UPDATE: Utah law prohibits a raffle for a fee. There will still be a raffle, just without a required or expected donation.
Sir Knights, I wanted to send a quick message to wish those of you who are traveling to Salt Lake City over the next few days God’s blessings and protection as you travel. I look forward to meeting many of you, and other Knights and visitors!
Two quick items for you today:
Item 1: Keeping with my commitment to demonstrate good stewardship throughout my campaign, Sir Knight Brian DiMatteo and I are sharing a Hospitality Suite in Salt Lake. It will be in the Garden Bar Suite, in the Garden section of the Little America Hotel. Please stop by and visit with us, enjoy a beverage of your choice, nosh on some goodies, and meet others from across our great Fraternity.
Brian and I are also teaming up to host a raffle for some great Maryland and Minnesota swag and goodies (No, I’m sorry, but there are not steamed blue crabs in there, but on the plus side, I don’t think there will be lutefisk, either!) to benefit the Knights Templar Eye Foundation. There are two raffles offering three great prizes.
- Raffle One (
$20 per ticket)will offer two prizes, both valued at over $65 each. One is a nifty swag and goodies box from Maryland, and the other is a similar one from Minnesota. - Raffle Two (
$10 per ticket) is a second Maryland goodies and swag box valued at over $50.
All proceeds are going to the KTEF. Tickets will be sold through lunch on Tuesday, and the winners announced right after lunch. Maryland and Minnesota Knights will have tickets available, or you can purchase them in the Hospitality Suite.
Item 2: I have said for years that endorsements are nice things, but they really aren’t binding on the Voting Members. Each of us has the duty to make the best decisions we have for the good of our Order. I hope you will take time to talk to all of the candidates–announced and those who might be announced from the floor. As I type this, there are three offices with multiple candidates: Deputy Grand Master, Grand Captain General, and Grand Treasurer. Our Grand Master, SK David Kussman, is certainly worthy of our unanimous support for election, as are Grand Generalissimo SK Jack Harper and
SK. Larry Tucker. For Grand Captain General, I encourage you to support and vote for SK Brian DiMatteo, Past Grand Commander of Minnesota. For the office of Grand Treasurer, the Grand Encampment will be well-served by either candidate: SK David Studley, Past Grand Commander of California (and current GCG), and SK James Steele, Past Grand Commander of North Carolina (and current Mid-Atlantic Department Commander). I know both of these Fratres so well that I wish I were from Chicago and had two ballots to cast :). And, of course, for the office of Deputy Grand Master, I hope I can count on your support.
See you in Salt Lake City!
If you have questions or comments, feel free to contact me at 410-804-6020, art@40mileproject.us or through my Facebook page Art Hebbeler for Deputy Grand Master.