The Broad Ripple Angel Fund has been hard at work in November. Janet Webster, social worker at the Indiana School for the Blind requested help on a couple of fronts. The majority of students at the school live there throughout the week, many from very poor households. The school has an unofficial supply of clothing, much of it secondhand, for kids who come in for the week with little to wear. The one thing they are always needing is something most of us never think about - socks and underwear. The Angel Fund provided $150 to stock up on these supplies, along with clothes to fit two unusually large, hard to fit boys.
Patty Slevin, social worker at School 70, called this week needing winter coats and gloves for two brothers, which we were happy to provide for less than $100.
These are typical of the requests we are called on to respond to regularly. If you haven't sent in your dues yet, think about adding a little something for the Masonic Angel Fund.
Roger VanGorden PGM and PM of Broad Ripple Lodge hit a deer on the night of November 27th.
Fortunately, Roger was driving at his normal rate of speed (!) and hit the deer so hard that it bounced up over top of the car and then bounced off the rear. Had he been going much slower the deer probably would have gone right through the windshield.
As of this writing, the news is that his car was destroyed, but Roger is fortunately unhurt.
Thanks to the members of Broad Ripple Lodge #643 and their ladies who came out to participate in the annual Prince Hall Thanksgiving Dinner for the Homeless on Thursday morning. Bro. Will Saylor and his lady Terri, Bro. Mike Dewitt and his lady Desirée, and Wbro. Jerry Cowley, PM, worked the serving and loading lines all morning. Brother Miles Evanston and his wife Carolyn, Bro. Michael Walkup, honorary member Wbro. Jim Dillman and myself were part of more than 50 volunteers who gave up part of their Thanksgiving Day to serve up over a thousand dinners for homeless, elderly and shut-in folks of our community who might otherwise have gone without. Dinners were delivered as far south as Greenwood, as far north as Zionsville, and all points in between.
If you were there, you know what a huge event this was, and how many people it took to make it a success. The Prince Hall Eastern Star ladies run a tight ship - stay out of the kitchen if you know what's good for you! Organizing the logistics of serving up this much food, taking calls and making deliveries is a massive undertaking. It was indeed gratifying to see that Broad Ripple members were tireless and instrumental in helping this event operate smoothly and efficiently. Our Prince Hall brethren were most grateful for our support and assistance.
If you didn't have the opportunity to join us this year, try to make it next time. Some photos of our folks can be seen in the Lodge Photo Gallery at http://www.brlodge.org/cpg
Fidelity Lodge # 55 PHA has invited Broad Ripple Lodge to attend an EA Degree on Tuesday, November 22nd. The degree will be held on the First Floor of the Julia Carson Government Center in the Key Bank Building at 300 East Fall Creek Parkway N. Drive. This is three blocks east of Meridian Street on Fall Creek.
No dinner prior to the degree will be served. Dress is jacket & tie. Lodge will open at 7:00PM.
The pots have cooled, and both ladles and swords have been sheathed for another year. The fifth annual Broad Ripple Lodge Chili Cookoff of October 22nd is tossed on the heap of history, and a historic achievement topped the evening. To alternate cheers of supporters, jeers of "Fraud at the polls!" and Templar cries of "God wills it!" Brother and Sir Knight Erik Hiner, Eminent Commander of Raper Commandery #1, scored an unprecedented third win in three years with his Ye Olde Mid-Evil Knights Templar Chili.
This event grows in dubious popularity each year. With more than fifty friends, family and other victims in attendance, fifteen noble combatants courageously concocted cauldrons of questionable cuisine for this cosmic drama of intestinal conflict. All agreed that the quality of the recipes—and the accompanying bragging, ragging and trash talk—made this a very close contest this year. Visitors came from more than ten lodges around the state, and even drew an entry from PGM Robert Hancock (winner in the hotly contested Wouldn't Feed It To The Hogs division).
A spectacular array of prizes was awarded in a bewildering lineup of categories. But most important, Brother Hiner's name will be emblazoned on the suitably bilious Scarlet Pepper Cup trophy where it will gloat in garish glory at all of us forever in its permanent place of honor in the Lodge. Heaven help us for another year.
For more photos of this event, see our photo gallery
Broad Ripple Lodge will once again be participating in the Prince Hall Thanksgiving dinner program this year. This year's program hopes to serve 1000 meals to the homeless, shut-ins and others who would otherwise not have a thanksgiving dinner.
Last year's event was an incredible collaboration of the Indianapolis area Prince Hall lodges, a program that began back in 1983, and Broad Ripple #643 was honored to be a part of it. This year we'll be at it again.
Deliveries will start at approximately 10AM and go on until early afternoon, but volunteers are also needed beforehand to help with prep work.
If you find yourself with a little bit of extra time that you can spare away from your family on Thanksgiving morning, stop in at the lodge at 22nd and Central Avenue, and just pick up one sack of dinners to deliver. You'll find appreciative brethren there, and a cheerful chaos of cooks, servers, drivers and interested bystanders.
And you'll find a grateful stranger on the other side of a door, truly thankful for your brief effort. And believe me, it will give you much to thank the GAOTU for when you sit down at your own table that afternoon.
Broad Ripple Lodge will visit our brethren at Fidelity Lodge #55 (PHA) for dinner and their Stated Meeting on Tuesday, November 8, 2005 at 6:00 PM.
Meeting will be held at the Julia Carson Government Center, 300 East Fall Creek Parkway, Indianapolis, Indiana 46205
Contact WM Todd Ebbert IMMEDIATELY if you plan to attend, as our brothers need to plan for dinner.
WARDENS WORKSHOP!
November 12th, 2005
Hancock Lodge # 101, 661 W. Tague Street, Greenfield, Indiana
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Registration beginning at 8:00 AM
--and--
Monroe Lodge # 22, 4160 S. Walnut Street Pike, Bloomington, Indiana
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Registration beginning at 8:00 AM
ALL LODGE OFFICERS WELCOME!!
TOPICS: Preparing the Senior Warden to Assume the East
Leadership in the Trenches
Lodge Growth Through Membership Recruitment
COST: $20.00 per person
TO REGISTER: CALL THE GRAND LODGE AT 317.634.7904