Due to scheduling conflict with the holiday, the lodge will not meet for the stated meeting on Thursday, January 1, 2015. We will resume with the next regularly scheduled meeting which will be Thursday, January 15.

Brothers- Attached is information about funeral and memorial services for RWB Stanton Brown. Brother Stanton was a good man who truly lived a Masonic life. Not only by his dedication to the craft, but more importantly by the way he simply lived his life. As a Brother we should support and celebrate his memory and legacy. As people we should support, celebrate and learn from his life. If you are able to attend either the Memorial or Funeral I am sure the Brown family will be grateful for the support. Masonic Service will be held Tuesday December 23, 2014 at 5:30 PM at the Speaks Suburban Chapel on 39th Street in Independence, MO. Visitation will be held the same evening immediately following the Masonic Service. Funeral will be held Wednesday December 24, 2014 at 10 AM at the same Suburban Chapel location, with a military honors burial at Buckner Hill Cemetery just up the hill from the Lodge Hall. Please let everyone know that the Masonic Funeral Service is a public ceremony and all are invited to attend. Fraternally, David B. Brown Secretary Buckner Lodge #501 AF & AM

Thursday 12-18-14 was the bi-annual Julie Ball memorial blood drive at Raytown Lodge 391. We have helped with this blood drive for several years now. It is held in honor of Dr. Julie Ball, who is the daughter of WB Gary Ball. Julie lost her battle with cancer several years ago. I was honored to have met her a few times before she passed away. Besides her laughter and humor, I remember her smile and bright eyes. Julie was a huge supporter of the Community Blood Bank and these blood drives are held in her honor. This year started out very “iffy”. The day started out with snow on the ground and just a little more falling. Julie started to smile on us all and the day warmed up enough, the ground did not get below freezing and by 11:00 the roads and parking lots were clear and easy to drive on. The blood drive would continue as planned. We were able to collect 22 units of donated blood Thursday. While we always wish for more donations, that is 22 people in need of donations that can be helped. That is 22 units of blood more than what was on hand when we woke up Thursday morning. Many thanks to the Community Blood Center and WB Gary Ball for keeping the memory and legacy of Julie alive! Raytown Lodge #391 looks forward to many more successful blood drives in Julie’s memory.

Please visit the Trestleboard page for a message from Worshipful Master Tom Saccardi.

Raytown Lodge is hosting a blood drive this Thursday, December 18th, from 2:00 to 6:30pm. Blood is in short supply going into the holidays and your donation can help save a life. Please help support the effort by stopping by the lodge to donate! Thank you to WB Gary Ball for coordinating this important event.