(Chelsea Update would like to thank Dustin Suntheimer for the information and photos in this story.)
Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most notable presidents in American history and he was a Freemason.
In personal life, many of his actions were guided by the three principal tenets of Masonry – brotherly love, relief, and truth.
It is the topic of relief that I want to highlight today.
Olive Lodge #156 in Chelsea has been working in our community since its founding on Jan. 13, 1865. Our brothers have gone to war for this country, constructed buildings that still exist today, farm the local land, run businesses, have medical practices, law firms, and have been pillars of the community. We have also been providing relief to our community in many ways over the years.
Most recently, the men of Olive Lodge have been busy about town providing relief that will directly affect the families of Chelsea. During our meetings, we decided to do a couple of things that will help keep our town great. We made a $1,200 donation to the Chelsea Public Library to help fund the Summer Reading Program as a Gold Sponsor. These funds will help the library provide the valuable program to the children of Chelsea.
With the tenet of Relief still on our minds, our next donation went to Faith in Action, one of the most valuable resources in our town. With their mission of: “Providing essential support to alleviate the effects of hunger and poverty for those in the Dexter, Chelsea, and surrounding communities,” we know that our the funds will go for much needed assistance.
Finally, and certainly not least, Olive Lodge has created the Robert Taylor Memorial Scholarship available to students who enroll in a trades program at Washtenaw Community College. His estate donated $10,000 to build this scholarship to be used specifically to promote careers in the trades and for students in their last year of a program. Robert Taylor was a former President of Federal Screw Works and a lifelong Freemason. The scholarship will be administered through WCC.
As a sponsor and longtime supporter of Sounds and Sights, we will be out every week at our Lodge selling popcorn and talking about our lodge.
We encourage the men of Chelsea to come by and ask about what we do. In these busy times, men are looking for ways to give back to their community, to meet like minded people, and to be a part of something bigger. We have been here for over 157 years promoting the basic pillar of Freemasonry: Making Good Men Better. Come see what we can do for you.
