The Fourth Biennial National RiteCare Conference prepares care-giving partners to help children like Ben speak and communicate.

Robert, baby Tom, Ben, and Ann Paterson pause for a snapshot after speaking to the Brethren at a Stated Meeting to thank them for the treatment their son has received at the Denver Scottish Rite Language Disorders (RiteCare) Clinic.

On September 13 and 14, 2002, the Fourth Biennial National RiteCare Conference (originally the National Childhood Language Disorders Clinic and Learning Center Conference) will be held in St. Louis, Missouri. Hosted by Ill. Earl K. Dille, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Missouri, the conference will be held at the Frontenac Hilton Hotel in the suburbs of St. Louis.

The theme for this conference is "Planting the Seeds of Growth." The conference is built around four tracks to provide a range of educational opportunities for Clinic and Center staff members. The tracks will address Preschool Speech and Language, School-age Speech and Language, Dyslexia, and Clinic Management. Representatives from the Scottish Rite Northern Jurisdiction's Dyslexia Learning Center Program as well as the Missouri and Illinois Hearing and Speech Associations have been invited to attend. You are invited to contact Laura Rossmann at The Walker Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language Disorders of St. Louis, Inc. at 314-533-7415.

This national conference was previously held in Denver, Colorado (1996), Dallas, Texas (1998), and St. Petersburg, Florida (2000). The biennial conference offers an opportunity to share research, experience, and methodologies for the treatment of children with speech, language, and learning disorders. It also provides a venue for networking and sharing information about the Clinic, Center, and Program operations throughout the Southern Jurisdiction. The conference prepares care-giving partners in their mission of helping children like Ben communicate.

Four-year-old Ben is a boy who aspires to be President of the United States. Born partially paralyzed due to a stroke, Ben's ability to speak was severely affected. With the help of the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado and the therapy provided by the Department of Audiology, Speech Pathology, and Learning Services at The Children's Hospital in Denver, Ben is learning to communicate.

He tells people he can now make friends because he can talk. And make friends he does! This bright and outgoing youngster has been featured on a local Denver television news program as an example of the work of The Children's Hospital and the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado. When Ben attends his therapy sessions, he proudly announces, "I'm running for President!"

The RiteCare Program makes it possible for tens of thousands of children like Ben to lead successful, productive, and happy lives. Also, the Program gives all Scottish Rite Masons a reason not only to be proud of their Masonic heritage and affiliation but also to participate in a great philanthropy. The RiteCare Program puts our Masonic tenets into action. In the May 2002 issue of the Scottish Rite Journal, Ill. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander, gave special emphasis to this program of service when he said, "No other Masonic organization has dedicated its main philanthropic outreach to solving the single greatest problem of American children-the entire range of language and communication problems. More children in the United States suffer from these problems than from all other medical and orthopedic problems combined." Ten percent of children are at risk for some form of childhood language disorder. The magnitude of this problem is enormous. Our RiteCare Program provides assistance to whole generations of children to overcome speech and communication disorders. Untreated, these children would endure lives of frustration and social separation.

The cover photo of this Journal symbolically illustrates the great philanthropic work of our Order. The photo pictures Ill. Dwight A. Hamilton, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Colorado, sitting on the floor surrounded by children now receiving speech-language therapy at The Children's Hospital in Denver. This image is especially fitting at this time since the RiteCare Program will soon reach a momentous milestone. In February 2003, the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado and the entire Southern Jurisdiction will mark its 50th year of service to America's children. Since the RiteCare Program had its beginnings in Denver in 1953 at The Children's Hospital, a golden anniversary celebration will be held to commemorate this significant event.

In recognition of its first half century of service, the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado will establish, at The Children's Hospital, a $2.0 million endowed chair known as the Kelley Family/Schlessman Family Scottish Rite Masons Chair in Childhood Language Disorders. The Foundation is led by a seven-member Board of Trustees, presided over by the S.G.I.G. in Colorado. These dedicated Masons are ably assisted by Deborah Hayes, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Audiology, Speech Pathology, and Learning Services at The Children's Hospital. Utilizing an aggressive Long-range Plan and Strategic Development Plan, the Foundation recently established a web site, www.wingsofwords.org, which provides key facts for Masons, parents, and others seeking information about the RiteCare Program in Colorado.

As evidenced by the planning for this year's meeting, the conference should prove an important opportunity for the exchange of ideas about the treatment of children with speech, language, and learning disorders. Congratulations to the hard-working members of the Planning Committee and others involved in the 2002 Biennial National RiteCare Conference!

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Vernon B. Ingraham is the Executive Secretary of the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado, a Board Member and Secretary/Treasurer of the Colorado Masonic Foundation for Children, and the Chairman of the Grand Lodge of Colorado Public Schools Committee. A Past Venerable Master (2001) in the Valley of Denver, Ill. Ingraham is a Past Master (1993) of Rob Morris Lodge No. 92 and its current Treasurer. In 2001, he received the Grand Lodge of Colorado's Mason of the Year Award. He is a CPA and a retired Accounting Chief of the Federal and Indian Oil and Gas Royalty Accounting Program for the U.S. Department of the Interior.