May 21, 2024 | Potentate's Message
May is upon us, and I am happy to say spring has finally sprung. I hope you all enjoyed the eclipse; I know for our family it was uneventful due to the cloud cover. April was a busy month. April 1 was the Dyngus Day Parade – thanks to those who were able to attend. April 9 I had the honor of attending the Gowanda Shrine Club meeting; the Divan along with PP Doug Blajszczak, PP Don Holben, PP Gary Crewson, PP Earl Knauss, & John Markuse traveled to Erie Hospital and presented them with checks totaling $5500.00 for their “Timmy’s Day Out” program. The donation was made possible thanks in part to the Directors staff, the Lockport Shrine Club, the Oasis, and the fish fry wait-staff tip money. The NYOSA conference was April 19-21 and was attended by Chief Rabban James Mirusso and Lady Sue, High Priest and Prophet Ted Clark and Lady Kary, PP Doug Blajszczak, Lady Janet Lachut, & PP Michael Hackford and Lady Kimberly. I unfortunately could not at- tend the spring session as I was recovering from oral surgery. I was however able to represent lsmailia by attending the Lockport Triangles Beloved Queens installation on Saturday April 20. It was an honor to be there and see our Chaplain Brian Ar- cand’s daughter Zooey get installed as Beloved Queen. Zooey chose Sleep in Heavenly Peace as her charity which provides beds and bedding to underprivileged youth across the country, so next time you see Zooey volunteering at the shrine whether it is bussing tables or helping at the Feztival of trees please be sure to con- gratulate her. April 26, I attended the OES Grand Matron and Patron visit to the Niagara Orleans District, and rounding out April was the Rameses Potentates Ball on April 27. Congratulations to Illustrious Sir John Domonkos and Lady Elizabeth. There are quite a few happenings in the coming month. May 8 is our stated session, May 10 is our spring ceremonial – please come and welcome our new nobles and bring your families if you are so inclined. May 18 is the Terry Buchwald concert, and lastly Memorial Day weekend looks to be an extremely busy one this year. May 24 and 25 – not only is there the Amish Relief Auction in the Conewango Valley but there is also the bluegrass feztival to benefit Erie Hospital at the Chautauqua County fairgrounds in Dunkirk. Please if you are able come and attend. Wear your Fez and show your support; the music will run from 5-10 on Friday and 1-10 on Saturday. That weekend is also full of parades across Western NY that our various shrine clubs and units will be participating in. One quick housekeeping item: please if you go into the back garage for any reason make sure the garage door closes before you leave. We have had way too many instances of late where the garage has been found wide open early in the morning, the last time being Friday April 19. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the amazing moms who read this a very Happy Mother’s Day. May your day be filled with love and relaxation. Lastly St. Johns Day weekend is June 20-23 and Deputy Grand Master Steven Adam Rubin has asked for Shriners to be there to march. Not only has he asked for Shriners but he is requesting anyone who has a mini car or is a clown to come and participate. Once I have more specifics I will let you know.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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Apr 21, 2024 | Potentate's Message
Well, it’s now April – where has the time gone? The year is moving at a fevered pace, the fish fries were a success and as always it takes a lot of volunteers, and I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who have volunteered in the kitchen, dining room, and selling basket raffle tickets. All your help is greatly appreciated by all. This past weekend was the sportsman show at the Erie County fairgrounds and we sold close to 100 tickets. A special thanks goes out to Michael Hackford, Don Holben, Richard Mix, Greg Wolf, Christian and Dick Henderson, Tim Noll, Ted Clark, and my wife Lady Suzanne for manning the booth and selling tickets. Tickets for the sportsman raffle are currently available in the shrine office. Tickets for our annual jewelry raffle are also available in the shrine office. This year there are 23 items on the ticket including 2 gift cards one of which is for $500 donated by Robertson and Bach Jewelers; thank you Bob Robertson and Roxanne O’Malley for your donation. On May 18 Terry Buchwald will be performing at lsmailia and the directors will be selling food for the event. July 20 is my potentate’s reception which will be a Hawaiian themed party that will be a casual affair featuring a pig roast, brisket and some smoked chicken. Now onto some housekeeping: after consulting with our insurance agents, it has been determined that the use of shrine vehicles should be reserved for official shrine business and the transportation of patients to and from the hospitals. With that said we are always in need of “roadrunners” to trans- port our patients. If you have some spare time and are interested in doing so please get your name, date of birth, and drivers license info to the shrine office and Charlie Turner so your name can be given to our insurance company. Thanks to the tips that were received from the fish fries we purchased 2 changing tables for the bathrooms, 1 of which has already been placed in the ladies room, the second will be placed in the men’s room before you read this note. Also, I was notified the other day by the chairman of the Erie hospital board that April 17 the board will be recognizing lsmailia at their monthly board meeting. I plan on attending the meeting – hopefully we can have a good showing from lsmailia. Lastly, I would like to wish PP Ron Bigger and Lady Rita good fortune as the embark on their next chapter and relocate to the St. Louis Missouri area later this month; God speed and good fortune Ron and Rita.
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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Mar 21, 2024 | Potentate's Message
First I would like to start off by congratulating out- going LoH commander Robin Gradle on his successful year and congratulate Ill. Sir Doug Foss on his installation as commander of the lsmailia Legion of Honor. The Passing of the Gavel was held on February 3 and we had multiple dignitaries in town for it including the IALOH commander, 1st Lt. Commander, and the GLSA 2nd LT commander. Also in attendance was a LoH contingent from Mocha Shriners in London Ontario Canada. The food, camaraderie, and the installation were excellent. Secondly some of you may have seen that during our last snowstorm, the weight of the snow destroyed our shelter over the BBQ pit. All the metal roofing has been salvaged by Richard Mix and we will start looking to see what parts of the structure can be salvaged so we can rebuild it better and stronger than before. The meat raffle was held on February 24 and I am sure as always a good time was had by all.
Lenten Fish fries kicked off on Ash Wednesday which also happened to be Valentine’s Day and will continue every Friday through March 29. If you are looking for a way to get involved, volunteering at fish fries is a good way. We have multiple fundraisers starting up again including a quilt raffle and daily numbers. Sportsman raffle tickets are also available in the office. This year we are trying something new – the tickets are still going to be $20 each, but we are also offering 6 for $100.00. Tickets for the $10,000.00 drawing are still available and the drawing will be held on March 23. March 8-10 is the WNY Sportsman expo @ the Erie County fairgrounds and we could use some help there selling sportsman raffle tickets as well as raffle tickets for a crossbow. April 19 – 21 is the spring NYOSA conference in Saratoga Springs, NY and lastly if you have young boys in your family ages 12-21 please con- sider involving them in DeMolay. There are currently 5 chapters in WNY (Lockport, Fredonia, West Seneca, Olean, and Amherst). If you have younger boys age 9-12 they can be involved in the DeMolay Squire program and don’t worry if you have young ladies in your household – there is the Organization of Triangle which is for young ladies ages 10-21 and they have a “Rosebud” program for girls under 10.
Also you will see an ad in this month’s Smile for DaPinchy’s landscaping. DaPinchy’s is owned by Jeromy Michael Stacey. Jeromy is one of our Shrine patients who lost his hands in August of 1998 when he was 9 years old. He was electrocuted by high voltage wires. He spent 3 months in the burn unit in Cincinnati before being able to go home. Now Jeromy runs a business and is an avid outdoorsman. This year he harvested a trophy buck. So if you have any landscaping needs please consider giving Jeromy a call.
As always thank you for your support and thank you for being a Shriner!!!
Fraternally, Mike P. Ferraro
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Jan 1, 2024 | Potentate's Message
Nobles, Ladies, Families, & Friends:
I would like to start this off by thanking and congratulating Illustrious Sir. Ron Bigger and Lady Rita on a very successful year and wish them well with all their future plans. I would also like to thank the love of my life, Lady Suzanne and my pride and joy, my son Joseph for all their love and support because, without our significant others and our families we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do to help our Shrine kids. I also want to congratulate our elected Divan Chief Rabban Noble Jim Mirusso, Assistant Rabban Noble Jay Godios, High Priest & Prophet Noble Ted Clark, Oriental Guide Noble Justin Brown, Treasurer Ill. David Freund, and Treasurer Ill. Joe Hoerner.
This year is going to be about doing “more in ’24” and what I mean by that is more fun, more fellowship, more family, and more growth with an emphasis on fun. There are quite a few events planned for this year and I am hoping most of them will be family friendly. The Potentate’s reception in July will be casual and we will have activities and food for the kids, so please bring them.
To our newer Nobles and your families, if you are looking for a way to get involved, please consider coming and helping out in the Oasis. Our Lenten fish fries are fast approaching. They start on February 14, 2024 and will continue every Friday through Lent. We could always use help in the kitchen and in the dining room there is always plenty to do. Also consider coming and helping at our chicken or rib BBQs. The fellowship is second to none. Same goes for one of the many raffles that we have going on throughout the year, the first being the meat raffle on Saturday February 24. Please reach out to anyone of the Divan or the office if you are interested in helping. If you are looking for a way for your kids to get involved in our greater Masonic family, please consider enrolling your sons ages 12-21 in a DeMolay chapter. There are 5 currently in WNY: Olean, Fredonia, West Seneca, Amherst, and Lockport; or for your daughters ages 10-21 there is Triangle and there are 2 of those chapters in WNY: 1 in Amherst, the other in Akron. Both are fantastic. DeMolay offers the Squires program for boys ages 9-12 and Triangle has Rosebuds for ages 5-9.
In conclusion I would like to thank the Nobility, the Divan, and all our Shrine Ladies and families for all their support and encouragement over the last few years. It has been greatly appreciated. A special thank you to the Lockport Shrine Club for all their support, especially to Joe Daniels, Peter Stein, and Richard Lugo who started me on my Shrine adventure.
Fraternally,
Mike P. Ferraro
Jan 4, 2023 | News
Fellowship at its best to support the children and families in need.Ismailia Shriners Chief Rabban, Michael Ferraro, (left) presenting Media Shriners Potentate David Riggons (center) and Potentate elect Peter Payne (right) with a check for $5000.00 for their travel fund from the Ismailia travel fund.
Jul 30, 2022 | Announcements
The new My FezCard Viewer app gives members immediate access to their digital membership card on their smartphone without the need to carry a paper card. It also includes a unique QR code that allows members to check in at their temple, club or unit, earn points, enter raffles and more.
The digital membership card has also been newly redesigned. Effective in August 2022, members who pay their 2023 dues will have immediate access to their newly redesigned black digital membership card.
How to Download/Use the app
Download from Apple Store
Download from Google Play
Apr 4, 2022 | Announcements
Shriners Children’s has a new phone app to check your child’s spine for possible signs of scoliosis. You can download from the app store on your phone.
Developed by the orthopaedic specialists at Shriners Hospitals for Children®, SpineScreen gives parents a quick, informal way to regularly monitor their child’s spine. And, it’s easy to use! Simply move your smartphone along your child’s spine and SpineScreen detects any abnormal curves.
Please download, check your child, and share with others!
Feb 28, 2022 | Announcements
For the first time ever, Nobles and members of appendant Masonic bodies will have the opportunity to enhance their membership and marketing skills all at one event!
Gain valuable knowledge to bring back home to your temple, club, unit or lodge.
Join us at the Membership & Marketing in-person conference in an all-new city and venue for a destination education experience you won’t forget!
Room reservation deadline is Feb 25.
See you in Grapevine! https://bit.ly/3t269iJ
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Dec 16, 2021 | Announcements
Sep 15, 2021 | Uncategorized
TO: All Members of Shriners International
FROM: William S. Bailey, Imperial Potentate, Shriners International
RE: COVID-19 Vaccine Policy
Dear Fellow Nobles,
I want to share with you a very important development affecting Shriners Hospitals for Children. Last week the Joint Boards approved a policy requiring nearly everyone in our health care organization to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This requirement aligns us with many health care organizations around the United States and Canada as well as the recently announced federal mandate. Most of all, it is an extension of our mission: To improve the lives of children.
The requirement affects not only our health care providers and staff of Shriners Hospitals for Children and Shriners International, but also all contractors, vendors and volunteers. Many nobles give generously of their time and energy to make Shriners Hospitals for Children the unique place that it is.
As a one of the largest and most beloved specialty health care systems in the world, Shriners Hospitals for Children cares for one of the most vulnerable populations: children. Many of our patients have serious underlying conditions that put them in high risk categories; more are ineligible for vaccines because of their age. Shriners Hospitals for Children has always put the needs of our patients first.
With the recent FDA approval of the Pfizer product, we know that a safe and effective vaccine exists. FDA approval of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines is expected soon. Science has shown that overwhelmingly, these vaccines protect people from hospitalization, ICU-level care and death. For everyone’s safety, our Joint Boards did not take a vaccine requirement policy under consideration until FDA approval was granted. They then initiated a thorough and deliberative process to determine the appropriate course of action for our organization. Through this process, it became clear: Creating a fully vaccinated space is part of our obligation to our patients and to one another.
Who will be affected?
Simply put, all of us, because we are all part owners of our health care system. Everyone at every Shriners Hospitals for Children location in the United States and Canada, including Headquarters, must comply with the policy. All employees, contract employees, vendors, and volunteers who enter a building owned and/or operated by Shriners Children’s are required to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
At this time, the policy does not include our Mexico location, because the vaccine is not currently readily available to all in Mexico.
Please note, the policy does apply to volunteers, including our Shriners family. Your contributions to the health and well-being of our patients is immeasurable, and we hope that all our nobles who volunteer will be able to continue those efforts.
While nobles who don’t get vaccinated (or get an approved exemption) won’t be able to enter the health care system buildings, volunteer or interact with patients, there remain many ways that they can support their temple and the health care system. In fact, those efforts become even more important.
When does the policy take effect?
Everyone must be fully vaccinated or have appropriate approved exemption forms by December 6.
What if I don’t want or can’t get the vaccination?
It is a requirement of employment or volunteering with Shriners Hospitals for Children that all eligible persons be fully vaccinated. Those few who receive exemptions will be required to follow strict protocols that are anticipated to include masking with a special N95 mask and COVID testing.
The health care landscape and the global pandemic situation are both changing rapidly. As our policies evolve, so too are federal, state and provincial, and local requirements. Our policy could need to be updated or accelerated in order to remain in compliance with regulations.
The support of the fraternity’s nobility has always been critical to the success of Shriners Hospitals for Children. That has been especially true as we have navigated this pandemic. Together, we will continue to put the well-being of the children first and provide hope and healing to families across the globe.
Yours in the faith,
William S. “Bill” Bailey
Imperial Potentate
Shriners International
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