Left to right: Val Brahm, Santa Rita Lodge representative, Masonic Charities Coordinator Rev. Earseye Ross, Silver City Member Bruce Tolhurst, and Hurley Master Robert Baker pose after the morning shift of helping Grant County children have a better Christmas.Saturday, Dec. 10, Grant County Masons from the four Lodges in the County, with the assistance of some of their wives and other helpers, invited 110 Grant County children to shop for the Holidays. $110.00 in funds were allocated for each child, chosen by the local Grant County School nurses as those in need. All the family's children were invited, with some as young as 6 months, receiving the same amount.

This annual event, titled "Clothe A Child," is sponsored by Grant County Masonic Relief, which is made up of the Hurley, Mimbres, Santa Rita, and Silver City Masonic Lodges. Each year the respective Lodges have fundraisers, in combination with donations from their members and others, to support this charitable activity, which is but one of the many ways the Lodges support our community.

Masons (members of Freemasonry) are the initial starting point for the entire Masonic "Appendant Bodies," i.e. you have to be a Mason in good standing to belong to the Shriners, Knights Templar, Scottish Rite, Order of the Eastern Star (OES), and others, all of which make charity their primary effort. For additional information on this activity and others, or information regarding Masonic Lodges, please contact a Mason near you or call Bob Baker at 575-538-8561.