Philanthropy

NCSRMF Mission and Purpose Statement
The North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation is a 501.C.3 charitable organization dedicated to providing present and future benevolent financial support toward the training of licensed professionals and treatment of children with speech, hearing, and learning disabilities who may receive services with little or no cost to families. Along with 170 such programs nationwide, we are achieving this mission through the generous support of our members, sponsors, and the public. In addition, North Carolina Scottish Rite members also support Masonic Youth organizations and victims of natural disasters recognized by the Masonic Service Association of North America.

Annual Winston-Salem Scottish Rite Masonic Charity Golf Tournament

Net Proceeds Benefit the North Carolina RiteCare Childhood Language Program

RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program

Scottish Rite Masons began their commitment to the cause of philanthropy towards children with language disorders more than twenty-five years ago. Since that time 170 Scottish Rite Centers have been located throughout the Southern Jurisdiction. These centers are staffed by speech-language pathologists and other trained personnel.

Children which might have remained educationally handicapped for a lifetime can now talk, read and lead useful lives. Miracles can happen and with skillful evaluations and treatment, miracles are happening in the Scottish Rite Treatment Centers all over America.

About the North Carolina Centers

The North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation (NCSRMF) funds and supports three language learning disabilities and dyslexia clinics in North Carolina. It is through the generous support of our members, sponsors and the general public, that children can seek help to overcome their language - learning disability and or dyslexia.

Our centers are committed to helping children who are exhibiting problems with language development or whose academic progress is being affected by delays in spoken or written language. These children exhibit normal intelligence and demonstrate the potential to achieve. Their delays are not caused by such other primary disabilities as severe as emotional problems, deafness, blindness, or mental retardation.

Since the RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program is a charitable project of the North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation, there are no fees for these services. All services are available to families regardless of race, creed, color, or handicapping conditions.

The North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation has supported childhood language disorders clinics in Greenville and Boone since 1972. Support from the Foundation has provided professional help for the children of thousands of North Carolina residents.

Academy at Middle Fork

About the Academy

The lab schools were brought into existence in the 2016 short session of the General Assembly. Lawmakers directed the UNC system to create partnerships between universities with educator preparation programs and school systems with a large number of low-performing students. The program's purpose is two-fold: to increase the performance of the students who attend the schools and to give on-the-ground training to current and future teachers and administrators. Nine lab schools will ultimately operate in North Carolina.

The Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University has partnered with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to establish the Academy at Middle Fork. The Academy provides a balanced education for children, teachers, principals, and families through the implementation of research-based practices, state of the art literacy instruction, and exemplary classroom instruction and administration. The Academy at Middle Fork will offer services for grades Kindergarten through Fifth Grade starting in the Fall of 2018.

Lives Changed

One thing that continues to amaze me is the willingness of a Scottish Rite Brother to help those is need. Not long after AppState's Scottish Rite Donation article was published in the Scottish Rite Journal, I received an email. Michael Clark, 32° of the Valley of Winston reached out about a wonderful donation opportunity.

His father Chester Clark had passed away March 16, 2022 at the age of 91. Mr. Clark was a life long supporter of Masonic charities, though not a mason he was a proud supporter of Shriners Hospitals for Children. Mr. Clark was born during the Great Depression and later served as an Army Combat Engineer Officer during the Korean War. He attended NC State and graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Due to hearing loss during his time as a Combat Engineer in Korea, Mr. Clark need the assistance of hearing aids. Not long before his passing he purchased new hearing aids. When he passed, it was decided by his family to donate his hearing aids to AppState and be used in a RiteCare Clinic to benefit a child in need.

"My father was a generous man who gave without asking for thanks or recognition" said Brother Clark.

Brother Michael Clark's first memory of anything masonry "was when my father was driving and we stopped where some Shriners were collecting donations." His father would say "son, the Shriners are one of the few groups you can give to and know the money will only go to help others and not themselves." Brother Clark is a graduate of Appalachian State University, Life Member of Thomasville Lodge 214, Member of the Valley of Winston Scottish Rite and carries Veteran Status with Oasis Shriners Oasis Patrol. Brother Clark is retired and currently the Chaplan of Hartman Lodge 222 in Bluefield VA.

After months of planning and work with audiologist Dr. Russell with AppState Beaver College of Health Sciences, I had the pleasure to hand deliver the hearing aids to our RiteCare Clinic. Almost one year from Chester Clarks passing, I received amazing news from the clinic. A 13 year old girl has be fitted, tested and selected for the hearing aids. Her other devices were outdated and one device was working.

We are exciting for years of quality hearing that will be provided by Mr. Clark's donation.

Thank you to Brother Michael Clark, 32° and the amazing gift from his father Chester Clark.

Remarks of Gratitude - Madeleine Lefler (Recipient of the Hillery H. Rink, Jr. Scottish Rite Graduate Scholarship for Speech-Language Pathology)

Lives Changes- winstonsalem-madeleinelefler.jpg

Hi everyone! I'm Madeleine. It is truly a pleasure to meet and speak with you all today. I am just one of the many grateful students who has benefited from your financial contributions this year, and today I want to share with you a little about myself, my aspirations, and how the scholarship I received has made a significant difference in my life.

I grew up in Brevard, North Carolina with my three younger siblings and a large variety of pets. I am an avid reader who enjoys theology, fantasy, and everything in-between, and an outdoor enthusiast who finds respite in hikes and rock-climbing.

A variety of personal aspirations drew me to the field of speech-language pathology, but first and foremost was my desire to help performers overcome vocal dysfunction. As a classically-trained vocalist, I have experienced vocal dysfunction in deeply-personal contexts. My performances as an undergraduate student at Belmont University were often overshadowed by vocal fatigue and pain. I grew to learn that there were many reasons for this (muscular tension was primary, but my poor posture, sleep, and nutrition were contributors as well). As I learned more about the field of speech-language pathology, I realized that I could combine my experiences as a performer with a clinical degree that would help me prevent other performers from making the same mistakes that I made.

When I began in the speech-language pathology graduate program at App State, I realized that I could expand my goal from providing therapeutic services to performers, to working with people of all ages and walks of life whose communicative struggles were the result of a variety of diagnoses. I found myself supported in this academic journey by some of the most exceptional professors with whom I have ever had the pleasure of working. Learning from these professors, reading relevant literature, and learning from the phenomenal clinical advisors I have had so far in the program has transformed and affirmed my goal of "one day working with performers" into the goal of founding my own clinic.

My vision is for a voice-specific clinic that caters to a variety of people who experience vocal and communicative dysfunction, but specializes in rehabilitating the voices of performing artists. It's still a fledgling idea, but your generosity made it possible for me to take time to consider, dream, and plan my professional future, instead of constantly worrying about my finances.

I think it's important to quantify what this scholarship has meant to me, materially. It was five months' rent! Almost half a year in a wonderful, warm space with a fantastic roommate. It was five months of relief, knowing that checking my bank account wouldn't automatically result in a panic attack. Five months of knowing that I could afford to occasionally say "no" to employment opportunities, and instead spend that time studying or catching up on some much-needed sleep. Your generosity enabled me to invest my time in learning, and that learning will make me a better clinician, and (I hope) radically improve the quality of the therapy that I will one day provide for my clients.

I know that I speak for myself and my fellow students when I say that it is a supreme honor to be supported by you, to learn from you, and to share in this beautiful place that you call home. Thank you for choosing to invest your hard-earned money in the students who attend Appalachian State University. As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

App State's donations from Scottish Rite exceed $2 million

The organization's latest donations mark 60-plus years of university and community support

https://today.appstate.edu/2022/05/19/scottish-rite