Old Colony Chapter, Order of DeMolay

Conclave 2010 will be held on August 6th, 7th and 8th at Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts.  Registration for the weekend is $80 before July 9th and $110 afterwards.  The theme is "The Long Drive to Conclave" and there will be many golf related activities throughout the weekend.  For more information, please visit the Massachusetts DeMolay website at http://www.mademolay.org.
Click on these links for more information as well (also available on www.mademolay.org):
What's Going On At Conclave 2010!
What to Bring to Conclave
Conclave Medical Release Form

The election of the State Officers takes place at Conclave each year.  This year, 2 of Old Colony's members are running for office.  David Abbott is running for State Master Councilor and Timothy Nogueira is running for Deputy State Master Councilor.  Please attend Conclave to support them in their campaigns!

Congratulations to Brothers David Abbott and Timothy Nogueira who have been designated to receive the Degree of Chevalier!

The Brothers were nominated by Old Colony Chapter and elected to recieve the Degree of Chevalier by the members of DeMolay International at their annual session held in Dallas, Texas.

Congratulations on an honor well deserved!

Massachusetts DeMolay Update - March 30, 2010
"It is common sense to take a method and try it.
If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.
But above all, try something. " -President Franklin D. Roosevelt

THE FIVE STEPS OF SUCCESSFUL PLANNING:  Quite often we do not think that there is a process to planning or that there are steps that lead to a successful plan and in turn to the desired outcome.

Step 1 - ASK:  What is the problem or the goal that is important to be reached?  What have others done in the past that we could copy or learn from?  What are the constraints that may limit our reaching the goal or limit our success when we do?  Can these obstacles be averted or overcome?

Step 2 – IMAGINE:  What could be done?  What are some creative solutions that enable reaching the goal?

Step 3 – PLAN:  Write it out!  Make a list of things you’ll need to accomplish the goal.  What tasks need to be accomplished and it what order?  Leave nothing to chance.  Double check, especially if the project involves money.

Step 4 – CREATE:  Follow your plan and create the solution!  Test, rehearse it or go through it again.   Have you thought out every eventuality?

Step 5 – IMPROVE:  Look at what you have created and reflect on aspects that could be performed better.  If you did it again, what would you change? 

We’ve all heard the slogan that Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.  All too frequently we concentrate solely on the goal and never on the steps in order to achieve that goal.  Like climbing stairs, each step brings you closer to success.  Skip a step and you have to work harder, skip too many steps and you’ll likely fall.

SPRING TRAINING MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM CONCLUDES:  On Saturday, March 20, 2010 the State Officers wrapped up the Spring Membership program with three double degrees across the State.  In Lexington, 4 candidates received the Initiatory Degree (3 from Battle Green and 1 from North Shore Chapter) while four more completed their DeMolay Degree from Lowell Chapter.  In Worcester, three young men joined in the degree performed by an all-star cast of Worcester Chapter, Gardner Chapter, John Eliot Chapter and Middleboro Chapter.  At the end of the day, 12 candidates received their degrees in Marshfield.  Joining Massachusetts DeMolay for the day was Fidelity Chapter of Cranston, Rhode Island and their Master Councilor Jason Moan.  Fidelity Chapter brought two candidates to the degrees.  State Master Councilor Christopher Rooney also welcomed his counter part from Rhode Island Jeremy Aton.  The one day total for Massachusetts DeMolay was 17 new DeMolays.  Thank you to all of the Chapters for their hard work, great ritual presentations and for helping to make the day a great success.

FORM 10 REMINDER:  We are missing a few of the Form 10's from the Regional Degree program.  Please check to be sure that your Chapter has reported all new members  since January. It is important that our jurisdictional membership statistics stay up to date.

MEMBERSHIP PLAN PACKAGE & REGIONAL DEGREES: Now that we've all read about how to learn from our past events and improve upon them, let's turn our attention to an attempt at doing exactly that! The State Master Councilor is implementing a new Ten-Week Membership Program to run from April 3 to June 12. The result? The Eleven Easy Steps for Excellence and Membership Plan Package. Each is an evolution of a prior program. The Prospect Party in a Box from the 2008-2009 State Suite has been redesigned for effectiveness. The Membership Program that concluded on Saturday, March 20 has been redesigned.   The Regional Degree Program is being re-implemented because of its success! The Elected State Officers have taken on the challenge of out-performing the Appointed State Officers by at least doubling the membership numbers from the last Regional program. By working together cooperatively with Chapter Advisory Councils, Master Councilors and members, the collared officers hope to bring our jurisdiction 40 new members!   By Saturday, April 10 (**available at the Basketball Tournament upon request**) we will be providing each chapter with a Brand-New Membership Plan Package. The Membership Plan Package truly is a menagerie of membership recruitment resources! It includes printed copies of powerpoint presentations on Marketing DeMolay, DeMolay Resources, Membership Benefits, and New Member Orientation. There will be a detailed list of Membership Party suggestions and a customizable Membership Party Flyer. There will also be a sample letter for membership recruitment from the Master Councilor as well as a sample letter for assuaging parental concerns from the Chapter Dad. Additionally a copy of 100 petitions, every pamphlet DeMolay International produces, the "Hi, Dad!" book, the Massachusetts DeMolay Membership Guidebook, and the DeMolay Leader's Resource Guidebook will be included. To wrap it up, an electronic resource cd-rom of all the materials outlined above will be provided.   The Eleven Easy Steps for Excellence once again call for the introduction of the regional chapter program.

The Northern Region will once again consist of Battle Green, John Greenleaf Whittier, Lowell and North Shore Chapters. The "Regional Master Councilor" for the Northern Region will be DSMC John H. Brainard.
The Central Region will be David Allen Hill, Gardner, John Eliot, Old Colony and Worcester Chapters. The "Regional Master Councilor" for the Central Region will be SMC Christopher D. Rooney.
The Southern Region is a conglomerate formed by Cape Cod, Middleboro, Phoenix, South Shore, South Coastal and Taunton Chapters. The "Regional Master Councilor" for the Southern Region is SSC David W.A. Abbott.

The State Master Councilor, upon request for further coordination during the last regional program, is conducting a search for a Regional Advisor in each region. The Regional Advisor and their contact information will be provided by Thursday, April 15.   The Eleven Easy Steps for Excellence outline that during a ten-week period of membership recruitment, the period of time between week five and six is the best opportunity to hold a membership party. Instead of the State Officers organizing regional membership parties, we are asking each chapter to hold their own. If your chapter would like assistance or State Officer attendance at those parties, the Regional Master Councilor and Advisor can be contacted.  Each chapter is expected to report to the State Master Councilor when their membership party is being held by May 1. The State Master Councilor suggests each chapter holds these parties between Friday, May 7 and Saturday May, 15 to align with the program.   The State Master Councilor will be providing a location within each region for a double degree on Saturday, June 12. The locations still need to be booked and will be announced as soon as they are known. The goal of the Regional Degrees is to offer each chapter a reasonable commute to a State Degree Program. The Regional Master Councilors will be coordinating with their Regional Advisor on providing refreshments at the conclusion of each degree program at the state's expense.   Some may not be keen at the immediate implementation of another membership initiative so close to the conclusion of the last. The State Master Councilor believes that in DeMolay, our prerogative should be to ensure the successful growth of our chapter programs. The only way to do so is to constantly focus on membership retainment through recruitment. We recommend that each member takes on the task of bringing in two new members. One to complement your own membership, and one to grow. If each member managed this task we would quickly double our total membership. Our mission of spreading DeMolay to every young man we possibly can marches on into the future triumphantly.

DeMOLAY SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION REMINDER: Scholarship applications are due on April 15th. Graduating high school seniors from the class of 2010 who are entering college for the 2010-2011 school year are eligible. Current college students are also eligible for application. The scholarship form is available for download on www.mademolay.org on the "Downloads" page.

IS YOUR CHAPTER DELINQUENT:  Has your Chapter submitted its 2009 Financial report?  If not, you will be delinquent as of the last day of March.  if you are not sure if your form was submitted, please check with the DeMolay office.  If you need the reporting form it maybe downloaded at: http://mademolay.org/download/Chapter_Support_Forms/Financial_Report_Form.pdf

LEADERSHIP CORRESPONDENCE COURSES: The applications, test forms and answer sheets are available for order directly from the Massachusetts DeMolay office. Contact "Dad" Edwin Parsons, Director of Administration for more information.

BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: The Massachusetts DeMolay Basketball Tournament will be taking place on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. The Registration for a team is due Saturday, April 3 and costs $125.00. Members from chapters that cannot put a full team on the floor who wish to participate may contact our Athletics Director, "Dad" Shawn Holter  at sholter@gmail.com.

USE SOME DRAMA TO OBTAIN NEW MEMBERS:  It has always been a challenge to obtain information from schools about potential new members as they usually don't like to disclose that information.  here is an idea from "Dad" Jon Harris of Santa Clara Chapter in Northern California:   "Most Middle and High Schools have drama classes where students serve as actors, lighting technicians, hel build sets, etc.  The end result is that they present plays during the year.  At most of these plays, they produce programs about the plays and many times, these programs include ads.  Santa Clara Chapter invested $250 and purchased ads for several plays at several different schools.  Obviously, these ads were to promote DeMolay and the best part was that they didn't have to go through the politics of the school district.  It sounds like an excellent way to hel market DeMolay --give it a try!" -Reprinted from the Northern California Advisors Update, by Dad Tom Moberly.

DeMOLAY BALL: The Massachusetts DeMolay Ball is being held at the Lowell Masonic Building on Saturday, May 15. The address is 79 Dutton Street, Lowell, MA 01850. The Ball will be held from 6:00pm to 11:00pm. There will be a dinner served between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. The dinner menu for the evening includes a Garden Salad, Garlic Breadsticks, Chicken-Broccoli-Alfredo and Vegetable Lasagna. The State Officers are promoting a pre-sale ticket opportunity for all guests. Single tickets cost $10.00, while couples may purchase a ticket for $15.00. The $15.00 discount for couples is available pre-sale only. As we are covering the cost of food, we will be expecting Advisors to pay $5.00 for dinner.
 
REGION 1 LTC: Leadership Training Conference is being held once again this summer at Lions Camp Pride in New Durham, NH. It will span the week of Sunday, August 15 to Saturday, August 21. The cost for the program is $325.00 per attendee. There will be three courses of curriculum being offered throughout the week. The first revolves around Basic DeMolay training and is recommended for those 14 and older. The second option will focus onChapter Leadership Skills and is recommended for those those who are at least 16 and planning on becoming Master Councilor's. The final option is a Jurisdictional Officer program also offered for those 16 and older. This year's Region 1 LTC Coordinator is "Dad" Richard Lavoie. Contact him at ricklavoie@sprynet.com.

MASSACHUSETTS DeMOLAY NIGHT AT THE RED SOX:  Massachusetts DeMolay has been invited by the Red Sox to attend their game at Fenway on Tuesday, August 24th.  The Red Sox will play the  Seattle Mariners.  The game starts at 7:10 p.m.  We have now SOLD OUT the tickets the seats are in the Grand Stand behind third base.  DeMolay will be on the "Jumbo-tron," -the works!  This is a great event for DeMolays just before school resumes.   Thanks to all the Chapters that jumped on this opportunity!

GARDNER DeMOLAY PARADE: The city of Gardner is celebrating the 225th anniversary of its founding this year! Members of Gardner DeMolay will be marching in the parade being held on Saturday, September 26 at 1:00pm. DeMolay Chapters who are interested in participating in the parade with Gardner Chapter are welcome! Please contact the Chapter Chairman, "Dad" Wilfred E. "Bud" Ducharme at evelyne.ducharme@comcast.net.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
April 2 - South Shore Chapter Installation of Officers, Weymouth Masonic Building 7:00pm
April 10 & 11 - Basketball Tournament
May 1 - SAT
May 7 - May 15 - Chapter Membership Parties
May 15 - DeMolay Ball, Lowell
June 5 - SAT
June 12 - Regional Degrees
June 13 - Grand Masters Country Fair, Charlton
June 16-20 - DeMolay International Session, Dallas, TX
June 25-27 - Maine DeMolay Conclave
July 9-11 - Connecticut DeMolay Conclave
July 17 & 18 - Massachusetts Softball Tournament
August 6-8 - MASSACHUSETTS CONCLAVE Nichols College, Dudley
August 24 - DeMolay at THE RED SOX
September 26 - Gardner DeMolay Parade

Old Colony Chapter has planned Initiatory and DeMolay Degrees for the month of March!  Here's a look at the schedule.

March 9th - Rehearsal for Initiatory Degree at 7pm
March 11th - Meeting and Initiatory Degree at 7:30pm

March 23rd - Rehearsal for DeMolay Degree at 7pm
March 25th - Meeting and DeMolay Degree at 7:30pm

For more information, please contact Master Councilor Jacob Yanovich.

Please come to rehearsals prepared!

Massachusetts Congress 2010: Saturday, March 6th at the Worcester Masonic Building, 1 Ionic Avenue, Worcester.  Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the Opening Ceremony commencing at 9 o'clock.  Congress ends at 4 p.m.  The REGISTRATION FORM is available on-line.  The cost of Congress is $5.00 if your Chapter pre-registers before March 1st.  Those that do not pre-register will be charged $10 at the door.
 
For DeMolays, there will be several topics available to chose from.  There is Chapter of Instruction, DeMolay Jeopardy, Selling DeMolay, Term Planning, The State Officer Program (for those wishing to investigate an elective or appointed state office), College Planing - Paying and Selecting, A Program Guidebook (a creative session on looking at old DeMolay publications and seeing what can be updated and re-employed).  The afternoon sessions will be about the legislation before the DeMolays, namely a revision of the State Constitution.  For specifics please download the Registration Form.
 
For Advisors:  Dad 1 Training, Practical Dad Training for the returning Advisors, Meetings with the Executive Officer, and looking at the DeMolay Youth Protection Program. The Advisor Program is a continuation of the Advisors Conference and includes the topics that Advisors have requested.
 
Food:  A special treat, it's "Wings Over Worcester,"  no DeMolay will go away unhappy!  A special guest speaker has been arranged at great expense and a disruption of the "space - time continuum."
 
CONGRESS BREAKFAST:  Worcester Chapter will be holding a breakfast at Congress on Sunday morning.  The breakfast will be pancakes, sausage, coffee, and juice.  It will start at 7:30 am and will cost only $5.00 per person.
 
CLOTHS FOR HAITI:  Worcester Chapter is also holding a clothing drive to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.  Any clothing is helpful and all clothing will be given directly to the cause.  The main collection will be at Congress during the breakfast.  Just remember that it might be snowing here doesn't mean its snowing in Haiti.

A LAST NOTE ABOUT THE AWAKE-A-THON:  The Awake-A-Thon information is posted on the Massachusetts DeMolay Website including the Health Release Form.  Pre-purchase of tickets the price is $20 per person, at the door the price will be $25.00.  Advisors are free.   The Awake-A-Thon starts at 7 p.m. and ends at 5 a.m.   DeMolays should plan on spending the entire night at the Longfellow Club.  We are not allowing a "coming and going" for attendees.
 
MASSACHUSETTS DEMOLAY NIGHT AT THE RED SOX:  Massachusetts DeMolay has been invited by the Red Sox to attend their game at Fenway on Tuesday, August 24th.  The Red Sox will play the  Seattle Mariners.  The game starts at 7:10 p.m.  We have a LIMITED number of tickets and we will fulfill requests on a first-come, first-served basis.  The price per ticket is $35.o0 and the seats are in the Grand Stand behind third base.  DeMolay will be on the "Jumbo-tron," -the works!  This is a great event for DeMolays just before school resumes.  Don't wait! Contact Dad Edwin Parsons at the DeMolay Office in Boston for tickets.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEMOLAYS:
 
The DeMolay Foundation of Massachusetts:  Scholarships are available to any Massachusetts DeMolay member furthering his education beyond high school.  Deadline for submission is May 1st.  The application form may be downloaded from the Massachusetts DeMolay Website at: http://mademolay.org/download/Scholarships/Mass_DeMolay_Scholarship_Application.pdf
 
DeMOLAY INTERNATIONAL FRANK S. LAND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM:  Contact DeMolay International at 1-800-DEMOLAY.  The web address for scholarship information from DeMolay International is http:///www.demolay.org/resources/scholarships/.
 
GRAND LODGE OF MASONS IN MASSACHUSETTS:  Due on March 1st.  Open to active Masons, children and grandchildren of a Massachusetts Mason.  Contact your local lodge secretary of the Grand Secretary's Office at 186 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-426-6040.  On line information may be obtained from www.massfreemasonary.org.
 
ANCIENT ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE - NORTHERN MASONIC JURISDICTION:  Available to the children of Scottish Rite Masons, DeMolays and Rainbow Girls.  Contact Supreme Council Headquarters at 781-862-4410 or http://supremecouncil.org.
 
GRAND CHAPTER, MASSACHUSETTS ORDER OF EASTERN STAR:  Open to children of Eastern Star members and Eastern Star may be reached at 617-964-0312.
 
INTERNATIONAL GROTTO:  A Scholarship Program specifically for dental students.
 
TALL CEDARS OF LEBANON:  DeMolay and Rainbow members are eligible as well as the children and grandchildren of Tall Cedars members.  Contact Tall cedars Scholarship Committee, 2609 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110.
 
YORK RITE, GRAND COMMANDERY AND ROYAL ARCH:  Two programs are avialable to DeMolay, Rainbow and relatives of members of the York Rite.  There is one for continuing college students and another for entering freshman.  Those applications may be downloaded from the Massachusetts DeMolay Website at:   http://mademolay.org/downloads.html
 
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
February 20, Saturday - Awake-A-Thon, Longfellow Club, Natick
March 5, Friday - Battle Green Chapter Open House 7 - 9 p.m.
March 6, Saturday - DeMolay Congress, Worcester
March 6, Saturday - Honors & Awards Deadline
March 6, Saturday - Chapter Financial Report Due
March 13, Saturday - SAT
March 20, Saturday - Regional Double Degrees
March 21, Sunday - Massachusetts Court-Legion of Honor Annual Observance, 1 p.m. - Lexington
April 10 & 11, Saturday & Sunday - Basketball Tournament
May 1, Saturday - SAT
May 15, Saturday - DeMolay Ball, Lowell
June 5, Saturday - SAT
June 13, Sunday - Grand Masters Country Fair, Charlton
June 16-20, Wednesday-Sunday - DeMolay International Session, Dallas, TX
June 25-27, Friday, Saturday, Sunday - Maine DeMolay Conclave
July 9-11, Friday, Saturday, Sunday - Connecticut DeMolay Conclave
July 17 & 18, Saturday & Sunday - Massachusetts Softball Tournament
August 6-8, Friday, Saturday & Sunday - CONCLAVE Nichols College, Dudley
August 24, Tuesday evening - DeMolay at THE RED SOX

Congratulations to Old Colony for taking home 2nd Place at the annual Mass. DeMolay Candlepin Bowling Tournament that was held Sunday, January 17th at Lanes and Games in Cambridge.  OCD finished less than 20 pins out of the top spot.

Congratulations to Tim Nogueira who finished with the high triple score for the day!

The 2nd Place finish goes along with OCD's 1st Place finish at the 10-Pin Bowling Tournament held in December.

Below is the Massachusetts DeMolay Update sent January 19, 2010.

DeMolay Update - January 19, 2010
 
MASSACHUSETTS DeMOLAY ATTAINS POSITIVE GROWTH IN 2009.  It's official!  We grew in 2009 thanks to your efforts.   Membership is always a project in a DeMolay Chapter.  We need to induct quality members that will benefit from the DeMolay program and help their Chapters prosper.  Congratulations!
 
Here is a list of our Chapters that initiated new members in 2009 and enabled Massachusetts DeMolay as well as their chapter to grow and benefit from new members and new ideas.  The new "Spring Training Membership Campaign" was unveiled at DeMolay University (see below), make sure your Chapter hits a home run in 2010!
 
Chapter, New Members
Battle Green Chapter, Lexington, 1
Cape Cod Chapter,  3
Gardner Chapter,  5
John Eliot Chapter, Natick, 8
John Greenleaf Whittier Chapter, Haverhill, 5
Lowell Chapter, 10
Middleborough Chapter, 6
North Shore Chapter, Peabody, 3
Old Colony Chapter, Quincy, 6
 South Coastal Chapter, Marshfield, 12
South Shore Chapter, Weymouth, 1
Worcester Chapter, 14
 
THE SPRING TRAINING MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN: (by SMC Christopher Rooney) - DeMolay University was the right way to start off the 2010 DeMolay year.  Massachusetts DeMolay's Spring Training is an even better way to jump-start our membership recruitment.  We're really looking to hit one out of the park this Spring and get ourselves headed towards a better and brighter future for the years to come.
 
Our goal is simple, and we will do more than just bring in a few new members.  To boost the membership numbers of our chapters ten-fold is an ambitious goal.  However that ambition is more than met by the passion so many of us share for this great organization.  If we can recruit even a small percentage of new members compared to what I know our collective hard work is capable of, then this campaign will be a huge success.  We have combined a set of incentives with a 12-step, ten week recruitment program designed to produce immediate results.
 
The 12-step program is a simple "how-to" guide for bringing in new members.  It includes a proper time-line for collecting names, sending invitations, making phone calls, holding a prospect party, conducting candidate investigations, balloting, and sending congratulatory letters to newly elected candidates.
 
Each chapter's advisory council that attended DeMolay University received an informational three-ring binder that both outlines and assists with this program.  For those chapters that did not receive their binders at DU, the State Officers will be delivering them to your next regularly stated meeting.
 
The campaign will culminate with three regional double degrees on Saturday, March 20th.  The locations and times of each degree will be announced in the near future (an will be taken care of by Massachusetts DeMolay).  Worried about the cost of food for your region?  Massachusetts DeMolay will take care of that for each region as well.  Each chapter has been assigned to a region and a State Officer to serve as "Regional Master Councilor," whose job it is to organize each region's degree team.
 
The regions are:
 
Northern:  MC Tim Nogueira - Battle Green, Lowell, North Shore and JG Whittier.

Central: MC Daniel Lora - John Eliot, Gardner, Worcester and Middleboro.

Southern: MC Winston Joseph - Cape Cod, Old Colony, Phoenix, South Shore, South Coastal, and Taunton.
 
This is not just a campaign, but a challenge!  The State Officers are encouraging each chapter to accept this challenge and prove that they are the best chapter not just in Massachusetts, but in all of DeMolay International. This is not a far-fetched goal.  This can be done, and it can be done well.  Each chapter can double their size as a result of following this program properly.  Nothing is impossible.  This is a task that is far from being impossible; it can be done because it MUST be done.
 
As if putting our pride on the line isn't enough, we have prepared a list of incentives for chapters and individual members for this campaign. 
Member Incentives:

    * 1 petition or 5 LCC's (Leadership Correspondence Courses) Completed:  A Home Run Award membership Bat.

    * 3 petitions or Completion of the Representative DeMolay:  Massachusetts DeMolay Baseball Hat

    * 5 petitions: $25 Gift Certificate to the Massachusetts DeMolay Store.

    * Most Petitions:  The person who brings in the most members statewide will receive a pair of Red Sox tickets for this upcoming season courtesy of Massachusetts DeMolay!

 
Chapter Competition:
The chapter that initiates the most members between today and the regional degrees on March 20th will receive a regulation size authentic Massachusetts DeMolay baseball bat, called the "Grand Slam."
 
What about the Candidates?
We have grown accustomed to rewarding only our current members for participating in our membership initiatives.  The candidates that get initiated during Massachusetts DeMolay's Spring Training will each be given an opportunity to win an 8GB iPod Touch as a result of their new-found membership.
 
Take the challenge of recruiting new members seriously.  In 2009, our jurisdiction worked hard and it paid off as we attained positive growth for the calendar year.  Let's get 2010 started off on the right foot and make a head start on achieving the same goal.
 
-Chris
 
DeMOLAY UNIVERSITY, sponsored and produced by the State Officers, was held on January 9, 2010 at the Quincy Masonic Building.  Almost 100 DeMolays and Advisors converged to discuss the Marketing, Managing and Modernizing of DeMolay.  Did the State Officers meet their stated objectives?  You tell us.  A poll is ready for you and your Chapter members is ready and will be distributed with this email.
 
The State Master Councilor has published the public service announcements that were produced at DeMolay University on the Massachusetts DeMolay Official Facebook site.  They are also available on YouTube.
 
AWAKE-A-THON 2010:   The State Officers are already hard at work organizing the 2010 Awake-A-Thon. The Awake-A-Thon is Saturday evening (into Sunday morning) February 20-21st. The State Officers are canvassing for advertisements on the back of the event T-shirts to defray the cost of the event. An ad costs only $100.00. Does your Chapter deserve an ad on the T-shirt?   The cost of the Awake-A-Thon is $20.00 per person and includes all the food throughout the evening at the Longfellow Club in Natick.   Tickets are avaialble from the State Officers and everyone attending must have a Medical Release Form.  The Medical Release Form may be downloaded here.   Advertising Forms are available for download here.   For more information or tickets contact the State Master Councilor Christopher D. Rooney.
 
CANDLEPIN BOWLING RESULTS:  The Candlepin Bowling Tournament was held on Sunday, January 17th.  Congratulations to J.G. Whittier Chapter for FIRST Place, Old Colony Chapter for SECOND place, John Eliot for THIRD place and Middleboro for FOURTH place.  The High Single was Thane Sanford of J.G Whittier Chapter and the High Triple was Timothy Nogueira of Old Colony Chapter.
 
MASSACHUSETTS DeMOLAY CONGRESS 2010:  Congress will take place this year on Saturday, March 6th at the Worcester Masonic Building, located at 1 Ionic Avenue.  The theme of this year's Congress is Program Planning and the Membership.  The Membership Program centers around the "Spring Training" Program as introduced at DeMolay University on January 9th.  In the "Life Skills" portion of the afternoon, we will be hosting a session sponsored by the Massachusetts Educational Finance Authority (www.mefa.org) for our older DeMolays on how to finance a college education.  We will also program for our younger members.   
 
The most important part of every Congress session is the legislation that will determines our future.  This year, we are taking the importance of our legislation to a whole new level.  An entirely  new constitution is being proposed this year and may be downloaded at:   http://mademolay.org/download/Misc/Proposed_Constitution.pdf.   The State Master Councilor has started a Facebook page that allows active DeMolays, who subscribe to Facebook, to discuss and debate the proposal before the Congress session.  Click here for the Facebook Link.

DeMOLAY CHARITY DRIVE:  The State Officers Charity Drive to benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children continues at the Basketball Tournament on April 10th & 11th.  They will now be collecting books to go to the children that are confined at the hospital.  Toys were collected at the Tenpin Tournament and Winter Clothes at the Candlepin Tournament. Toiletries will be collected at the Softball Tournament in July.  More details will be forthcoming from the State Officers as they visit your Chapter and at Congress on March 6th. Click here for the SO Charity Drive Flyer.
 
ADVISORY COUNCIL CERTIFICATIONS:  The Annual Re-certifications of the Advisory Council were due on December 1, 2009.  If your Advisory Councl has not already held its Annual Meeting, please attend to this task as soon as possible.  If you need assistance, please contact Dad Brian S. Noble at brian.noble@mademolay.org.

2010 DeMOLAY INTERNATIONAL ESSAY CONTEST DEADLINE LOOMS:  The Paul R, Kach Essay Competition awards $300 to each Region winner (2 winners for each of the 8 regions of DeMolay) and two $1,200 awards for the national winners.  This year's theme is, "DeMolay-The Premier Youth Organization."  For complete information regarding the contest and rules visit:  http://members.ildemolay.org/forms/chapter/KachEssay2010.pdf.  The competition is sponsored by the Scottish Rite.  There are two categories of compeititon, Grade 11 and up and Grade 10 and below.  The DeMolay entering cannot have reached his 21st birthday by February 1, 2010.  All essays must be received a the Boston office by February 1st.

Calendar of Upcoming Events:
 
January 23, Saturday, SATs
February 20-21, Saturday & Sunday, AWAKE-A-THON, Longfellow Club, Natick
March 6, Saturday, DeMolay Congress, Worcester
March 13, Saturday, SATs
March 20, Saturday, Regional Double Degree
April 10 & 11, Saturday & Sunday, Basketball Tournament
May 1, Saturday, SATs
May 15, Saturday, DeMolay Ball, Lowell Masonic Building
June 5, Saturday, SATs
June 25-27, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Maine DeMolay Conclave
July 9 - 11, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Connecticut DeMolay Conclave
July 17 & 18, Saturday & Sunday, Softball Tournament
August 6-8, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, CONCLAVE 2010August 15-21, Sunday - Saturday, Leadership Training Conference (LTC)

Just a reminder to all members that the annual Massachusetts DeMolay Candlepin Bowling Tournament will be held on Sunday, January 17th at Lanes & Games on Route 2 in Cambridge.  Please meet at the QMB by 11:15am.  The tournament starts at 1pm and should end by 4pm.  Please bring some money for shoe rental and if you want to get lunch while at the alley.  Please contact Dad Abbott or Dad Caliri if you have any questions.

Below is the Massachusetts DeMolay Update sent January 4th.

Welcome to 2010 and the new decade of DeMolay challenges that await!

The State Officers have been hard at work putting together an event geared towards preparing our members to succeed. DeMolay University will provide an atmosphere for learning about DeMolay and some additional “life-skills” as well.

In addition to our program for the DeMolays, a separate Dad Training I Program will also be offered.
DeMolay University:  The curriculum at DeMolay University is separated into three specific areas,  Marketing, Managing and Modernizing.  Below are our objectives:

Marketing is about “getting the word out.”  One of our significant challenges is promoting the message of DeMolay outside our circle.  This section offers an explanation of all the opportunities in our communities that can be utilized to our advantage for awareness. Where do we go to promote DeMolay? What options are more cost effective than others?  How is it done?

Press Releases, Newspaper Ads, TV Commercials, and Community Bulletin Board Postings are examples of each of the tools that will be discussed. The members will participate in a workshop where they will storyboard and produce their own DeMolay TV Commercial along with a printed advertising campaign.  The experience of performing all these tasks and working together will provide fun, fellowship, and a fruitful knowledge of how to grow DeMolay.

Managing: A big challenge for teenagers, not just DeMolays, is time management. Often times sports, video games, friendships and above all procrastination, can stall the proper performance of a young mans daily routine. Obtaining an education is every young mans priority. This section offers a time management exercise that will provide a foundation on how to plan time to succeed over the long term.

The DeMolay business meeting is the most important part of a meeting. The performance of ritual and floor-work is important, but the business meeting is truly the member's time to shine. We preach that no one DeMolays opinion is better than any others. In the business meeting, the members review their recent events, as well as upcoming ones. The committee system and the ability of each member to propose new events is an intricate part of the operation of a chapter. Each member will participate in a mock business meeting designed to demonstrate that the possibilities of DeMolay are endless.

Modernizing:  Keeping the mission of DeMolay relevant and applicable to today’s youth is foremost in our thoughts.  Has the message of DeMolay ever changed?  While the seasons change, the lessons of how to be a good man remain consistent, resolute and unaltering.

Our challenge is not to adapt to the future, but rather to adapt the future to us. Being a DeMolay is a unique experience. We must continue to learn how to do the little things that separate DeMolay from other youth organizations.  This section encourages our membership to rise to the occasion and bring our era of DeMolay one step closer to realizing the goals of Dad Land and the original DeMolays by working together.
“What else?”: We live in the information age.  The internet has eclipsed personal interaction as the most important factor in the social development of children outside of the family. Those that do not belong to an on-line social network are a very small minority.

It is difficult to comprehend the availability of the information our DeMolay’s post in their profiles. The internet is a vast information highway and any information posted anywhere is accessible to anyone.  Our members will learn the consequences of posting inappropriate language, pictures, video, etc. while on-line and we will teach in the best way possible, peer to peer.  It is one thing to receive these lessons from parents and teachers. It is another to hear them from a kid, and not just any kid, but a Brother who is truly looking out for them.

The State Officers guarantee each DeMolay will walk away knowing at least one valuable piece of information.   DeMolay University is the best way to start 2010 off on the right foot!

We are urging each chapter to register as soon as possible for DeMolay University so we can have an accurate count of how much food to provide for lunch. Lunch for this event is FREE for all participants.

Candlepin Bowling:  The Candlepin Bowling Tournament is Sunday, January 17th.  The Registration Deadline for all teams is Monday, January 11th.  NO late registrations will be accepted.

The event is at the same time and place as the Tenpin Tournament: Lanes and Games, Cambridge at 1:00pm.
DeMolay Charity Drive:  The State Officers will be collecting winter clothing for the benefit of the Springfield Shriner's Hospital at the tournament. The Holiday Toy Drive at the Tenpin Tournament was a huge success! Deputy State Master Councilor John H. Brainard presented a Public Relations Department representative with the donations on Monday, December 21st and they were ecstatic to receive such a generous donation.

Please help us make this effort as successful as the last one! Any new/unworn winter jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, mittens, sweaters, etc. are permitted. This is the time of year these items are in highest demand. These are the kind of service projects that help promote the name of DeMolay in a positive light.

Any Questions?

Please e-mail me at christopher.rooney@mademolay.org and I guarantee a response within 24 hours. (barring catastrophic personal circumstances of course!)

I thank each and every one for your commitment to DeMolay, your help is appreciated.  Here's to a successful 2010 and beyond!

Fraternally,
Christopher D. Rooney
State Master Councilor