As the young athlete develops his or her sports skills on the playing field, children develop their intellectual skills in the classroom. The aspiring athlete who cannot master the skill of throwing the ball to the correct base in a softball game may never progress beyond the backyard pickup game. Likewise the child who is unable to master the skill of forming the sound patterns that become words will not be able to develop to his or her full intellectual potential. A potential Einstein may never develop because he cannot speak and, consequently, cannot function in the classroom. Similarly, an aspiring Babe Ruth will not be able to reach his athletic potential, if he cannot hit the ball. The Scottish Rite Foundation strives to provide speech and language therapy so that each child may develop to his or her fullest potential.

The Foundation has made great strides in bringing speech therapy to children in the "Sunshine State." At the end of 1996, we were providing assistance to 200 children in six clinics located throughout the state. In January 1997, a seventh clinic was opened at Wolfson's Children's Hospital, a part of the Baptist Health System Foundation, Inc. of Jacksonville. The Trustees of the Foundation at their annual meeting in August 1998 approved the opening of three additional clinics. Two of these are part of All Children's Hospital System, and the third is located in the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.

With the opening of these four clinics, the majority of the children in the state are within 125 miles of a Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinic. This is extremely important when a family must travel to the clinic twice a week during the initial stages of therapy.

One of the highlights of the year was the dedication of the new Childhood Language Disorders Clinic in Lakeland in memory of Illustrious William Mercer Hollis, S.G.I.G. in Florida from 1966 until 1988.

Clinics are now located at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Speechcare, Inc. in Panama City, Wolfson's Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, and Rehabilitation Center for Children & Adults in Palm Beach. All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg operates one clinic and additional clinics in the All Children's Specialty Care Clinics in New Port Richey, Tampa, Lakeland, Sarasota, and Ft. Myers.

Currently, there are over 350 children receiving therapy under the auspices of the Scottish Rite in Florida, with an equal number graduating from our programs each year. We are confident the number of children receiving therapy will grow, as more families learn of the availability of the Scottish Rite's services in the communities served by these new clinics. The budget this year to support these ten clinics is over $465,000 in addition to 23 scholarship grants. Members of the Scottish Rite work very hard to make this budget possible. Eleven Valleys throughout the Orient conduct golf tournaments, theatrical performances, magic shows, cruises, and many other innovative events to increase the Scottish Rite Foundation's Endowment.

Clearly, the Scottish Rite Foundation is fulfilling its goal to provide assistance to children who have a speech and language disorders so that they may enjoy life to the fullest. 

Robert G. Kirkpatrick  is the General Secretary, Valley of Tampa, and Secretary of the Scottish Rite Foundation of Florida since 1996. He served as Worshipful Master of Semper Paratus Lodge No. 49 and Federal Lodge No. 1 in the District of Columbia and of Pinellas Daylight Lodge No. 385 in St. Petersburg, Florida.