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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the Sumner Masonic 
4Lodge #334 on the occasion of its Sesquicentennial anniversary; 
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge #334 was chartered as a 
7lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons by the Grand Lodge of 
8Illinois in October of 1860; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The mission of Freemasonry aims to promote 
10Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love among its members;  it 
11is, by definition, a fraternity comprised of men from every 
12race, religion, opinion, and background who are brought 
13together as Brothers to develop and strengthen the bonds of 
14friendship; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge has a long standing 
16tradition of serving their community through various acts of 
17beneficence; they continue this tradition through a network of 
18charitable programs with a primary focus on promoting 
19education, reducing substance abuse, and aiding children and 
20senior citizens; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The Grand Lodge of Illinois comprises nearly 600 
 
 
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1lodges and over 70,000 Masons, of which the Sumner Lodge has 
2the youngest average age per membership; and
 
3    WHEREAS, As part of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, Sumner 
4Lodge joins in providing the sole financial support for two 
5Illinois Masonic Children's Homes that have been in existence 
6for over 120 years; the Children's Home provides a safe and 
7nurturing environment for children ages 4 through 16 years who 
8are unable to care for themselves due to various family or home 
9conditions; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Illinois CHIP program, sponsored by the Grand 
11Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of 
12Illinois, is held by experts as the "premier child 
13identification program" currently offered in the State of 
14Illinois; the Freemasons of Illinois hold and fund the entire 
15cost of identification workshops for families all around the 
16State of Illinois; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge is a local sponsor of six 
18Red Cross Blood Drives per year, collecting an average of 28 to 
1940 units of blood per drive; collectively, Masons are one of 
20the largest groups of blood donors in the State of Illinois; 
21and
 
22    WHEREAS, The Sumner Masonic Lodge also adopted a local Red 
 
 
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1Hill High School student to help him obtain the rank of Eagle 
2Scout with the Boy Scouts of America; the Masons helped him 
3accomplish his mission of fundraising to provide tombstones for 
4unmarked graves; and
5    WHEREAS, Today the lodge is thriving with ongoing 
6fundraising events, over 125 members, and the same kind of 
7strong brotherhood that makes masonry the greatest fraternity 
8in the world; therefore, be it





  
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
10NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
11congratulate the past, present, and future members of the 
12Sumner Masonic Lodge #334 on its Sesquicentennial anniversary 
13celebration; and be it further
  
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
15presented to the Sumner Masonic Lodge #334 as a symbol of our 
16esteem and respect.