Brothers: January-March 2012 Testleboard as a PDF

It is, truly, an honor to be speaking to you from the East. I would like to thank those brothers, who have volunteered to serve Columbia Lodge this year. Your hard work and dedication makes our Lodge great. I am excited to report that there are many things in the works for 2012, both behind the scenes and within the community.

We have two important items, currently in progress that will be completed this year. The first is the establishment of the Columbia Lodge Scholarship Fund. Chairman, Louis “Skip” House, is extremely close to formally establishing the Fund with the Office of the Secretary of State. After several years of raising money for this venture, we will finally be able to put together its Board of Directors and work towards awarding its first scholarship in 2012!

The other item is the status of Columbia Lodge as a tax-exempt organization. We are, or have the right to be, tax-exempt because of our charity work. This allows us to do a variety of things, which I won't get into here. This is an extremely important part of our existence & we discovered, in 2011, that our exemption had lapsed. The sudden passing of WB Robert W. Flint further complicated things, as he would have been our main resource for investigating the issue. However, thanks to the tireless efforts of Bro. Flint's successor, Walter Grube & some assistance from the Grand Lodge, we will regain our tax-exemption in 2012 with minimal ramifications due to its lapse. Believe me when I say, brothers, that this is no small feat.

A new committee has been established to assist the Lodge in its efforts to contribute to the town of Glastonbury & its citizens. The Community Action Committee, chaired by Junior Deacon, David Kinney, has been charged with actively seeking out service opportunities for the Lodge, no matter how small. Over the past several years, our participation in the community has dropped off. This committee was formed to remedy that, as we are a service oriented organization. I am pleased to say that the committee has already begun to perform! We assisted MARC, Inc. of Manchester with refurbishment of their facilities back in mid-October & beginning in the spring, Columbia Lodge will sponsor a team with the Glastonbury Little League. Both parties are very excited about the partnership. If you know of any service opportunities, please contact Brother Kinney.

A number of other programs are also in development to better the Lodge and its members, specifically the officers and brothers who are going through the degrees. As I said, it is going to be an exciting year. If you should find yourself in either a position of need or in a position to help, PLEASE do not hesitate to call an officer. We are all brothers & that is what we are here for.

Fraternally, Michael