Hi-Line Living: Shriners take part in the Brawl of the Wild

The North Central Shrine Club a few weeks ago gave people a chance to bash a car and help a good cause as part of a Brawl of the Wild tailgate party.

The Shriners painted a van, half in University of Montana Grizzly colors and half in Montana State University Bobcat colors, and Nov. 23 - the day of the annual Cat-Griz game - people paid to bash the car on the side of the team they were not supporting.

Shriner Kelly Brandon said the event is a usual Shriner fundraiser, and is also going for a good cause - to help house the little cars the Shriner Rat Patrol parade division drives in parades.

We had a great turnout for the event," Brandon said. " ... We are raising money for a trailer to house our Shrine parade vehicles in."

He said the usual high level of local support came through for the Cat-Griz event, with Tilleman Hi-Line Dodge donating the van, Glassworks taking out all the glass and Sherwin Williams donating the paint.

But much of what the local Shriners do is significantly more important than driving around in small cars, and the Cat-Griz fundraiser was part of that, too. A portion of the proceeds also went to the Shrine travel fund the club uses to help families get to and from Shriners Hospitals for Children.

"It is a good feeling that you are out there doing some good for individuals or families or for children, whoever it may be. It makes you feel good at the end of the day," Brandon said. "I'm proud to be a Shriner. I think it's a great thing."

Brandon is one of 33 members in the North Central Shrine Club involved in raising money to send children to Shriners Hospitals. 

Brandon's father, Bob Brandon was a Shriner and has been "forever," Kelly Brandon said.

 "That's probably part of the reason I wanted to get involved," he said. "Once you are a Mason then you can become a Shriner as well, which is ultimately what I wanted to do was to help the kids that need the help," said Brandon, who was in his early 30s when he joined

The North Central Shrine Club hosts multiple fundraisers throughout the year as a way to pay for the cost of travel for families traveling back and forth to a Shriners hospital location. The closest Shriners hospital is in Spokane, Washington, which is one of 22 locations across the nation, with one in Mexico and one in Canada.

"We help the families that have enough going on with their lives when they find out what needs to be treated for their child. It's overwhelming and all of that, so we don't want them to have that extra burden of, 'How can I afford to get there,' or 'How can I afford to get back,'" Brandon said. "It's just a fun group of guys, everybody has the same outlook where they want to help the kids."

The North Central Shrine Club fundraisers include a beef raffle with beef raised and donated locally and donated processing. For the raffle, 1,000 tickets are printed and the drawing takes place in September during Festival Days. First place receives a half beef, second place is a hind quarter and third is a front quarter.

The club also holds a Sweet Vidalia onion sale in May. The onions are purchased from Georgia and shipped to the Shrine Club. Brandon said they normally sell 6,000 pounds of Vidalia onions in 10-pound bags.

The club also holds a pig raffle that takes place in February, for pork that has been raised and donated by a local farmer. Tickets and names are drawn for the winners on April 15.

Following the pig raffle are the sale of cash calendars put out by Algeria Shriner Chapter out of Helena. Each person who purchases a calendar has a chance to win a cash prize daily.

The club also regularly rewards people and groups who make donations, presenting them with certificates.

Brandon said the Algeria Shriner Chapter sets up and pays for the rooms when the parents and their children are staying there.

The treatment is provided regardless of the family's ability to pay.

He added that each Shriner hospital location costs about $1.3 million a day to run.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children has continued to evolve over the decades, but what has never changed over the years is Shriners Hospitals for Children's dedication to providing quality specialty medical care to children, regardless of the families' ability to pay," Shriners Hospital-Spokane Director of Marketing/Communications & Business Development Kristin Monasmith said. "So today, our hospitals continue to build on our history and honor our deeply rooted traditions and continue to improve the lives of children."

Shriners hospitals are specialized care facilities in treating children affected with burn injuries, orthopedics, spinal cord injuries, craniofacial abnormalities including cleft lips and palates.

Brandon said his daughter Macy is actually a Shriner child who was a patient at the Shriners Hospital out of Spokane when she was 6 years old.

  "I broke my arm, it wasn't straight and it didn't heal," Macy Brandon said.

She said that her experience at a Shriners hospital was wonderful.

"Everything was about kids, they not only talked to the parents they made sure the kids understood, too," she said. "They had an activity room, a playground, crafts and even a prize closet."

"For me, as a Shriner during a difficult time, it was really neat to see that side of it, as well, just to see how they are treated," Kelly Brandon said. "It was an awesome experience."

He said the North Central Shrine Club typically sends children on about two trips a month.

He added that if families have a child they believe may need to be seen at a Shriners hospital they can call the hospital directly and set up an appointment on their own, then the local Shrine club can sponsor them in order to help them pay for their travel.

People can contact Brandon or any other shriner.

"The doors of the first Shriners Hospitals for Children opened nearly 100 years ago.  A lot has changed since then. But, what has never changed over the years is our dedication to providing the best specialty medical care to children," Monasmith said. "Every year, over 125,000 kids receive our care in our 22 hospitals across North America regardless of their family's ability to pay."

She said the hospital's mission is to "provide the highest quality care to children with neuro-musculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and other special health care needs within a compassionate, family-centered and collaborative care environment, provide for the education of physicians and other health care professionals, conduct research to discover new knowledge that improves the quality of care and quality of life of children and families."

She added that their mission is carried out without regard to race, color, creed, sex or sect, disability, national origin or ability of a patient or family to pay.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children holds a very special place in the hearts of patients, families, Shriners, employees and all who have been touched by our mission," Monasmith said.

"It's just a good thing to help those kids out," Brandon said.

Anyone interested in becoming a Shriner can contact an existing Shriner or visit the organization's website for more information http://www.amranshriners.com/history/history05.htm .