A Legacy of Philanthropy
Throughout their 150-year history, California Masons have remained steadfast in their commitment to helping others and serving the community, volunteering hundreds of thousands of hours and donating millions of dollars to support a wide range of charitable programs. Among the fraternity’s first charitable activities was helping victims of the great cholera outbreak in Sacramento in 1850. With a membership roll of roughly 300, California Masons raised more than $32,000 within 10 months to help build and maintain a hospital at Sutter’s Fort. Just for reference, $32,000 in 1850 is roughly equivalent to $1,234,215 in today’s money. As this example illustrates, charity has been part of California Masonry right from the start.
Masons are deeply involved in helping people. Their compassion for others manifests itself in many ways, from housing neglected and abused children to helping seniors remain independent. Masons contribute more than $1.4 million every day in the United States to aid individuals who are sick, aged, or destitute, or whose physical, emotional and psychological needs are not being met. The vast majority of Masonic philanthropies assist people who are not Masons, though Masons are also very serious about supporting Masons in need.
Our Lodge
Ionic Composite Lodge has a reputation as one of the most charitable lodges in the State. Our Lodge recently pledged to complete a $100,000 donation to the Masonic Homes of California over the next 3 years, finishing by 2025. We are also the only Lodge that has logged 100% officer participation in charitable giving to the California Masonic Foundation charity every single year since the Grand Lodge first started tracking that statistic. Our Lodge and our officers and members take our obligations to help others – Masons and non-Masons alike – very seriously.
Below are some of the charities that California Masons support:
Youth
The California Masonic Foundation: Public Education has always been a key focus of Freemasonry. Masons started some of the first public schools in America and championed legislation to help make education accessible to everyone. The California Masonic Foundation is a charitable trust established in 1970 to help further the education of young people, from kindergarten through college. The Foundation supports a number of important programs in support of education, including a robust Masonic scholarship program, partnerships with state universities, and charitable programs benefiting underserved youth. These programs have helped thousands of students improve their lives through education and intellectual growth. Notable among these latter is the “Raising a Reader” program, which partners with the Grand Lodge of California to provide monthly bags of books to poor and low-performing classes and families at no charge so that kids have easy access to age-appropriate reading material from an early age and on an ongoing basis. As a result of this program, schools and classes benefiting from this program have reported increased readership levels and shown an increase in test scores related to reading and comprehension. The Foundation also now serves a clearinghouse for all the Grand Lodge’s charitable efforts, including the Homes, the Masonic Center for Youth and Families, Acacia Creek, the Masonic Outreach Services, and more. To learn more about the California Masonic Foundation, please visit https://masonicfoundation.org/
Masonic Center for Youth and Families: Through family-centered, integrated mental health services, the Masonic Center for Youth and Families (MCYAF) helps children and adolescents enjoy healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives – at home, at school, and in the future. They work closely with each family to develop customized treatment plans that meet every client’s unique needs. Their multidisciplinary team of dedicated and experienced professionals help families to overcome trauma and restore healthy relationships. All services delivered by the MCYAF are provided by licensed, professional clinicians, and they are provided on a sliding cost scale, where no eligible patient is ever turned away due to cost. To learn more or to donate, you can visit https://mcyaf.org/
Masons4Mitts is another program of the Masons of California that works with the four Major League Baseball teams and their charitable foundations in California (The Angels, Dodgers, Giants, and Padres) to help underserved youth in California. Each baseball season, Ionic Composite Lodge joins other area lodges in teaming up with the Los Angeles Dodgers to bring the fun of baseball to more kids. As you may have gathered by the name, Masons provide mitts for the kids. Lodges in each region face off in friendly competition to help the most kids they can. The team from each region that funds the greatest number of baseball mitts will present their check, along with the Grand Master, on Masons Night at each ballpark. In 2019, for example, California Masons raised $186,651 and, over the past ten years, have provided over $1,000,000 to these programs. To learn more, visit https://www.masons4mitts.org/
Homelessness
Founded in 1914, The Midnight Mission offers paths to self-sufficiency to men, women and children who have lost direction. Their emergency services and 12-step recovery, family living, job training, education and workforce development programs offer a compassionate bridge to achieve and maintain healthy, productive lives. They remove obstacles and provide the accountability and structure that people who are experiencing homelessness need to be productive in their communities. Make your gift today to support The Midnight Mission’s fight against poverty and homelessness. Bring your gently used clothes to the Lodge so they can be donated to The Los Angeles Midnight Mission. Men’s, Women’s, and children’s clothing are needed. You can also make monetary donations directly at https://www.midnightmission.org/donate/.
Seniors
Masonic Homes of California:
In 1898, the spirit of Masonic charity and the need to assist the widows and orphans of brother Masons led to the creation of the Masonic Homes of California. These retirement communities in Union City and Covina offer care and services tailored to the changing needs of the individual and designed to help residents enjoy the best possible quality of life. Residents share common interests built upon the solid foundation of Masonic values. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when nursing homes and care facilities across the state and country had record numbers of deaths, the Masonic Homes at both campuses were able to boast a completely perfect record – not one resident contracted or died from complications of COVID during 2020 or 2021. After the rollout of the vaccines, every resident and staff-person was quickly and fully vaccinated in accordance with CDC guidelines and suggestions. In addition to their stellar care for the residents, the Masonic Homes have also been consistently voted as among the best places to work in the industry for several years running.
Masonic Senior Outreach: Masonic Senior Outreach offers assistance with the services and resources fraternal family members need to stay healthy and safe at home or in a retirement facility in the home community.
Acacia Creek: The Acacia Creek senior community, located on the campus of the Masonic Home at Union City, is a Continuing Care Retirement Community that provides independent-living residences for Masons, their wives and widows, members of allied organizations, and residents of local communities. For more information, call (888) 466-3642.