SEPTEMBER 2017 The Shriek - syrianshrine.org

1 The ShriekSEPTEMBER 2017As the summer starts winding down and the occasional drift of cooler air begins to hint of fall, itmakes this Potentate pause and reflect that I m in the waning stages of my term. It s bittersweet tothink: yes! I m almost finished!; but also: oh no! I m almost out of time! On the one hand, it s theculmination of an incredible five year journey with obligations and commitments; but all fun, andwith some of the best people I ve ever known. On the other hand there are some considerations,maybe some second guessing - could I have done this better? Or that more effectively? Which leadsme to a paragraph I d read in the beginning of this year, from some ancient Shriek writings, from asfar back as one and a half decades << A Philosopher once said, Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

2 When you rein charge, it s easy to get seduced by the power you possess and the deference others pay re the Pote, the top dog, numero uno, the head honcho. However, if you give in to the allure, you set the stage foryour own demise. You create a barrier between yourself and your members, and you put yourself on a pedestal from whichyou are destined to fall. One of the toughest balancing acts in this position is to exercise power while maintaining humility.(reprinted from Syrian Shriek , Potentate s ( ) Message: March, 2002). >> So, keeping the aforementioned firmlyimplanted in my mind, I ll continue moving forward with what I hope will be a temperate and successful of my goals this year was to get more Shriner s exposure in Northern Kentucky.

3 To that end, we made someprogress, but there s so much more potential there with Blue Lodge members who don t even know we exist! It wastherefore very satisfying that we had a solid turnout for three Kentucky Parades this past summer. Bellevue-Dayton onMemorial Day; Union Celebrates America Parade; and the Fort Thomas 4th of July Parade. I was very proud that onAugust 21, we attended the Fort Thomas City Council meeting and were presented with a 1st Place Trophy for the MostEntertaining category for which there were over 100 entries in that very big parade (even with a low-and-slow flyoverby two A-10 Warthogs!)

4 In early August, the Shriners and hospital volunteers attended the Foreigner, Cheap Trick, and Jason Bonham LedZeppelin Experience concert at Riverbend. We were selling CDs and giving away a Foreigner signed guitar. I was laterinformed by our promoter, that our group sold 618 CDs and grossed $12,360! He also advised that we (Cincinnati) werethe best city so far on this year s Tour and outsold his previous best by over $2,000! Congrats to all the Shriners andHospital Volunteers who absolutely Rocked It for the Kids and for our Hospitals!On August 12 we had a Ceremonial inducting 11 new Nobles; immediately followed by our Family Day Picnicwith great fun, good food, fellowship and magnificent weather!

5 We also made a solid showing at our annual CincinnatiHospital Day in late August, and had a great group that paraded on the field at the Cincinnati Reds Shrine Masons Day atthe SEPTEMBER , we end our dark period of summer break; and kick it off with our Portsmouth River Days Paradeand visit with our Southern Ohio Shrine Club brethren. We ll have our first meeting in our newly refurbished Temple!Come and see the exciting new changes, come early and attend the Second Section Ceremonial for our newly inductedNobles. SEPTEMBER will also feature the Harvest Home Parade on Sep. 7; the Pote s Stag Walleye Safari to Lake ErieSep 8-10; and the Great Lakes Shrine Association 68th Annual Meeting in Springfield, IL on Sep 12-17.

6 Please note aChange to our Calendar: the Fastiques 42nd Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals will be Sep 29-Oct 1. Please stay tuned toyour weekly email Blasts for upcoming Parade information on Sep 30 for this great hospital fundraising event ($50kannually). If you re not receiving your weekly Blasts, call the office and get your email address updated!Finally, please support your Temple and purchase your chances to win a $3,500 Dream Vacation of your choice the drawing at the Christmas Party in December. And if you re not parading with us, you re missing one of the greatperks of being a Shriner! We re here fraternally for You and Your Family; most importantly we re here for the Kids inour Yours,Robert H.

7 SmithRobert H. SmithRobert H. SmithRobert H. SmithRobert H. SmithPotentateShrine = MasonryFunTEMPLE PICNIC - GREAT TIME BY ALLTEMPLE PICNIC - GREAT TIME BY ALLTEMPLE PICNIC - GREAT TIME BY ALLBINGO Hamilton Shrine ClubSupporting Syrian ShrineCliff and CarylFullmanINSUPPORT OFSyrian Shrine and Syrian ShriekSHRINERS HOSPITALLOVE GROWS MIRACLEIMPERIAL POTENTATE - GARY J. BERGENSKEGary J. BergenskeImperial Potentate | Shriners InternationalGary J. Bergenske of Orlando, Florida, is currently serving his 11th year as amember of the Boards of Directors for Shriners International and ShrinersHospitals for Children . Bergenske was elected Imperial Potentate, part of the12-member body that helps govern the Shriners fraternity, during the Shriners 2017 Imperial Session held in Daytona Beach, Florida, July 9 July was raised a Master Mason in 1994 at Eola Lodge #207 in became a member of Bahia Shriners in Orlando in 1994, where he is now alifetime member.

8 He served as Potentate of Bahia in 2005. Bergenske is thefounder of the Bahia Historical and Educational Museum in Orlando. He is anassociate member of Zor Shriners in Madison, Wisconsin. He is also a perpetual lifetime member of theOrlando Scottish Rite and holds the rank of Knight Commander of the Court of Honor. Bergenske currentlyserves as a certified member of the Advisory Council of Florida DeMolay, and has been elected to receivethe prestigious DeMolay Honorary Legion of Honor Award, and was named an Honorary Member ofDeMolay s International Supreme Council by the Grand Master of DeMolay at Imperial Session in is an emeritus member of Shriners International, a lifetime member of the Cabiri International,and a member of the Royal Order of Jesters, The Order of Quetzalcoatl, Lions International, and the LoyalOrder of served three successful years as Chairman of the Shriners International all-star college footballevent.

9 The East-West Shrine Game . During his years as a member of the boards of directors, he hasserved on numerous committees, including as Chairman of the Public Relations, Fraternal StrategicPlanning, Information Services, Insurance, Protocol, and Capital Evaluation Committees. In addition, he hasserved as the Liaison Officer to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Erie, Springfield, Houston, Galveston,Portland, Honolulu and Spokane. He served on the Executive Committee of the Imperial MembershipCommittee for 14 years, and was a charter member of both the TRAC and PACE Teams. He has also beenan inspirational keynote speaker and presenter at Imperial conferences for Oriental Guides, AssistantRabbans, Public Relations, Donor Relations and the time Bergenske was a member of the Imperial Membership Executive Committee, he came upwith the idea of having a Shriners mascot to not only promote the fraternity but to also attract youngergenerations, which resulted in the development of Fez Head Fred.

10 While serving as Membership Chairmanof Bahia Shriners, Bergenske created and developed the Mentor Program to get new members now use this program throughout the 1985, Bergenske purchased J & J Metro Moving and Storage, which he has owned and operated for thepast 30 years. In addition, Bergenske is a motivational speaker and has written three books. His booksdiscuss ways to Build a Better Life and Become a Better Leader and are available in more than 10countries, where they are making a positive difference in people s his down time, he loves traveling, the outdoors, hunting, old cars and Harley-Davidsons. Bergenske andhis wife, Anne, have six children Carrie, Lisa, Jason, Jami, David and Jared and are often referred to asthe Bergy Bunch.