Public Schools Month a Rousing Success!

by | May 15, 2016 | Special Events

During the month of April, Masons throughout California held festive celebrations to recognize the enduring importance of public education.

Public Schools Advisory Councils (PSACs) held Public Schools Month festivities at elementary schools in eight areas of the state, with record turnout. More than 500 people attended the celebrations, including more than 325 Masons. At each event, brothers and community members celebrated the fraternity’s charitable investment. This year, the fraternity’s statewide support of California public schools through award-winning child literacy and family engagement program Raising A Reader and the innovative Investment in Success Scholarship program totals more than $900,000.

Also notable about this year’s celebrations is that Grand Master M. David Perry made a special effort to personally attend every single one – from Sacramento to San Diego. “As I took part in each of the Public Schools Month celebrations, I was deeply impressed with our members’ passion for supporting public education, as well as by the heartfelt thanks that we received from local schools, districts, children, and parents, for the Masons’ generosity,” Perry says. “I am so proud of the work of our Public Schools Advisory Council members for their dedication and enduring commitment to promoting public schools on behalf of our fraternity.”

Attendees of the San Francisco celebration were particularly moved by one kindergarten student who bravely stood in front of the assembly to profess his thanks for the Raising A Reader program. “I love to read because it sparks my imagination,” he said.

At the Inland Empire celebration at Curtis Elementary School in Rialto, more than 85 people gathered to support the fraternity’s $85,000 regional investment. “Being able to personally see the impact of the Raising A Reader program in our public schools definitely made me proud to be a Mason,” says Jeff Anderson, past master and current candidate coach of Redlands Lodge No. 300 and a chair of the Inland Empire Public Schools Advisory Council. “I was able to visit the classrooms, see how this wonderful program works, and talk to children who have benefitted from it. I pray that we are able to extend this program to other schools and grade levels. We, as Masons, need to continue to support the Raising A Reader program through charitable giving from our lodges.”

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