Regular attendance in school means opportunities for hands on learning, better grades, and for some Knox County elementary students a chance to get their hands on a new bicycle.
Representatives from Mountain Lodge #187 visited several Knox County elementary schools on Friday, January 8, with two new bicycles as their way of giving back to the community and supporting the education of Knox County’s future generation.
“We voted a couple weeks ago to donate two bicycles to each elementary school, one for a boy and one for a girl,” said Clint Mays with the Mountain Lodge.
“We have been trying to think of ways to get out into our community more and knew that this could be a need we could fill.
“Most everyone knows about the Shriners and the work they do with the hospitals, but many don’t know you must be a mason before you can be a Shriner.”
The Masons of Mountain Lodge hope that this donation will help schools improve their attendance as they seek additional ways of reaching out with programs and services to support the community.
“The only thing we ask is that each school try to keep a close eye on attendance and after a couple months let us know if it helps,” explained Mays. “If it does we can try to do it again, or if it doesn’t, we can try something else.”
Each school was charged with the task of displaying the bicycles in a prominent location so that each student can see what they might win if they have great attendance. It is up to the school to decide when the bicycles will be given away.