by Joseph Grist, PM
2015-2016 State Rainbow Dad

The 237th Grand Annual Communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M., of Virginia, was held in Richmond, November 4th through 7th, 2015. Over 900 of Virginia’s more than 35,000 Master Masons attended Grand Lodge this year representing over 150 of the more than 300 Lodges of Virginia. There were numerous Assembly and Past State Rainbow Dads in attendance, and we can all say that our Grand Worthy Advisor, Rachel Cochrane, did an outstanding job with her speech to the Grand Lodge.

The outgoing Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, Most Worshipful Reese Edward Carroll Jr., provided our Masonic family a great motto to follow this past year: Together We Can Make a Difference. And we know that when you work together, there is nothing our Rainbow Girls cannot accomplish. Recently this was represented perfectly as Fairfax and Springfield Assemblies provided an excellent and moving program for the Grand Visitation of our Grand Worthy Advisor.

Now, as we move into our 238th Masonic year, we have a new Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, Most Worshipful James Edward Litten, and during his Installation he provided us a moving speech focusing on how we should be setting a good example through Freemasonry. This message was not directed just to the Freemasons, but to all of our Masonic Family; no matter the time of day or day of the week, no matter the place or setting, we should always strive to set a good example for others to follow.

Most Worshipful Litten made note of some interesting statistics during his Installation speech, but there is one I will paraphrase in closing. The average household spends over 7 hours a day watching TV. With the use of computers and smartphones and all of the Facebooking, Snapchatting, Instagramming, and Tweeting that is happening, a lot of time is being used to communicate things impersonally. What if we were to use just 7 hours of just one of those days doing something good for another (a Brother or Sister in Freemasonry), for the community, or for an organization. What a difference we would make if we all did this, and what a good example we would set.

On October 17th, I went with Norfolk Assembly to the Portsmouth DeMolay Halloween dance. It was so much fun getting to meet some of the members of the Chapter and the Job’s Daughters who also came. I was super excited to wear my Dorothy costume! We danced and ate lots of goodies. There was an older Mason who came and showed us some dance steps. They were very nice and I look forward to doing more events with them. 

Olivia 
Hampton Assembly #2

On November 1st, the Rainbow Girls of Hampton Assembly put together bags of hats, gloves, toiletries, and other essentials for the homeless in Hampton. These items will be distributed on the 4th. I think it is wonderful that we all can come together and do something so magnificent for others. It warms my heart knowing that the homeless will be fed and will have a few things to help them out this winter.

In Rainbow Love and Service,
Megan B.
Hampton Assembly #2

On August 23, 2015, my Rainbow Sisters and I volunteered to help out with Child ID at the Tides game. We had to get there at 4:00 pm to help set up the station and the computers. When we finished setting up all the equipment, we got to see the Tides players warm up. At around 4:30 pm, kids and parents started to show up. The Mother Advisor of our Assembly, Christi Reed, went up to them and asked if they needed a Child ID.

Families came up to the Child ID center and they had to fill out a form about their child’s information, like who their parent/guardians are, when they were born, what the look like, and more. In order to make the Child ID, first we have to put a CD into the computer. Next, we take the information from the sheet and type it into the computer. Then, we take pictures of the child from the front, back, right, and left side view. After that, we ask some questions about them to get a recording of their voices. Lastly, we have to burn the information onto the CD and give it to the family.

Afterwards, we got to eat dinner and watch the rest of the Tides game. In conclusion, helping out with Child ID was a fantastic experience and I hope to do it again soon.

In Rainbow Love,
Kaitlyn