- "When I was in Rainbow, we had an advisor who was a special education teacher; she brought in several girls
for us who have just turned out great (one of my best friends used to be one of these girls & she is running
her own industrial design shop in another state - proof of the power of Rainbow!). One initiation, we brought
in one of her girls. I was Faith and my younger sister WA. When the obligation began, our candidate began to
get embarrassed because she had a speech impediment. Eventually, she began to cry & I knelt down, rubbing her
back and encouraging her to keep going, no one cared how she sounded. It took a little while, but she managed
to keep going in a wavering, quivering voice. Once it was over, my sister went around the altar, grabbed the
little girl's hand and said quietly but firmly, 'arise, my sister' and pulled her up and hugged her. Every
single person in the room (my dad included) was either teary-eyed or out-and out crying. Our Assembly was so
dedicated to ritualistic work that our initiations were generally emotionally charged with laughter and jokes
(we trained our Faiths so well that they could talk to the candidates during the walking and not mess up floor
work or speaking parts), but that night we really felt the power of our group and our youth."
[edited for privacy's sake] - "...Someone mentioned less fortunate girls as a good group for Rainbow. Our assembly has regrouped on
this basis, and the stories of those girls break my heart. The board helps find formals and shoes and also
provides the support they desperately need. Here is my favorite story, which illustrates how our assembly is
helping. There are two girls in our assembly who joined in Fall 2000. After a meeting, the older girl asked
if she could take some food home. Our Mother Advisor thought she wanted some cookies, but what the girl had
seen was a package of pasta noodles from a dinner and a few other things. Our Mother Advisor immediately
became suspicious (in a good way) and the girl finally told her that her mom was in jail and her dad was out
of a job; there was no food for her or her siblings. Her dad wouldn't ask for help and the kids were terrified
that someone would find out and they would be taken from the home. Our Mother Advisor, and the Mason who does
all the dinners for the Temple, gave her everything they could find that night. They then went to every Masonic
Body and collected enough money to buy a ton of food, which they brought to the house while the dad was out.
That is the definition of Service and Charity. Both girls are thriving and things are back on track for
the family."
Have you got a similar story of service towards other? A wonderful story about how you, your Assembly, or an adult
involved in Rainbow helped others? Email
me and tell me all about it! Names and identification will be edited out as needed.
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The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a service organization. Sometimes, however, we tend to gloss over what "service" really is -- the giving of your time, your talent, and your love so that others may benefit from it; not for any physical rewards or recognition, but because it feels good to help others, and you know it's the right thing to do.
I'd like to share a story I received in my email in-box recently that touched me. This is totally what Rainbow is all about -- helping others, whether it's another Rainbow Girl, or a stranger. This story (and a suggestion from a PWA/Majority/OES friend of mine) inspired me to create this section, in the hopes that more of such stories would be added here over time. True service to others deserves recognition, in the hopes that it will inspire others to be of some service each day. Enjoy!
updated on 10-09-02
"This love and service is about my sister. She has devoted her life to Rainbow. She has given her summers to volunteer her services in our local Leukemia and Lymphoma chapter as well as the American Heart Assoc. and Muscular Dystrophy. We, as a family, also answer telephones for our local broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. Her love and service doesn't stop there. She also donated 12 inches of her hair to the Locks for Loves Organization which makes wigs for children with an illness involving hair loss. She is such an amazing sister to me and the rest of my assembly. She is always asked questions about ritual, floor work, and life itself. We love her so deeply at our assembly that we will hate to see her majority from our order at our next Grand Assembly in 2003."
