The Mission of the Scottish Rite Masonic Children's Learning Centers is to provide quality, state-of-the-art, remedial education ot children diagnosed as having dyslexia. In keeping with the commitment of 32º Masons to children in the community, this service is provided free of charge.
32º Scottish Rite Abbott Scholarship Program
In 1932, Supreme Inspector General Leon M. Abbott bequeathed additional funds to establish an Education and Charity Fund. The first Abbott Scholarship was awarded in 1951. For many years, the scholarships were presented to journalism students at select universites throughout the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. In 1984, it was voted to expand the scholarship program by awarding grants to children of Scottish Rite members and to young people active in the youth groups affiliated with the Masonic fraternity.
Annual Teddy Bear Classic Golf Tournament
In 1995, a group of Scottish Rite Masons, from the Valley of Boston, organized the first golf tournament fundraiser for the Greater Boston 32º Masonic Learning Center for Children.
The learning center was the brainchild of the late M.W. J. Phillip Berquist, 33º, MSA, Past Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, and Past Thrice Potent Master of Boston Lafayette Lodge of Perfection. Bros. Bob Johnston, Bill Manchester, Phil Berquist, and Phil Turner formed the first golf committee. The tournament was held at Juniper Hill Golf Course in Northborough, and established a tradition of fraternal fun, fellowship, and good sportsmanship.
The proceeds from the tournament were all aimed at supporting the cause of teaching children the skills neccessary to overcome the disorder of Dyslexia. Over the years the tournament has moved around to several venues; nevertheless, the "Teddy Bear" maintains its tradition of community support and as a valuable resource for children in the Greater Boston area.
Museum of Our National Heritage
The National Heritage Museum was founded by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States as a gift to the nation on our country's bicentennial. Located in Lexington, Massachusetts, it boasts one of the country's finest collections of material and artifacts related to the history of American Freemasonry and fraternalism. The Museum also collects decorative arts, documents, artifacts, photographs, and fine art related to American history-with particular attention to material related to Lexington around the time of the American Revolution. A schedule of changing exhibitions and programs, and virtual experiences, serve a broad audience.
The Van Gorden-Williams Library and Archives serves the Masonic community as a repository of the history of Freemasonry and as a research facility. It preserves Masonic and fraternal history in many formats, available to the public, to researchers, and to Masonic scholars. Its other major collecting area is American historical artifacts. Visit the website linked to above for more information.
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The Bodies of the Scottish Rite, sitting in the Valley of Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33°, of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America, whose Grand East is in Lexington, Massachusetts.