Hanging Rock Chapter hereby applies for the Humanitarian Award. We have had several outstanding projects this year that we feel would qualify us for this:

We go out each fall and rake leaves for Masonic widows and elderly Masons. The number of lawns varies but we usually have several advisors and members working. This takes place on a Saturday morning at an uncivilly early hour. Last year we had four advisors and five members, working with two power blowers as two crews and devoting about 45 man-hours. We have a number for repeat customers, ladies who look forward to our coming and need our help. Some of the ladies do give "tips" to the chapter but the members receive nothing. One lady has so many trees she had quoted $500 by a lawn service to rake her leaves.

Also an annual event is helping Taylor Lodge to park cars on the front lawn of the Lodge for the Salem Fair. This involved 8 young men and 4 advisors for a total of about 36 hours of volunteer time. This could be considered Masonic Service but the Lodge uses all proceeds for charity - funding the Lodge Scholarship. Some years as much as $2000 is raised. The chapter gets a token gift - about $100 but the members get no personal remuneration.

We also worked at the Shrine Circus as we have every year since the chapter's formation. We sell programs, an aspect of the circus that had flagged into a money-loser until the youth took it over. We work with DeMolays from Roanoke Valley Chapter and Jobies. 10 Hanging Rock members and 3 advisors put in about 100 man hours at the Circus. We consider this "Humanitarian." The money earned at the circus technically goes to support the Shrine Center, not the Hospitals but the Shrine's perspective is that only by keeping the local Shrine Center strong can the charitable work at the Hospitals be accomplished. Moreover, there is a major public awareness factor of the Shrine charitable work that is heightened by the annual Shrine Circus. 100 hours is about the amount of time we consistently devote each year to this event with two of our members being consistently among the top three in sales.

At our Master Councilor's initiative we contributed $50 this year to the fund for the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy of April 2007. This hit close to home for our chapter as we have several members from the New River Valley and one Advisor, Mom Cole, who works at Virginia Tech.