medinahrecorder

How do you spell what we do as Shriners?

You might be asking yourself "Now what could that be?" Well, my Nobles it is "Fundraising". Over the past several years I have given audit seminars on an annual basis to the treasurers of our Units, Committees and Clubs. The liveliest topic of discussion is always about fundraising. In our world there are only two types, Fraternal & Charitable. Our forefathers have bestowed on us the legacy of caring for children to us in the form of 22 marvelous care centers that we call the Shriners Hospitals for Children. They have given us the “charge” to raise money to pay for child care. When we do, we call it Charitable Fundraising. If we do it for the good of the Shrine, we call it Fraternal Fundraising.

You now maybe asking, “What does all of that have to do with spelling?” Because we are regularly involved with fundraising, in one form or another, I think it’s only proper to spell this function properly. Is it two words or one? I know you have seen it both ways. Which is right? Well, consider the following definitions from the World English Dictionary on www.dictionary.com:

FUND – a reserve of money, etc, set aside for a certain purpose

RAISER – to increase in amount, size, value, etc: to raise prices

These words divided don’t seem to define what we are doing but together they fit like a glove.

FUNDRAISER – an event held to raise money for a cause.

AND together as Shriners we support our hospitals.

What an easy way to remember to bring those two words together when using them to describe what we are doing.

WE MAKE IT EASY!
We are always trying to make it easy for you to join us for the fun activities at Medinah. If you are reading this, you most certainly are one of the nobles who like to use his computer for more than posting your Facebook updates. That is why we have all of the Medinah events available to pay for by your credit card on your Medinah website. It is secure, it is safe, it is fast, and it is open 24/7. Go ahead and give it a try. You will receive a confirmation from the office of your purchase. Oh, did I mention you can also purchase a 600 Club ticket? Of course you can. If you'd like to see more items you can purchase through your website, please let me know.

MEDINAH HAS LEADERS
New rules for donations to Chicago Hospital are coming. You will be advised by your new Chairman of Donor Development, Frank Roth. Frank has been an active Shriner, a Trustee Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, past Chairman of our Investment and Budget Committees and past Chairman of our Chicago hospital. Frank is also a proven financial industry professional whose experience will clearly be invaluable. Jay R. Wilson is the Vice Chairman. Many of you know Jay from his present assignment as Investment Committee Chairman and former Vice Chairman of our Chicago Hospital where he is now an emeritus board member. These are two great individuals from Medinah who will be guiding the Donor Development Committee for all of your hospitals. It's not a surprise that the leadership chose nobles from Medinah. Be proud and if you get the chance, please congratulate them on their appointment.

Parades & Dues

To be involved with the many parades during the year a noble must have his dues paid for the current year. In fact, ALL nobles should have their dues paid for the current year but it is even more important for those who are in parades. The reason behind this comes down to one word… insurance. Medinah is paying for great insurance from a company who specializes in parades and Shrine activities. If a noble was to be injured or perhaps injure someone else during a parade, there could be some technicality about him not being a current member at the time of the incident. That is why we stress the importance of having each Unit head or Shrine Club President making sure that each of his members is current with their dues. If you’d like to find out about one of your members please contact the office.

Life Membership

Under 65 years of age plan
This is the plan for the younger man. There are 5 year and 3 year payment plans available. You can join at any time because your current dues payment will be counted.

Over the age of 65 plan
This plan is ½ the cost of the other plan. Maybe you are already a Blue Lodge Life Member and you’d like to be finished writing those annual checks.

Please contact the Recorder’s office for more details or go to www.medinah.org and look under “Forms”.

New Medinah Bylaws Approved
Nobles, the new bylaws NOW include a way for nobles 65 years old and older to become Life Members for ½ the cost as before. $820 is all it costs to become a Life Member of Medinah. That will take care of the Medinah Dues ($67) and the Per Capita ($15) that goes to Imperial. You will still owe the Hospital portion ($5) but you could easily take care of that by writing a check to Shriners Hospitals for Children for $150. Your donation to the hospital is tax deductible and you would then be dues free. If you have any questions please contact me and I’ll go over the details with you. For those under 65 years old the amount is $1640 and all the rest applies concerning the hospital.

Communication is the Key
Nobles, I know that many of you in various Units, Committees or Clubs are making plans for the next year and the one after. When selecting your key Leadership positions, it is very important to consider those individuals who will be and are good communicators. So many times, I hear nobles were unaware of meetings, events, parties or just good information they should know. Pick those nobles who are “plugged in” to the email, are not afraid to write a letter for mailing, communicate well at meetings and have the desire to get the word out. If your group is well informed you will also attract more members because your members will participate in more functions.

Rabbans Need Dates
Calling all Event Planners!! The Chief Rabban (he’s married) and Assistant Rabban are in the planning stages of the next two years (that’s 2011 & 2012 for those who like to see numbers). Your dates and plans are very important to them and of course to you. We like to post all future dates on the North Eastern Illinois Masonic Calendar. What is that?... you say! There is a link on Medinah.org and it lists most of the Masonic organizations in Illinois. It is a great tool for planning. Try it out today.

Shriners Village
Nobles, if you haven’t signed on to www.shrinersvillage please do so… you don’t know what you are missing. While you are on the site, locate the Membership tab and look for the Virtual Mentor Program on the left side of the Membership page. Please sign up to become a Virtual Mentor for Medinah. We need your help with the candidates who come through www.BeAShrinerNow.com.

Medinah.org Facelift
Our webmaster, Noble James Burke, has been busy revamping our web site to make navigation smoother and simpler. Please feel free to comment on the site by email or just give Jim a call.
 

AH, Yes, Spring!
Not only is it highway construction season but it's "get busy time" at the Shrine Center. The outside of your home needs some necessary work. Mother Nature is relentless and keeping ahead of her is a full time job. I have listed of few of the improvements.

Parking Lot Sealing
Medinah’s parking lot will be seal coated during the next several weeks. Please observe the directed parking in other areas. This will be the first time that our lot has had this done so your patience is needed until completion. 

Patio Maintenance
In several weeks our patios will be cleaned, re-sanded and sealed. Some of the Oasis regulars may see some of this work that will be done in stages. You'll notice a deeper richer color of the stone and it will be sealed against the elements thus slowing down the wear factor. 

Repairs Completed
On March 11th your Shrine Center had wind damage from a bad storm to the ceiling of the Portico. The repairs have been completed and we are waiting on the beauty rings with lenses for the lights underneath. The repairs created a small inconvenience to our members and rental guests.

***NOTICE***
No Old Invoices from Units, Committees and Clubs,
All invoices should be received in a timely manner as to not incur unnecessary expense from our accounting firm that does the Temple audits. Medinah’s fiscal year is based on the calendar year from January to December. All audits of Units, Committees and Clubs are based on the same fiscal year.

Please be advised that the Board of Directors has decided to give “Notice” that any and all invoices (e.g. Official Visits) received by the office in the next New Year will be considered too old to pay. Should anyone have questions regarding this policy please contact the Recorder.

Sunshine Fund
What is the Sunshine Fund? Well Nobles, it is a fund that was created to help other Nobles who are in need of assistance in paying their dues. The donated funds are from nobles and/or Units, Clubs or Committees who want to assist a brother noble in his time of need. If you’d like to donate to this fund please call the office. None of us want to lose a noble from our ranks during these troubled financial times.

The First Ladies Project
Pat’s project is Cleft Lip and Palate. If your Unit, Club or Committee is going to donate to this worthy cause please make your checks payable to Shriners Hospitals for Children. Making out your check in this manner is the easiest way to make sure that the monies get to the right place. You may also want to make a notation on the “Memo” portion of the check that says “Cleft Lip and Palate program”.

Check Those Dues Cards
Heads of the Units, Clubs and Committees should be checking to see if the members of your group are in possession of a current Medinah dues card. Why, you ask? Well, don’t you want to have all your members current if they are participating in your group? Besides, we have been advised by Imperial that if something should happen during a parade, there could be issues regarding insurance coverage.
 

DUES ON YOUR WEBSITE
Starting for 2010 all Medinah Nobles will be able to pay their dues on www.medinah.org. Yes, it is very secure. Yes, it’s easy & simple. When you receive your Dues Notice you can go to the web page and click on the button in the upper right hand corner. Follow the instructions and go to the checkout. If you have any questions regarding paying your dues on the website please call the office for help.

2010 FLYERS
Units, Shrine Clubs & Committees, this is just a reminder that any and all flyers must be reviewed and approved by the Recorder. Please submit them by email or drop them off in the office. You will get quick approval. Do not print up a large quantity before they are approved because you don’t want to do a reprint. Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Recorder.

Happy Holidays!

CLOSINGS
The office will be closed on July 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th. The Divan will be in San Antonio at the Imperial Session.
I will be checking my email on a daily basis but not as regular as if I were in the office.
The Oasis will also be closed on July 4th in observance of Independence Day.

NEW NOBLES
Welcome to the 156 new nobles that have joined Medinah this year. The average age of this group is 43 years old. This figure shows that our membership is getting younger. Please get involved because it’s the only way to have the most fun. New nobles mean new ideas. If you have an idea(s) for an activity or event the Recorder’s office is always ready to listen.

Many of the new nobles and ladies may have heard or read the word DIVAN and said “Who or what is that?” Simply put, the shrine Divan refers to the seven annually elected officers. They are: Potentate, Chief Rabban, Assistant Rabban, High Priest and Prophet, Oriental Guide, Treasurer and Recorder. The Captain of the Guard is an appointed position by the Potentate. You can see who those individuals are by going to the Medinah website at: www.medinah.org . When you are there you’ll also see the Recorder’s Journal. I try to post timely information to assist the members with their concerns.

Have a great summer and please join your fellow nobles at some of the events for some fellowship and fun.