An Orillia organization dedicated to helping local charities is looking for a few good men…and women.
The Order of the Eastern Star’s Lily of the Valley chapter #141 in Orillia wants to boost membership to combat declining numbers as fewer younger members join the fold.
“I actually decided to join after attending my grandmother’s funeral,” said area resident Laura Welsh Cairns, who noted she was quite taken with a portion of her grandmother Doreen Welsh’s service four years ago that featured a touching ceremony by her Eastern Star friends.
“It was beautiful. My grandmother was a member because her father was a Mason. It seemed like she was always baking pies for some fundraiser or event," said Welsh Cairns.
The organization is the largest worldwide fraternal order to which Master Masons and their “female relatives” may belong while providing an opportunity to meet and enjoy social fellowship.
Welsh Cairns, who’s in her early thirties, decided to join about a year and a half ago. She really enjoys the camaraderie that’s a big part of the order.
“The women (today) were not joining organizations like this; like in the past generations,” she said. “From my perspective, I enjoy the closeness and everybody’s very supportive.
“It’s neat to be part of this culture and generation that I’m not overly exposed to," she said. "There’s a real sense of community. Nowadays, when you’re busy, you just get groceries and go home.”
Celebrating its 93rd anniversary this month, the local chapter holds a number of fund-raising events ranging from raffles and banquets to bazaars and special seasonal activities throughout the year.
While it is not a religion, a pamphlet outlining the order notes a member requires a “belief in the existence of a Supreme Being and encourages loyalty to one’s own beliefs, family, country and community.”
“The Order encourages a philosophy of life based on the virtues of fidelity, constancy, loyalty, faith, love and charity.”
In Ontario, the order that has 95 chapters with about 7,400 province-wide members contributes nearly $500,000 to a wide range of charities.
Sharon Baker, who currently serves as the local chapter’s Worthy Matron, has been involved with the order for nearly 40 years, having originally been part of the Hamilton chapter before joining the Orillia chapter in 2000.
“We have different chapters all over North America,” she said, emphasizing that for “a female to join, they have to be related to a Mason and that Mason has to be in good standing. Masons are strictly men. My father was a Mason.”
Baker said there are currently about 90 local chapter members with both men and women taking on leadership roles. But new members are needed.
“Every year, there’s a different Worthy Matron and a different Worthy Patron,” she said, noting the Lighthouse’s Building Hope campaign has been selected as the beneficiary of this year’s fundraising efforts by the local chapter.
“Any funds we earn, we don’t keep any of that money. Every penny goes into that project. We do a lot of community service. We also do a lot of dinners for the Masons during their special meetings," said Baker.
What makes it a little more challenging to recruit new members, according to Orillia Worthy Patron David Hauraney, is the stipulation that women must be either the daughter, wife, sister or otherwise related to a Mason.
“The whole idea of (creating) the Eastern Star was so that a Mason and his wife can go to a meeting together,” he said. “Women are allowed to join but have to have a Masonic affiliation. It isn’t as though we can take someone off the street.”
Hauraney, who has been a Mason since 1958 and joined Eastern Star in the 1990s, said the camaraderie is tough to beat.
“There’s always something happening, always something to talk about.”
