Two New Yorkers in top 10 of first line signers in America!

Have I told you I love e-scribe?

This database allows us to pull reports and get information on the health of DeMolay membership in a few seconds.

Now, for this I need you to go to YouTube and listen to a little bit of Joe Esposito
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p44G0U4sLCE


Today, I ran the report on top line signers in the United States and was very pleased to see two of our own make the list of top 10!




Br. Robin Santos of Knickerbocker Chapter is tied for 6th, and Br. RJ Larson of Richmond Chapter is tied for 10th! This is huge, and I cannot tell you how proud I am of both of them!

WAY TO GO AND GROW DEMOLAY!

Account Audits: A Best Practice

Dear New York DeMolay:

Among things that we are working on for DeMolay is best practices on the finance side. 


As a 501(c)3, New York DeMolay has a fiduciary responsibility to do routine audits of accounts of chapters, honor bodies, alumni accounts, etc/

 I have asked "Dad" Harry Needham III to undertake these audits. "Dad" Needham is a Past Executive Officer of Connecticut DeMolay and an Active Member of our Supreme Council. In this capacity he understands our organization thoroughly and understands how we operate. "

The basic items which need to be submitted are:
 - Bank statements for the past 24 months
- Receipts and Contracts for any expense over $250.
- Minutes showing where the expense was authorized or a signed payment voucher
- Copies of the 990 post card or confirmation email.

This is a routine best practice and I look forward to everyone's cooperation to get these done efficiently.

If you have a question on finance matters please feel free to drop me a note at PWBrusoe@gmail.com

I do want to emphasize this is merely to ensure we are following best practices and NOT because we think something is amiss.

Yours for a stronger New York DeMolay,

"Dad" Brusoe

What is your chapter doing for Winter/Christmas/Holiday Break?

Winter Break
Christmas Break
Holiday Break
End of Semester Break
Regardless of what you call it, many of our DeMolays have NO SCHOOL FOR AT LEAST A WEEK!  This is a great time for you and your chapter to have fun activities, service events, or for you to work on some DeMolay projects.

What are some things that you can do?

1. Hold a Membership Class: Winter Break is a great time to plan and schedule an induction ceremony and have your friend from English Class, or your soccer team, or your marching band join DeMolay. I am really excited that Mohawk Valley DeMolay already has one scheduled for Saturday. As a reminder we are waiving form 10 fees through 12/31/2019. (Also, true story, 12/26/1997 Patrick Filiberto called me up, asked if I was free on 12/27 to join DeMolay in Utica, and the rest they say is history.)


2. Organize a Movie Trip: There are lots of great movies out there that you can see as a chapter. Call up your DeMolay brothers, pick a film, pick a location and go out and enjoy the film as a group. Afterward you can talk about what parts you liked the best and how awesome the Ewoks are.

3. Hold an athletic event:  Maybe you go the bowling alley, or play flag football in the snow, or play basketball, it's a great time to play some sports and do some fun athletic things.  (also helps for those of us who had too many of our parents' amazing cookies!)

4. Do a service project: This is a great time to organize a service project for your chapter! Maybe you want to help shovel out sidewalks and fire plugs, visit residents in a care community, clean up a local park (please dress warmly) or make cards for the Masonic Care Community.

5. Host a winter dance or other social event: Have a speaker? Have an Iphone? you can have an awesome dance. Call up the local Rainbow or Triangle, or other young ladies you're tight with, order some sub platters, have a dance. Or bring in some video games and have a video game tournament. The sky is the limit!

6. Call a Brother you haven't heard from. A lot of our DeMolay brothers are back from college, now is a great time to call them and see how they are doing. Maybe even have them come to an event and talk about what they  have learned while in college.

7. Work on your LCCs: Maybe do it as a chapter activity, or do it on your own, but you can improve your knowledge of DeMolay. Need the tests? Contact "Dad" David Schneider dschneid7@gmail.com


8. Work on your Representative DeMolay: It was "Dad" Land's Dream that every DeMolay would be a Representative DeMolay.  It's a good self assessment program that prepares you well for college and life in general. New York has its own form, please Contact "Dad" David Schneider dschneid7@gmail.com for the form.


9. Write your Totten Essay Contest : This essay is open to all masonic youth who are seniors in High School. It's due January 21! https://nymasons.org/site/masonic-youth-contest-and-awards/

10. HELP YOUR PARENTS: The best thing we can do as DeMolays? Help our parents. Set the example to your siblings and be the son that helps them with household chores, maybe cook them breakfast, but live your DeMolay values.

A Very Merry Christmas!

Brothers, "Moms," "Dads," DeMolay families, friends, and supporters:

From my family to yours I want to wish those of you who celebrate a very Merry Christmas! Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays, filled with family, friends, faith and traditions.

I have drafted this note a couple of different times. Some were long notes, some were a trip down memory lane, others were a bit too preachy.  Finally, I came back to "What is the key message of Christmas?"

Linus Van Pelt captured it perfectly in a "Charlie Brown Christmas Special" when he read from Luke 2: 8-14. After proclaiming the birth of Jesus, the angelic host proclaimed: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards all people."

In this day and age it is easy to be cynical, it is easy to look around and see how off the world is, it is easy to be bitter and to be a NIOP.  Let us Harken to what the angels sing and remember that we are called to have good will, and called towards peace.

Thank you day in and day out for all that you do to make sure we live in a world of peace, of positivity, and are making our world a better place. Thank you for the tremendous gift you give every single day of yourself! Thank you for your belief in our core mission of providing excellent experiences to exceptional young people.

And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, every one!

Yours in the Christmas Spirit,


"Dad" Brusoe

A Chanukah Reflection

Dear Brothers, "Moms" "Dads," Friends and Supporters:

I wanted to say to everyone who celebrates Chanukah Sameach! I hope that this holiday brings to you many happy memories and quality time with your friends and family.

Why am I wishing this to you on the 3rd night and not the 1st night? DeMolay International expressed the well wishes already for us!  But it goes back to how I have best experienced the Holiday with my friend Chris and his family.

For them, the first night was the nuclear family, the second night was with their Bubbe and Zayda, the third night, however, was the night for their friends.

This was when we would join them for lighting the menorah, playing games including the dreidel , receiving gelt  (gold chocolate coins), telling the Chanukah story, as well as amazing latkes and, though out of season , ever amazing hamantaschen! Occasionally this would change depending on when other holidays fell, but more often than not it was the third night. 

Chris would always explain that the light of the menorah was meant to be shared. As DeMolays this should remind us of another set of lights that should be shared.

In DeMolay we stress the importance of respecting and understanding other people's faith traditions.
If you're not very familiar with the story of Chanukah it is well worth reading.  Chabad has a great resource here: https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102978/jewish/The-Story-of-Chanukah.htm

There is something for everyone to learn: 

The quick summary is that while being governed by the Seleucids Empire, the traditional form and practice of the Jewish religion had fallen out of practice. It was being replaced by Greek practice and tradition.  Given the huge social and political pressure most people "went along to go along."  Yet, a band of brothers called the Maccabees stood up for what they thought was right. They rebelled and led a courage campaign to return to traditional observances. 

The odds were not in their favor.

A rag tag group of farmers were taking on the premiere military force of the world at the time. Yet, the Maccabees won and they were able to restore what had been lost.  At the height of their greatest victory however, when they were going to restore and rededicate the temple there wasn't enough oil. Yet, with limited resources they pressed on and a miracle happened because they preserve and trusted their G-d.


A few things for us to think about:

1) When presented with the option to go along and do what everyone else is doing, do we go along to get along, or do we stand up for what is right?

2) When we face a challenge, like the Maccabees did of not having enough oil, how do we respond? Do we use the resource we have to do the best we can, or do we give up?

3) Do we take the time to understand people's religions? Do we show respect for their beliefs on a daily basis?

Initiation Fee Reimbursement from the Scottish Rite

Brothers, "Moms," "Dads," and Friends:

When they turn 18, many members of DeMolay, Rainbow and Triangle want to continue the great experiences they have had as a youth  by joining a Masonic Lodge or an Eastern Star Chapter. 

Yet, the cost to join a lodge or a chapter is not insignificant.

To pay my initiation fee at Master's Lodge #5 required saving a month's worth of tutoring fees. The cost to join has not gone down.

For example, the Lodge I am currently Master of charges $300 plus the cost of the Guarding the West Gate report. My Eastern Star Chapter charges $150 to join. For youth of today, when shuffling the costs of books, car insurance, gas, paying down student loans, and other expenses paying these fees may make that journey cost prohibitive.

Thank God for the Scottish Rite!


Many of you heard during LeadCon that the New York State Council of Deliberation of Scottish Rite has agreed to reimburse initiation fees up to $250 for Masonic Youth Group members joining a Blue Lodge under the Grand Lodge of New York or an Eastern Star Chapter under the Grand Chapter of New York. 

I am pleased to share with you all that the forms are now out to be able to participate in this program.
You can download the form here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_0vMxQkkD6WMl7s0Hkj1UBfAInrGnG5X
There is some fine print:

1) You must have joined the Lodge or Eastern Star Chapter on or after August 1, 2019
2) You must have been a member in the youth group a minimum of two years
3) You must complete the degrees. For Masonry that means going through the 3rd Degree.
4) Complete the form and obtain the appropriate signatures
5) This is a reimbursement program so fees need to be paid ahead of time.

But now cost is not a prohibiting factor for a youth group member to join a Lodge or an Eastern Star Chapter.

If this is a journey that you wish to undertake please talk with your local advisors, or if you're looking for a good Lodge or Eastern Star Chapter to join let us know.


Thank you to Ill "Dad" David Spencer and the entire New York State Council of Deliberation for this investment in our youth and in the future of our Lodges and Eastern Star!


Yours,

"Dad" Brusoe

Obligations Card Policy

Obligations Card Policy


Today, we are adopting the following obligations card policy:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xQwFlAfic2F92p-u96mad0UArX4aeTcs/view?usp=sharing


This policy outlines how DeMolays earn their obligatory cards and is explicit that by June 1, 2020 all Councilors of chapters that are not new or reforming must have their obligations card.


This policy was thanks to the work of our Director of Ritual, “Dad” Craig Riha, and his team with “Dad” Tom Perry and “Dad”  Phillip Hurkala. At LeadCon you may have heard about the draft policy. It took a little longer to get this policy out so we could talk to a number of people including the SAC and SEC about it and get their feedback on it and to make some tweaks.

There have been a few questions and I want to address those:


Why are we adopting a statewide policy?
The bylaws of DeMolay International provide that each state shall adopt a policy.  It is important to me that we set a standard and we abide by that across our state.  A young man assuming the east in St. Andrew’s Chapter should meet the same minimum requirements as a young man assuming the east in Richmond, or Trinity.

Can chapters create other requirements to be Master Councilor?100%! Some chapters may require that a Master Councilor have earned a certain number of LCCs or brought in so many members to assume the East. These policies must be in the Chapter bylaws and have been voted on by the young men and approved by New York DeMolay in writing.

Why are obligations important?
Regardless if you joined in Kansas City in 1919, or a snowy day in Utica, NY in 1997 or took your obligations in an officers’ club in Taiwan in the 1960s, or you joined last month at Ridge Council, the obligations link all of us as DeMolays. These paragraphs unite us all as brothers and are at the core of what we do. How can we live as DeMolays if we cannot recall what we promised to do?  Learning your part is one of many ways that we show informal leadership in DeMolay.

Why are you not requiring obligations to vote for chapter officers or hold appointed office?
This is the question I have gotten from people who think the policy is too soft. Member involvement is critically important to us as an organization.  As soon as you join DeMolay you should be able to be involved and engaged with the activities of your chapter.

Why June 1st?
My goal is to be fair.  This policy originally said that by May 1, 2020 all councilors had to be proficient. Because it took us a little longer to finalize this policy, I am pushing the effective date from May 1 to June 1. This provides each chapter plenty of time to become complaint.   I know several chapters have not been requiring this and young men have made plans to serve as Master Councilor. By giving the better part of six months this provides time to get proficient and make things work.

Is this policy set in stone?
This is our policy. We are always welcome to feedback and evaluation.

How will you help us teach our young men ritual?We have a core team of ritual advisors at the state and region level who can help teach and will travel and do seminars. We can also work with the advisory councils to help through this process. At state events we will have opportunities to earn obligation cards.

What is a “re-forming” chapter?Some of our Chapters have long been established and therefore are chartered, but they only have a handful of young men showing up. In many ways they are just like a “new chapter.” This status may be given by the Executive Officer to a chapter upon their request.

What level of expectation of privacy is there for IEPs and 504s?This policy outlines an accommodation process.  As part of this advisors may become aware of personal information related to a DeMolay. This information should be kept confidential and on a need to know basis. Adult volunteers who violate the privacy provisions may be disciplined up to and including removal as an advisor or revocation of honors.

We do not know how to provide appropriate accommodations, what do we do?We have a number of educators in New York DeMolay and other professionals who know how to develop an accommodation plan and process. Please contact New York DeMolay and we will work to get you that help.

Dress code for DeMolays and Male Advisors

In a previous post you heard me discuss "Tribal knowledge." One of those happens to be our dress code in New York DeMolay. A quick WIWAD story: St. Andrew's had a casual dress code between Memorial Day and Labor Day. I showed up in a full suit while everyone else was rocking much cooler outfits. One of my brothers said to me "Oh didn't you know?" Clearly not.  In consultation with the State Executive Committee and the State Advisory Council we are promulgating the below dress code for DeMolays and Male Advisors. "Mom" Cook is working on one for young ladies and female advisors and should be out soon.

We also know that dress clothes are not cheap. We are working with "Mom" Draves to set up a clothes closet program. More details to come.

Dress Code For DeMolays and Male Advisors
One of the frequent questions that we get is 'What do I wear?" To help flesh this out we wanted to define dress code a bit:


The chapter members, subject to approval by the advisory council, will establish and set their own dress code for chapter meetings. Chapters should take steps to ensure that dress codes do not create undue financial hardships on the members.


No dress code may be used to prohibit a DeMolay from wearing attire that is religious in nature.


Care should be taken to ensure that clothing does not contain un-DeMolay like sayings or graphics. When visiting another chapter or another youth organization, care should be taken to observe their dress standards.  For example, if a young ladies' group is hosting an event and their rules require ties, DeMolays should wear ties. We are guests in their house.


In general, DeMolay uses the following standards for young men and male advisors:


DeMolay Casual: A pair of slacks with a polo shirt. Shorts and t-shirts are not considered casual. We will note when shorts can be worn.


DeMolay Business: A pair of slacks, with a dress shirt, tie at a minimum, jacket or blazer, or a culturally equivalent outfit such as a barong or a kilt or military uniform.


DeMolay Formal: A tuxedo or dark suit, or a culturally equivalent outfit, such as a barong or kilt or dress uniform.


DeMolay Athletic: A pair of shorts or pants with an A-Shirt, Tee Shirt, or Tank Top.



As a rule of thumb, you can always dress down if you over dressed for an event, but hard to dress up if you under dressed.



New York DeMolay does have a clothes closet to help youth secure clothing that they may need.


In addition, you may want to visit these resources:

Harvard: https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/dress-success

The Art of Manliness https://www.artofmanliness.com/category/dress-grooming/

Winterfest Registration Form

Dear New York DeMolay:


We are moving to electronic registrations for state events.  The first event we are going to use this for is New York DeMolay Winterfest.

Here is where you will find the electronic form:
https://forms.gle/nYbBp9R3VAtJzNqH6

How this works

1) The person registering will fill out the form, this may be a parent, the DeMolay, an advisor etc.
2) Upon receipt we will be emailing a permission slip and medical release that will need to be signed by the parent or guardian of the person attending along with a copy of the insurance card that will need to be emailed back in or brought in paper form.
3) The check for the registration fee will need to be mailed to "Dad" Evarts. We are not currently enabled for online bill pay. Checks will need to be made payable to New York DeMolay.

If you have a question on registration please contact "Dad" Brusoe (PWBrusoe@gmail.com)  or "Dad" Evarts (eric@evartsct.com)

Cost: $99 per person (6 per room)
$122 per person (4 per room)
$143 per person (3 per room)
$184 per person (2 per room)
$308 per person (single occupancy)
$70 Saturday only
Family packages upon request!



We have been asked "what if we cannot fill a suite?" If you wish to have the $99 package please put down the six to a suite package. It will mean that you are with DeMolays not from your chapter.  If we are unable to fill a room with six people we will still honor the $99 price.

Questions?
Let us know!

PMC-MSA Ritual Proficiency, Merit Bars, RD things

In consultation with "Dad" Schneider we wanted to clarify a few award things:

PMC-MSA and Ritual:  The PMC-MSA requires you be proficient in the Master Councilor's portion of the ritual work. This certification is to be done by the director of ritual or  his designee within two months of taking office. This establishes a more uniform standard around the state. You should look at qualifying earlier for the ritual work. If you are a Senior Councilor and you know you are going to be Master Councilor set this up sooner rather than later.

Merit Bars: Merit Bars are a chapter level program. New York DeMolay is no longer handling merit bars for LCCs. "Dad" Schneider is working to get these out to chapters so they can use them, but your local advisory council will now handle the LCC Merit bars.

No Obligation Card for the RD: You do not need to have an obligations card to earn the Representative DeMolay. This is in accordance with DeMolay International rules and procedures. You should be working on your obligations, but it is not a statutory requirement.

You Must use the New York DeMolay RD form: There are several RD forms out there. In New York, you need to use ours. If you have any doubt about the form you are using please please please contact "Dad" Schneider.

Continuing Advisory Council Forms

Dear New York DeMolay:

I have had a few questions about advisors whose paperwork did not hit by December 1, 2019 for their change/no-change. 

I spoke with "Dad" Christian Moore our hardworking and dedicated Executive Director. If you did not finish your change/no-change paperwork by the deadline, you should complete the new advisory paperwork and fee by December 31st you will NOT need to retrain since there is no break in service as a DeMolay advisor.

I recognize that there is a difference  in fee between doing a change/no-change and doing new advisory council paperwork.  If your renewal was held up for unforeseen circumstances please send me a note and we can see what we can do about the fees.

Thank you for our time and attention to this!

Yours in the light of the 4th Candle,

"Dad" Brusoe

Lamps of Knowledge

A note from our Director of Education "Dad" David Schneider

With LCC records now up to date and in sync with DI, we are having a one time only opportunity for those of you who have completed all 5 exams (both New York and DI versions) going back as far as 2010.

If you never received your Lamp of Knowledge, you can claim it now through December 31, 2019.  We know some of you, but perhaps not all of you, have earned a Lamp and might not have received one.

This is your chance.  ALL you need to do is send me an email with your Full name and Chapter name and the year you completed all 5 exams.  Once we confirm that you did finish them, a Lamp of Knowledge will be made available to you and awarded at State Convention 2020.  If you are unable to attend convention, arrangements will be made to present it to you at another time.

After December 31, 2019 ALL past completions will be considered "fulfilled" and no longer eligible to receive a Lamp from New York DeMolay.  You or your Chapter will have the responsibility to obtain one for you.

As of January 1, 2020, ONLY those who complete all 5 LCC's between each Convention will receive a Lamp for that year.

Don't delay, let us know know if we owe you a Lamp and we will be happy to obtain one for you once your achievement has been confirmed.

Thank you.  Happy Holidays and continued success in all of your DeMolay adventures.

New York DeMolay Standard Operating Procedures

Dear New York DeMolay:

If there is a tie at the end of the football game, what do you do?
If a player tags the base at the same time the ball hits the baseman's glove is he out?
Four cars arrive at a four stop sign intersection at the same time, who goes first?
When is the  Education Obligatory Day in New York?

For each of these there is a playbook or a rule book that is followed, with the exception of the last one. Today, that changes.

In DeMolay we are governed by the statutes, rules, and regulations of DeMolay International. However, DeMolay knows that the way things work in our Great State is Perhaps different than how things would work in the State of New Mexico. Therefore there are things that are left to the discretion of the jurisdictions.  A lot of things that we do in DeMolay are based on shared common knowledge. In the workplace this is called "Tribal knowledge." (See https://www.isixsigma.com/dictionary/tribal-knowledge/) . You can generally tell what is tribal knowledge when you hear people say "We have always done it this way" or "historically" or "In the past."

For the past several weeks your hardworking and dedicated State Executive Committee and State Advisory Council have been working through a document called a "Standard Operating Procedure. This is an evolving document as the needs of DeMolay change. You can find the document here for your reference and it has been emailed out to everyone.  Soon it will be on our new website!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ag9y3TkThYlO-OK0sRRe22rCQW4i6Pvm/view?usp=sharing

As always, let us know if you have questions or concerns.

Yours,
"Dad" Brusoe

It's a Snow Day, what is a DeMolay or a Sweetheart to do?

What a winter storm we are having in New York! (To the right is the view outside our back door in Montgomery County!)  As the Eastern Part of our Great State is hit with record snow falls what is a DeMolay to do?


1. Shovel for others INCLUDING HYDRANTS!:  Seriously, go out, grab a shovel, help shovel your parents out, go look in on neighbors who may not be able to shovel themselves out.  Some notes on how to safely shovel:
https://nyc.heart.org/2017/12/14/american-heart-association-warns-snow-shoveling-health-hazards/ 

Thanks to "Dad" Heyn for the recommendation on Fire Hydrants/Plugs.

2. Work on your Representative DeMolay! If you're not an RD yet, now is a great time to get it started. As a reminder, we have our own form here designed by "Dad" Schneider. Need a copy? email him at dschneid7@gmail.com for the latest and greatest. NOTE: you do not need an obligations card to become an RD.

3. Help your parents with chores. Take time today to ask your parents if there are chores that you can help with around the house. It's a great way to show the first preceptor!

4. Learn a new ritual part.  Lots of time around the house is a great chance to learn your ritual part. Maybe it's opening or closing of a chapter or a preceptor part. Don't have a ritual? Email me and we'll figure out how to get you a part. (PWBrusoe@gmail.com)

5. Do something nice for someone else: This is really easy, take out some paper and make some cards for our residents at the Masonic Care Community, or other healthcare facility.

6. Hold a Chapter Committee Meeting: Sure you may be homebound, but this may be a great chance to plan that Day of Comfort Observance, or to come up with a list of friends you can ask to join your chapter.

7. Make a Snow DeMolay or Sweetheart  The snow we have is amazing for making snow people. Never made one? The directions are really easy! https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Snowman take a picture!

8. Work on the Totten Essay Contest: If you're graduating High School this year, consider entering the Totten Essay Contest. This is open to all Masonic youth. This year's topic? “How did failure contribute to my success?” More info is here:  https://nymasons.org/site/masonic-youth-contest-and-awards/

9. Play Board Games with your family.  Snow Days at the Brusoe household means "Acquire" or "Scrabble" or "Rummy." This is a great bonding experience and a way to really build family togetherness. (It used to also be a good time for Monopoly and Risk but one of the Brusoe kids was a bit too competitive once and it got banned :) )

10. Enter the "DeMolay Merch" contest. Our State Executive Committee Team came up with the idea of having a logo designed that will be voted on at Winterfest. Reach out to our State Master Councilor for more information!