On Saturday March 31st, I went to the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia to set up benches. Vanessa, Joella, Katie, Sami, and I participated.  I woke up early in the morning so Mom Paula could drive me there with Vanessa and Joella. It was really cold when we first got there, so most of us were wearing jackets or sweatshirts.  Ella, one of our Pledges attended too. She had gotten a giant chocolate Easter Bunny at the Easter party and was looking to give it away to the hardest working DeMolay or Rainbow Girl.

First, we went inside the memorial building. We went all the way back to the storage room, where some of the DeMolay boys were handing out chairs. We had to carry 50 of them down a giant flight of stairs! After all the chairs were brought down, the big benches started to be set up on the stairs. Since Ella and I were too small to carry the benches, we helped set up the chairs and get them in a straight line. Then I helped her look for the hardest working kid. It was really difficult since all of them were working so hard lifting those benches! We finally decided to pick one Rainbow Girl and one DeMolay to drop the chocolate bunny in the box to break it. Then all the hardworking kids would get a piece! After a long time of looking, we decided that Vanessa would get to drop the chocolate bunny with one of the DeMolay boys. Then anyone who wanted chocolate got some. You could also get a doughnut and milk from the building’s kitchen. By this time, the sun was very bright and most people didn’t need their jackets or sweatshirts anymore. Then we took a group picture on the benches that we set up on the stairs to the memorial building.

I was sad when it was over, but I was glad that I had a great time.

In Rainbow Love & Service,
Alyssa
Manassas Assembly

On April 14th, Manassas Assembly visited Masonic Home of Virginia (MAHOVA). We had a great turn out with over 20 people attending!   We enjoyed visiting with the residents and having lunch with them.  We saw several of the girls adopt grandparents.   It was a great day and we are looking forward to returning soon!

In Rainbow Love & Service,
Sami
Manassas 13

The Lodge Easter Party was held on March 25th, where we started off snacking and watching the movie, “Trolls”. We chatted for a bit while the eggs were being hidden. We could also guess how many jelly beans were in a jar. Girls who attended were Katie, Dalanie, Isabella, Joella, Jazmyn, Maribel, Sami, Lilli, Gigi, Allison, Eliza and me. Then the adults passed out baskets for collecting our eggs. We all lined up by the door, but the younger kids went first. Mom Paula made the rest of us sing our ABC’s at a normal pace before we could go outside to find the eggs. There were a lot of people there, so not everyone got a lot of eggs. Sadly, I am not a fast runner so I only got a few eggs, but I didn’t mind. A couple younger kids stayed out longer because they wanted to see if there were any eggs hidden in the snow that was still outside (there wasn’t).

When we got back inside, Dad Clancy turned “Trolls” back on and we all got some food. The jelly beans were probably one of the most popular deserts because they ran out really fast. Though there were no golden eggs this year, there still were some regular colored eggs with money inside them. I even got one! Some kids traded candy, and then we all emptied our eggs and put them into a container so they could be used again next year. Then, the winner of the jelly bean guessing contest was announced. Vanessa won the guessing contest and got a chocolate bunny, which she gave to Ella, one of the Pledges. I had a great time at the party and I have been enjoying my candy.
 

In Rainbow Love & Service,
Alyssa
Manassas Assembly

On Sunday April 22nd, Manassas Assembly #13 made food for the firefighters at a local fire station. I had been working on the Adopt-a-Spot cleanup, but when I got back there was a delicious smell of pasta and bread! Some of the Girls who were not cleaning Ashton Avenue, had stayed at the Lodge and cooked pasta and bread with the adults. People bought a lot of food too, including cake, ice cream, and fruit salad. After a little bit of lunch and scrapbooking, it was time to load up the vehicles! Some of the Girls then headed out to the vehicles to put the food in the trunks. We then drove to the local fire station by the court house and unloaded the trunks (I carried the pretty cake).

The firefighters were pretty surprised since they weren’t expecting us, but very grateful that we had brought so much food! One of the firefighters then showed us to their kitchen, where we set all the food down on the table. Some other firefighters came and were really happy and shocked about all the food. Before we left, we made sure that the firefighter showed us where the fire pole was! We were not allowed to slide down, but some of us tried to climb up a little bit for a photo! Some of the other firefighters came back with the station’s newest firetruck, and we all got to get a picture in front of it with all the firefighters, for the scrapbook. They invited us to come back any time and thanked us for the food. I had an amazing time and I would definitely want to come back again!

In Rainbow Love & Service,
Alyssa
Manassas Assembly