Philanthropy at Brainerd Lodge No. 736
A core part of Freemasonry is relief—helping others through service, generosity, and community support.
Brainerd’s History of Philanthropy
Over the decades, Brainerd Lodge No. 736 has pursued many charitable endeavors. One of the longest lasting has been our work with the Chattanooga Campus of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home. Our involvement with working with TBCH came from an unexpected turn of events.
In the 2000s, the lodge was involved with Summit House, an organization operated by a lady out of her house for homeless and displaced people. Through a series of legislative changes required by the county and the state to operate such a facility, Summit House was closed. This left our lodge without a charity to support.
In 2009 and 2010, the appointed Junior Deacon, Patrick Shipley, suggested considering TBCH as a potential charity. After some discussion, the Worshipful Master at the time, Thom Rogers, and Patrick met with the director of the Chattanooga Campus, Carl Willis, to discuss their needs. Soon after, Brainerd Lodge and TBCH were inseparable.
In the beginning, the lodge would buy food for the campus quarterly. It was a mix of meat, canned goods, snacks and other food items that could be used in lunches for the kids. But soon after, the Chattanooga Campus started receiving regular food donations from a local grocery store chain and quarterly food donations from the lodge weren’t needed. After meeting with the campus again, Brainerd Lodge decided to take a different approach.
An opportunity presented itself to where the lodge could buy Christmas presents for the boy’s cottage. Not only that, but we could also host a Christmas party for the boys as well if we desired. After our first Christmas party at the lodge for the kids, something changed the lodge radically. The overwhelming joy of that evening that seemed to carry us well into the new year sparked a desire to do more. We transitioned from talking about Freemasonry to practicing true Freemasonry.
After consulting with TBCH for a third time, we came to realization that they received a lot of attention at Christmas time but were ignored by the community for the rest of the year. It was our mission at that point to keep our focus on TBCH year-round as much as possible.
Ongoing Support & Annual Traditions
Over the calendar year, the lodge has hosted and supported a variety of activities to serve the youth at TBCH and help them enjoy meaningful experiences. As our funding and opportunities have grown, so has our involvement.
- Pancake Dinner — inviting the boys’ cottage to the lodge for a meal in their honor.
- Shrine Circus / Rodeo — taking the campus to the Alhambra Shrine Circus each year, and later the Alhambra Shrine Rodeo when the circus ended.
- Topgolf — added in recent years for food and fun.
- Christmas Party — the cornerstone event of our year, focused on gifts, a shared meal, and fellowship.
Our activities continue to evolve and grow as the funding and the opportunities present themselves. In 2025, Brainerd Lodge and Sunnyside #359 OES did a joint Christmas party with the entire campus. Both provided Christmas presents for the kids as well as provided a taco bar dinner packed with desserts and games.
