Letter to the Martha Bettis and The Advisory Board

This is the letterthat I wrote with my grandmother's help because if I hadn't had help, i would've cussed them out.

 

Dear Mrs. Bettis and the Advisory Board,

I am so sad and so disappointed about not going to Masonic Youth Weekend. There are five other girls who wanted to go too.  Would you please reconsider not taking us? I know that the other girls want to go too.  Is this a rule, a state rule, that we have to have eight? Can we have a chance to see if we can find two more girls? If it’s not a rule, can the six of us have a chance to go? If it’s a matter of money, can we just add too it so that the six of us can go?

I am so disappointed, and I’m feeling very sad about not going. Would you please reconsider so that so many of us won’t be disappointed?

 

Thanks you,

Elizabeth

 

Here are the replies:

 

Elizabeth,

 

An email is going out later today which should address your questions.  If you still have questions, I will be happy to speak or meet with you and your mother.

 

Hugs,

Mrs. Bettis

_________________________________________________________________________

Elizabeth,

 

I am referring this to Mrs. Bettis. 
All communication should be through her.  She is following the board's decision.

 

Mr. Lytle

 

Here's the letter mentioned in Mrs. Bett's email earilier

Girls, The purpose of this email is to address some questions and misinformation floating around regarding Masonic Youth Weekend. The advisory board meets each month and considers all of the logistics behind your participation in an event.  At its recent meeting, the board considered the following regarding your participation in Masonic Youth Weekend: 1.       Did the girls want to participate?2.       How would we transport the girls to the camp?3.       How much would it cost, both for registration and transportation?4.       How many girls would need to ride in the van to make it self-funding?5.       What would the required adult:girl ratio be to take girls?6.       What qualified adults were available to take girls? The decision was made that 8 girls would need to sign up to attend and ride in the van.  At that time, based on the minimum of 8, there was not an adequate number of adults available to take girls for the weekend.  However, it was decided that we would gauge interest based on how many girls paid their money at or by our meeting on March 5.  The short deadline was decided to give the adults time to check and arrange schedules, should there have been sufficient interest.  I communicated the payment amount and due date to you the day following the board meeting. At Monday’s meeting, two payments were submitted.  A third girl indicated prior to the meeting that she wished to attend, but she did not submit her payment.  A fourth girl indicated at the meeting that she might like to attend and asked if her going would make the difference.  Even counting girls 3 and 4, even though they did not submit their payments by the due date, the minimum number of 8 was not met.  Based on the pre-determined guidelines set by the board, I communicated to you the decision that the assembly would not attend Masonic Youth Weekend in 2012.  Following are some answers to specific questions or statements: 1.       While it is true that the Seymours are attending MYW, they are not attending as Rainbow advisors.  They are not transporting girls.  They will not be available to supervise you during the day or at night. 2.       Melanie cannot be counted in the 8.  She is attending MYW as the Grand Worthy Advisor, and she will not be riding or staying with the assembly. 3.       We are no longer accepting money for Masonic Youth Weekend, since the deadline has passed.  Per the email sent on 2/27, the deadline to turn in money was Monday, March 5. 4.       I will not be at the lodge to accept money on Thursday night.   5.       No girl has been, nor will a girl ever be, authorized to accept your money for MYW or any other activity.  I understand that you are disappointed.  Perhaps another fun activity can be arranged locally for one day during the weekend.  But that, as was the criteria for attending Masonic Youth Weekend, is not my decision; it is the board’s.  Mrs. Bettis

My next letter is the following- it's only a draft. I haven't sent it yet.

Dear Advisory Board,

Upon further review, I have come up to see some errors of some of the ways that the board has been making, and some questions.

The Rainbow quorum is seven, so why are you making it eight? It is also a business quorum, therefore there aren't anything saying that we can't go if there's six.

It says in the Statutes, under section five of the uniform code of bilaws, "A quarrum nesisary to transact BUSINESS shall be seven members." What was the whole reason of eight? In other words, this was a business decition of who was present, seven people are not required to go to trips. I respectfully request, on behalf of Melrose, that a recount and a chance to go to Masonic Youth Weekend, and a detailed acounting of the vote on the Advisory Board. (Who voted what(up and down) and why.)

I now understand that it doesn't matter what the assembly wants, but the advisory board wants. When did it change? I feel like our voice, the girls themself, are not being heard. 

Please explain what you meant by the Masonic Youth Weekend having to be "self funding"

How is "Self funding" relevant in  this situation?

I would also like to remind you that Rainbow is for Girls, and Girls only, hence the title International Order Of The Rainbow for GIRLS.

It is my personal opinion that it was a gigantic mistake kicking off the Wunsches. I think that they were the better part of the board, and that they were always there for me and all the other girls. I know that you want to step in her place, take her responsiblities, but she was, in my opinion, the best person on the board because she actually listened to what I said, and tried her best to act on it. 

It is my understanding that the moneys were not due to the state for Masonic Youth Weekend until next month. 

It is also my opinion that, the due date was on the fourth because Spring Break so people aren't likely to a. Attend a meeting, and B. aren't wanting to pay money.

It is also my opinion that it was unfair, and unjust to decide on the number eight, and not saying anything about it, until the meeting on Monday.

Elizabeth ****

Author's Note

This whole issue talked about up here is about Masonic Youth Weekend.

Masonic Youth WEekend is where the DeMolays and Rainbows get together in Bruceville at Greene Family Camp for a bunch of fun.

The Advisory Board at my assembly decided that we won't go because we have six people and they wanted eight or more people going. What a bunch of BS!

So this was my letter that I wrote, with the help of my grandmother. (If I had written it, without her help, it would have a bunch of cuss words and other stuff.)

Apparently, I started a trend. After I wrote and sent the email to all of the Board, I told my friends in Rainbow about it. Our current Worthy Advisor told me that her mother wrote a letter to the board, and was encouraging other parents to do the same thing. Then i started a chat with our current Faith, Elizabeth, and convinced her to text and call everyone to write letters to the board. (I know, we have the same name. There are three Elizabeths.)

Let's see what happens next.

Reviews

[Some Random Person.]

So far, Melrose is going to be absent. D:

[Silent Knight]

Good luck! Hope you can go.

[Angie Diane♥&hea..]

I hope you can go as well. I mean if you aren't able to go then that is a stupid reason. I don't think they have any logic to be honest.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are a wise young lady. Can solve problems with sugar and lose opportunity with anger. Good to have Grandma assist you. I hope you get to go. Thank you for sharing the experience.
Coyote

[Some Random Person.]

I don't get their logic... It's been making me mad.

[Marie]

Well I certainly hope you get to go; it certainly isn't fair that six girls should be disappointed because they don'tnumber eight.