Shriners give family 'priceless' gift, By Jeremy Ashley.

The Intelligencer November 10th,2007.

Twelve-year-old Stephen Ling is a shining example of what the Shrine Club accomplishes in the name of children. For more than a decade, the youngster has received specialized treatment for no charge at the Montreal Shrine hospital. Pictured with Ling is Belleville Shrine Club member Gerry Gill.

Intelligencer photo by Jeremy Ashley

Eleven years ago, the Ling family was given a hand up from a guy wearing a funny red hat.

When their third son was born with fibular hemimelia, a leg length discrepancy, Jeff and Danielle Ling didn't know where to turn - until they were put in touch with the local Shrine Club.

Fast-forward more than a decade and the story behind 12-year-old Stephen Ling remains one of the best examples of what Shriners, some of whom wear red fezzes at charitable events, are all about.

At no expense whatsoever to his family, the youngster has received the highest level of care at the Shriner's Club Montreal hospital, including dozens of surgeries and treatments over the years.

The result has been a Grade 8 student who now takes on all comers on the basketball court, isn't afraid of getting dirty on a rugby field and races down his school's track.

"It's unreal, really, what this club has done for my family," she said, adding her son still heads to Montreal every two weeks for follow-up treatment.

In a nutshell, Stephen Ling's right leg is being lengthened approximately 13 centimetres during the course of treatment at the hospital - and doctors expect him to complete treatment by his 18th birthday. Had he not received the care, the leg would be about 20 centimetres shorter than his left.

Looking to Belleville Shrine Club members Bob Ridley and Gerry Gill, his mother's eyes quickly well with tears.

"We have these wonderful men, and these wonderful men have given us the best doctors and the best care possible," she said. "It's kind of like that commercial for those credit cards - it's priceless. How do you put a price on your son's well being? You simply can't, and that is what these gentleman have been doing for us."

In a sense, she said, the Shriners have become an extended family to the Lings.

One of the first observations she made during her initial visits to the Montreal site is the attitude of staff differs from other health care organizations, which rely on government dollars to operate.

"It's obvious in the hospitals that the people who work there are there because they want to be - they don't have to deal with all of the politics, their primary focus is the children. They're allowed to take the time to do the job right.

"We're talking about people and health care staff who will call me out of the blue to ask how I'm doing. It's quite apparent they care about the children and their families they treat immensely."

Her soft-spoken son agrees.

"The hospital's awesome," the youngster said. "I love the people and doctors there and know most everyone on a first-name basis."

The Montreal facility - one of 22 Shriners hospitals in North America - continues to be a leader in innovative, high-tech treatments and procedures to assist children facing a multitude of challenges, said Ridley.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is an international hospital system with 18 orthopedic hospitals, three burn hospitals and one hospital providing orthopedic, burn and spinal cord care.

All facilities are fully supported by fundraising efforts from Shriners Clubs across North America and are dedicated to providing specialized care for children under the age of 18 at no cost.

"There are no cash registers anywhere in our hospital," Ridley said, "and we pay for everything - the the transportation, lodging and the food. There is nothing that people are out-of-pocket when they contact us."

Despite its efforts to keep children as its focus, the organization still faces a challenge when it comes to keeping the public informed of what Shrine Club members stand for.

"It's always a struggle to make people aware of what our club offers the community," Ridley said.

"People think we wear those funny little hats, go in parades and have fun ... but they don't understand what we're all about."

Currently, Ling is one of seven children in the Quinte region receiving treatment courtesy of the Belleville Shrine Club, explained fellow Shrine member Gill.

"And they range in age from four to 17," he said. "And we want the public to know that if you have a problem with your child, all you have to do is phone a Shriner or the Shrine Club in your area and we'll take it from there."

"It doesn't matter what religion, what faith, what colour, where you come from or how much you make. If there is a child in need, we look after them. The only question we ask when informed about a situation is 'How can we help?'"

Families contemplating contacting the Shriners should do so, Danielle Ling added.

"Don't hesitate. It's a simple phone call and a consultation. Don't worry about any barriers because the Shriners make everything accessible."

For more information about Shrine Hospitals, visit www.shrinershq.org. To find out about the local Shrine Club, visit www.bellevilleshrineclub.com or call 613-962-2633.

Shriners hold special place in Lillian Waters' heart
Jeremy Ashley
Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 10:00

Belleville resident Lillian Waters has a long, storied history with the generosity of Shriners hospitals.

Intelligencer photo by Jeremy Ashley

Photo: Jeremy Ashley

Local News - When Lillian Waters turns her mind to Shrine Clubs, her pale blue eyes sparkle with a deep-seeded affection.
"I'm no longer afraid of their hats," the 86-year-old said with a laugh, referring to the red fezzes some members of the charitable group wear during public events.
"They look a bit different now ... but when you're little, they looked really big."
The relationship between the Belleville resident and the international organization began more than eight decades ago, in the early 1920s.
Living in Montreal, Waters was only a few months old when she was admitted to the local hospital with pneumonia.
In due course, the lung infection proved to be the least of her worries.
During her stay, doctors found a peculiar lump on her ankle and determined she had a form of tuberculosis - a bacterial infection that medical professionals figured would have a detrimental affect on her ability to walk, if she ever did.
Facing a grim diagnosis, the family received an unexpected helping hand, Waters recalled.
"My mother cleaned houses in Montreal ... and one of the men she worked for said 'I can help you and get you into a hospital that can find treatment for your baby.'"
The man happened to be a member of the local Shrine Club, which, coincidentally, was about to mark the official opening of the state-of-the-art Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal - a facility that specialized in the treatment Waters required.
"I was one of the first of three patients through the door, apparently," she said with a smile.
"They were equipped for what I needed ... they were marvelous."
Waters spent the next four years of her life at the hospital, at no expense to the family.
"I came out with braces and went into school - they still weren't promising I would ever walk."
Over the next several years, Waters made several return visits to the hospital for follow-up treatments and at 10, she took her first unassisted steps while at the facility.
"I was scared ... I was scared to trust that I could walk on my own. "They were so good to me over the years and I've never forgot them." She eventually moved on in life, married and, in 1948, moved to Belleville when her late husband Bert was transferred by Northern Electric to the city from Montreal.
For Waters' daughter Norma Lacombe, there is no doubt without the help of the Shrine Club her mother's life - and most likely that of the city of Belleville itself - would be remarkably different.
"If she had never been able to walk - her parents died when she was a teenager - she would have been on her own and it would have dramatically changed her life. Now she has three daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren."
In the mid-1950s, Waters, her husband and a few friends formed the Belleville brigade of St. John Ambulance - establishing the organization in the municipality.
Over the years, the couple attended hundreds of events on behalf of the chapter, including the Montreal Expo, races at Shannonville Motorsport Park and a number of fairs throughout Hastings County.
While raising her family, Waters found time to volunteer, instruct first aid courses and maintain an active role as a board member for the branch.
In 2004, Lillian Waters was appointed to be a St. John Ambulance Dame of Grace by Ontario Lieutenant Governor James K. Bartleman and earlier this year, she was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the organization.
"And, probably if she had never walked, that life would not have been there for her," Lacombe added.
To this day, the Montreal facility - one of 22 Shriners hospitals in North America - continues to be a leader in innovative, high-tech treatments and procedures to assist children facing a multitude of challenges, explained local Shrine Club member Bob Ridley.
Ridley said the Montreal hospital works closely with McGill University medical students as a site to train doctors and other medical professionals - a partnership that has helped the facility stay on the leading edge of treatment for a wide range of child-related ailments.
"Back then, as now, the technicians, doctors and specialists that we have in our hospital are best in the world. We're on the leading edge of everything we do and there isn't any place in the world that are any better than we are."
Shriners Hospitals for Children is an international hospital system with 18 orthopaedic hospitals, three burn hospitals and one hospital providing orthopaedic, burn and spinal cord care.
All facilities - which are fully supported by fundraising efforts from Shriners Clubs across North America - are dedicated to providing expert, specialized care for children under the age of 18 at no cost.
In 2007, Shriners Hospitals' total budget is $721 million, of which $655 is targeted for operating expenses (including 37 million for research) and $66 million for buildings and equipment expenditures. During the organization's history, it has cost approximately $8.2 billion to operate Shriners Hospitals, and more than $1.76 billion has been spent on construction and renovation.
Despite foraging ahead at a remarkable pace in the name of children, the organization still faces a challenge when it comes to keeping society informed of what Shrine Club members, wearing those odd looking fezzes at public events, stand for.
"One of our biggest problems is what the public perceives about Shriners," he explained. "We're fun-going, people but the real purpose of Shrine is to help children.
"And we want the public to know that if you have a problem with your child, all you have to do is phone a Shriner or the Shrine Club in your area and we'll take it from there."
Currently, there are seven children in the Quinte region receiving treatment courtesy of the Shrine Club, explained member Gerry Gill. "And they range in age from four to 17," he said, adding that during the course of treatment, the Shriners pay for transportation and full accommodations of the parent and one child.
"There is no means test to get into a Shriners hospital," Gill noted. "It doesn't matter what religion, what faith, what colour, where you come from or how much you make. If there is a child in need, we look after them."
Ridley said once the organization comes into contact with a family in need, there is only one question asked: "How can we help?"
For more information about Shrine Hospitals, visit www.shrinershq.org. To find out about the local Shrine Club, visit www.bellevilleshrineclub.ca or call 613-962-2633.

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RAMESES 2006 SPRING CEREMONIAL

Children the real winners after Shriners weekend in Belleville
By Henry Bury
Local News - Monday, June 12, 2006 @ 10:00

"She presented certificates to the visiting clubs that were present. That was a very nice gesture on behalf of the city of Belleville," he said.
Clarke didn't rule out a return visit to Bellevile by Shriners but added it takes about four years' planning for a spring ceremonial.
"I would think Belleville is on the list after this weekend because there was never a negative comment about anything ... the policing co-operation was just tremendous," he said.
Visiting Shriners from as far away as Timmins, North Bay, Port Colborne and Guelph had nothing but kind words for the work done by the Belleville club in co-ordinating the spring ceremonial.
"Everything has been rolling smoothly all weekend," said Bryan Oran, a Scarborough Shriner. "Your Belleville Shrine Club has done a great job of organizing this event and they should be commended."
This was Oran's first visit to Belleville and he said he was impressed.
"This is a beautiful little city and very nice people. And you have a very active Shrine Club," he said.
He attended the weekend festivities "because this is our highlight of the year for Shriners, the spring ceremonial where we initiate our new members."
Bob Nurse, past president of the Kawartha Shrine Club, was attending Shriners exist to help children and they proved it this weekend in Belleville.
While businesses enjoyed the economic spinoffs from having more than 2,500 Shriners and their wives here for the Rameses Shriners' Spring Ceremonial 2006 over the weekend, the real winners were the children.
At the gala banquet Saturday night at the Quinte Sports Centre, Shriners from almost 40 Ontario clubs handed over approximately $180,000 to current potentate Fred G. Clarke.
The money will be used to support the Shriners' 19 orthopedic hospitals for children including one in Montreal and three burn institutes across North America, and to help pay for the transportation of children to and from these hospitals.
All hospital services are provided free to children.
"This money would have been raised through bingos, selling raffle tickets and having barbecues and so the clubs that showed up Saturday night gave that much money," Clarke said Sunday morning prior to the wreath-laying and drumhead ceremony at Memorial Park on Station Street.
He said everyone came out a winner over the weekend.
"The city of Belleville wins because they had the spring ceremonial here. We win because it was a great atmosphere here and very friendly, and the kids win because there was about $180,000 worth of donations given Saturday night particularly by the Shriners that were visiting," Clarke said.

Clarke estimated about 2,500 Shriners and their wives attended the spring ceremonial in Belleville.
Saturday night's banquet alone attracted almost 1,000 people. It was the highlight for Shriners as well because that was where about 200 new candidates to become Shriners were "fezzed," thus inducting them into the club.
This was the second Shriners' spring ceremonial in Belleville in five years the last one occurred in 2001.
Clarke had nothing but praise for Belleville and how things went for visiting Shriners.
"The rain, of course, held off Saturday. The parade was great. We thank the citizens of Belleville for being out and watching the parade," he said. "And the facilities at the Quinte Sports Centre were just great. We used both arenas and the school (St. Theresa Secondary School) behind, which we thank the Catholic school board too."
Clarke also singled out Belleville Mayor Mary-Anne Sills for doing something entirely new at a spring ceremonial.
his third spring ceremonial in Belleville. He was last here for the 2001 event.
"I'm here to support the Shrine Club and our local president. This event has been well organized and I'm happy to be here," he said.
His wife, Marg, was also enjoying all the festivities.
"I always enjoy these parades. The group always puts on a good show," she said.
More importantly, she supports all Shriners.
"They really work hard for the children."
The only large public event from the Shriners' weekend came Saturday afternoon when the sun finally shone for the Shriners' parade.
Hundreds of people lined the parade route along Station Street from Pinnacle Street and then along Cannifton Road to the Quinte Sports Centre.
Every Shriners' club was out en force for the parade, decked in everything from the traditional fez hats and red jackets to clown suits and pirate gear.
The Shriners either marched, were passengers in all types of vehicles, or were behind the wheel of everything from go-karts and mini-bikes to motorcycles and small racing cars.
The parade took just over an hour to pass any one point and spectators weren't disappointed.
"This was a great parade with lots of entertainment," said Belleville's Denise Moore who was accompanied by her children and their friends.

Shriners make a difference
By W. Brice McVicar
Local News - Wednesday, July 26, 2006 @ 10:00

Paul Dafoe is a middleman and he loves his job.
For the past five years, the Belleville Shriner has helped more than a dozen families find medical treatment for their children. As hospital chairman for the local Shrine Club, its part of Dafoes job and one he does with great pride and satisfaction.
It’s a bittersweet job. The most bitter part is when some parents can’t get through the red tape and we can’t get involved in that, he said. Were here to help them get that treatment but we cant be involved with red tape issues.
The Shriners operate 22 hospitals in North America one of which is in Montreal providing care predominantly to burn victims or children in need of orthopedic care. Care is provided to children free-of-charge and no insurance monies or U.S. government funds are used for any of the medical care or services provided by Shriners Hospitals.
All that’s needed to access this care is a photograph displaying the childs ailment, a copy of a birth certificate, the childs OHIP number and a referral from their family physician.

Dafoe, 70, is the local Shriner who deals with the families who need treatment. He provides them with the information they need, shares the information with the hospital and assists the family in transportation to the hospital.
When a family contacts him, he and another club member will visit them and start the necessary paperwork for the child to receive the treatment.
Since taking over the hospital chairman position in 2001, Dafoe has seen many sick children and has helped as many as 15.
It’s a good feeling. There’s never any charge to the parents and thats great too because it means they’re not worried about money, he said.
One local family who received help through the Shriners is Danielle and Jeremy Ling. Their son, Stephen, was born with fibular hemimelia, a leg length discrepancy, which has resulted in 11 visits to the Montreal hospital since 1994.
I like it there because they always have a lot of kids, Stephen, 11, said. The nurses are great and they have a lot of neat stuff for kids.
While Stephen appreciates the neat stuff offered at the hospital, its the services and assistance the hospital and the Shriners have provided the family which stick out in his moms memory.
They’ve become a part of our family and of our every day life, Danielle said. Were always thinking of ways to thank them.
The numerous surgeries Stephen has undergone have resulted in his right leg being lengthened approximately seven centimetres. Had he not received this care and treatment, his right leg would be 20 centimetres shorter than his left.
He’s the youngest person who has been able to have his leg lengthened by seven centimetres at one time, Danielle said.
Stephen wears an external fixation device known as the Iillizirov which is assisting in his leg lengthening. Screws on the device, which looks like a brace, must be turned four times daily with each quarter turn stretching the bone one millimetre.
It can be painful some days, but Stephen said he’s thankful for the help the Shriners have provided.
Families contemplating contacting the Shriners should do so, Danielle said.
Don’t hesitate. It’s a simple phone call and a consultation. Don’t worry about any barriers because the Shriners make everything accessible.
Families who believe their child requires medical attention can get further information by calling 1-800-361-7256, Dafoe at 613-478-3221 or visiting www.shrinershq.org