California masons’ partnership with raising a reader has brought crucial literacy training to nearly 600 classrooms – and we’re not close to done yet!
Every day in underresourced public school classrooms throughout California, young children are struggling to read. The majority – up to 95 percent – don’t have a single book at home. For these children, the letters on the page seem foreign; what they represent is opaque. And if the children can’t achieve literacy by third grade, their chances for educational success are grim. When compared to their peers who are academically on track, impoverished children who cannot read at grade level by third grade are 13 times less likely to graduate from high school.
These alarming statistics are at the crux of the California Masonic Foundation’s partnership with Raising A Reader (RAR), a nationally recognized leader in early childhood literacy. RAR provides children with high-quality books, teaches their parents the importance of reading at home – and how to begin – and connects families with local public libraries for a lifetime of learning.
RAR works. In the 448 California classrooms that have benefitted from our partnership so far, educators have seen dramatic improvements in test scores, comprehension, and family engagement. Our RAR schools have 42 percent more students reading at grade level than those without the program – after participating just a single year.
Deborah Hoffman, a Head Start teacher who works with RAR families in the Coachella Valley, has seen this impact first hand. “When I have done home visits I have found that there’s a great need for books in the homes. With technology now, you don’t see a lot of books,” she says in a recent interview with CBS News. “This is a fabulous program.”
Recent research by United Way of the Desert corroborates her praise, noting that RAR has been able to successfully impact the region’s most economically disadvantaged students.
“I’ve had kids come back to me two or three years later and they’ll say, ‘Ms. Hoffman, I remember that book, when we read ‘Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.’ It’s like wow, I really made a difference. They remember reading those books.”
Perhaps Sabrina Hijazi, mother of an RAR student says it best: “Without reading you don’t have anything else to begin with. It’s fundamental and a building block to anything.”
California Masons are making a profound difference in the lives of families who need us most. And, by working together, we are capable of reaching so many more.
Watch a video about Raising A Reader’s impact in the Coachella Valley.
This is a group that loves an excuse to get together. At each stated meeting, the old opera house where the lodge meets is brimming with the three youth orders and allied Masonic groups, not to mention kids and grandkids. “You can see just by looking at the sidelines: Friendship and family are embedded in this lodge,” says Master Mark Allen. “These relationships are what attract brothers to our lodge, and keep them coming back. They’re what’s truly important and essential in Masonry.”
In the 1880s, Frederick Dorn was a San Luis Obispo district attorney, master of King David’s Lodge, and member of the Odd Fellows. He fell in love with Cora Belle Russell, the daughter of a fellow Freemason whose family was known for its wealth and influence. They seemed like a golden couple, andwere married in 1890 by a noted minister, Reverend Russell Weeks Summers of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
“It’s all in the name of Masonry,” says Isagulyan, who is the current lodge secretary. He explains that one of the main reasons for forming this lodge was to bring the fire back to the community, creating sparks of positivity that would effect far-reaching change on a local level, as well as in the world beyond. “We wanted to start creating action to benefit society more,” he says. “We’ve been very passive lately… as a society, and within Masonry.” Fellow members echo Isagulyan’s passion and commitment. They agree that Masonry has made them better men and they hope to see the lodge better their community.
One way that the brothers have been able to see and feel the impact of their work is through their immediate community of friends, family, and local public schools. Raven’s Rock Lodge is predominantly Armenian, which is more a matter of location than intention. Most of its members live in Glendale, a city with one of the largest populations of people of Armenian descent in the United States. The lodge welcomes people of all ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Its international and local membership includes brothers who maintain memberships in other lodges, as well. Without negating the benefits of such diversity, having so many members living in the same city is a strong suit; it makes it easy for brothers to witness their efforts at the end of the day.
Take an awe-inspiring tour of John Russell Pope’s breathtaking architecture, including the two 17-ton sphinxes that adorn the building’s entrance and the magnificent dome ceiling of the Temple Room, which soars 100 feet above the altar. You’ll also be dazzled by a good amount of Masonic memorabilia in the mini-exhibits throughout the interior.
This impressive Masonic temple was built in 1873 and serves as the meeting place of the Grand Lodge of New York. Among its 15 immaculately restored event spaces are the fresco-embellished Renaissance Room and star-adorned Gothic Room. Its 14th floor houses the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library and Museum, which includes more than 60,000 volumes detailing Masonic history, philosophy, and symbolism.
Constructed in 1873, it is filled with intricate ornamentation representing Masonic philosophy, symbolism, values, and history. Its museum counts among its many treasures the Masonic apron worn by United States President George Washington in the 18th century. Take a selfie with the bigger-than-life bronze statues of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in front of the building.
You can’t miss it – its architecture and interior garden sets it apart from its surroundings. Cool down from the hot sun with a tour of the lovely Alhambra Theater and more.
