Where Did The Time Go!
Nobles and friends of Aleppo Shriners,
Time flies when you’re having fun, and for me 2022 has been flying by very quickly indeed.
In August Lady Ilene and I enjoyed the hospitality of the Fitchburg-Leominster and Gardner Shrine Clubs followed a day later by the South Shore Shrine Club. Good food, good fellowship and lots of laughs, especially when Ilene decided that she would outbid ME for the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue auctioned off at the South Shore Shrine Club. To those wondering, yes, she has allowed me to have a dram or two.
“Yabba Dabba Doo!” August saw the Loyal Order of Water Buffalo establish a “Lodge” at Aleppo. We also had our first ever dinner to honor the work done by the Shrine Lodge Ambassadors. Next time we’ll remember to tell the Grand Lodge contingent that the dress is casual so they don’t have to bring out their tuxedoes.
I had the opportunity to visit Mecca Shriners in New York in August. Mecca is where it all began in 1872 when Walter Fleming and Billy Florenz started the Shriners with several of their Masonic friends. I think they’d be pleased to see how things turned out.
Early in September the North Shore Shrine Club honored me and Lady Ilene at their annual reception. Like many others, we decided to “take the corn!” The end of September saw a great Oktoberfest celebration by the award-winning Aleppo Brew Club.
The Annual Ladies fundraiser in September was nicely attended. The women had a good time and made a little money for the Children’s Transportation Fund.
In mid-September a good group of Aleppo members travelled to Bangor, Maine for the Northeast Shrine Association Field days. The Hospitality Suite under the guidance of Chief Aide Brian Rushlow was outstanding, the Aleppo Clowns won six awards in their competition, and the parade through Brewer and Bangor was fun. As a bonus, a past potentate of Kora Shriners from Lewiston, Maine presented me an old picture showing the Aleppo contingent attending the imperial session in 1924 at Kansas City. That last item is now in the care of Aleppo Historian John Wilder for restoration.
Thanks to Chief of Staff Ernie Pearlstein and Assistant Chief of Staff Paul Watts Sr., parades keep on coming! Tours of Duty included the Labor Day parade in Marlboro and parades in Chester, NH and Weymouth. I’m writing this message the night before we do a parade in Roslindale. In addition, there have been several parades involving just a few units. All in all, we’re keeping ourselves in front of the public, continuing to focus awareness on the Shrine and the work we do.
In November we will be holding another afternoon Ceremonial and dinner dance, this time at the Manor Restaurant in West Boylston. Treat your significant other to a day of fun, food and dancing and bring in a new candidate or two. Check out the details in the paper.
Last but not least, there are the kids in our medical facilities. So far this year, thanks to the Children’s Transportation Fund, we’ve been able to bring children to Boston from Ukraine, Ecuador, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia and from within the US. Please help with canning wherever and whenever you can or send a contribution if you can to the Aleppo Shriners Children’s Transportation Fund.
This year, for the first time ever, one of the two Shriners National Patient Ambassadors is a former Boston patient. Katherine is a terrific ambassador for Shriners Children’s and an outstanding player for the Division 1 Women’s Soccer team at Northeastern University. Without the care she received at Shriners Boston, her soccer career would have ended before it began. All of us can take great pride in being part of an organization that truly changes lives for the better. The annual Boston Shriners Hospital haunted walk is on Sunday, October 23rd in Wellesley. Check out the details in the paper; I’m happy to say that several Aleppo Units are directly involved in helping to raise money for the Hospital.
There’s still a lot to do in 2022; come join in the fun and philanthropy.
ES SALAAM ELEIKUM
Fraternally,
Robert H. Brown
Illustrious Potentate 2022
Aleppo Shrine Center