Success Stories

The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center was contacted by the Worshipful Master of Heber Lodge #501 that they had a brother in need. Robert Schooley’s wife, Janet, was in rehab and when she came home, they needed a wheelchair ramp. Together through the resource center’s Emergency Assistance Program, the Lodge and Grand Lodge Charitable Fund…

At The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center, our mission is simple: to walk alongside Masons, Eastern Star members, and their families when life becomes challenging. Sometimes that support comes in the form of guidance, connection to resources, or simply having someone who will help navigate a complicated process. For Eastern Star member Annette Bowman, that…

When Chris Gibbs was raised a Mason, his primary desire was simple: to find meaningful friendships and embrace the Masonic principle of servitude. Little did he know that this journey would also provide support in a time of great personal hardship. His story is a powerful reminder of the Fraternal values of brotherhood, compassion, and…

When Susan Bennett called the The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center, she was looking for a referral. She needed someone who could help them with some minor home repairs. Someone had been hired to fix the railing on their porch. However, once paid, the handyman left – never to return or be heard from again.…

When MVP chairman from Lucasville Lodge #465 contacted The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center in late August, he was looking for assistance for not just a fellow Brother in the Lodge, but the Worshipful Master, Kevin Kennedy. Kevin received a liver transplant nearly 10 years ago and, due to the antirejection medication that he has…

A group of Masonic Volunteers in the 2nd District from Jefferson Lodge #90 got together on a Saturday in July to help a Masonic widow.  Struggling with health problems, she can no longer maintain her flower beds and bushes.  The volunteers spent the day weeding her flower beds and trimming bushes.  She asked if they…

The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center recently provided critical financial assistance to a Masonic widow who faced significant hardship following an extended hospitalization. After a lengthy stay in the hospital, the widow returned home to find herself behind on rent and struggling to cover basic living expenses. After she reached out for help, The Ohio…

Western Reserve Masonic Community resident Ronna Yoho spoke with our Intake Coordinator, Rachel Lancaster, and asked for assistance in finding a foldable electric wheelchair for her husband, Richard.  Ronna shared that Richard was having a hard time walking to the woodshop and other activities on campus.  After discovering that Richard was a veteran, Rachel was…

A client recently called The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center and spoke to Rachel, our intake coordinator. The client didn’t have a Masonic affiliation, but she shared that she didn’t have any food, and it would be a few weeks before her next social security check.  Rachel dispatched the call to our Southwest Ohio Community…

When people come together, help can be achieved. The Southern Ohio Community Outreach Coordinator, Trinity Davidson, received a call from a Masonic member stating that his sister and brother-in-law, Amy and John Walker, needed help in the 12th District. Before reaching out to the Masonic member, Trinity was contacted by Lodge secretary Troy Thacker. Troy…

The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center has extended vital support to a young Mason facing serious health challenges. Brother Shawn Bell, 22, a member of Licking Lodge #291, is currently battling cancer. His father, Brother Noel Bell of New Home Lodge #338, reached out for assistance as Shawn’s condition and the resulting financial strain became…

Bobbi Schickler, SW Ohio Community Outreach Coordinator, was contacted by one of our District 2 volunteers asking for help with his parents. Bobbi spoke with Jean to assess what their needs were. They had just gotten a new ramp, and it was hard for her to push Rod up the ramp to the house. They…

Members of the Wilmington Lodge met with one of our Lodge widows and found she was in desperate need of a new front porch/deck. Her existing deck was dangerous and in desperate need of repair. The Lodge voted to provide the materials and Lodge members planned to build a deck. Eight members of Wilmington Lodge…

George Parker Jr. and his Lady Jackie received critical financial support from The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center following a bad motorcycle accident that left them both injured and unable to work. George is a dedicated member of Plainfield Lodge #224 and a member of the Lion’s Paw Chapter of Widow’s Son’s, and Jackie is…

Intergenerational Day Camps create memories that last a lifetime. The Masonic Youth Outreach Program (MYOP) embraces the importance of intergenerational activities and enhancing the quality of life for The Ohio Masonic Communities’ (OMC) residents. Intergenerational Day Camps allow youth to build relationships with OMC residents, teaching youth valuable skills they’ll have for a lifetime and…

The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center offers an emergency assistance program that can help with needs related to aging, health, or safety. One such example was when Ohio Mason William French reached out to The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center in need of financial help after a hurricane hit near his home in Florida. A…

Below is a note of gratitude received by The Ohio Masonic Communities Resource Center: It is so hard to ask for help when you are usually the one who is helping people out. We retired and got custody of our teenage grandchildren. It is not how we pictured our golden years. There was no one…

In 2022 The Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center served 1,171 new clients, assisting with 1,360 cases. Our community outreach coordinators completed 82 home visits, 173 resident visits, 605 well checks, and did outreach to 901 widows and widowers. We provided over $128,953.56 in relief through emergency assistance, Masonic at-home financial assistance, and COVID care packages.…

The Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center was able to help Brother Robert Cunningham of Solar Lodge #730. Brother Cunningham is an Ohio Mason living in Florida whose home was damaged by Hurricane Ian. His Lodge reached out to SW Ohio Community Outreach Coordinator Bobbi Schickler to see what assistance might be available to support Robert.…

On June 30th, Butterscotch was delivered to her new home. You may be asking: Who is that? Butterscotch is Virginia Duckworth’s new furry friend, a robotic cat. The Ohio Masonic Home has robotic pets that are designed to look, feel, and act just like a real animal – complete with authentic sounds and motions. There…

Are you aware of the many programs that our craft has to aid and assist one another? Reflecting upon this thought, we can ask ourselves whether we do enough with the allotted hours for a Brother or his family? Then a song fills my spirit by Bill Withers with these lyrics, “Sometimes in our lives,…

In July, the Resource Center learned that a client was in need of a ramp. The ramp needed to be built at the client’s home to allow access to get outside. The estimated cost ranged from $6,000 – $8,000 and was simply not affordable, so the search was on for help.  A few days later,…

The Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center is honored to be able to support the widows and widowers within the fraternity with our Bereavement Program.  Support for our widows and widowers goes far beyond mailing the initial packet of information. Here are some success stories showing just how important those connections are:   In Southwest Ohio, we…

In Northeast Ohio, we had a recipient of our Holiday Outreach Program call us to thank us for thinking of him. Through this program, we are able to send a small package with health care items like hand sanitizers, tissues, masks, an ornament, and/or even a gift card. He was so touched by the gesture…

We have a community member who resides at Browning Masonic Community in NW Ohio that was out receiving inpatient nursing care after a hospital admission, and there was concern that she would miss her second scheduled COVID vaccine, but our Community Outreach Coordinator was able to have transportation arranged for her to and from BMC…

Our Northwest Community Outreach Coordinator had a recent Masonic Youth Outreach Program referral for a family that lost all of their belongings in a house fire. She is currently utilizing a laptop donated through one of our MVPs for school, emotional support, and ongoing assistance related to resources moving forward as needed. In addition, our Coordinator…

Our Central Ohio Community Outreach Coordinator had a Springfield Masonic Community member in Independent Living who received a letter that contained a 1099G from ODJFS. It said that he had received over $1,200 in unemployment benefits that he had to repay.  He was unsure why he had received this form since he had never collected…

My name is Guy Alexander. I am a member of Garrettsville Lodge #246. In September of 1997, I received the news that no one wants to hear. I had cancer, Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia to be exact, or for short, CLL. It’s a slow growing cancer, and had been manageable for almost 22 years with…

While working with Gene (Muskingum Lodge #368) and Elaine Edgell, the Resource Center learned of a scooter that once belonged to a resident at Western Reserve Masonic Community and was donated by his family upon his passing. Liaison DeAnna Kinney was working with Elaine, and knew that she would benefit from a scooter as she…

Have you read about the wonderful things the Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center has been able to do for our Masons like obtaining chair lifts, wheelchair ramps, or even emergency assistance after a fire or flood? The Resource Center can help with large projects, and, helping out in emergency situations. We can also walk beside…

A Brother’s son-in-law read an article in the Beacon to him about the Resource Center about a reading machine. He reached out to the Resource Center and we were able to connect him with his own reading machine which has changed his life by transforming him from isolation to new activities. The staff at the…

Worshipful Brother Robert J. Wickert’s life can be summed up with one word, service. He has spent a lifetime serving his community and the fraternity. He was an eagle scout, a school board member for 24 years, and he served on his county’s MMRD board, and was an active member off his lodge. When his…

After graduating from High School in 1940, Hap Reynard ended up going to Colson Corporation, a bicycle manufacturer who ended up making machine gun parts to support the war efforts. Hap once said, I started in a bicycle factory, ended up making 50-caliber machine gun cores, and two years later I was firing one.” After…

James came to the resource center a few years ago. He originally called looking for resources for home health care after being in the hospital for an extended period of time. Through the Ohio Masonic Home Resource Center, he was connected to a home care agency, and also provided a food card to replace groceries…

There was a client during our Holiday Hope Program that contacted the Resource Center in need of some holiday cheer. She was a widow of a Master Mason caring for her disabled son, and her bills had become overwhelming. The Resource center assisted the client through the application process for charitable assistance from the Grand…

Worshipful Brother Rhine has been a working man all his life, but after suffering from a stroke, everything changed. After recovering, he attempted to go back to work, but unfortunately he was unable to due to complications. An Ambassador in his district was aware of his situation and contacted the Resource Center. Worshipful Brother Rhine…

After meeting with the interdisciplinary team at our routine Aging in Place meeting on one of our campuses, a request for help was made for a new resident on campus. She was mobile, but due to her diagnosis had some difficulty with mobility. As a result, a power chair was discussed with the therapist, and…