In 1915 the Masonic organization known as the Scottish Rite opened the Scottish Rite Convalescent Hospital for Crippled Children. Their goal was to offer a place of refuge and recovery for poor children suffering from polio. Within four years, the heart behind the facility led to a new hospital that was focused on pediatric orthopedic surgery for the less fortunate. The humble beginning of the 18 bed convalescent home gained speed. With the support of followers, medical doctors trained in healing and leadership, and the core beliefs of the Masons, the small hospital has turned into a medical system that continues to focus on helping poor children with illness, disease, and birth defects.

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The Knights Templar Eye Foundation is another example of how Masonic organizations benefit their communities through charitable service and community organization. Founded by the Grand Encampment of the Knights Templar of the United States in 1956, the mission of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation is to provide assistance to people with vision problems with corrective lenses, surgery, and other treatment options who are struggling to manage the costs of their vision care.

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The Freemasons, or Masons, are the oldest and largest fraternal organization in not only the United States, but also the world. One of the cornerstones of Scottish Rite Masonry is the dedication to and commitment to volunteering. Like the Shriners Hospitals for Children, The Learning Centers for Children has become one of the Masons featured philanthropic charities aimed towards enriching and helping children and their families.

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History Of The Program

The history of the Grotto goes back to 1899 when a group of Master Masons met in Hamilton, New York for fun and informal meetings. Confining their membership to Master Masons, this group became so popular that additional groups began forming in other locations. This once-small committee expanded to become the Supreme Council, Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm, with sub-chapters called Grottoes across North America.

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The Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL) is a fully accredited laboratory involved at the cutting edge of diagnostic medicine. As a non-profit institution, the MMRL strives to be a leader in discovering the causes and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. As a leader, the MMRL is involved in both basic clinical research and the ever expanding fields of cytogenetics and molecular diagnostics. The MMRL’s staff has decades of experience and insights into cardiac arrhythmias and they are actively engaged in training the next generation of professional researches in the quest to advance the frontiers of science.

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