Editor, Gazette-Journal:

On behalf of the members of the Tidewater Shrine Club and Khedive Temple, I wish to express sincere thanks to all our friends and caring contributors for the many donations we received in order to provide funding to maintain the Shriners Hospitals for Children. These hospitals provide specialty care to children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. It is our hearts and prayers that drive us to spend the hundreds of man-hours it takes to collect the funds for this program.

Through individual and business contributions to our plaque program, donations to our paper drive at the local Walmart store, profits from our golf tournament and all other gifts freely given by concerned citizens of our community, we were able to forward $14,000 to the Khedive Temple Transportation Fund to keep the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, S.C. and Philadelphia, Pa. operating.

All of these actions were taken by our ...