February 2015 - Melha Shriners

Volume2, Issue 2
online at www.melhashriners.com
Inside
Potentate’s Weekend and
Installation Highlights
David Butterfield Elected
Potentate of Melha Shrine
P4, p5
By Michael Robinson
There was excitement in the air.
Tension in the Butterfield Auditorium. The budgets were done, voted
on, and filed. The only part of this
complex puzzle that was left was the
election of a new leadership team.
This 2015 team is different then the
ones that served before them. Butterfield laid out a three year plan which
has been picked up by the next two
Potentates. He understands the importance of membership and communications and has appointed a new
Membership director and has created
a Communications Directorate.
New years party,
Springfield Falcons
p8, p9
Uncle Milty’s
Dinner / AUCTION
p14
Carla’s Project
p15
POTENTATE’S MESSage
P2
FROM THE RECORDER,
Black Camel & $100
Million Club Donations
P3
MELHA UNITS & Clubs
P6-p9
MELHA SHRINE Ladies
P12
Rainbow girls
P13
EVENT CALENDAR
back page
February 2015
Both these new directors have
Continued on page 10
Photo by Bert Krasner. Newly elected David Butterfield & Wife
Carla Butterfield at Divan Installation
New Membership Director Voisine Starts A
Revolution
by Ken Voisine
1,251 Nobles.
Welcome to the Revolution Nobles! As
a turnaround is exactly what is needed
for Melha membership. One hundred Nobles a year
is what we
lose from
our Melha
family. This
year under
the leadership of Ill. David Butterfield
and the support of the Divan we are going
for Gold. For Gold Membership status we
must end 2015 with one more Noble than
we started with in 2015, that would be
Through Recruitment, Retention, and
Reinstatement we need to reverse the
100 a year trend and add 1 Noble. One
strategy is to
u nderstand
the drivers
in the 100/
year decline,
really
understand them, and then mitigate them.
Other strategies are to bring back the fun,
include our Ladies more, and focus on
Continued on page 15
POTENTATE’S MESSAGE
Greetings Nobles and Ladies,
I wish to thank the nobility
for having the faith to elect me
as your Potentate for 2015 and
the faith in the 2015 Divan,
Trustees and Administrators
to elect them to their positions. I have the utmost confidence in all of your Divan
officers for the ensuing year,
both elected and appointed. I
promise you we will all work
for you and with you this year
and we are here to support
each and every Unit, Club and
Noble in our Shrine Center.
I am also very proud of the
2015 Membership Team under the leadership of our new
Membership Chairman Ken
Voisine. Ken will be working hand in hand with our
new Chief Ambassador Mark
Mueller and our ambassadors,
our Communications Director and Editor Mike Robinson
and each and every one of
us to bring the Melha Shrine
Center to “Gold” membership
status with Shriners International. This year our motto is
“Going for Gold”. We are fortunate this year to have a One
Day Class in Massachusetts
sponsored by Grand Lodge on
March 7th. I hope that Melha,
the Blue Lodges and the Rite
Bodies will benefit from this
class in membership growth.
As each and every one of you
know, membership is and has
to be our priority this year and
the years to come. All of our
futures depend on this cam-
paign and each and every one
of us must push membership.
We have talked the talk for
years, now is the time for us
to walk the walk. I have proposed that we must develop a
harmonious relationship between all the masonic bodies;
Blue Lodge, the Rite Bodies
and the Shrine when it comes
to membership. We must
also include the Daughters of
the Nile, the Ladies Oriental
Shrine of North America, the
Rainbow Girls and DeMolay
in our efforts. The time has
come for all of us to work together as one Masonic membership team, if we do, we
will all win. We need to support the Rainbow Girls and
resurrect our Western Ma.
DeMolay chapter as they are
our future. We also need to
support our ladies groups, as
they not only support us and
all we do, but the support they
both provide to our hospital
system is remarkable to say
the least. If you ever question their support just look at
the plaques they have in our
hospital’s lobby. Now is the
time Nobles, we have the talent, we have the dedication,
now we need the drive to push
this through the roof for our
future!
I wish to thank Illustrious
Sir Allen Zippin and Imperial Sir Ralph Semb for presiding over the Divan Public
Continued on page 3
2015 DIVAN
Potentate...................... David Butterfield
413-519-5498
Chief Rabban......Edward ‘Brian’ Connor
413-636-4270
Ass’t Rabban............ Raymond A. Turrini
413-297-8111
High Priest & Prophet..............Robert W.
Wogatske
413-575-7788
Oriental Guide............ Glenn Surprenant
413-583-8991
Treasurer.................Ronald Gagnon P.P.
413-568-4402
Recorder...............Philip E. Thomas P.P.
413-736-3647
1st Cerem. Master.............. Daniel Smith
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF
MELHA SHRINERS, SHRINERS
INTERNATIONAL
CAMELHA
Available on the Web at
www.melhashriners.com
EDITOR
Michael Robinson
Email:[email protected]
860 748-8128(C) ..... 413 567-2138(Hm)
SPECIAL NOTICE
Forward all unit EVENT information to the editor for advance publication and public news releases.
‘NEWSPAPER
ENTERTAINMENT
CALENDARS’ need info submitted 2
weeks prior to event.
All copy submitted for Camelha
publication must be submitted by email and received before the 12th of
the month preceding publication. All
Ads must be submitted by the 1st of
the month.
The Editors reserve the right to
edit all copy.
2
MELHA SHRINER CENTER
SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
133 Longhill Street Springfield, MA 01108
516 Carew Street - 413-787-2000
Tel.: ............................... (413) 736-3647
Fax ................................ (413) 731-9572
Springfield, MA 01104
e-mail:..... [email protected]
Phil E. Thomas, P.P.Recorder
e-mail:... [email protected]
Debra Collins........................... Secretary
OFFICE HOURS
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday
MELHA WEB SITE
www.melhashriners.com
PAY WITH CREDIT CARD
Melha honors Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards. Minimum
amount charged must be $20.00. You
may also pay online at our web site.
Use it for:
Dues, Melha Events, Fezzes, Melha Trips, etc.
MELHA BOARD OF GOVERNOR
MEMBERS
David Burstein, Chairman, George
Sachs, James Spear Jr., Joseph Surprenant, Edward Geoffrion
413-531-3542
2nd Cerem. Master............. Leo Plourde
413-348-3889
Chief Director.....................Alan Stratton
413-323-0268
Marshal.........................Jeffrey Hastings
413-896-7548
Capt. of the Guard.............. Garth Parker
Gary Surprenant, Associate Member
413-265-9996
Emeritus Members: Jack Bethel,
P.P.,Robert W. Clarke, Raymond Kalita,
Edward B. Briggs, Edward Shore Jr. P.P.
Beverage Manager............Dick Marceau
Banquet Manager.............. Debra Collins
TRUSTEES
Chairmen Emeritus: Allen Zippin, P.P,
Charles Weaver, P.P., Philip E. Thomas
P.P.
Alan Couture(Chr.)........... 413-537-1657
SHRINERS BURNS HOSPITAL-BOSTON
Michael Santos................. 413-246-2804
Jack Greaves................... 413-527-7355
51 Blossom Street
Kevin LaPlante................. 413-599-0188
Boston, MA 02114-2699
Richard MacGreggor........ 413-896-5447
617-722-3000
MELHA BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MEMBERS
Dean Whalen
Russell Mitchell, Associate Member
Emeritus Members: Saul Michaelson,
Robert Spaulding P.P.
ADMINISTRATORS
Saul Michaelson: Chair.... 413-537-5759
Nick Creanza.................... 413-596-2577
Cary Miller........................ 413-567-0514
Jeffrey Gopin................. 1-774-452-2110
Ron Gagnon..................... 413-568-4402
Melha Shrine Center
From the recorder
Potentate Message
Continued from page 2
Installation. There was some
comedic relief together with
some deep emotions that day.
I, together with the rest of the
Divan, thank you both for the
many years that you have performed this installation.
Thank you to the Legion of
Honor and Commander Robert
Thresher for a wonderful evening at the Legion’s Past Commanders Dance. The dance was
well attended; the food and the
entertainment were excellent.
Congratulations are in order to
Past Commander Noble Stanley Heaton for receiving the
Legion of Honor’s noble of the
year award, it is well deserved
and a title bestowed upon by
your peers.
Melha’s Annual Game Supper
was a fantastic event! It was
great to see the support of the
nobility there but even more
so, the support of the sportsmen and nonmembers in attendance. The support from our
sponsors was outstanding; Savage Arms, Smith & Wesson,
Ruger and R&R Sport Shop
just to name a few. The food
was outstanding. I would like
to thank the kitchen crew, the
setup crew, the serving crew,
the ladies running the raffles,
the Clowns, Richard Birk and
Robert Frechette and their
crew, the Stewards and each
and every one of you that either
worked or attended the eventjob well done! A special thank
you goes out to Bob Wogatske
for all the hard work each and
every year you put into this
event , Uncle Milty would be
proud. This is an event where
February 2015
memory of, or an appreciation
gift. Checks should be payable
to “Shriners Hospital for Children” and sent to the Recorders
office with the information you
want on the certificate.
the whole Shrine Center plays
a part and it goes to show the
successes we can have when
we all work as a team.
The Shriners Hospitals for
Children/Falcons night was a
wonderful evening of bringing our Hospital and Shriners awareness message to
the public. Thank you to the
hospital staff, the nobility, the
membership team and the ladies that supported this event.
A special thank you goes to
Bella Hastings for a wonderful performance of the national anthem. I don’t know
where that voice comes from
but it amazes me each and every time I hear it. There was
a fund-raiser for Carla’s First
Lady’s project that went very
well. This event was a great
kick off for the Hospital’s 90th
anniversary.
I hope all the Unit and Club
Officers and their ladies enjoyed the Unit Head Installation. The 2015 officers have
some great talent and dedication, if we all support them
and work as a team, we can
bring Melha in the direction
that we need to go, the future.
Melha is not going to take any
left hand turns this year; we
will only be heading in the
right direction with their leadership.
I know all of you will support
Carla’s First Lady’s project
this year as it is so important
to the children. Carla’s project
benefits Child Life Services
in our Springfield Hospital.
The need for this department
is crucial for the development
Continued on page 4
Think MEMBERSHIP.
In Memory of
I hope that during the year
you will consider joining the
$100 Million Dollar Club. The
$100 Million Dollar Club is a
way to provide a gift of hope
for a child in need. It is an excellent opportunity to personally participate in the “World’s
Greatest Philanthropy” - Shriners Hospital for Children.
Ralph Drinkwater
From the
Gagnon’s Ron,
Sally, Tracey and
Michael
A $100 Million Dollar certificate can be used to honor
a person, or to be given in
Stated Meeting
Notice
Wednesday
February
25, 2015 7:30 pm, for the
purpose of conducting the
business of Melha Shriners, as well as balloting
on individuals for initiation,
obligating
candidates,
and for the dissemination of information to the
membership on matters
relating to current Shrine
events. All Nobles are invited to attend. Unit and
Club leaders are required
to attend. Proper attire is
required and please wear
your Fez.
Joseph A. Harrison
P.P. 1985
Thomas J. Murley
David M. Sherman
Ill. David F. Butterfield, Potentate
Attest Philip E. Thomas, P.P
3
MELHA SHRINE center
POTENTATE MESSAGE
Continued from page 3
and rehabilitation of our children after surgery and treatments. Carla has been a Child
Life volunteer since 2004 and
this program is very near and
dear to her heart. She is off
to a great start in only a few
short weeks. I know Shriners Hospitals for Children –
Springfield and especially the
children will appreciate all
the support that you can give
to her project.
Northeast dignitaries, at the
Potentate’s Reception.
Yours in the Faith,
Melha Shrine 2015 Divan Installation
Photos by Bert Krasner
David F. Butterfield,
Potentate
I, together with the 2015 Divan, look forward to working
for you and with you this year.
By working together we can
climb the ladder to a positive
future. My lady Carla and I
look forward to seeing all of
you, together with the visiting
4
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINE center
February 2015
5
MELHA SHRINE UNITS
Clowns
By Jerry “Fix-It” Ducharme
So here it is February and
we had some major fun last
month. A bunch of us went off
to better our clowning ability
by attending the North East
Clown Institute in Plymouth
MA. We learned ( hopefully)
attending face painting and
balloon classes as well as some
magic and other crowd pleasing fun. That same weekend
we attended the Mass Mutual
Center for a Falcons hockey
game in which we threw out
t-shirts and had fun with the
crowd. There is a lot in store
for this year and we are just
at the beginning so hold on
tight and enjoy the ride with
us. Until next month “ Bump
A Nose “
DRUM CORPS
by Jim Marceau, PP
I have just returned from the
annual meeting, and wanted
to dash something off to beat
the deadline. Let me say that
I feel rejuvenated by the comments of our newly elected
Potentate David Butterfield.
The entire Drum Corps pledges its support for 2015. May it
happen as you have proposed,
Illustrious.
Butch is still recovering
from his torn rotator cuff, as
if he needed one more thing
to overcome. Hang in there,
buddy. We are all pulling for
you. Speaking of pulling for
someone, how can I not mention Suzanne and her ordeal
in Boston recently? Digger
has been trying to keep us informed, but I’m sure the gruesome details will not come out
6
until later. Sue is such a trooper--never complaining about
anything. We are praying for
a full recovery. We want you
both back home so Digger can
play the shiny new cymbals
we bought.
growing like a weed and really becoming interested in
the world around her. I can’t
imagine how much she is
going to change while I am
down South. So much happens in three months!
I was wrong. There is a word
that rhymes with ‘Mongeon.”
Ron told me that it rhymes
very well with “dungeon,” and
I see the connection. Both are
dark, deep, and smelly.
This year I’m driving to Florida with Malcolm Corse and
his Lady Winnie. While down
there Malcolm and I make the
rounds of the local Masonic
Lodges, and it is always interesting to meet Brothers from
all over the US and Canada
and discuss the differences
in ritual that everyone brings
to the party. We also attend
the Stated Meeting at Egypt
Shrine down in Tampa.
We have finally started
working on the 2015 ensemble
piece. It is imperative that everyone involved make all the
rehearsals between now and
March. We would like to have
it ready for Dorchester, and
most certainly polished for
our show on April 18. So far,
there is no name for the show,
but that, like the ensemble itself, is a work in progress.
Before I get too wordy, let
me sign off for now. Go to
your Blue Lodge and recruit,
and never forget to Rock the
Fez!
Flyers
By Lance Whitcomb with Katherine & Elizabeth Goker.
As we enter the second
month of the New Year, the
cold has certainly set in. Happily I put up lots of wood for
the wood stove, and left plenty
on the front porch for my family to use while I am in sunny
Florida!
I hope that you and yours
had wonderful holidays –
ours were quite quiet, though
we had a surprise Christmas
Day visit from our new grandbaby. She is doing beautifully,
I will see you all in the spring
– at least those of you I don’t
see at the Winter Melha Picnic at the Citrus Shrine Club
in Inverness, Florida. Stay
safe and warm!
Highlanders
by Garth Parker, PC
As I’m writing this message
for the month it is a “Balmy”
minus 6 degrees outside. I’m
sure the Highlanders from the
south will find this somewhat
amusing as they sip “Mint Juleps’ at the Pool”, but this is
NOT Kilt friendly weather.
We do have the Gates family
with us right now and they
may have brought some heat
with them, but it just wasn’t
enough. Fear not though, this
is just part of the conditioning
program you will need for the
Worcester and Holyoke Parades next month.
By now the new officers for
the Shrine are in place and we
are on our way to a “Great”
year under Ill. Dave Butterfield’s guidance. He has a
very aggressive schedule with
many new and exciting ideas.
There will be plenty of opportunity to get your hands dirty.
Take the time to get involved
with them. Melha is only as
strong as we make it. One
of Dave’s major programs is
to increase membership. To
make this happen we need to
get back to the Blue Lodge
and start letting the membership know, what we do here
at Melha and that this is NOT
an organization to REPLACE
Blue Lodge but ANOTHER
piece of the Fraternity of Masons. Our future is in the Blue
Lodge. Make an effort to talk
with your Lodge.
This month is the Pote’s Reception 21 Feb. It would be
great to have a strong Highlander presence. Another
important day is Valentine’s
Day. DON’T SCREW THIS
UP. We are going to be way
too busy for you to be in the
Dog House.
I’m certain that Drum Pads
and Chanters are taking a daily beating from all your practice time. Practices are going
on every Monday and some
Saturday’s. If you need more
help, please let us know. Usually something can be worked
out for additional time.
That’s it for this month from
the Great White North. See
you all in the Unit Room.
LEGION OF HONOR
by Richard Skowron
Well, by the time you read
this article the Past Commanders, Ladies Night
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINE UNITS
has passed. I am sure this
was a great event as Commander Bob Thresher and
his committee worked very
hard.
Two special events were
done and all of Melha
members should be very
proud of the following Legion Members.
Each Year, the Legion Noble of the year is presented
at our Christmas Party,
however this could not be
done because of a time issue.
Past Commander Stanley
Heaton, and also presently
our Finance officer was
presented , 2014 Legion
Noble of the year. An award
that was truly deserved for
Stanley’s hard work and
dedication.
Another award was made,
a Certificate of Appreciation Plaque, that will be
presented to Jeff Pryor on
his return to Melha after
his visit to the warm country, for his dedication of 14
Years to our Legion of Honor as our Finance officer, a
hard working Noble for our
unit.
Congratulations to Past
Commander Stanley and
Past Finance officer Jeff
Pryor.
The next is very important,
as without teamwork, help
and assistance, volunteering for special assignments
when needed, the Legion
will not survive.
We must support the incoming slate of Legion ofFebruary 2015
ficers, and help and assist
them in any way we can.
Commander Bob Thresher, Matt Herman, Larry Bryant, P.C. Paul Frenier, P.C.
Stanley Heaton, and P.C.
Dick Skowron, our officers
for 2015.
Parade season will be
here soon and we need
attendance from our Legion. The trailer issue still
remains, in that we need
RIDERS to make the use of
the trailer worth the effort of
towing it to the parades and
other expenses involved in
its use.
Color Guard Captain, Pat
Moore, and assistant P.C.
Stanley Heaton, will be giving out information on the
Potentate’s reception, the
practice, and important information regarding the reception.
Dues to the Legion are filtering in slowly. Please pay
your dues if required.
Another very important
item is the need to sell ads
for the circus .
This is a money maker for
the shrine. The Legion gets
a small percentage of the
ad sold by a Legion member. At one time this was a
good money maker for us,
but as of late, NOT the best
results, because of the total
amount of ads sold are not
what it was as in the past.
Commander Bob has
been trying to update all
our
Legion
members.
Please check the boards in
the foxhole for any upcom-
ing information. Please, to
update our Legion Roster,
sign the sheet with your
name, address, phone,
email, to be contacted in
an emergency or with information you need to know.
Signup sheets are in the
Foxhole.
Remember freedom is not
free.God bless and keep
our troops safe, and bring
them home to us. xx
the melha cabiri
by Edgar W. Gelinas, P.P.
Greetings to all and especially the past illustriousnesses.
We’re getting ready for the
rites and ceremonies when we
greet the Junior Past Potentate, test his mettle, and enjoy
breaking bread with him on
February 10th.
An invitation is being sent
to him and all members of the
Cabiri.
A special dinner is planned
for that evening as well as the
annual fireworks to follow.
hope as many Cabiri members
as possible will join us on the
10th for cocktails and the special events of the evening. See
you next month.
PAST MASTERS
by Richard Poudrier
Greetings Nobles, I trust the
you, like me, are relieved that
the holidays are over. As of
this writing, the annual meeting is still a day away.
Continued on page 9
Grand lodge of
MAssachusetts
one day class
It’s
Not
Too
Late?
Membership
Gold in 2015
The ONE DAY CLASS
on Mar. 7 seems a long way
off but the reality is that, the
end of Dec. is when all the
paperwork is due:
• Have you done an
Investigation?
• Have you done
a background
check?
• Have you Published your candidates in the
lodge bulletins?
If you answered no to any
of these questions, contact your Lodge Secretary
and let’s get to the FINISH
LINE!
7
MELHA SHRINE clubs
Berkshire Shrine
Club
by John Fiske
The Berkshires would like to
congratulate the 2015 Divan.
We are looking forward to a
Great year working with Potentate Dave Butterfield and
the rest of his Divan.
The Shrine Club will hold
it’s February meeting at Zucchini’s Restaurant at 1331
North Street, Pittsfield, Ma.
The meeting will be on February 11, 2015. The social will
start at 6pm with the dinner to
follow at 7pm.
Nobles who are driving vehicles in Parades just a reminder. March will be here soon.
That is our first Parade of the
season. That doesn’t leave
a lot of time to get those vehicles out and running super.
Thinking positive for nice
weather on the 11th ,and look-
ing forward to seeing a lot of
Fezes at Zucchini’s
Sportsman’s Club
by Bob Wool
Greetings and happy new
year. It’s time once again to
be thinking about the annual
Melha Shriner Sportsman’s
Club Chili Cookoff. Pubvlished on our page Attached
you will find our recruitment
poster and the rules please
contact me if you are interest-
ed in coming back and sharing your wonderful chili with
all of us. Looking forward to
seeing all of you on Feb 15th
Keep Cookin’: Bob Wool
Co-Chair chili Cookoff Committee
Melha Shriners Welcome The New Year Together
Photos by Phil Thomas. A good time was had by all
Photos by Phil Thomas. Melha Shriners New Years
Party
Photos by Phil Thomas. Lee & Karen Ryel
Photos by Phil Thomas. Melha Shriners New Years Party
Photos by Phil Thomas. Ill. Ted Shore celebrated his 57th
wedding anniversary that night. Ted and Evie dancing.
Photos by Phil Thomas. Each year by tradition Father Time
and the New Years baby arrive. Faust and Butterfield
8
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINE center
Past masters
continued from page 7
I hope David F. Butterfield
will be the next elected potentate of Melha. Since I’m not
“in the loop” as they say, I’m
not privy to the choice of Low
Man is. I noted this year the
required dress attire for the
meeting is a business suit.
The secretary reminds our
members that your dues card
should read 2015. If it doesn’t,
please send in you dues ASAP
lest you forget all together.
Sometime I’ll get them one
or two a week other times it’s
quite a while before I get any
at all. I even get a couple a
few days before the new year.
I usually try to turn them in
at the business meeting. If the
treasurer isn’t at the meeting I
send them to him. Another issue, guys try to give me their
dues on the street, at a temple
function, Evergreen Service,
parades, wherever. If they
have it in the dues envelope or
envelope with their name on
it, I don’t mind so much. But
when they try to give me cash
and expect me to remember
who gave it to me and what
for. Give me a break! I usually
ask them just to mail it to me.
Extra cash in my wallet confuses me. This is where problems arise.
On behalf of the officers and
members of the Past Masters
Unit, our president, Tony Langone, Sr. wishes all our Ladies
a very Happy Valentines Day.
Melha Celebrates Hospital’s 90th At Falcons Night
Shriners Hospital and Melha Shriners
sponsor the Springfield Falcons vs. Binghamton Senators hockey game to kick off
the 90th Anniversary of Shriners Hospital for Children.
Photos by Phil Thomas
February 2015
9
MELHA SHRINE center
election
continued from page 1
specific instructions; increase
the membership roles to stem
hemorrhaging of members every year and raise the awareness of Melha Shriners to the
public.
David is not new to Melha
Shrine. In fact, his legacy
goes back two generations to
his Grandfather John Arlington “Jack” Butterfield. Past
Potentate, AHL President and
Manager and Trainer of the
Springfield Indians.
“David is part of an ever
growing “Shrine” family”,
explains Edgar W. Gelinas,
Past Potentate and Editor
of the Melha News, “Ralph
Semb, Past Imperial Potentate, appointed Ted Shore,
Ted appointed me (I’m David’s Shrine Grandfather), I
appointed Jim Blevins, and
Jim appointed both David
and Brian Connor.” Gelinas
further explains, “David, of
course appointed two: Jeff
Hastings and Garth Parker.
That is David’s entire Shrine
family.”
Jeff Hastings, a long time
member of the Highlanders
Unit, is also a Melha Shrine
legacy, his father having been
Past Potentate as well as a
past Chief of the Highlanders.
to be a no show at the Legion’s
Christmas party, made a surprise entrance at LaNotte’s
Restaurant. No one was more
bowled over than ‘Skowie’,
especially when Steve planted
the old “Norwegian Smooch”
on his cheek, which as you can
see, by his expression was a
total shocker. Those guys are
Steve Maagero, having been sure full of fun or was it the
not well as late and was thought egg nog. It was truly Christmas
miracle.
TheNorwegian
Smooch
A new beginning for K-9s for Kids
by Kristen O’Shepa, SHC Public Relations
Photos by Bert Krasner
On our December Board
Day, Jim Russell, president of
Melha Temple’s K-9 for Kids
unit, delivered a heartfelt
speech about the history of
the K-9 unit. Board members
proudly wearing their fezzes,
staff, patients and their families, ABC and CBS news affiliates, and a local newspaper
gathered for the presentation
in the hospital’s outpatient department. Russell spoke about
each individual dog and what
made them so special, as well
as the group of people whose
hard work and dedication made
this unit possible. He was truly
humbled by the
amount of love
that has and continues to be shown
for this program.
Pet therapy is
such a positive
experience, and
the K-9s for Kids
group has been
putting a smile on
patients’ faces for years.
At the conclusion of his
speech, a very special K-9s
for Kids wall of fame was unveiled. Shriners Hospitals for
Children – Springfield fondly
appreciates Jim for all of the
memories and support he has
offered the hospital. K-9s for
Kids has transformed into our
hospital’s pet therapy program,
where patients and their families get to relax and enjoy playing with the dogs two times
monthly.
Peg Stearns Celebrates her 104th With The Directors
by Karen Motyka
Nobel Kerry O’Connor from
the Melha Directors unit along
with Karen Motyka from the
Springfield Shriners hospital,
joined family and friends to
wish Winnifred [Peg] Stearns,
a resident of Live Care Center
in Wilbraham, a happy 104th
birthday. Peg had requested
that, instead of presents, do10
nations be made in her name
to the Springfield Shriners
Hospital. As a small token of
thanks for this generous gift
Karen Motyka presented Peg a
bear from the hospital and Nobel Kerry O’Connor presented
a Melha Directors bear, along
with a red rhinestone Shriners
pin, all of which she thoroughly enjoyed.
Melha Shrine Center
MELHA SHRINE center
February 2015
11
MELHA SHRINE Ladies
Ahlem Temple
No.84
Daughters of the Nile
by Pr. Olive Larson
“Fun” was the theme of the
evening as many Shrine Ladies attended the annual dinner held by the Chief Rabbans
lady, Carla Butterfield at the
Sheraton Hotel. Many Nile
members were present and enjoyed a wonderful evening
along with a presentation by
Karen Motyka and Samantha
West from Shriners Hospital
Springfield.
Daughters of the Nile in
Springfield, have welcomed
new Potentates to the helm of
Melha Temple for the past 68
years. Saturday January 10th
we celebrated the Installation
of David F. Butterfield as Potentate and welcomed First
Lady (Princess) Carla . The
ladies of Ahlem Temple, our
Queen Carolyn Dion, Officers
and Ladies of the Household
extend our Best Wishes to all
for a wonderful and successful year.
Soon – Registration Information. See You There
Helma Ct. #64
by Anita L. Tetreault
As the posters say, “Let’s Go
To The Hop”. They are referring, of course, to the SOCK
HOP at Melha Shrine Center
on Saturday, February 28,
2015 from 7:00 to 11:00 pm.
Music will be provided by
DJ Excalibur; Prizes will be
awarded for Best Costume;
and there will be Contests and
Trivia games. Just bring yourselves, your friends and your
own snacks. For information
and tickets, call Lady Jody or
Lady Maureen.
Lady Joyce Frechette will be
holding the February Traveling Ladies meeting on Sunday the 8th, at 2:00 pm at her
home in South Hadley. Elections will be held, so it’s important that as many of us as
possible are there to cast our
vote.
12
photo of Helma Ct #64 LOSNA with their parade banner. Collette Parsons, Helene Calvanese,
Carla Butterfield, Tricia Plourde, Dianne Aldrich Marceau and Joyce Frechette
Our Helma Ct. monthly
meeting will be held on
Thursday, February 28 at 7:00
pm at Mt. Moriah Lodge in
Westfield.
Forget Me Nots
by Edith Sweeney
SAVE THE DATE!!
Word has been received regarding the following:Arok
Temple No. 94. Portland,
Maine will host NORTHEAST DAYS 2015 at the Portland Marriott in South Portland Maine on OCTOBER
1ST TO THE 4TH. Coming
The Laughing Ladies of Helma Court #64 attended the Northeast Clown Institute Jan. 17 & 18 in
Plymouth, MA. Left to right: Lady Pam Bryant, PHP, Lady Michelle Greaves, PHP, Lady Helene
Calvanese and Lady Marilyn Kliener
Helma Court’s last parade of the season, Florence Parade back in November 2014. Great time
and boy was it cold.
Forget-me-nots plan to meet
on Friday, March 20th at noon
at Olive Garden, 1380 Boston Rd. Springfield (corner of
Parker St) Please make reservations with Corinne Pierson
at 413-789-8148, Claire Patruno at 413-596-3251, or Edith
Sweeney at esweeney12@
cox.net by March 17th. please
join us - all widows of Shriners are welcome.
Melha Shrine Center
Order of Rainbow for Girls No. 79
The Camelha Welcomes A New
Addition To Our Family
West Springfield’s International Order of
Rainbow for Girls 79
Hello to all,
For those of you who do not
know about us we are proud to
be able to contribute to Melha’s Camelha newsletter and
provide everyone with what’s
happening in Westfield. Our
Rainbow girls have always
considered our Melha Shriners as part of our family. We
are known as West Springfield International order of
Rainbow for Girls Assembly
#79 and we meet at Mt Moriah
Lodge 72 Broad St Westfield,
MA. Our meetings are held
every 2nd and 4th Tuesday @
February 2015
7:00. If you are a member of
the Masonic Fraternity, Eastern star, White Shrine, Amaranth or are a non-affiliated
wife of a Master Masons with
proper credentials, you are
welcome to attend one of our
meetings. I.O.R.G. is a character building organization
for girls between the ages of
11 and 20 that promotes selfesteem, leadership and community service. For more information please visit our web
sites:
Massachusetts IORG Website: http://massiorg.net or
http://gorainbow.org
Thank you
Linda Jacobs ,
Mother Advisor
RENTALS · RENTALS · RENTALS
BUTTERFIELD AUDITORIUM
and GOLDEN FEZ ROOM
Contact the Recorder’s Office.
PARTIES · MEETINGS · EVENTS
(413) 736-3647 - Deb Collins
13
MELHA SHRINE center
Why Is Uncle Milty Smiling?
15th Annual Uncle Milty’s Wild Game Supper and Auction. Chef Bob Wogatske made it
all happen. Great job again.
MISSING
Photos by Bert Krasner
MISSING
14
Melha Shrine Center
shriners hospital for children
Revolution
Continued from page 1
finding young Nobles.
Are you up to the 101 challenge? If so, start finding
Good Men, support Melha in
our membership strategies,
and give us your feedback. We
need your input, please attend
the membership team which
meets after each stated meeting. I would personally love
your input and can be reached
at: (413) 244-4287 (text or
call) or at [email protected]
Carla’s Project: The Child Life
Department at Shriners Hospitals
for Children
able and at ease, and to promote
effective coping skills through
some very difficult moments.
Our Child Life staff follows
our patients throughout their
entire experience while at the
hospital, whether it is weeks,
months or years.
The mission of the Child Life
Department at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield is to incorporate PLAY
into the medical experience.
Play allows children from all
backgrounds to feel comfort-
Being a Child Life volunteer
at the hospital, I understand the
impact this department has on
patient families. My year-long
project will focus on raising
funds to support our Shriners
Hospitals for Children Child
Life Department. Your support
of my project will enable us to
supply the hospital with learning, coping, and distraction
tools, like ‘SAMMY’ THE
BEAR.
Make checks payable to: Shriner’s Hospital for Children and
write Melha’s First Lady’s Project in the memo area, then mail
to Melha Shrine Center 133
Longhill Street Springfield,
MA 01108 or Shriners Hospitals For Children 516 Carew St
Springfield, MA 01104.
For more information call the
Melha Shrine Center (413) 7363647 or Donor Development
Office at Shriners Hospitals for
Children (413) 787-2032.
“Please consider a tax
deductible donation to my
program and together we
can make a difference in
the lives of the patients
at Shriners Hospitals for
Children, thank you.”
Carla Butterfield.
February 2015
15
Melha Calendar of Events
February 2015
2 Sun 8:00 AM - Mt Moriah Breakfast [IORG]
5 ThuDaughter’s of Nile Ceremonial [BUT]
9 Mon 6:30 PM · Board of Directors Meeting
9 Mon 6:00 PM · Franklin Shrine Club
11 Wed6:00 PM Berkshire Shrine Club
12 Thu 6:00 PM Hadji and Directors Dinner ·
Nobles’ and Ladies’ Valentine Dinner ·
Social 6:00p · Dinner 6:30p Mtg afterwards [BUT]
13 Fri PVSC Pizza Night [BUT]
14 Sat Valentine’s Day
15 Sun 12:00 PM 3rd Annual Sportsman’s Club
Chili Cook-Off. [BUT]
16 MonPresident’s Day - Office Closed
20 Fri Melha’s Pote’s Weekend · Murder Mystery Dinner [BUT]
21 Sat Melha’s Pole’s Weekend - Reception
Dinner - Sheraton Monarch Place, Spr.
21 Sat Grand Officers Night · Lowell, MA
[IORG]
23 Mon6:30 PM Circus Steering Committee
Meeting
23 Mon7:30 PM Team Circus Meeting
25 Wed7:30 PM Stated Meeting - All units and
Clubs must attend - 2015 Dues Card
Required [BUT]
27 FriRental [BUT]
28 Sat LOSNA Soc Hop [BUT]
Every Monday Highlanders [BUT]
Every Tuesday Military Band [BUT]
[BUT] = Butterfield Aud., [IORG] = Rainbow
Girls

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