Category Archives: Programs & Charities
National Service Dogs District Charity of Choice!
As you know, National Service Dogs is once again our Charity of Choice. All proceeds from this year’s events will go towards Tessa from Waterloo and her future Certified Service Dog for Autism.
Not only will the proceeds from our own events go towards Tessa, but any NSD organized events that you participate in and fundraise for, can also be allocated towards the end of year total.
Congratulations All Around
If you look to your right you can see our blood counter has been reset to zero. This reflects an end, a beginning and congratulations all around.
Congratulations to our past DDGM R.W.Bro.Richard Kaufman for a successful year with many District highlights including a final blood donor total of 152 units of blood given under the Partners For Life (PFL) program.
Calling All Blood Donors
I have just been informed by Canadian Blood Services that blood inventory and donations are critically low at this time. Please take some time to make a donation and encourage your family and friends to make a special effort to donate at one of these two clinics, one of which is happening tonight in Ayr and the other will be August 6th at Heritage College & Seminary in Cambridge, 300 metres from Cambridge Masonic Centre at 175 Holiday Inn Drive.
Mantracking Trophy
Back in September 2010, as a fundraising activity for our district charity National Service Dogs, our DDGM and Brother Tony Atkins competed in a local Mantracking event. And they beat the dogs and horses! 
Well it turns out they did even better than that. At the recent Glenrose lodge steak fry on Wednesday 22nd June Richard and Tony received a Mantracking Trophy, for collecting the most money for a Service Club/Corporation in the whole event.
Congratulations!
Vidalia Recipes
According to Wikipedia, this variety of onion was first grown near Vidalia, Georgia, in the early 1930s. It is an unusually sweet variety of onion, due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil in which the onions are grown. “Vidalia onions” is an authorized trademark, and are defined by law as grown only in certain parts of in Georgia. In many ways, truly the “champagne” of onions.
Oh yes, they also have a Masonic connection, they are one of the traditional fund-raising items sold by our local Shriners every spring!
So for those of you with a bag or two of these delicious onions, who don’t feel up to the traditional Georgian directive to “eat them like apples”, here are a few mason-tested and taste-approved recipes from Ontario’s own Food and Drink that you can click to get details, that might help you use up some of these mighty veggies … Vidalia Onion Tart with Spinach Pesto (and you can skip the pesto part if you prefer and it’s still great), and Onion Gratin with Fresh Thyme.
Yum! Enjoy!
MasonicCH.I.P. Child Identification Clinic
The next MasoniCH.I.P. clinic will be held Saturday September 17th, 2011 (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.), at the Cambridge Masonic Temple, in association with Waterloo District Masonic Open House.
If you know any parents who would like to get an ID kit for their children, have them come by. The clinic is hosted by local Masons with the support of regional police, it’s free, and nothing is kept it’s all given to the parent.
As a parent, hopefully something like this is never used! But if a child does go missing, such a kit can help a parent shave some valuable time from the Amber Alert process. It’s one way we support our families and our communities.
Target Reached! (and new target set)
Thanks to the brethren of the district, we have already met and surpassed our goal of 100 district blood donations this masonic year.
With that in mind, W.Bro Zilles, our district blood donations chairman, has asked Canadian Blood Services to re-establish a new target of 120. If you can give, please do. And once again, thank you.
Blood Donor Clinic Monday April 25th
Waterloo District Masons have an opportunity to promote Masonry at an upcoming blood donor clinic at Waterloo-Oxford High School in Baden. Your physical presence assisting will help in bringing attention to Waterloo District Masons.
I have three (3) volunteer opportunities in which you can assist and they are spread throughout the day to accommodate your busy schedules.
Dan Caro – A Shine Children’s Hospital story
Shriners are in many ways the “public charity” face of Masonry, If anyone ever asks you what it is that Shriners do, just send them this link. When you play the video, I’m sure you too will be impressed. (Might be a good idea for your ladies to have a box of Kleenex handy.)
Lloyd Wiebe
Cambridge Shrine Club, Pres. 2011
District Blood Donor Clinic April 2nd
The next Waterloo District Masonic Clinic is Saturday April 2nd at Heritage College & Seminary Community Centre at 175 Holiday Inn Drive (down the block from Cambridge Masonic Centre) from 9am to 12:30pm.
