Wow did we have a great February in Ohio DeMolay! I was very happy to see so many Brothers as well as Rainbows and Jobs at the Murder Mystery Banquet last month! I hope you all had a great time figuring out whodunit and enjoying the performances and antics of the who's who of Ohio DeMolay, Rainbow and Jobs.
We have a big month ahead of us with March. Spring is finally coming, I've already noticed that the snow filling in pot holes in the road is starting to melt. Coming up this month in the state is our Tri-Youth Overnighter at the Mansfield YMCA. I hope to see you all there, check out this link for the flyer. And don't forget about the DeMolay International Speech Competition. For more info on that check out this other link.
DON'T FORGET: you have to register with Dad Cohen for the Speech Competition. Registration info is available at the bottom of the Competition page on OhioDeMolay.org. I can't wait to see how you all can help Ohio DeMolay move forward and show DeMolay International that we're still be best jurisdiction of DeMolay in the world!
Tri-Youth Lock-In
March 14th-15th, 7:00pm - 7:00am
Mansfield YMCA
750 Scholl Road, Mansfield, OH 44907
$20 per person
Fee covers the pool from 7 - 10pm, full use of the YMCA all night long, plus pizza and pop. We'll have games, sports, food, and movies.
If you can bring snacks to share, feel free!!
All DeMolays, Jobs, and Rainbows (and their advisors) are welcome to join in the fun!!
DeMolay National Youth Speech Contest
Ohio Qualifier
When: Friday, March 14, 2008 (during the Tri-Youth Lock-In )
With it being cold outside all this month, there are very few things we can do as a fundraiser. Car washes are obviously out of the question because there will most likely be snow on the ground still. So, we need something simple, warm, and capable of making good money for our Chapters. There isn't a whole lot that we can do indoors in order to raise money during the winter months, so the fundraisers that we do must make us enough money to make it to the money-making summer months.
Recently, we held a spaghetti dinner for the firemen of our community and realized what a great fundraising opportunity. We put the dinner on for them as a public relations event with no cost to the firemen. When we finished with the event, we realized that each of the plates cost us approximately $2 or $3 per plate. We fed close to fifty firemen and ourselves on less than $150. So we proposed to have a spaghetti dinner and make our Chapter some money.
First, we advertised in our local papers, our Temple newsletter, and sent some letters to our sponsoring bodies to ensure plenty of people showed up.
We did this because, as everybody knows, the best way to get a good turnout for an event is through proper planning and advertising. In our letters and advertisements we asked for RSVPs so we could see how much food to get.
Next, we set a date on a Saturday afternoon to have the dinner and spent all day Friday preparing our food. For the dinner we decided to serve it ourselves and give each person a plate of spaghetti, sauce, and garlic bread. We decided to set our prices at $10 per plate to hopefully make money rather than lose it.
Finally, the day came. We had over 75 people show up for it, making $750, then took the $150 out for the cost of the food and we made close to $600.
Over all, it was simple, cheap, and we made plenty of money. So, think about spaghetti the next time you think fundraisers and you will not be disappointed.
From The Station In The South...
Retaining Members by Sean Shuler, SJC
Hello Brethren,
I hope all of your chapters are doing well after the annual insurance bills came in.I know in my home chapter of Medina, it was difficult to raise funds to pay insurance for many brothers who have become inactive in our chapter.You see we have 55 members on our roster, but only 15 or so are active.Wouldn't it be awesome if we had close to 100% active members?Of Course!So, how do we achieve that?I'm glad you asked!DeMolay International has a new guide called "The Light of Knowledge Mentoring Guide".This guide takes you step by step through a program that will help your chapter to keep the interest of every member. All you have to do is follow it.Check it out at the following address: http://universe.demolay.org/guides/.
If we use this program in our chapters we can double our attendance at our state functions and double our active members who are spreading the word about DeMolay.I encourage you to work with your Master Councilor and Advisory Council and put this plan into action.
Monthly Membership Moment
Tim Williams, State Membership Chairman
My Brothers, this is a very exciting time for membership in not only Ohio DeMolay, but for DeMolay International as well. I'm currently traveling all over the 1st District and as much of the state as possible trying to conjure up incentives for DeMolays such as yourself that would make recruiting new candidates a little easier and way more enjoyable. If anyone would like their voice to be heard on their own views of "membership incentives", please don't hesitate to call me at (419) 708-6889. I'm hoping that by the next eConnection, there will be word of a new membership plan for Ohio DeMolay.
It is very important that we try to expand this great fraternity to the best of our ability. Back in history, one of the oldest forms of Christianity was Catholicism. Not very many people are aware that for a time period of over 500 years the early priests and monks were being killed and persecuted for their belief. In Europe many people were pagan and did what they could to destroy Catholicism. Monasteries were robbed and destroyed; the barbarians were killing off as many Christians as they could.
The point to my history lesson of the day is this; the monks and priests were never even persuaded to change their beliefs. The church had continued to grow as their beliefs grew stronger. If we do what our ritual says and perpetuate DeMolay into our everyday lives, and stand strong for our beliefs, as history has taught us, our great order will flourish.
So I leave you with this, enjoy your time in DeMolay, make as many of your friends your new brothers and realize that any potential that this organization will ever have all starts with you!
Looking Ahead
Do you want a hand in shaping the future of Ohio DeMolay? Are you ready to step into a leadership role and work with some of the most talented and dedicated DeMolays around? Would you like to make new life-long friends, and serve your Brothers all around this great state? If so, you are invited to apply to become a member of the 2008-9 Ohio State Council.
Each District has a unique procedure to approve its State Officer candidates. Please contact your Chapter advisors or District Governor for details. Successful applicants will be notified later in the year.
Don't delay, as completed (and fully approved) applications are due to Dad Lowe by April 1
Upcoming Events
State Dodgeball Day
April 19, 2008
Perry Field House
801 N. Mercer Road, Bowling Green, OH 43403
Price: $10.00 per person
Registration begins at 11:00 and the games start at noon.
This is an adjudicated, regulation Dodgeball with teams of five.
There will be a parade, a re-enactment of the laying of the Ohio Statehouse cornerstone, and then a trip to the Ohio Historical Village for lunch. Ohio DeMolay will be participating to show our support for Freemasonry. Stay tuned for more details, but we want every Chapter in Ohio to be represented. Our registration is due by May 15, so we'll be putting out information as soon as we have it. We also hope to have a fun event on the Friday night before for anybody who is coming into town early. Stay tuned!!
This year's Conclave will be like no other in our history. Friday morning we'll head to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Friday night is "DeMolay Night" with the Akron Aeros. We'll be presenting all 50 state flags and throwing out the first pitch to start the game. It's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This will be the Ohio DeMolay Hall of Fame Induction for former Ohio Executive Officer Dad Gene Loose and a reception for the Grand Master of DeMolay International who at that time will be our own former Ohio Executive Officer Dad C. Michael Watson. The event is being held at Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark.
Overnight accommodations will be available and the final information on times, cost of meals, overnight stay cost, etc. will be announced soon.
DeMolay Calendar
Upcoming events in a nutshell
March 14-15 - Tri-Youth Lock-In & Speech Competition, Mansfield YMCA
March 18 - Legion of Honor Observance
April 19 - State Dodgeball, Bowling Green State University
May 10 - SMC Reception & Tadmor Youth Dance, Akron
May 18 - State Devotional Day, Ohio Masonic Home, Springfield
May 23-26 - Ohio DeMolay Leaders of Excellence (ODLE), Akron
June 14 - Statewide Initiation & Canoeing, Akron
June 21 - Ohio Freemasonry's 200th anniversary celebration
July 17-20 - Conclave, Canton
August 2 - Grand Master Watson's Reception, Ohio Hall of Fame Banquet
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