The Shriners are coming to town.
The name may conjure an image of fez-wearing, tiny-car-driving, clown-parading men, but the boost to tourism revenue is no joke: The 136th annual convention of the fraternal organization, which begins Sunday, means a $4 million injection into a downtown that suffered a strong blow to its economy and morale during the G20 summit.
Beyond the silly stunts and gimmicks, this not-so-secret society, which boasts 350,000 members worldwide (including 12 temples and 22,000 members in Canada) has a long history of supporting pediatric health care under the slogan: “Shriners, having fun and helping kids.”
For 71-year-old Barry McQuillin, Director General of the Shrine Imperial Session in Toronto, the convention will be a chance to boost the spirits of Toronto and raise the profile of the Shriners’ generous side.
“The parade and the fun that we’ll have, the thousands of people on the streets, it is always a thrill,” he says. “But we are not doing it to particularly amuse ourselves, we’re doing it for the citizens of the Toronto.”
Here’s a look at some of what makes Shriners both quirky and charitable.
more 10,000 fez-head Shriners invade Toronto - thestar.com
The name may conjure an image of fez-wearing, tiny-car-driving, clown-parading men, but the boost to tourism revenue is no joke: The 136th annual convention of the fraternal organization, which begins Sunday, means a $4 million injection into a downtown that suffered a strong blow to its economy and morale during the G20 summit.
Beyond the silly stunts and gimmicks, this not-so-secret society, which boasts 350,000 members worldwide (including 12 temples and 22,000 members in Canada) has a long history of supporting pediatric health care under the slogan: “Shriners, having fun and helping kids.”
For 71-year-old Barry McQuillin, Director General of the Shrine Imperial Session in Toronto, the convention will be a chance to boost the spirits of Toronto and raise the profile of the Shriners’ generous side.
“The parade and the fun that we’ll have, the thousands of people on the streets, it is always a thrill,” he says. “But we are not doing it to particularly amuse ourselves, we’re doing it for the citizens of the Toronto.”
Here’s a look at some of what makes Shriners both quirky and charitable.
more 10,000 fez-head Shriners invade Toronto - thestar.com