Submitted
The Kansas Masonic Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to benefiting Kansas communities, has partnered with Hays Lodge No. 195 to donate $11,500 to the Fort Hays State University Literacy Service Center, a program providing affordable virtual literacy tutoring to children and adults of all ages. The Literacy Service Center also offers one-on-one support by using research-based methods to enhance and advance all participants’ literacy skills.
Founded in 1881, Hays Lodge No. 195 is a Kansas Masonic lodge dedicated to Freemasonry, the oldest surviving fraternal organization in the world. The lodge has 60 members and supports numerous local causes, including donating thousands of dollars annually in the form of scholarships, supporting the Community Assistance Center in Hays, Kansas, and dedicating their resources to help improve life in Ellis County. This year will mark the lodge’s first donation to the FHSU Literacy Service Center and will help further their mission of adding to the quality of life within the local community and inspiring others to do timely and well-considered charitable work.
“To address the need for high-quality literacy tutoring in high-demand areas such as rural Kansas, Dr. Broman Miller started the FHSU Virtual Literacy Institute in the fall semester of 2018,” said Hays Lodge No. 195 Master Chris Neeley. “Because the Institute offers free and virtual tutoring, it can reach rural areas that might not have access to quality tutoring, and hopefully, the use of the Reading Horizons software will help change the trajectory of students who experienced a negative impact from COVID-19.”
With hopes of providing support to Dr. Broman Miller’s mission and help children who have fallen behind during the global pandemic, the Brothers at Hays Lodge No. 195 have teamed up with the Kansas Masonic Foundation to provide a monetary donation of $11,500 to the FHSU Literacy Service Center. The funds will allow the university to purchase the annual literacy software site license from Reading Horizons, a software program that offers students an explicit, structured literacy approach to tutoring that hasn’t been offered previously. Additionally, the software follows guidelines recently mandated by the Kansas Legislature and recommended by the Legislative Task Force on Dyslexia. A formal donation ceremony took place at the Fort Hays State University Campus on June 3.