Gift of Life Howie's House provides affordable lodging, meals and support services to those who travel to Philadelphia for transplant-related care. On a recent Sunday, members of Lodge No. 2, Philadelphia, prepared a meal for guests in the home's spacious kitchen. Cooking a meal together for a good cause is a perfect combination of fellowship and philanthropy, both important tenets of Freemasonry.
Brother Tom Pentony, Richmond-Solomon Lodge No. 3, Philadelphia, was introduced to Brother Bill Soloway, Executive Director of the Masonic Blood+Organ Donor Program, in January 2022. Four months later, Tom underwent a life-saving liver transplant.
Every 10 minutes, someone in Pennsylvania is told they need a life-saving transplant. With more than 7,000 patients currently on the transplant waiting list, the need for more registered organ and tissue donors is a public health crisis – but it’s one that we have the power to change. The Masonic Blood+Organ Donor Program is [...]
A lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, Brother Bill Soloway may bleed green, but he admits his heart is pure gold … and black. That’s because it once belonged to an avid Steelers fan.
The Masonic fraternity teaches compassion and concern for our fellow man. What better way to demonstrate this virtue, than by offering the greatest gift – the gift of life – to those in need?
“There’s always someone worse off than you.” That’s the mantra that Brother Timothy Radtke, Worshipful Master at William Elkins Lodge No. 271, Philadelphia, likes to repeat to himself. That’s why when he learned about the Gift of Life Family House and its Home Cooked Heroes program, he knew he wanted his brothers to participate. The [...]
Your blood donation goes through several steps in its way to helping someone in need.
There are very specific ways in which blood types must be matched for a safe transfusion. The right blood transfusion can mean the difference between life and death.
In 2016, Bill Birtle faced a failing liver and a life expectancy of five years. He and his wife, Jean, were racing against the clock, were simply losing hope and did not know where to turn. That was, until they found the Masonic Blood+Organ Donor Program.
Although an estimated 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood at any given time, less than 10% of those eligible actually do, according to the American Red Cross. Many people don’t give blood due to misconceptions about the risks involved or their eligibility to donate.
