International Order of the Rainbow for Girls receives $500 donation

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By CINDY CROSBY

Cindyc4@yahoo.com

Walterboro Unity Lodge No. 55 presented a $500 donation toward the mission and purpose of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls on Saturday, January 29 in Walterboro.

The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a non-profit Masonic Youth Order for girls and young women beginning on their eleventh birthday and ending at the age of 20. The group was founded in 1922, by Rev. W. Mark Sexson, Past Grand Master of Masons and Past Grand Patron of Eastern Star in Oklahoma, a 33 Scottish Rite Mason. Sexson was also wactive in the York Rite Bodies, a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and was amember of other appendant Masonic Orders.

There are 11 Assemblies in South Carolina.

According to Dedra Hart, Supreme Hope and Supreme Inspector, the mission of the Rainbow for Girls is to prepare girls for responsible and purposeful adulthood through character and leadership development, encouraging unselfish service and higher ideals in life, and promoting teamwork and effective interpersonal communications.

“Our purpose is to create educational and recreational programs that are designed to develop self-confidence, character and citizenship in young women,” said Hart. “We emphasize leadership through charitable service and foster friendships with members from other states and countries, creating a global sense of community and sisterhood. Rainbow Girls volunteer for their community and travel to other clubs. Along the way, they make new friends and gather invaluable life skills that help them become the best daughter, sister, and friend they can be.”

South Carolina 2021-2022 Grand Worthy Advisor, Sabrina McCracken, a junior at The College of Charleston and a member of the group since she was 11 years old, was on hand Saturday to accept the $500 donation from Barry Crosby, representative of Unity Lodge No. 55. McCracken recently led a service project in Colleton County where she and other members of the group cleaned up litter at a local boat ramp. As Grand Worth Advisor, McCracken chose the group’s watchwords of determination, exploration, courage, and discovery and selected Beautiful Places Alliance as the charity project and The Arbor Day Foundation as the service project.

To learn more about The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls visit http://www.sciorg.org/gwa.html.