The Richmond No. 463 chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star held its Installation of Officers Saturday afternoon – a ceremony which entailed music, presentations and addresses as management of the chapter was transferred for the year.
“I chose John 15:12 for my scripture, because it is the literal definition of what I want my term to be,” said Grace Moore after being installed as this year’s Worthy Matron, a role which is effectively the president of a given chapter.
According to the King James, John 15:12 says “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
Richmond No. 463, which meets at the Masonic Lodge in Hephzibah, is one of five chapters in the Augusta area. The others are Alice Warren in Augusta, Frances Bell in Harlem, the Cleopatra in Warrenton, and Martinez 464 in Martinez.
The fraternal order, an appendant body of the Freemasons, primarily functions as a benevolent organization, according to Jean Huffine, secretary of Richmond 463. Recent charitable efforts from the Hephzibah-based branch, Huffine says, include giving $250 to a local student on his way to college, and more than $1,000 to people in need.
Funds for these initiatives are raised in a variety of ways, from selling Vidalia onions, picked up from Metter, Ga. to working football games. During the Installation ceremony, Chapter Marshal, or leader of ceremonies, Katie McDaniel encouraged members to help Order of the Eastern Star work at G-Day, Georgia Football scrimmage game on April 16, aiding food workers.
“That’s what we do,” said Huffine. “That’s why we make all that money. Working in a football game is not easy.”
Other projects include disaster relief, clothing and toy drives during the Christmas season and the Order of the Eastern Star’s service dog project. The order provides sponsorship for service dogs, trained by a a Georgia non-profit facility “perform skills specific to the needs of the recipient,” such as: general mobility assistance, diabetic alert or epilepsy and seizure alert, according to the Grand Chapter of Georgia’s website.
The Grand Georgia Chapter, which is oversees all the Eastern Star chapters in the state, has acquired six dogs, and is looking for a seventh, says Huffine.
“They all have special names,” she said. “Each year, when we get a new dog, the chapter picks a name for somebody for whom the chapter means a lot.”
The last service dog, says Huffine, was named after Helen R. Cox, Georgia’s Most Worthy Grand Matron.
For more information about the Order of the Eastern Star, its local chapters or how to apply for help from one of its many charities, visit https://www.georgiaoes.com/, or call Tami Awe at (816) 527-3758.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
