Dwight A. Hamilton, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Colorado
1600 Broadway, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80202-4905

Colorado's Brethren, like Scottish Rite Masons across America, continue an outstanding record of service to our nation's children.

Kody, age 9, (facing) talks to a fellow camper at the Talking with Technology Mountain Summer Camp conducted by The Children's Hospital in Denver and sponsored by The Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado. The summer camp teaches young people how to use computer-assisted technology for verbal communication. Photo courtesy The Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado

Fifty years ago, the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado was organized for the purpose of treating children with childhood language disorders. On February 3, 1953, the Foundation's articles of incorporation and by-laws were approved and adopted. As the inaugural RiteCare Program in the Southern Jurisdiction, we have expanded from one service location to ten locations, plus a mobile unit serving rural Colorado.

The program has grown from treating 14 children in 1953 to about 1,000 children per year. Our caregiving partners include four hospitals, a non-profit clinic, and a university. These partners are disbursed around the state.

In the September 2002 issue of the Scottish Rite Journal, Ill. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander, gave special emphasis to the dawning of this work when he said, "It all began in Colorado 50 years ago. Only the most visionary could have realized at that time how the case of one child, when addressed by the Denver Scottish Rite Brethren, would grow into the treatment by our Order of, on average, over 28,500 children every year." Clearly, the Scottish Rite's undertaking of this great philanthropic work has a profound significance. When it was first established, children with language disorders did not typically receive treatment, if available at all, until entry into public school at age five or six. Our Scottish Rite forefathers quickly came to appreciate the importance of early intervention for language disorders and provided financial assistance for preschool children to receive therapy. In a very real sense, the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado and several other Orients, which also developed similar efforts in those initial years, were national pioneers in the movement for early intervention for children with disabilities.

Ill. Mel Tillis, 33°, Grand Cross, will perform in a special Masonic benefit concert on September 27, 2003, in Denver.

Our golden anniversary observance has received official sanction from the Governor of Colorado. Governor Bill Owens recently made a Proclamation denoting 2003 as having great significance for the "Centennial State" with regard to the work of Scottish Rite Masons in helping children overcome communication problems.

To help commemorate our 50 years of service, Ill. Mel Tillis, 33°, G.C., will perform in concert at Denver's El Jebel Shrine on Saturday evening, September 27, 2003. The concert will be open to the public, with tickets going on sale later this spring. For additional information, please contact Ill. Vernon B. Ingraham, 33°, our Foundation's Executive Secretary at 303-861-2410. You may also reach us through the Foundation's beautiful web site at www.wingsofwords.org. We are delighted that Illustrious Brother Mel Tillis will highlight our yearlong celebration, and we look forward to his concert with much anticipation.

As an unexpected prelude to entering the Foundation's 50th year, we were honored to be designated as the Out-standing Philanthropic Organization in Colorado for 2002. This honor was conferred by the National Philanthropy Day in Colorado, a consortium of organizations including the Governor's Commission on Community Service and various philanthropic organizations throughout Colorado. Only one such award (See "Current Interest," p. 37) is given each year, a fact which added special meaning to being named the 2002 recipient. What makes the award especially notable for us is the nominator. Without saying a word to us, Deborah Hayes, Ph.D., submitted the nomination in the early summer of 2002. Dr. Hayes is Chair of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Learning Services at The Children's Hospital in Denver (photo below). She is a national leader in communication disorders in children.

In a ceremony held November 8, 2002, attended by over 800 people from various organizations, I accepted this award on behalf of the Foundation, paying special tribute to our close working partnership with The Chil-dren's Hospital and Deborah Hayes. Our partnership with the hospital has existed since the initiation of our RiteCare Program in 1953.

In fact, we are recognized by Children's as its single largest donor in its 95-year history. Dr. Hayes has been Department Chair at Children's since 1983. In view of this history, the year 2003 not only marks a significant milestone in our Foundation's history as well as that of The Children's Hospital but also is the anniversary of a successful and close working relationship with Dr. Hayes.

Dr. Deborah Hayes, Ph.D. (seated), was named the first holder of the Kelley Family/Schlessman Family Scottish Rite Masons Chair in Childhood Language Disorders at The Children's Hospital in Denver. Dr. Hayes accepted the chair on February 7, 2003. Attending the special ceremony were (standing, l. to r.) Bruce Kelley and Kathryn Kelley Hewaldt, major chair donors; Ill. Dwight Hamilton, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Colorado; Dolores and Lee E. Schlessman, 33°, G.C., major chair donors and Colorado Foundation Trustee; and Steve Winesett, Chairman & CEO of The Children's Hospital Foundation. Photo: The Children's Hospital in Denver

In February of this year, 50 years to the month that the Foundation was organized, we established a $2 million endowed chair at The Children's Hospital. The purpose of this chair is to support and enhance clinical leadership for the Scottish Rite Foundation's statewide programs in childhood language disorders, as well as the chairholder's pursuit of national excellence in clinical care and research. The chair is known as the Kelley Family/Schlessman Family Scottish Rite Masons Chair in Childhood Language Disorders. On February 7, 2003, a ceremony was held at The Children's Hospital when we presented that institution with the check and the chair was presented to Dr. Hayes, its first occupant. We were delighted that the Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, the Honorable Jane Norton, participated in the ceremony.

Other special occasions during our anniversary year will be a formal opening ceremony for the Spring Reunions in the Valleys of Denver and Colorado Springs/Pueblo and the Fall Reunion in Grand Junction. The ceremonies will give special honors recognizing the Foundation's 50th anniversary and the beginning of a philanthropic cause which subsequently became the flagship charity of the Southern Jurisdiction. In addition, the Denver Consistory will exemplify all 29 Degrees in the Revised Standard Pike Ritual during its May 2003 Reunion. This will be the second time this has been done in the Valley of Denver. All 29 Degrees were magnificently performed in the Spring 2002 Reunion. Other celebrations involving our RiteCare children throughout the state are being planned in each of the three Colorado Valleys.

While the 50th anniversary has a very special meaning to us, our real joy comes in helping children overcome speech-language problems, enabling them to be happy and successful as children and adults. With more than 12,000 children having received therapy in Colorado, Scottish Rite Masons, working together through-out the Southern Jurisdiction, aided 57,413 children for the two-year period from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2000, according to the last available statistics from our Orients. Clearly, Scottish Rite Masons have made and are continuing to make a significant contribution to the speech-language health of Colorado's and the nation's children. For all the RiteCare Clinics, Centers, and Programs in the Southern Jurisdiction, let us continue to rejoice in the philanthropic work being performed in each Orient, and may we never fail to heed the charge given by Ill. Albert Pike, 33°, when he said, "To be charitable is obligatory on us. We are the Almoners of God's bounties."

Dwight A. Hamilton is a native of Denver and a practicing attorney holding membership in the Bar Associations of Denver, Colorado; Arapahoe County, Colorado; and America. He is a Past President of the Uniform Law Conference and a member of Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist. A Past Master of Union Lodge No. 7 (1966) and Past Grand Master of Colorado (1989), Ill. Hamilton petitioned Denver Consistory in 1960, has ably filled many posts within the Scottish Rite, was appointed a Deputy in Colorado in 1994, and elected the S.G.I.G. in Colorado in October 1995. Effective December 16, 2001, Ill. Hamilton was appointed Acting Grand Treasurer General of the Supreme Council, 33°, and Chairman of the Supreme Council's Committee on Finance.