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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the Sumner Masonic
4Lodge #334 on the occasion of its Sesquicentennial anniversary;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge #334 was chartered as a
7lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons by the Grand Lodge of
8Illinois in October of 1860; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The mission of Freemasonry aims to promote
10Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love among its members; it
11is, by definition, a fraternity comprised of men from every
12race, religion, opinion, and background who are brought
13together as Brothers to develop and strengthen the bonds of
14friendship; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge has a long standing
16tradition of serving their community through various acts of
17beneficence; they continue this tradition through a network of
18charitable programs with a primary focus on promoting
19education, reducing substance abuse, and aiding children and
20senior citizens; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The Grand Lodge of Illinois comprises nearly 600

 

 

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1lodges and over 70,000 Masons, of which the Sumner Lodge has
2the youngest average age per membership; and
 
3    WHEREAS, As part of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, Sumner
4Lodge joins in providing the sole financial support for two
5Illinois Masonic Children's Homes that have been in existence
6for over 120 years; the Children's Home provides a safe and
7nurturing environment for children ages 4 through 16 years who
8are unable to care for themselves due to various family or home
9conditions; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Illinois CHIP program, sponsored by the Grand
11Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of
12Illinois, is held by experts as the "premier child
13identification program" currently offered in the State of
14Illinois; the Freemasons of Illinois hold and fund the entire
15cost of identification workshops for families all around the
16State of Illinois; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge is a local sponsor of six
18Red Cross Blood Drives per year, collecting an average of 28 to
1940 units of blood per drive; collectively, Masons are one of
20the largest groups of blood donors in the State of Illinois;
21and
 
22    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge also adopted a local Red

 

 

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1Hill High School student to help him obtain the rank of Eagle
2Scout with the Boy Scouts of America; the Masons helped him
3accomplish his mission of fundraising to provide tombstones for
4unmarked graves; and
5    WHEREAS, Today the lodge is thriving with ongoing
6fundraising events, over 125 members, and the same kind of
7strong brotherhood that makes masonry the greatest fraternity
8in the world; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11congratulate the past, present, and future members of the
12Sumner Masonic Lodge #334 on its Sesquicentennial anniversary
13celebration; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the Sumner Masonic Lodge #334 as a symbol of our
16esteem and respect.