by Shawn Nowlin
What began last Friday around 6:30 p.m. inside the Aladdin Shrine Temple – local dignitaries and community members gathering for a reflections banquet to honor SGIG Dr. John Vernon Jr., SGLLP Mary Elizabeth Reddick-Hinmon and SP Alfred Elliott – ended with Apple Ridge Farm being the recipient of a monetary donation.
A sizable crowd attended the roughly three-hour occasion hosted by the Roanoke Commanders of the Rite, 33rd Degree Masonic Fraternity, Acorn Consistory, and Ladies of the Golden Circle.
After the invocation by Dr. E.T. Burton, 33rd Degree, James Sawyer led all in the Pledge of Allegiance. Judy Starkey provided the catered dinner.
From there, Charnika Elliot performed a musical note before the Toast of Obligation and a music set by Barry Witcher and Dustin Wade. Keith Williams, Deputy for the Orient of V.A., provided the closing remarks. Two scholarships totaling $1,000 were also given out to two college students.
“It seems to me that some of us have a bad problem with mathematics. The reason why is because when problems and adversity show up at our door, we tend to panic and forget to pray,” Pastor Floyd Davis of God’s House Baptist Ministries said. “With the passing of a loved one, we become so broken that we think we can’t move on. But you see my brothers and sisters, bad mathematics is when you’ve been helped by God more than you can even count.”
Tens of thousands of local youth have benefitted from Apple Ridge Farm, which serves underprivileged communities throughout the Roanoke Valley through the execution of leadership and urban agriculture, among many other things, since the 1970s. Financial contributions from the community go a long way in helping the organization fulfill its mission.
Before the event concluded, founder Peter Lewis was presented with a $2,800 check.
“We provide a free summer camp for children. I’m going to take a test, very quickly. Right here in this room, you guys gave about 45 bicycles away a few years ago. A woman from my church had just taken custody of her nieces, and they didn’t know how they were going to make Christmas. Because of the Shriners, she was able to make Christmas,” Lewis said.
He added, I was giving people a ride home with their bicycles and I remember one lady in particular pushed the bicycle all the way up to Fairview School to catch the bus. I gave her a ride home with the second bicycle and the gifts you all provided. This is what you provide for children in our community, and I’m a broker for those monies from people who have it in abundance to those who don’t have much.”
Additional information about Apple Ridge Farm can be found on the organization’s website.
