DeMolay Week: Fun With My Comrades

The following blog post is from Brother Mitch Holmes, PMC of Templar Chapter and State Senior Deacon for Pennsylvania DeMolay. 

Are we limited to what we can do as DeMolay? The answer is most certainly no, we are not limited (unless you plan on something extremely dangerous or against insurance.) DeMolay is based from 9 young men who just wanted to have fun and build relationships. From that idea, we now have an international organization with over 3,000 chapters worldwide that was based off the idea of having fun and building friendships. Today, DeMolay is still the same. Although we have other aspects involved in DeMolay, we learn our leadership and skills through having fun in the organization.

The most fun I ever had in DeMolay was when my chapter planned an Air-soft Event. It was the first shooting based event I had been though with DeMolay. Yes, you might think it is a terrible idea for DeMolays to shoot one another with air-soft guns, but it’s basically the same as paintball, which has been common in DeMolay for years. After we presented the idea to our Advisory Council, it was approved and we started the planning process. When Bro. Chris Johnston and myself had originally planned our Air-soft Event, it was for the prospects we had interested in joining DeMolay. Due to our low chapter stats at the time, we felt it was necessary to have chapters and assemblies come to the event. We then invited the youth groups nearby. With an impressive turnout of 35 people, the amount of fun was endless. As we entered the arenas, most of us were scared and didn't know what to expect, but we felt safer because we all knew each other. By the time I had gotten out of the arena, I was immersed with the amount of fun that I had. I never thought you could have so much fun in DeMolay and that you were able to do events like that. When the night ended, everyone wanted to keep playing. Along with having fun, I later realized that the air-soft also consisted of leadership, communication, trust, and comradeship. All ideas that are based on our precepts.

Keep in mind, DeMolay is great for endless ideas. From going go-kart racing to camping trips, anything is possible in DeMolay. Without fun in DeMolay, we wouldn’t be the greatest organization in the world. During DeMolay Month, I encourage you to think outside the box and do something your chapter has never done before and enjoy yourselves as DeMolays.

Until then,

Mitch Holmes

The 5 Steps of Being a Mentor

PA DeMolay promotes the Bro-Tie mentoring program, a program that allows members to coach our newest brothers through the ranks of DeMolay. They are asked to help guide them and teach them to make their DeMolay experience more enjoyable. When both parties achieve success, a half of their bow-tie is exchanged, giving both participants a black and red bow-tie. With this, we should be asking ourselves "What does it take to be a good mentor."

As the program promotes, a mentor is a friend that helps guide a less experienced individual, but there are specific qualities that are important to make this process happen. Here are the five steps of being a mentor, as documented by the Oregon Youth Challenge Program:

Build trust - In order to be a mentor, the mentee must be able to trust the person leading him. Show them that you won't let them down.

Listen - Part of being a leader is listening to others. Listen to the mentee in order to find the best way to lead him.

Encourage - Motivation is an important part of success. As a mentor, encourage your mentee into learning what they need to in order to achieve their goals. 

Be Reliable - We already talked about building trust, but being reliable is about maintaining that trust. Be dependable, and the mentee will continue to follow your example. 

Have Fun - This should be the easiest part of being a mentor. Although you do want to make sure all other steps are followed, make sure both you and your mentee are having as much fun along the way. 

Every successful DeMolay has a story of someone that helped them along the way. In my case, I have a few different people who have mentored me and guided me to where I am now. Be that role model for someone else. Take advantage of the Bro-Tie program and help a new member learn more about DeMolay.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin 

#IAMDEMOLAY

The following is the link for the website that I found some of this important information.

http://www.oycp.com/MentorTraining/3/m3.html

Top Ten Reasons to be at Convention 2016!

Its the middle of May, which means the clock is ticking and Convention is right around the corner. This year, the annual Convention will be held at the Seven Springs Resort in Champion, PA from July 15 to 17, 2016. If you've never been to a PA DeMolay Convention, your probably asking yourself "Why should I go to Convention?" Below are the top 10 reasons why you should be at Convention 2016.

10. Members will have the chance to compete in Ritual Contests, from the Flower Talk to the Ceremony of Light.

9.  You'll get the chance to stay at a fancy hotel for the entire weekend.

8.  You'll get a free copy of the 2016 Convention Yearbook, with pictures and memories from all of the year's great activities. 

7.  Convention will be loaded with fun activities to fill the entire weekend. We start at the Caddie Shak Family Fun Center, which will have Mini Golf, Go Karts, Bumper Boats and much more. Then on Saturday, the Seven Springs Resort has several fun activities including the Alpine Slide, Disc Golf, Paddle Boats and Summer Tubing.

6.  Convention will provide food for every meal.  

5.  Your chapter will be able to receive awards based on the accomplishments they have performed throughout the year. 

4.  You'll have the opportunity to congratulate "Dad" Sam Williamson on being elected to the DeMolay Hall of Fame in person. The actual induction takes place on June 17 in San Diego, California.

3.  You'll have the chance to vote on your Elected State Officers for the 2016-2017 term. This includes the election of the State Sweetheart as well.

2.  This will give you a chance to get out of the house for the weekend.

And the number 1 reason that you should be at Convention 2016...

1.  Convention gives you the chance to see friends from the entire state of Pennsylvania for a great brotherhood atmosphere.

Hopefully this is enough to convince you that you should be at Convention this year. Registration is due June 5th, so get it in soon to guarantee that you won't miss out.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin     

Be Different Spotlight: Reading Chapter

The following post is part of a series entitled the “Be Different Spotlight.” This post will display a chapter’s effort to grasp the concept of the theme for this year. Each chapter was challenged by the State Master Councilor, Adam Pritchard, to “Be Different.” 

Challenge Accepted! This is the story of how Reading Chapter embraced that challenge...

I am proud to announce that Reading Chapter has successfully thrown their first “Be Different” event. In order to explain the event, we all need some back story. For a couple of years “Dad” Dan Loughin has challenged Reading Chapter that if they can make positive growth, he would allow the members of the chapter who were first line signers to shave his head. Reading has been desperately trying to reach this goal for a while, but have unfortunately come short every time.

However, this year was a bit different. Reading Chapter was able to make positive growth for the first time in years due to the help of state incentive programs and chapter incentives. Now the problem continued: When is a good time to celebrate this auspicious occasion and officially get the clippers buzzing.

Reading Chapter’s Master Councilor Brian Henderson had planned a “Be Different” game night for his term. This game night was newer than game nights that Reading Chapter used to throw in the past, which usually involved card games and board games only. Recently our lodge hall had several parlor games installed in the lodge cafeteria, including billiards and air hockey. For the first time, Reading Chapter was able to utilize these items to take game night to a whole new level.

Members showed up with their families, as well as prospects (thus doubling this fun game night to also be a prospect party.) There were sodas, chips, cookies, pizza and fellowship for everyone. Throughout the night you could hear the constant clanking of air hockey chips as well as the cracking of a cue ball against the other pool balls. Members and friends played doubles so as to include as many people as possible. I sat at a table playing various card games with 3 other youth in attendance. The prospect party did not end there, with the opportunity to play Wii or ping pong still remaining as options before the night was over.

The night culminated in the long awaited and anticipated shaving of “Dad” Loughin’s head. The floor was prepped, the clippers were plugged in, and the members gathered. The first line signers took turns taking swipes across “Dad” Loughin’s head while others watched and laughed. At some point members began to forgo shaving everything off, but thought it funnier to cut irregular tufts of hair off his head, and then began to make fun patterns and unusual shapes. 

The night ended with shaving the rest of his head bald and clean up. Much fun was had and goodbyes were given (especially to "Dad" Loughin's hair.) The event was so successful that several prospects who were in attendance showed strong interest in joining, and younger siblings who came for the fun were looking to continue to be involved in chapter activities until they can join.

To watch the video of "Dad" Loughin getting his hair shaved off click here

This blog post was written by Pennsylvania DeMolay SMC Adam Pritchard. Thank you Brother Adam for your contribution.

Reading Chapter has completed the challenge to “Be Different.” What has your chapter done in order to change things up a bit? Send in program details or write a post for your chapter and send it to me at JAPullin@pademolay.net

It's Nerf or Nothin!

With the upcoming Nerf weekend, otherwise known as Operation N.A.S.H.V.I.L.L.E. Training Weekend, I figured we should take the time to get to know the Nerf product a little bit better. The training weekend will be focused on the Nerf Blaster, but the Nerf Company has been responsible for several different products along the way.

The concept of Nerf started in 1969 with an idea that was originally meant to be a Volleyball game with a 4 inch foam ball. Parker Brothers kept the foam ball and expanded on the idea. Eventually Hasbro, the company that produces Nerf to this day, took over the company from Parker Brothers. Nerf, which is an acronym for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam, became a worldwide success. New products were being created, mostly involving sports. Growing up, most kids I knew had Nerf basketballs, frisbees, soccer balls, and the most popular, footballs. My personal favorite was the Vortex Howler Football, a football that had a long-distance tail that made the football go further than most usually do. Friends and I would toss one around for hours down the back alley until our parents called for dinner. 

The most popular product, which is what the January weekend is focused on, is the Nerf Blaster. After continued years of success with sports, Nerf turned to warfare gun products that shoot discs, balls, and darts. There a various versions of the product, some more powerful than others, but all of them stick within the same concept that made the company as successful as they are; safety. I hope to see you all at the upcoming Nerf weekend. Remember: “It’s Nerf, or Nothin!”    

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin      

Celebrating DeMolay Art

A long running joke here at the PA DeMolay office is the use of the word "art." When "Dad" Matt Blaisdell and I would work together on a project, we'd often have several failed versions or ideas that were totally off the wall. In order to feel like these scraps were useful, "Dad" Blaisdell would refer to them as "art."

Blank sheet of paper tacked to the wall? "Art." Stamping his arm with an address stamper. "Art." Pile of crumpled up designs - why, "That's art of course!"

While we may not be top tier artists (alright, Matt is, but I'm certainly not) there are DeMolays all over the world doing really creative things to bring awareness to our fraternity. I checked out some pieces on artist sites and pulled the ten most interesting items I found. They come from a wide variety of styles and ideas, showing just how creative our DeMolays are. Enjoy!

Frat ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

DeMolays Love Food

I wanted to blog about something a little less serious today. As I thought about something to discuss, I remembered that DeMolays love one thing above all else - food! Pennsylvania has a rich history of interesting foods and I thought it might be fun to show DeMolays from other places what PA is known for. Specifically, I'm going to give you some information on PA Dutch Foods, as Elizabethtown (and the PA DeMolay HQ) is located in Lancaster County. Check out this awesome infographic I found over at mapsofworld.com.

What's your favorite PA food?

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony