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Tab 1.

a.

Mark Twain Award Submittal

Summary and Description

Summary Matanuska Lodge No. 7

P.O. Box 297 1022 S Cobb St Palmer, Alaska

907-745-4732 clineboak@gmail . com (secretary)

Date of Activity: Continuous throughout the year

Objectives: In June of this year, Matanuska Masonic Lodge celebrated its 60th anniversary, and in commemoration of this event, embarked on a program to enhance its standing i n the community and to i mprove the spiritual as well as the material aspects of the lodge.

Activities: To achieve these objectives, t he Lodge planned numerous activities to focus its energy in five specific areas. Those areas included Masonic Education, Fellowship, Community Involvement, Building Improvements , and Publ i c Awareness. The following pages provide a description of planning, execution, and evaluation of those various activities . We are also enclosing an appendices containing broader descriptions of the activities we participated in and their impact on the lodge and the community .

Mark Twain Award Submittal

b. Description (Planning, Implementation, Evaluation/Reflection)

I . Planning

The officers and members of Matanuska Lodge No. 7 met on May 17, 2011 to discuss and plan activities in support of our 60th anniversary . The members present recommended that the lodge continue executing the activities as planned at the beginning of the term in December of 2010 , but to enhance those activities for the purpose of improving Masonic awareness consistent with the objectives defined in the Masonic Information Center's " Its About Time" . The following mission of the lodge was put forward and adopted :

"The mission of Matanuska Lodge No. 7 is to improve the character of our members, making them better citizens, husbands , and fathers. Our activities are intended to educate and inform the brethren, provide a social outlet where fellowship is a key ingredient , provide opportunities for community i mprovement, and thereby bring greater awareness of Freemasonry to the community of Palmer , Alaska . "

The general areas of focus planned for the lodge and their associated activities were broken down into five classes , which included: 1 . Masonic Education : (See Tab 3 in accompanying appe ndices)

• Have planned and dedicated presentations during stated communications.

• Conduct philosophical discussions monthly at member residence

• Conduct weekly afternoon ritual study • Enhance degree presentations

2. Fellowship: (See Tab 4 in accompanying appendices) • Have formal din ing before stated communications • Celebrate Masonic feast days • Continue Scotch Night discussions • Celebrate Past Master's and Honored Ladies • Have a Junior Warden's Picnic • Have a Fellowship/Friendship Night

3 . Community Involvement : (See Tab 5 in accompanying appendices) • Sponsor of Cub Scout Pack 354 • Participate in Palmer Chamber of Commerce • Sponsor an information booth at the Alaska State Fair

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Mark Twain Award Submittal

• Sponsor a program of academic s cholarships • Sponsor Bikes- f o r - Books • Participate in community events

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4 . Building Improvemen t s: (See Tab 6 in accompanying appendices) • Upgrade Tyler's Room • Paint back addition • Replace roof • Assess building integrity • De - clutter a nd spruce up the l od ge

5 . Mason i c Awareness: (See Tab 7 in accompanying a ppendices ) • Contact local media outlets to publish events and

activities • Promote the lodge and its a c tivities at communi ty events

and the Al aska State Fair • Use the interne t and social me dia to its fullest extent • Provide information about lodg e activities for Grand Lodge

newsletter and nati onal Masonic publications

Accomplishment of thes e activities was expected t o be covered by the established lodge budget or through contributions from individual brethren. Every active member of the lodge was invite d and encour aged to participate, however the burden of success was placed on the elected officers of the lodge. The intended beneficiaries of this prog rammed initiative were the individual member s o f the lodge , t heir friends a nd families , and the community o f Pa l mer at large . (Please see the attached append i c es for detai led descriptions of the variou s activities and events , their budget estimat e s (where appropriate) , and e xhib its of the results . )

II . Execution /implementation

Exe cution of the acti vities planned by the lodge , s upporting our pursuit of the Mar k Twain Award, has b een a yearlong adventure . The activities we re apportioned out over a 12 month period and s chedules , dicta ted b y traditionally occurring lodge events and by others (Grand Lodge , community , etc . ) , were arranged to minimi ze conflicts.

At a " Scotch Night" (See Tab 3 in accompanying appendices) , e arl y on in t he planning , the res pons i bilities of the various a c t ivities were d i stributed among the o fficers of the lodge . As our "Sc otch Nights" is t he s ource of a lot of t he progressive ide a s generated i n the lodge , t here was much excitement and ent hus iasm about the prospects o f the coming year. With

Mark Twain Award Submittal

commitments agreed to , the enormous activit ies appeared more manageable seemed to be unburdened by the weight more receptive to generating new ideas .

scope of the proposed and individual members

of the whole program and

Every member of the lodge 1 whether they were active members living in the community or those who lived outside the state and could only participate vicariously, were kept appraised of the p r ogress of the various activities with a nnouncements at stated communications , through regular email messages , on the internet through Facebook, and through the Grand Lodge newsletter and other national Masonic publications. Additionally 1 as news of the lodge activities were reported in the local media , members heard about the lodge in the most positive manner from non­Masons with whom they have business and social contact.

Outside our lodge , involvement in our activities by non-Masons was more by means of observation than actual participation. The community witnessed lodge members presenting scholarships at local high schools and bicycles at local elementary schools ; they observed Masons and members of appendant bod ies riding on parade floats ; and they read about our events in the local media . There were some exceptions where invited guests (and perspective Masons) attended our festive boards and discussed Masonry at the lodges information booth at the Alaska State Fair, and , on one occasion, a perspective (now FC Mason) attended one of our " Scotch Nightn discussions.

III . Eva1uation/Reflections

On Saturday, November 5 the officers and members met at the lodge to assess the activities of the past 12 months , to reflect on our accomplishments , and discuss what we might do to improve future activities .

In addition to the activities we normally pursue in any given year, the lodge e xperimented with several new initiatives to improve our self awareness and to enhance the awareness of Masonry by others. Some of the new i nit iatives included:

• Planned and dedicated Masonic Education presentations during stated communications ,

• Scotch Nights

• Bikes-for-Books Program

• Temple building enhancements

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Mark Twain Award Submittal

• Improved dining experience before meetings

• Masonic Festive Boards

• Communication using social media

All of the members of the lodge who participated benefited by the experience of these initiatives and learned from each step of the planning and implementation . These activities were a growth experience for the lodge ; they instilled a sense of pride in t heir accomplishments and they evoked a greater sense of the positive nature of Freemasonry among the lodge members and the community at large. Members of the lodge who were unable to participate and even Masons from outside the lodge have commented positively about our experience. Lodge members who have discussed our activities with excitement and animation have sparked a greater interest in Masonic membership from non­Masons.

There were some sacrifices made along the way . Some of the traditional events (like Past Master and Honored Ladies Night) had to be deferred and some of the initiatives (like replacing the temple roof and assessing the structural integrity of our building) were beyond the scope of what could be accomplished in a single year. However , the sacrifices were deemed acceptable in light of the accomplishments made.

Overall , the participation in our year-long program significantly improved the nature and character of Matanuska Lodge No . 7 . The members find greate r value in the activities planned and executed and participation in lodge meetings and events has increased several fold. With greater awareness among the community of the lodge and its activities, there is a greater interest in membership in the lodge. However, with greater knowledge of our mystic art , members are more careful about who they recommend for membership. The bottom line is that the dignity and quality of the Masonic experience for the officers and members of Matanuska Lodge has been richl y improved .

Mark Twain Award Submittal

Tab 8. Addendum- Exhibits of Printed Materials

Exhibit

1. Feast of St John - Flyer 1

2. Burns Night - Flyer 1

3. Matanuska Masonic Foundation Educational Grants - Brochure 1

4. Scholarship presentation write-up in Valley Frontiersman - Excerpt 1

5. Bikes-for-Books - Flyer 1

6. Bikes-for-Books presentation write-up in Valley Frontiersman - Excerpt 2

7. June 2011 Knights Templar Magazine - Alaska Supplement 1

8. August 2011 Knights Templar Magazine - Alaska Supplement 1

9. September 2011 Knights Templar Magazine- Alaska Supplement 1

10. October 2011 Knights Templar Magazine - Alaska Supplement 1

11. November 2011 Knights Templar Magazine- Alaska Supplement 1

12. March 2011 Light ofthe Great Land- Excerpt 2

13. June 2011 Light of the Great Land - Excerpt 3

14. September 2011 Light of the Great Land - Excerpt 3