March 21, 2009 - ADOPT A STREET

Shortly after becoming Worshipful Master, it was brought to my attention that the Lodge had adapted a street but had not tended to it in quite some time. The "Adopt-a-Street" program is commonly found in the States whereby an organization agrees to periodically pickup debris along the road. In exchange, your organization is well recognized as the sponsor of the street. Basically, it's a win-win situation for everyone involved; the city gets a clean street, and your organization gets public recognition.

In our case, someone had signed up the Lodge a few years ago to adopt the same street where the Lodge is located. Unfortunately, the Lodge had forgotten about it over time and had neglected the street. In looking over the rules of the program, I discovered the organization must periodically clean the street or lose their recognition. Consequently, I scheduled a cleanup which we did on Saturday.

To motivate the Craft, I volunteered to feed them breakfast at the Lodge early in the morning (8:00am). I was fortunate to get eight Brothers to come forward to help out. After breakfast, I distributed safety vests and garbage bags. Most of the Brethren also wore a hat or shirt with the square and compasses for P.R. purposes. We had one Brother volunteer as the taxi driver and deposited Brothers on the opposite ends of the road. The whole project took about an hour.

From my perspective, it was a great event. In addition to some Brotherly camaraderie, the public saw the Masons in action, and the street was cleaned. I am hoping to continue this program either every other month or on a quarterly basis.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"