Welcome to the Tadmor Shrine in Akron, Ohio
Shriners International is a fraternity based on fun, fellowship and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. There are just under 300.000 members from 195 temples (chapters) in the U.S., Canada, Mexico,the Republic of Panama, the Philippines and Germany.
Shriners International support Shriners Hospitals for Children, a one-of-a-kind international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care in orthopedics, cleft lip and palate, spinal cord injury, burn care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. Since 1922, Shriners Hospitals for Children have significantly improved the lives of almost 1 million children.
Be sure to check out the Shriner News section of the site for frequently updated publications from Shriners here and around the country!
Be sure to read the Chairman's Spring 2013 Message & Update on Shriners Helping our Wounded Soldiers below the Imperial Potentate's message.
A Message from the Imperial Potentate
Dear Fellow Nobles,
Greetings from the leadership of Shriners International and Shriners Hospitals for Children. We thank you for all your efforts to promote your temples, Shrine clubs, units, and Shriners Hospitals for Children®.
The 139th Imperial Session is right around the corner - June 30th through July 4th. We hope the voting representatives will be prepared to make decisions on the various legislation changes being introduced for the Iowa and Colorado Corporations.
Appropriately, the session will begin with a church service on Sunday at 1 p.m. followed by the public opening ceremony at 3 p.m.
There will be a night parade on Monday, July 1st stepping off at 7 p.m. The Shrine Clowns and Shrine Clown Ladies will lead the parade in hopes of setting a world record of 851 clowns in a parade! In order to comply with current ByLaws the clowns and clown ladies will be ahead of the Color Guard, and this will be the called a Civic parade!
First Lady Jan has planned an extraordinary luncheon for the ladies featuring a Broadway entertainer. The representatives evening will be filled with lots of FUN and a variety of music. You just might be a part of the entertainment. Tickets for the luncheon and the representative’s entertainment are available on ShrinersHostpitals.org.
We thank the various ladies groups – the Daughters of the Nile, Ladies Oriental Shrine and the Shrine Guilds of America – for the millions of dollars they raise for us. They also volunteer thousands of hours for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
In an effort to promote more family fun and family activities legislation is being proposed from SBANA for a Shrine bylaws revision to allow ladies to participate with performing units/clubs (Bands) with the approval of the Temple Potentate. The sponsors of this proposed bylaws change are Illustrious Sir Steve Jones (Moslah Shriners) and myself. We hope you will support this change that will strengthen the membership in units.
It is very interesting to note that the percentage of Master Masons who are also Shriners ranges from a LOW of 10.50 percent in Arkansas to a HIGH of 75.32 percent in North Dakota! The average throughout SHRINEDOM is 24 percent. It is no wonder the Shrine temples in North Dakota continue to post positive gains year after year.
The last official action of the immediate past Grand Master of Arkansas, Robert Jackson, was to expel Past Imperial Potentate Gary Dunwoody for participating in Shrine activities! In fact, of the 24 nobles on the Arkansas Grand Lodge expelled list, 13 were expelled for participating in Shrine activities and the others for selling onions, working at the circus and attending the Potentate's Ball!
Please remember to keep MEMBERSHIP the Number ONE priority in your temples, clubs and units by promoting more family fun and more family activities to attract younger members and KEEP them!
Anezeh Shrine Temple is on its way to becoming GOLD this year in membership under the leadership of Illustrious Sir Agustin Martinez!
Imperial Sir Gary Bergenske is Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee for our fraternity. At the Imperial Session he will be presenting a planning program for ALL Shrine Temples to use when setting up a three to five year Strategic Plan. His TEAM has worked very hard with temples showing both positive gains as well as those with large loss percentages. During our visitation to Tangier Shriners in Omaha, Neb., they celebrated the many years of service of PP and Recorder Donald W. Madsen (40 years since serving as Potentate) and PP Jerome Given (50 years since serving as Potentate). What amazing dedication to our great fraternity! What a wonderful gathering of family guests, nobility and their ladies – there were 16 Past Potentates in attendance.
A video featuring each of the honorees was shown followed by remarks from the Master of Ceremonies Tom Brummett, Illustrious Sir Charles Lovell, and your Imperial Potentate.
The Temple Divan, Past Potentates and invited guests were entertained at the home of Noble Don Perry and his Lady Sharon. It was a fun evening! Next we traveled to Boumi Temple in Baltimore, Md., where we were hosted by Illustrious Sir Jay L. Block and Lady Gina, with Chief Aide Donnie Seine and Lady Dianne providing transportation.
Past Imperial Potentate Raoul Frevel and Lady Rosie also looked after our needs. While in Baltimore, we visited the U.S. Naval Academy, Fort McHenry, and The Baltimore Basilica (America’s first cathedral). We also enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Boumi Temple with the Divan, Past Potentates and Trustees.
Next, we attended the Daughters of the Nile Latona Court #154 installation of officers in Charlotte, N.C. with incoming Queen Susan Hamrick and her new TEAM of officers for 2013-2014. The incoming Supreme Queen Margaret Risk will visit them on October 30th in observance of Daughters of the Nile’s 100th Anniversary.
And then we traveled to Panama City, Panama, for a visitation with Abou Saad Shriners. Illustrious Sir Danilo Quesada, Lady Nancy and his Divan TEAM met us at the airport and fast- tracked us through customs.
In addition to touring the recently renovated Shrine Center, we enjoyed a private tour of the Panama Canal, a visit with the First Lady of Panama, Marta Martinelli, and a tour of the Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center. The tour was conducted by Clinic Director Dr. Marcos R. Salazar.
The Spring Joint Boards meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico was coordinated with the outreach clinic conducted by our Philadelphia hospital at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. While in Puerto Rico, we also visited the Puerto Rico Grand Lodge. Illustrious Sir Rafael Acosta of Al Rai’e Saleh Shriners and the divan helped with the arrangements.
The Shrine Ladies sent so many books to San Juan Puerto Rico that there will be plenty to distribute at future Shriners Hospitals’ outreach clinics. A big hand goes to Supreme Queen Suzie Schumacher for asking the Daughters of the Nile ladies to participate. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 books were donated. A big THANK YOU to Tato and Elba Carrero for receiving and storing the 173 boxes of books.
The Imperial Divan and Trustee Ladies distributed books to more than 450 children. There were many happy smiles on the children’s and parents’ faces. Thank you, ladies, for your generous hearts. You did indeed plant seeds for a lifetime of reading.
We are very appreciative of the efforts by the Phildelphia Shriners Hospital medical staff and the volunteers from the San Juan medical community. It was a good day for the children of Puerto Rico.
The Western Shrine Association meeting was held in Albuquerque, under the leadership of President and Potentate Richard Almeter of Ballut Abyad Shriners and Western Shrine Association officers. Other Imperial officers in attendance were PIP Douglas Maxwell, Imperial Sir Bill Bailey, and Imperial Sir Wayne Lachut, along with our Ladies Jan Madsen, Janet Lachut and Deb Bailey.
It was very refreshing to see our Shrine Ladies participating in the band, clowning and the pipe band! The clown competition included balloon designs, make-up and paradability along with the Powder Puff Competition.
The ice breaker on Wednesday evening, Western Cowboy Fiesta dinner and nightshirt parade on Thursday evening, golf outing, poker run and counterparts dinner on Friday, and the parade and presidents dinner on Saturday provided lots of activity. Next year the WSA will hold their meeting in Mexico City, and it will be hosted by Anezeh Shriners.
Lady Jan and I are looking forward to see you in Indianapolis, for the 139th Imperial Session from June 30th through July 4th. Next Imperial Potentate’s message will include the following:
- Public Relations Seminar in Tampa, FL
- Florida Shrine Association Meeting in Tampa, FL
- Sudan Temple Ceremonial visit in New Bern, NC
- 100th Anniversary celebration and ceremony at Al Bahr Temple in San Diego, CA
- South Central Shrine Association Meeting in Baton Rouge, LA
- Indy “500” visit sponsored by Murat Shrine Temple
- Visitation to Hadi Temple in Evanston, IL
- Russian Shrine trip……
- Daughters of the Nile Supreme Installation in Dallas, TX
Alan "Al" W. Madsen
Imperial Potentate
Chairman's Spring 2013 Message & Update on Shriners Helping our Wounded Soldiers
Douglas E. Maxwell
President & CEO
Pediatric Specialty Hospitals
Subjects for April:
- Groundbreaking for new St. Louis Hospital
- A wonderful Charitable girl in Virginia
- Shriners Hospitals and Mayo Clinics
- “Follow-up” Clinics around America
- Shriners Hospitals progress towards helping our Wounded Warriors
My Dear Fellow Representatives,
I hope you have completed your taxes by now and are beginning to enjoy
Springtime…
Perhaps you’re like me and take a “Sigh of Relief” when you drop your return in the
“Mailbox”?
On March 20th, we did the groundbreaking for the first of the “next generation” of Shriners Hospitals for Children. We are moving from the much larger 175,000 sq. ft. hospital with 80 “In-Patient” beds located in the suburbs, back down into the City of St. Louis and onto the Medical Campus of Barnes and St. Louis Children’s Hospitals and the Washington University Medical School.
Our Doctors have felt that as we have moved into doing so many complex surgeries that it would improve care and efficiency to have our newer facilities be located nearer to the Medical School and Children’s Hospital. That is exactly our newest model of Care in St. Louis.
Our new building is a smaller and leaner and more efficient 75,000 sq. ft. “Full Service In-Patient Hospital”. This new building will have 6 Private Rooms that can be expanded to Semi private rooms, by having the rooms be “Double Head Boarded”… allowing for 12 “In-patient” beds for those times when we gets busier. This new Hospital is scheduled for completion at the latter part of next year 2014.
A Wonderful Young Lady:
I was privileged recently to present a “Certificate of Appreciation” to a wonderful
young lady from Virginia.
Her name is Corrine Noel. She is the 10 year old daughter of Noble Todd Freeman
and his wife Tammy of the Kena Shriners in Fairfax Virginia.
Corrine was so inspired by her friend Wyatt’s Cleft Lip and Palate Care in our Boston
Hospital that she made it
“her personal goal to raise money” for our Shriner’s Hospitals.
She has now earned and given to our philanthropy enough money for 8 of our hospitals “Gold Book Certificates” She tells us her goal is to continue on this until she has earned enough money for “Gold Certificates” at all 22 of our hospitals.
Corrine Freeman is such an outstanding young lady and very much the pride of her “Proud Parents”.
Mayo Clinics and Shriner’s Hospitals:
On March 27th, we held a “Joint Press Conference” with the Mayo Clinic of Rochester Minnesota.
This was to announce to the world that Shriners Hospitals for Children is now the 15th member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The great expertise of our Shriner’s Hospital System and Doctors combined with the “World Class” medicine and research accomplished at the Mayo Clinic group… will make our Shriner’s Care Presence, the premium “Pediatric Care” in the upper Midwest.
This is something we can all take great pride in.
We already have 8 Mayo physicians seeing Shriner Children at our hospital. During our meetings with Mayo, we were informed that the children of the “inland Southwest” are being underserved in orthopedic care. We have begun exploring Shriners Hospitals initiating our pediatric orthopedic care at Mayo’s new Hospital in Phoenix Arizona.
The Mayo group is also considering taking their “Care Presence” to Mexico. We have suggested that perhaps they could become a participant in our beautiful new hospital in the southwest suburbs of Mexico City. Very soon they will be doing an exploratory visit to our facility there.
Perhaps...
Follow-up Clinics:
As I have traveled this Spring to the various regional Shrine association meetings, part of my message is to ask if the Shrine Hospital the Temple is affiliated with is quite some distance.
This makes those 30 minute follow-up visits an all day event for the mother and child and driver.
I’m suggesting that the Shrine Center might want to begin exploring accomplishing this “Clinical event” at a medical facility within their own town. The general criteria for this clinic would be:
- A medical entity that would have X-ray capability
- Preferably an orthopedic surgeon, but a general physician would be fine
- A capability to allow Shriners Hospital to use the space frequently enough to take of these visits.
- Maybe one afternoon a week, or on an “as scheduled” and needed basis.
When a location is found, contact myself and I will begin the process with our Executive Vice President, John McCabe, and our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth Guidera to pursue the possibilities.
This new concept is hoped to be able to help with our Shriner’s transportation
budgets and cost…
and the hardships imposed on our patients families, for those necessary check-ups.
In addition our drivers, who always get up so early to pick up the family and drive
them to the hospital for those early morning visits…
”God Bess them all and keep them safe”…
and now…the Wounded Warriors Update:
The interest shown by our membership this Spring to the news that we are going to
be helping America’s “Wounded Soldiers” has been overwhelming
and very “Heart Warming”.
At the Spring association meetings, I have been up-dating our membership on the
progress…
I would like to take a personal moment at this point…
For these past 4 years, I have tried to keep you and our membership informed on
the changing processes taking place in our Philanthropy.
I do write these messages myself…
It usually takes me about two weeks of thinking what is new and important and
what I think you would like to know about.
I have sincerely tried over that time, to make an effort
to seldomly use the word “I”,
for the reason that these “years of change” have been a
complete… Joint Boards… everyone of them... “Team event”…
But in this next section about the “Wounded Warriors”,
I could see in your eyes and the passion you expressed about accomplishing this.
I felt a different approach was necessary. I did not want to “Overwhelm” these top Government Officials with a large group. So I put on my 3-piece suit, and went for it alone as your “CEO of a Great Organization” and a “Viet Nam veteran”. Here are the results….
“Thank you for allowing me this personal moment”
Here is what is happening….
On a cold snowy January 7th morning this year… I had my first meeting at the Pentagon with the Under Secretary of Defense for all Military Medical Affairs.
General Myers knew exactly whom Shriners should speak with. The Under Secretary, Dr. Jonathan Woodson first received the “quick version” of the history of the Shrine Masons and why this group of men have been historically so charitable and giving.
Fortunately, Dr. Woodson, having done part of his residency at our Boston Burns
Hospital, knew of Shriners skills and expertise and the fraternity’s history
of talking care of those who need care
without regard to the patient or family's ability to pay.
He then said to me…
”Shriners are Good People”…
I then explained to him why we were offering our help.
Shriners are “Patriots”….
Many have personally served in our various conflicts and wars from World War ll to Korea, to Viet Nam, Desert Storm, and now Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shriners Hospitals have very skilled physicians in our 20 US Hospitals placed from Hawaii to Boston, who are experts at helping individuals with missing limbs and the trauma associated with a sudden event.
Our Doctors are at the top of their field handling the constant adjustments required of the artificial limbs.
Our multi located hospitals could save the injured soldier a lot of time and energy by coming to one of our “Nearer facilities” instead of having to take the much longer path back to a military hospital with similar capabilities.
Dr. Woodson did ask that if in addition to helping those soldiers who have lost limbs with the Prosthesis adjustments, could we also help with the scars they get from the “Blast Flame” that happens with the “IED’s” explosion?
I reminded him that this is certainly another aspect of our mission… our “reconstructive burns surgery”… Of course we could, sir, if that is what is needed… His next comment caught me a little off guard…
Mr. Maxwell… I know the Shriners and their humanitarian mission very well, and I know that what I am about to say is not at all why you are here…
But each of these soldiers have very fine insurance called “Tricare” and Shriners will be offered this to help defer your cost of providing these services. Again I re-affirmed his comment that this is not why we are doing this… but it will certainly help with all of the care we provide to many children from all over the world.
In further conversation that morning, Dr. Woodson being well aware of our Physicians being among the Worlds Best at what they do…. asked if we could do exchanges of physicians with “fellowships”, between the United States Military Doctors and the Shriners Hospitals Doctors And then we moved to the area of Research.
Dr. Woodson could foresee the interaction of our two great Research Programs to come up with new cures for all of humanity.
It was a very good first meeting…
In late February , our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth Guidera and our Director of Research, Dr. Raymond Novak, accompanied me back to the Under Secretary’s office for the initial meeting of the senior “counterparts” of both organizations.
One of the more interesting comments coming from this executive group came from the retired Admiral, who had just returned from Afghanistan as the Chief of Surgery…
“Why haven’t we been doing this for years…this will be so good for both entities”.
At least we’re on our way now…
On April 10th, Dr. Guidera and Dr. Novak had their second meeting in Washington in Bethesda at the United States Military’s Medical University called the “Uniformed Services University”
You might find their University “Coffee Mugs” interesting. They have an image of a large American Tank with the words… ”Our Medical School can beat up your Medical School”… I would think so with a “Tank for a Mascot”…
I’ve asked both Ken and Ray for their impressions of this new interaction between our Shriners Hospitals Physicians and the Military and our Shrine Research and the Military’s Research…
Many words of “28 letters”, all strung together, I’ve asked Ray to express these thoughts in as simple of words as he can so that we can all try to understand.. Here are Dr. Guidera’s and Dr. Novak’s reflections…
This is our summary of the meeting we both attended on April 10, 2013 at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Medical School,.
This Medical School trains the United States Military physicians and the other health care professionals for each of the branches of the military.
Our meeting was with the Directors of the Graduate Medical Education, the Directors of Research, and the JAG (legal) Officers.
We had very amiable and lively discussions regarding the sharing of each organizations resources, and about the two groups collaborating on research and educational endeavors.
Specifically we discussed and established some goals:
To have some of their University’s 2700 trainees become involved with Shriner’s Research projects. This would include medical students, residents, fellows, advanced nursing practice students, and anesthetists.
It was felt that the sharing of resources can only enhance these projects.
Dr. Novak invited one of these military researchers to become a reviewer on our Shrine Research Advisory Board for the Shriners Research grants.
To arrange for some of the University’s students or residents to do clinical rotations at both our burn and orthopedic Shrine Hospitals to learn the techniques and approaches used in the treatment and care of our patients.
They requested that we consider initially using some of our facilities near to Bethesda, such as our Philadelphia or Boston hospitals.
To explore research activities between the DOD and the University’s leadership and to participate in clinical trials to examine the effectiveness of a novel therapy in the treatment of burn patients.
For example, using a therapeutic approach involving an FDA-approved biological to be administered to burn patients to treat fungal infections which are life-threatening and difficult to manage.
This potential application of research to other dermatological diseases, which display comparable characteristics to burns, was also explored.
More detailed discussions involving this research are scheduled with the investigators from the DOD.
-
To explore through clinical research, the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic injury and disease, and the use of drugs to promote bone strength, growth and development.
This area focused on the diagnosis and treatment of rare heritable bone diseases, including those involving bone and mineral metabolism.
Such a study would include the diagnosis and treatment of a potentially fatal disease, such as hypophosphatasia, using an experimental therapy which has been approved by the FDA for use in these clinical trials.
Other diseases to be included in such research include Osteogenesis Imperfecta, i.e. brittle bone disease, as well other diseases which affect bone strength, growth and development.
- To explore research using novel approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury was also discussed, in conjunction with our extensive experience in the rehabilitation of orthopedic and spinal cord injuries.
To encourage our physicians and scientists to participate in medical educational activities.
The most current information is communicated by those who are leaders in the field.
Consequently, the ability of physicians and scientists from both organizations to participate in medical educational activities was entertained with the goal of bringing knowledge and research experience to medical students and residents thereby advancing specialty medical care which will help our patients, veterans, and their families.
To have the University’s faculty members join our Research Advisory Group to participate in the review of grants within their area of specialization while providing an overview of the incredible scope of the research activities currently carried out by Shrine investigators.
It was suggested that we have a follow-up meeting in the near future between the University’s Department leaders and the regional SHC Chiefs of Staff to discuss these issues.
The meeting concluded with a group photo and a commitment to keep this positive energy moving forward.
I truly believe this will be very beneficial to Shriners Hospitals for Children and
only enhance our already great reputation for “Excellence”
I believe this will reaffirm our Philanthropy’s reputation as “the desired”
organization for America’s “Top Notch Physicians”
to want to be associated with.
Thank you Dr.’s Novak and Guidera…
And now the final component of this new affiliation… the actual “treatment of our Military heroes” by Shriners Hospitals…. The next meeting and the one where this new process really starts in the Care of our Heroes is planned with the Deputy Under Secretary, Allan Middleton and our Executive Vice-President John McCabe.
This meeting is when we bring all of these many components together and start to lay out the logistics. This will include “The names of those who have been injured and in need of our attention and where they live in relationship to our hospitals”.
John McCabe has a plan to be able to accomplish this and still keep the “pure sanctity” of Shriners facilities as a Children’s Hospital…. Shriners Hospitals will accomplish this by having our Shrine Physicians, who are also on staff across the street at our “affiliated hospitals”, treat the soldiers in that adult facility under the care of Shrine Doctors.
We are now on Day 4 of a 7 Day path…
As soon as these last steps of co-ordination are accomplished, probably within
the next 40 days,
we intend to make Shriners Hospitals “offer and acceptance”
of helping America’s Wounded, “very public”.
I ask each of you to continue to be eager
but restrained in telling the World of Shriners Path.
We don’t want any miss-steps in our desire to help at this point.
As Paul Harvey used to say as he closed his show…
And “Now you know the Rest of the Story”…. “Good Day”
I hope you are as pleased with these new directions of helping “Our Heros”… as those nobles who have been at our Spring Association Meetings….
Yours in the Faith,
Douglas Maxwell
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
COBT@shrinenet.org
Shriners Hospitals for Children