Promises Matter in Action

On July 4, 1971, a Brother and his wife bought their home in Edmond. There they raised their family, and there they still live.

On February 13, 1993, the Brother had a stroke, resulting in a lost of function of his left arm and hand. On January 22, 2008, his wife had to have surgery on her knee. As if that were not enough, the next month, it was discovered that gangrene had developed in the Brother’s right leg, and it had to be amputated. In May, his wife had to have surgery on her other knee, and it appears that more surgery may be in the future.

As a result of their physical limitations, the home where they have lived for more than 35 years could no longer work without major modifications.

While a make-shift ramp had been devised from cement bags to allow the Brother’s wheelchair to enter and leave, the porch was so small that, when his wife was trying to bring him out of the house, she fell backward down the steps, and the Brother and the wheelchair fell on her. Fortunately no one was seriously injured, but it was obvious that the situation had to be fixed.

The frame of the door to the bathroom had been cut away to allow entrance of the wheelchair. There was need to level the floor of the bathroom and replace the tub with a shower which the Brother could use. The door to the bedroom needed to be reworked so the wheelchair could pass through.

On October 15, the Lodge held a fund-raising dinner, which brought in $930. They applied for Matching Funds for a total of $1,860. On November 1st, the Brethren of Britton Lodge started removing all the shrubs in front of the house to create space for a front ramp. The contractor, Brother Bob Richardson, had agreed to lower the price of the ramp on the basis of the volunteer labor provided by the Lodge members. Five retired Lodge Brothers agreed to give their time to the project. Additional members offered to help on weekends.

The costs for doing everything needed to make the home “user-friendly” for the physical limitations of the family totaled $17,220.

The project is a cooperative effort between the Lodge, the Charity Foundation, and the Area Agency on Aging. The Lodge is providing a total of $1,860, (including Matching Funds) plus volunteer labor; the Charity Foundation is providing $9,335; and the Area Agency on Aging is providing $6,025. And, most importantly, the problem has been solved.

What is Promises Matter? 

Promises Matter is the program developed by the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma to help meet the needs of Brethren and their families. By making use of the Promises Matter program, a Lodge can make a real difference in the lives of its members in times of need. The staff of the Foundation will be happy to come to your Lodge or District meeting and give a program on how to access Promises Matter. It could be one of the most important things you do for your Lodge.