Greetings my Brothers!

This is Eric Morabito, “The Walking Man,” checking back in on Fez Friday. Let’s continue our tour where it all began, with the Mecca Shrine!

Mecca Shrine

Mecca was founded by a group of Masons in NYC that wanted to also be part of a fraternity that stressed fun and fellowship. Led by Brothers Walter Fleming, William Florence, Charles T. McClenahan, William Sleigh Paterson, and Albert L. Rawson, the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S) [now Shriners International] was begun. The first meeting took place on September 26, 1872, and consisted of 13 members. By 1878, the membership had started to grow and there were 425 Shriners in 13 Temples. In 1888 there were a total of 7210 Shriners in 48 Temples. Today, there are over 200,000 Shriners and almost 200 Temples around the world!

My history with the Shriners has a similar path as that of the fraternity. In 2004 I was inspecting the meters at a local gas station (I work for Weights & Measures). I found that, on average, the meters were giving away 1.4 cents for every gallon sold. When I told the attendant, her reaction was “It’s only a penny.” That “penny” added up to about $56,000 a year. I decided to use this as a lesson for my son’s Cub Scout Den and teach them that, individually, small things may not have much value but collectively, they can often reach amazing amounts. I began this with eight boys in the den and then brought it to my older son’s Boy Scout Troop. We decided to hold a “Penny Drive.” Word got out and other Scout units joined in. Before long it became a Council-wide event. When all was said and done, a total of $2,246.09 (43 gallons of pennies) were collected which we donated to the Cyprus Shrine (I wanted this to be a children helping children event). Because of an error of a little over a penny, we were able to raise over $2000.

It is often said that “From humble beginnings come great things.” Shriners International was started because a small group of people had an idea and they followed through with it. That is what I have tried to do over the years with my annual Walk and I encourage you to do the same. Find something that you find interesting and will benefit others and give it a try. You may not be successful but that doesn’t mean you should quit. You may make a difference in other people’s lives and you will make one in yours.