At the Covington County Shrine Club’s February 28th meeting, several members of the club were recognized for their dedicated service to the club and to Shriners International. Oriental Guide, Eddie Ellis, presented those awards on behalf of Alcazar Shrine Center in Montgomery.

John Zorn, representing the Gantt Mafia Motorcycle Club, was presented with a certificate of appreciation. In 2018, the Gantt Mafia hosted a motorcycle ride and donated all of the proceeds to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The ride netted more than $4,500 for the hospitals. This generous contribution will greatly assist the Shriners Hospitals in their efforts to provide burn and orthopedic care to children, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. The club also hosted a ride for the Wounded Warrior Project earlier in 2018 which went well for them.

Gina Ireland received a certificate of appreciation on behalf of her husband, Ken Ireland, Jr., who passed away suddenly on January 3, 2019. He was a 33º Scottish Rite Mason as well as a Shriner. He devoted many years of his life in service to both organizations and to helping children.

Doug Sorrells and James McKinney were presented with certificates of appreciation for their years of dedicated service to the club. Sorrells is a 33º Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner as well. McKinney is a 32º KCCH Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner. In addition to his other activities, McKinney, has built several nice cedar chests to be donated to the Scottish Rite and Shrine to be auctioned at their fund raisers. Sorrells has spearheaded the Scottish Rite Club for several years, and is active in all of the two clubs’ fundraisers and activities. He started the annual golf tournament some 13 years ago at the Old Pine Golf Course on Harmony Church Road. That tournament has grown to be a major fundraiser for the club, and everyone attending it enjoys a day of golf, food, fun, and fellowship.

Billy Hughes was presented with a certificate of appreciation for his many years of service to the Shriners. Made a Noble of the Shrine in 1963, he has worked tirelessly over the years to help the Shriners and the children they serve. He has headed up the concessions for Covington Electric Cooperative’s Annual Members Meeting for many years, and everyone enjoys his hamburgers and hot dogs at those meetings.

The Shriners’ philanthropy is the renowned Shriners Hospitals for Children. This is a network of 22 hospitals and outreach clinics scattered across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. If you know of a child that needs the services of the hospital, just contact any local Shriner.