How can I support Shriners Hospitals for Children?
There are many ways to support the philanthropy, including volunteering at Shriners Hospitals for Children®, becoming a Shriner, and visiting the kids in the hospital. You can also support the hospitals by hosting fundraisers to benefit the philanthropy or by making donations to Shriners Hospitals for Children®. For information about the many giving opportunities available, visit www.donate2shc.org or call 800-241-GIFT (4438).
What type of care does Shriners Hospitals for Children provide?
Shriners Hospitals for Children® is changing lives daily through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research, and outstanding medical education. The hospitals focus on four specialized areas of care:
- Orthopaedic Care – medical and rehabilitative services for children with congenital deformities and conditions, problems resulting from orthopedic injuries, and diseases of the neuromusculoskeletal system
- Burn Care – treatment for acute and non-acute burn injuries and related scarring, along with physical and emotional rehabilitation
- Spinal Cord Injury – spinal cord injury rehabilitation specifically for children, offering some of the most advanced treatment in the country, with a full range of services
- Cleft Lip and Palate Care – coordinated, comprehensive multidisciplinary care for children with this condition
Are Shriners a religious organization?
No. Shriners are a concordant body (branch) of Freemasons.
The fraternity of Freemasonry is the oldest, largest and most widely known fraternity in the world. It dates back hundreds of years to a time when stonemasons and other craftsmen on building projects gathered in shelter houses, or lodges. Over the years formal Masonic lodges emerged, with members bound together not by trade, but by their desire to be fraternal brothers.
Where did the Shriner’s theme come from?
The fraternity’s distinctive theme comes from founders Billy Florence, an actor, and Walter Fleming, a physician. Fleming and Florence wanted the fledgling fraternity to have a colorful, exciting backdrop and it’s believed that Florence conceived the Arabic theme after a tour of Europe.It’s important to know that, although the original roots of the theme carried an aura of mystery, Shriners is not a secret society.
Why do Shriners wear a fez?
The red fez with the black tassel is one of the fraternity’s most distinctive symbols. It derives its name from the place where it was first manufactured, the city of Fez, Morocco. The fez was chosen as part of the Shriners’ Arabic theme, which is also the basis for the color and pageantry of the organization’s events.
What significance does the emblem play?
The scimitar stands for the backbone of the fraternity, its members. The two claws are for the Shriners fraternity and its philanthropy, Shriners Hospitals for Children®. The sphinx is representative of the governing body of the Shriners, while the star hanging beneath it represents the thousands of children helped by the philanthropy every year.
What are the responsibilities of a Shriner?
Each Shriner is expected to help the fraternity grow by recruiting new members and being as active as possible. Shriners also support the philanthropy, Shriners Hospitals for Children®, by volunteering time at the hospitals, participating in fundraising activities, and helping identify children who may benefit from the expert medical care provided by the hospitals.
What is Masonry, and how does it relate to Shriners?
In order to become a Shriner, a man must first be a Master Mason. The fraternity of Freemasonry is the oldest, largest, and most widely known fraternity in the world. It dates back hundreds of years to a time when stonemasons and other craftsmen on building projects gathered in shelter houses, or lodges. Over the years formal Masonic lodges emerged, with members bound together not by trade but by their desire to be fraternal brothers. The basic unit of Masonry is the Blue Lodge, where members earn the first three Masonic degrees. The highest degree is Master Mason. Men who wish to become Shriners must first achieve Master Mason status – that means all Shriners are Masons, but not all Masons are Shriners.