RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program (SRCLP)
About the RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program
In the early 1950s in Colorado, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States initiated a program to help children with speech and language disorders. The results obtained from this program led to the establishment of RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program (SRCLP) clinics to provide diagnostic evaluation and treatment of speech and language disorders, as well as learning disabilities.
Today, there are SRCLP clinics, centers, and special programs operating or planned for children and therapists located throughout the United States. Each facility is staffed by speech-language pathologists or other trained personnel. Through the support of Scottish Rite members, these clinics, centers, and programs continue to increase.
The value of this philanthropy has long been apparent. Tens of thousands of youngsters across the United States have been helped significantly. With the good work of dedicated clinicians and parents, the Scottish Rite has achieved successes that could only be imagined a few years back. Children who might have remained educationally behind for a lifetime can now talk, read, and lead productive lives.
Funding for the SRCLP provided by the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc., and local Scottish Rite Foundations
**We currently are updating our online directory of clinics, if you need assistance locating a facility in the meantime, please contact us at council@scottishrite.org or call 202–232–3579 (M–Th., 7 am to 5 pm ET).**
Program Eligibility
As a rule, the SRCLP Clinics accept preschool children who have difficulty speaking or understanding the spoken word or school-age children who have difficulty learning to read. Some centers also offer literacy training for adults.
Inquiries on age groups and program offerings in specific areas should be addressed to the director of the local Scottish Rite facility. Equally important, all services are available regardless of race, creed, or the family's inability to pay.
While all children in need are eligible for available SRCLP treatment, please consult with your local facility for specific financial information.
NCSRMF Mission and Purpose Statement
The North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation is a 501.C.3 charitable organization dedicated to providing present and future benevolent financial support toward the training of licensed professionals and treatment of children with speech, hearing, and learning disabilities who may receive services with little or no cost to families. Along with 170 such programs nationwide, we are achieving this mission through the generous support of our members, sponsors, and the public. In addition, North Carolina Scottish Rite members also support Masonic Youth organizations and victims of natural disasters recognized by the Masonic Service Association of North America.
Your online contribution goes to an unrestricted fund with the North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation that supports the mission and purpose statement and any applicable service fees apply.
RiteCare (SRCLP) News
NC Scottish Rite donates diagnostic audiology equipment to LCS in support of educational access for students with hearing challenges
SANFORD, NC - Due to a generous gift from the North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation (NCSRMF), Lee County Schools is now better positioned to support students struggling with hearing loss and difficulties in our community. NCSRMF provided new diagnostic audiology equipment to refit the district's diagnostic testing center, expanding the ability to provide services quickly to students struggling to hear.
"When a student is having difficulty hearing they miss vital instruction," emphasized Lee County Schools Educational Audiologist, Heather Sprauge. Sprague joined Lee County Schools from another district that was outfitted with a hearing clinic and knew the benefits to students and families that a testing center could have first hand. "Missing instruction can have long standing impacts on a student's academic progress, and the sooner we can get a child tested and address any issue they are having, the sooner we can get them back to learning."
NCSRMF has made it their mission to support speech and hearing programs at Universities across the state in rural areas where access to diagnostic equipment and professional audiologists is more challenging than in the state's metro areas. Lee County Schools is the first K-12 school district the organization has partnered with in support of the group's mission to give financial support for the treatment of children with speech, hearing, and learning disabilities who may receive services with little or no cost to families.
Gene Cobb serves as the Sovereign Grand Inspector General in North Carolina for the NCSRMF. With his ties to the Sanford area from serving 11 years as pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church, this Scottish Rite partnership felt like a natural outgrowth of the group's mission. "I have a deep love for the people of Lee County," explained Cobb. "When you put that together with the Scottish Rite's commitment to helping children with speech, hearing, and learning disabilities, you have the formula for what you see happening."
For much of the group's service over the last several years, they have given grants to Western Carolina University, Appalachian State University and East Carolina University to help serve audiology needs in rural communities. As Cobb explained, recently the group began looking for ways to get assistance into more communities, perhaps even those outside the reach of those major universities.
"After some careful consideration and thinking, we realized that we can develop a more active presence in communities by reaching out to local school systems." Cobb noted that he began conversations with district personnel and eventually Dr. Dossenbach, and they were able to have the pieces fall into place quickly. "We started having conversations here with Lee County and here we are after about 14 months with a state-of-the-art diagnostic audiology booth to serve the students and the community."
Their gift will allow Sprague and the district to transform a soundproof booth that had been converted to a storage area into a fully functional state-of-the-art diagnostic testing center. "Lee County was really in a unique position because we had a soundproof booth installed at J.R. Ingram Elementary School back in the 1990's that was not in use," noted Sprague. "This gift will allow children in Lee county to receive comprehensive hearing evaluations at no cost to families, shortening the time between identifying a hearing issue at school and diagnostic testing."
This offering is unique to school districts in the state, as currently only Wake & Mecklenburg Counties are able to offer these services to students. Sprague and the NCSRMF are hopeful that this program can be an example to other districts across the state and open the door to increasing access to audiology testing for students in rural communities.
"When a student is struggling to hear, they are not able to fully engage with the curriculum and instruction provided in our classrooms," said Dr. Chris Dossenbach, Superintendent of Lee County Schools. "We are grateful to the Scottish Rite for their partnership. Having these resources gives us an additional tool we need to break down barriers to educational growth and provide necessary support for many students in our district."
"We believe that helping children who are having hearing difficulties, helping their families, improves not just their lives but everyone's lives, because it helps them to truly communicate," explained Cobb. "So, really what we are doing here is to help these children improve life for all of us on this planet. As the Scottish Rite, that is our passion, and we will keep that as our passion as long as there is a breath in us."
Editors Note: James Alverson, Author, granted us permission to reprint
The Golden Age of NC RiteCare has begun.
How and why is different from before? That's a great question and the answer will continue to evolve during 2025.
During a recent grant celebration in Lee County, how we help children with speech and language disorders has changed. We have always helped support university care outreach that supports our local communities from a more distant level, with this step forward now we can help at the grass roots, local school system level and it is truly impactful.
If you take a look at 2024 the North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation contributions for NC RiteCare assistance helped 303 children with 2,847 care visits and helped allocate 14 hearing aids to children in need. Not to mention the scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students at 3 universities across the state. Those numbers continue to increase as children have more access to quality hearing screenings and care.
That brings us to our Lee County initiative.
Lee County Schools has a combined student population of 10,000 students, 17 schools and now has an update Audiology booth with top of the line equipment. This equipment is being used by Lee County Pediatric Educational Audiologist Dr. Heather Spraque, Au. D and has already benefited over 30 children by those services and and other 70 projected by the end of the school year.
Now, moving forward the NCSRMF and NC RiteCare has the model in place to be impactful in all 100 counties of North Carolina, from Manteo to Murphy, we have the ability to help more children.
How do we find those needs?
Another great question, that is where Project 100 has been launched. The Orient of North Carolina serves all 100 counties, not just those around our Valleys. Over the next few weeks we are identifying Scottish Rite members that live in all 100 counties to be our "listeners" for local communities hearing and language needs. We will have Valley information on how you can be active across the state coming soon.
It is an exciting time for our Charity and now is the time to make a difference in your community with NCSRMF and NC RiteCare.
RiteCare Project100 has begun
We would like to reach out to all 100 counties in North Carolina.
You may DONATE NOW at www.ncritecare.org