Operation Literacy is the third rendition of our continued support for the Grand Master of California's project. As the project changes so does our event.
The concept was originally started by our Inspector at Large Frank Lee. His idea was to have an event that would bring together the surrounding lodges in support of something and build cooperative efforts and teamwork between the lodges. Our first event started with Operation Heroes featuring a "Townhall" style meeting and a tribute to the then current Grand Master Ken Nagel's project to raise funds to send every World War II Veteran to Washington DC to see the National WWII Memorial.
After the success of Operation Heroes we turned our attention to Operation By Your Side, Chaired by Inspector John Channon, the committee themed Operation: By Your Side after Most Worshipful Bill Bray's project "By Your Side." A project which raised money to create a perpetual fund in order to provide scholarships to Oncology nurses and aid in the fight against cancer. This event was highly successful and for the first time in the History of California a masonic division had 100% participation.
The next project, Operation: Literacy, which was designed to bringing awareness to the nation's problem of illeritacy and to raise money to combat it through a program called "Raising a Reader" which focused on a reading relationship with parents and kids by providing them books and cirriculum to follow. For more information please visit Raising a Reader on the Grand Lodge of California's page.
This was followed up the next year with another Raising a Reader program.
This committee was proud to produce a DVD on the Cornerstone Ceremony providing a public relations tool as well as a teaching tool for those planning and participating in the ceremony.
In 2016, the committee produced a presentation focused on the development of Masonry and its celebration of 300 years of "modern masonry" .