C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander

As spring rains bring new life to the earth, our Order's RiteCare Program* offers growth, opportunity, and happiness to America's children

Washington is beautiful at this time of year. The gentle spring rains come frequently. The parks are filled with trees showing the bright green of new leaves. Around the Tidal Basin, the cherry trees are blooming, and the rains of April wash the gray of winter from the grand granite buildings of our nation's capital. If the showers are sometimes inconvenient, no one really minds. The gifts they bring are far more valuable than the inconvenience they may cause. There is a lesson in the rain. The trees and flowers are not self-sufficient. If you plant a seed and fail to water it, it may sprout, but it will also quickly perish. A sturdy tree or a beautiful flower must come from a good seed, but it can only reach its full potential in the presence of things outside itself-good soil, enough water, and warm temperature.

Children are like that. They need continued nurturing, unfailing assistance, and sustained love. These qualities are exactly what our RiteCare Program* provides. In 161 Clinics, Centers, and Programs in 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, 57,413 children (1999-2000 statistics) received diagnosis or treatment for speech, language, and literacy. Also, the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite now has 38 clinics, and Canada is currently working to establish a similar network of clinical services for children.

An individual may brag he is "self-made." Another may take pride that "nobody helped me." But that is seldom true. The successful person, if he or she is really honest, will think of a good teacher or friend who helped at some critical moment. Others credit their parents. The RiteCare Program does exactly that-it sets a child on a clear path to personal accomplishment and happiness. Each Scottish Rite Brother who contributes to this great work of our Order is, in effect, a loving parent providing essential assistance to a child in need, a child who will forever be changed for the better.

Such philanthropic acts form the essence of our Rite. We give each other and those we contact a context in which to grow. Albert Pike writes that it pleased God to make man a social creature. While all of us feel the need to "get away from everything and everyone" from time to time, this is essentially a selfish motivation. In fact, very few of us would choose to live truly solitary lives. Like the seed, we and the children we serve through the RiteCare Program need things outside ourselves to grow and flourish. Our philanthropies are important and meet critical needs. Seldom can Brethren effect more good than when they contribute to a fund-raiser for a Valley's RiteCare Clinic or work as a volunteer to help America's children in a RiteCare facility. I honor and salute them, and I am pleased to introduce this special April philanthropy issue of the Scottish Rite Journal. In these pages, you will see the good work of our Order's RiteCare Clinics, Centers, and Programs. I hope these articles and testimonials will strengthen your dedication to our Fraternity and its main philanthropy.

Fraternalism is truly the April shower of Masonry. It brings growth and new life to us all as well as to the children we serve. It is a quiet pleasure to stand for a moment in the warm spring rain.

* RiteCare Program is the newly approved name to describe the Scottish Rite's Childhood Language Disorders Program. A new logo was accepted unanimously by members of the Supreme Council voting at the Bicentennial Biennial Session in Charleston, S.C. The phrasing "Scottish Rite Masons Helping Children Communicate" was added to clarify the meaning of RiteCare. The legal procedure for receiving trademark registration for the logo are moving forward. Voluntary use of the new logo by all Scottish Rite Valleys, Centers, Clinics, and Programs on relevant stationery, publications, news stories, and signage is recommended. See the article "RiteCare, A New Name for a New Century of Service."