250 Years of Freedom and Sacrifice

For 250 years, freedom has been secured through sacrifice—you simply cannot have one without the other. As Freemasons, we understand this truth better than most. This is a time to celebrate our nation’s remarkable history, and celebrate we must.

Our July meeting will be filled with patriotic pride and enthusiasm, featuring flags (thank you, Brother Ruvola!), music, a band, and even special appearances by George and Martha Washington. Join us on July 24 as we come together to commemorate this historic milestone and share in a memorable evening of fellowship and celebration.

Our June meeting was a tremendous success! We were honored to host our Sovereign Grand Inspector General, Illustrious Richard G. Hoover, 33°, as our Guest of Honor. He was joined by the Right Worshipful Senior Grand Warden of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Florida, Robert Estell; Kim Lobato and Kirsten Germana, Owners and Directors of the Center for Speech & Language (along with Olympia the Wonder Dog); and numerous newly invested Masters of the Royal Secret. Most importantly, more than 80 Brothers joined us, making the evening an overwhelming success.

Several new 32° Masters of the Royal Secret stepped through the “Ring” to receive their Patents of Membership directly from our SGIG. Immediately afterward, many of them were knighted and welcomed into the Knights of Saint Andrew for the Valley of Orlando. This marks the beginning of even greater opportunities for service, fellowship, and active participation in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

SGIG Hoover addressed the assembly and spoke about the importance of our Foundation—not only here in Orlando, but throughout the Orient of Florida. He then accepted contributions from many of those in attendance as the kickoff to our 2027 fundraising campaign. Thanks to your generosity, we began next year’s effort with more than $7,000, giving us an outstanding head start in supporting our local Clinic.

These gifts followed a heartfelt presentation from the Clinic’s Directors, who shared how your donations directly help children receive speech and language services that might otherwise be beyond their families’ reach. Our Foundation Trustee, Illustrious Jay Cebollero, 33°, and SGIG Hoover presented the final installment of our $40,000 fundraising commitment to the Clinic. Then, in a wonderful surprise, they announced an additional $21,000 made possible through the generosity of the Brothers of the Valley of Orlando.

What a remarkable testament to the charity, compassion, and commitment of our membership. Your generosity continues to change lives and reflects the very best of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

How good it is to gather together in fellowship under the banner of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. I look forward to seeing each of you at our July celebration!

Ill Walter “Ricky” Rick

Valley of Orlando Personal Representative