A Little Bit about Masons and More on Job's Daughters

Job's Daughters International is the only international organization for girls that requires of all of its members to have a relationship to a Master Mason, and while it is no part of the Masonic Fraternity, this pre-requisite ties it closely to the other Masonic groups. (A daughter of a Majority Member, a woman who was a member of Job's Daughters, now past the age of 20, shall also be eligible for membership).

So what's a Mason? Masons are men who join together to improve themselves, to promote goodwill toward others, and to assist their communities with charitable and public service projects. Their membership as Master Masons entitles them to belong to other Masonic-related organizations, such as Royal Arch, Scottish Rite, Amaranth, and the Eastern Star. Members of these Masonic family organizations support children's hospitals, speech and hearing clinics, and medical associations working on cancer, diabetes, muscular dystrophy research, and more. The Masonic family organizations are the "World's Greatest Philanthropy". Masons donate over $1,500,000 per day (yes, per day!) to charities.

In addition, Masons offer scholarships, participate in county fairs and parades, and are active in providing assistance within their communities. Ever see those guys in parades with the funny little hats with tassels? Those are Shriners- they're Masons too, and they work to earn money and support for the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals that provide expert, no-cost (100% FREE) acute and rehabilitative care for burns, cleft lip/palate birth defects, as well as care for congenital and acquired orthopedic conditions, all to children under 18. Three hospitals out of the 22 provide rehabilitative care for children with spinal cord injuries and this program is expanding to multiple other Shriners Hospitals. In fact, the Shriners Hospitals' specialization in burns has made them leaders in burn care and research since opening in the mid-1960s. They provide treatment for burn injuries and related scarring, along with physical and emotional rehabilitation, and all of these things are funded from the charity work of the Shriners & associated Masonic groups.

In short, Masonry is a charitable and educational society, dedicated to morality, mutual aid, charity, leadership, religious toleration and political freedom. Masonic Lodges are found around the world and in every free country. There are over 4 million Masons world wide, and over 13,000 lodges in the United States. For Ohio, there are 530 lodges here alone with 120,000 members.

In general, the Book of Job teaches us an optimistic lesson - not to fall in despair when times are bad and it shows that the ideas & lessons held by Masons are enduring. We see this exemplified in Job's life. Job saw the growth and rebuilding of his home; he also saw its ruin, but again he beheld its revival and reconstruction with his faith.

Special emphasis is given to the thought that "To Be Fair Is to Do Good" and "Virtue Is a Quality Which Highly Adorns Woman."

This organization is truly International in scope. At present there are Bethels in the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii; Provinces of Canada, Australia, the Philippines and Brazil with other countries expressing interest.

Job's Daughters International is operated in a democratic manner. Adult volunteers known as the Bethel Guardian Council, with a Guardian and an Associate Guardian supervising each Bethel, are appointed yearly. These Council members are selected from Master Masons and women over twenty (20) years of age who are wives, daughters, granddaughters, mothers, grandmothers sisters, half-sisters or widows of Master Masons or women who are members of an organization basing its membership requirements on Masonic relationship and Majority Members of Job's Daughters International.

Job's Daughters International exerts an outstanding influence for good and its work and efforts are directed toward the leadership development of its members and aiding in bettering their communities through supporting many charities, including our own international charity and philanthropic project, HIKE (The Hearing Impaired Endowment Fund) to earn money for hearing aids, equipment, and more for hearing impaired children.

Just as members of this group give back to their communities, Job's Daughters International also gives back to its members through scholarships. The Supreme Guardian Council as well as many individual State Grand Jurisdictions and other Masonic Organizations present college scholarships to deserving young members of the Job's Daughters.