools in communities throughout the state, working with school officials to meet a variety of needs.
"The time spent by Masonic volunteers will make an extraordinary difference for thousands of students and elementary schools throughout the state," Posthumus said.
The Masons are providing more than just academic support and manpower to children and school buildings, Conley said.
"Here's an opportunity for men to get into the schools and be positive role models," Conley said, pointing out that many elementary school teachers are women and that many children are raised by single mothers.
The proposal for a partnership between Masons and schools was made last June, when Conley assumed the role of grand master, or president of the organization at the state level.
Throughout the spring and summer, Conley and others began working with the Michigan Department of Education and meeting with school leaders to lay the foundation for the project.
Some volunteer work began in January, though the official kickoff was scheduled for March to coincide with National Reading Month.
It may take a few months for all lodges and communities to be affected by the project, Conley said, but he is confident that the program will be a success.
"We're hoping to really bust loose after this press conference," he said.
In fact, he's counting on it; after Michigan Masons have logged their 200,000 hours and reported them to their lodges or the state Web site, they plan on giving schools an additional 400,000 hours.
"Throughout Michigan we have children and we have school districts, and traditionally they need help in one form or another," Hamilton said. "It's a common denominator. Everybody lives near a school."
And that common denominator will help a partnership between Michigan Masons and schools thrive for years to come.
"As long as the Masons are in Michigan, we're going to keep this going," Conley said.
Staff writer Ashley Lowery:
(616) 687-7003
Jackson Citizen Patriot - Friday, March 2, 2001
Masons plan mass effort to help kids with reading
Friday, March 2, 2001
Staff and wire reports
LANSING In what's being billed as the biggest volunteer effort in the state's history, a service organization in Michigan is promising to spend 200,000 hours over the next three years teaching kids to read.
Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus announced the pledge Thursday from Michigan's Masons. The Masons, a fraternity whose members number 58,000 in 347 lodges in Michigan, said the project would touch every community in the state.
"This initiative, which we call the Beacon Project, is clearly the largest single volunteer gift to schools in this state, and we believe the largest ever in the country," said Robert P. Conley, grand master of Masons in Michigan.
Masons are already volunteering in 130 schools around the state, but this effort will greatly expand that.
Jackson 17 and Michigan 50 lodges serve the Jackson area.
Local Masons are scheduled to meet in Dearborn a week from today to formulate a volunteer plan for Jackson, said Ken Murray, a Michigan 50 member.
There also are Masonic lodges in several other area towns, including Parma, Napoleon and Brooklyn.
The group will volunteer through a nationwide mentoring project called HOSTS Helping One Student to Succeed. Volunteers agree to mentor low-performing students who need help in reading, writing or other areas.
HOSTS is now in 150 Michigan schools, with another 130 schools to be added by next fall, said Hayward Richardson, the national development director for HOSTS, a for-profit company based in Dallas.
Gloria Galbreath, volunteer coordinator for the HOSTS program in Jackson County schools, said she has already discussed the project with the Masons' junior grand deacon who is overseeing the program.
"I can't wait because we need more mentors in our schools," Galbreath said today.
There are seven HOSTS sites in the Jackson area, including two schools in the Columbia district, one in Napoleon, one in Northwest, one in Michigan Center, and two in the Jackson Public Schools.
"They'll be great role models, people that care about the children and their education," Galbreath said of the Masons.
"Just the community involvement, bringing people together, helping one another is a life-learning skill for our students to be involved in."
The project was announced in connection with March as National Reading Month.
"If you can read, you can do anything your heart desires," the lieutenant governor said. "Reading is really the basis of all knowledge."
Kalamazoo Gazette Monday, April 2, 2001
  Masons volunteer to help school children learn
Monday, April 2, 2001
For centuries the Free Masons have been practicing charity and morality, giving money - not manpower. The Beacon Project will make volunteerism a new priority. Over a three-year span, the Masons plan to spend more than 200,000 hours volunteering at elementary schools throughout Michigan, in hopes of making education a better experience for students. The plan is to spend up to 20 hours per man within a school year, helping out any way they can. "Anytime you give one of these guys an opportunity to help, they are ready," said Larry Scott, Fidelity Masonic Lodge 513's Beacon Project coordinator. "That is what we are here for." Started in January, the Beacon Project, which is exclusive to Michigan, is providing local schools in more than 400 communities, including Kalamazoo and surrounding areas, with volunteers ready for action. The first school to sign up in the Kalamazoo area was Haverhill Elementary in Portage. "I read to the kids in the classroom and in the library," said Mason Rick Beebe, one of the first volunteers, who spent about three hours on his first day. "The kids gave me an open-arm welcome." With March deemed "Reading Month," a lot of time and effort focused on students and their reading skills, but the thrust of the program was not limited to that. "We work directly with the school principal and superintendents so they can tell us what they would like to see done," Scott said. By becoming a part of the school day, Masons have contact with teachers, students and parents to open doors and improve communication. The range of positions Masons can fill are endless and priceless, said Scott. They are whatever the school says they need. That could mean reading to kids, giving presentations, such as Scott's planned presentation on the metric system to third-graders, or keeping grounds. The birth of the Beacon Project, in July 2000, reflected other volunteer programs that have been implemented in schools, such as HOSTS, Helping One Student to Succeed. At the last meeting, Scott presented opportunities for Masons to become volunteers for this project. Scott had six men sign up for the job, two more than he anticipated. Having volunteers in the schools creates better students, said David Nicolette, principal of Haverhill Elementary. By working with volunteers who focus on the kids, students do much better on assignments and tasks. Kids develop greater self-esteem, leading to better performance. "The reaction to volunteers is always positive. These are parents getting involved - that brings on other parental involvement, which is what we would like to see," said Nicolette. In a way, the Masons have always been a part of the education system, Scott noted. In several states, Masons established the first public schools and in Michigan provided support for the founding of the University of Michigan in the early 1800s. They have created other types of educational foundations such as a learning center for dyslexic children. |
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04/05/01