HIKE News 06/09/2011
OK 5K a Success	WY HIKE Award Presented	Thank you from Brooklyn N. from SD
.Idaho HIKE Presentation	CO HIKE Choir give concert	.

CO HIKE Choir gives concert Sign-language performances benefit hearing impaired By Sara Waite Journal-Advocate managing editor Posted: 06/06/2011 10:37:06 AM MDT   The Denver HIKE Choir performs sign language to recorded music at the Sterling Masonic Center Sunday.         STERLING -- Members of the Sterling Masons got a special treat Sunday with a performance of the Denver HIKE Choir. The HIKE (Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment) Fund, Inc. is a not-for-profit charity based in Nebraska and registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charity. The choir performs to raise money for the fund. The performances given by the Denver HIKE Choir are a little different from a typical choir concert. The girls in the choir don`t make a sound -- instead, they perform sign language to recorded music. Sunday afternoon, the choir gave a performance for a group at the Sterling Masonic Center after traveling to Sterling to present a scholarship to a local family who has a child in need of a hearing aid. The purpose of the HIKE Fund is to provide hearing devices for children with hearing loss from newborn through age 20, whose parents are financially unable to meet this need. Such hearing devices are frequently not covered by health insurance. To join the HIKE Choir or one of the other four choirs in the state that benefit the HIKE Fund, you must be a member of Job`s Daughters, an organization for young women ages 10 to 20, who have a Masonic heritage. The organization is grouped into Bethels. The five members of the HIKE Choir who performed in Sterling are Chloe Flynn, Dixie Leff, Veronica Shaw, Marie Wattles and Ashley Bennet. All are members of Bethel #33.  Chloe Flynn, left, and Dixie Leff of the Denver HIKE Choir perform a song using sign language Sunday. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)      Marie Wattles "sings" a song with her hands during the HIKE Choir concert at the Sterling Masonic Center Sunday

Idaho HIKE Presentation Submitted by: Tiffany Mattson, Honored Queen, Bethel #6 Meridian, Idaho Recipient: Justin Stern Date of Award: April 13, 2011 Place of Award: Meridian Masonic Temple Awards made by: Daughters of Bethel #6 [Justin and his parents and grandmother] met us at our Council meeting and we gave them the check and some information about Job's Daughters. Justin shared with us what his life was like before he got his hearing aids. One story he shared was that he was in his photography class in the dark room and he heard ticking, thinking it was a bomb. Turns out, it was actually a clock. He was amazed because he never realized clocks made noises and it was the first time he had heard it. He is an awesome young man and thanks to HIKE, he is able to succeed in classes and take part in sports he wasn't able to do before! Justin is 14 and is working on his Eagle Scout. Now that he has his hearing aids, he is able to snowboard and play football. He grades are dramatically improving now that he is able to hear classroom instruction. Justin's mom, Sandra is a PHQ of a Boise Bethel, and Janice is a PHQ and PBG of another Boise Bethel.  "HIKE Presentation 1" from left to right: Hannah Gibbons, Sierra Bush, Emma Miller, Justin Stern, Tiffany Mattson, Kaitlyn Gibbons, Jordan Mahar. "HIKE Presentation 2" from left to right: Justin’s father, Tom Stern, Jr., Justin, mother, Sandra Stern, and grandmother, Janice Stevens.

Thank you from Brooklyn, N

Oklahoma 5K Run for HIKE was a Success!

Submitted by Alexis Lux, Oklahoma HIKE Chairman
Bethel Guardian, Bethel #2, Oklahoma City, OK

I am THRILLED to report that last weekend Oklahoma held our 1st Annual Statewide 5K for HIKE.  We had 100% participation from bethels in the state.  We had 219 registered participants and nearly 300 people in attendance.  Only 1/3 of the people at our event had heard of HIKE or Job's Daughters, so not only was it successful in reaching out to the community, it was also financially successful! 

The largest year Oklahoma has ever had in donating to HIKE was in 1999-2000 when we donated $2753.  This year we will at least double that amount given to HIKE! 

We had participants from 6 states-Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Georgia, Indiana and Wisconsin, and from cities all across our state including Guthrie, Lawton, Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Shawnee, Norman, Ponca City, Durant, Noble, Stillwater, Anadarko, Ada, Minco and Choctaw as well as all the cities in the OKC metro area. 

3 of our bethels are still working with their local Masonic lodges to get their individual funds matched.  As a state we will be turning over at least $5510 to HIKE, but with the matches, it may be even higher. 

At Grand Session in June we will be recognizing the top 3 fundraisers and the top 3 fundraising bethels.  You have until May 15 to get all of your funds to me.  Samara and I will track each Daughter/Jobie to Bee individually and will present the charms at Grand Session.  I am happy to report that we will finally have some representation at the $1,000 club at Supreme Session! 

Attached is a shot of the race starting and a shot of Bethel #2 at the finish line.  You can check out all the other photos by friending "Oklahoma Job's Daughters" on facebook. 

On a side note I am also thrilled to report that Bethel #2 had 10 members 6 months ago, and next month we will initiate our 17th & 18th member and we have also have 6 very active and excited Jobies to Bee! 

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Job’s Daughters Help Youth Purchase Hearing Aids

The following article appeared in a local newspaper in Wyoming.

Rock Springs Job’s Daughters Bethel No. 13 hosted a spaghetti dinner on Friday night, March 25^th. The dinner was to raise money for their charity, the Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment Fund, or ‘HIKE’ for short. The event was also a celebration in honor of a local youth, Joshua Graves of Green River, who received a $3,500 award from ‘HIKE’ to purchase new hearing aids.

Wyoming Job’s Daughters ‘HIKE’ chairman, Maria Criswell of Lander, was on hand to present a copy of the check to Graves, but he had received the real check in January and already had on his new hearing aids. Graves, 12, spoke to the group saying that he appreciated the help in getting the new hearing aids, that he could hear much better and was asking people to repeat themselves less often.

Job’s Daughters from Green River Bethel No. 48 were also in attendance to help raise money for ‘HIKE.’ They donated a collection of beautiful baskets that were raffled in a silent auction. Together, the two groups of girls raised about $800 to assist children with hearing loss.

Job’s Daughters is an organization for girls between the ages of 10 and 20. It teaches leadership, charity, public speaking skills, as well as provides a safe, wholesome environment for girls to have fun. The HIKE Fund, Inc. is the Job’s Daughters charity. They are celebrating the 25^th anniversary for The HIKE Fund, Inc. this year. Over the past 25 years, ‘HIKE’ has given children between the ages of birth to twenty funding for hearing aids and other assistive devices totaling more than $3 million. All the money is raised by members of local Bethels, such as the ones here in Rock Springs and Green River.