Masonic Charity in Action: Raising Funds for MNDA
Article by Jeremy Tettmar:
My name is WBro Jeremy Tettmar, and I am writing to share the story of a charity that holds profound personal significance for both my wife and me.
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a fatal and rapidly progressing neurological condition that affects more than 5,000 adults in the UK at any given time. The disease causes the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord—responsible for sending signals that control movement—to deteriorate. As these signals fail to reach the muscles, they gradually weaken, stiffen, and waste away. Ultimately, individuals become trapped within a failing body, losing the ability to move, speak, and eventually breathe.
Some people with MND also experience changes in thinking and behaviour, and a proportion develop a rare form of dementia. However, the disease does not typically affect the senses such as sight, hearing, or touch. MND is indiscriminate, affecting people from all backgrounds. A person’s lifetime risk of developing the disease is 1 in 300. Each day in the UK, six people are diagnosed with MND and six people die from it. At present, there is no cure.
Cheque presentation in the lodge to Mr Colin Thompson, Vice President of the Mid Kent Branch MNDA
In 2019, I had the honour of being installed into the Masters Chair in Durobrivae Lodge No. 6956, meeting at Howard Hall, Woodside, Wigmore, Gillingham, Kent. My wife Sharon asked if the charitable funds raised during my year as Master could be dedicated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). Her request was deeply personal, as her father passed to the Grand Lodge Above on 28 November 1986 after battling this devastating illness.
What was intended to be a single year in the Chair became three, due to the unprecedented disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. During this extended period, I sought additional ways to raise funds for MNDA and introduced a dedicated whisky raffle—The MND Master’s Raffle—with all proceeds going directly to the charity. At every Lodge meeting and social event, Sharon and I purchased a bottle of single malt whisky to support this initiative.
Upon leaving the Chair, I was fortunate to be able to continue running the raffle, and we were delighted to send a cheque for £1,800 to MNDA. Sadly, the Lodge later experienced a poignant loss when WBro Ron Pritchard’s son passed away from MND, strengthening our resolve to continue supporting this vital cause.
Picture of the “White Table” Meeting, where guests and visitors are invited into the lodge and afterwards for a meal.
More recently, we have joined forces with City of Rochester Lodge No. 7941, whose Master, WBro Darren Burch, has also introduced a whisky raffle in aid of MNDA. We are sincerely grateful to the many Lodges that have contributed to our fundraising efforts, including those who have donated when I have sung the Master’s Song and the Ladies’ Song. Every contribution is gratefully received and faithfully applied.
Four and a half years after leaving the Chair, it was our great pleasure to welcome Mr Colin Thompson, Vice President of the Mid Kent Branch of MNDA, and his wife Sheila, to a White Table event held on 3 December at Howard Hall. The evening was exceptionally well attended and deeply meaningful. WBro Allen Williams, Charity Steward of City of Rochester Lodge, spoke movingly about losing a family member to MND and announced that his Lodge would be pledging an annual donation to MNDA.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of a cheque for £5,470 to the Vice President of the Mid Kent Branch—an achievement made possible through the generosity and commitment of many Brethren.
Both Lodges remain dedicated to continuing our fundraising efforts for MNDA. Brethren, we can only hope that through continued support, research will one day lead to a cure.
Please find attached photographs from the White Table event held on 3 December.
MID KENT MDNA Mid Kent Motor Neurone Disease Association
WHAT THEY DO
The branch is run entirely by volunteers and aims to provide the best possible support to local people, their families and carers.
We provide practical and emotional support in the following ways to ensure people can access the best possible quality of life. We are happy to be involved as much or as little as you would find helpful, so please do not hesitate to contact us and let us know if there is anything we could help with that would make a difference.
Support Group Meetings
We regularly run meetings for people living with MND throughout the year, we also run groups specifically for carers and also have open meetings to which everyone is invited. There are also groups that meet regularly on zoom.
Our Branch committee meets every six weeks and joining the committee is a great way to connect with others, find out what’s coming up and discover new ways to get involved.
For more details of all of these groups please go to Support Page
Information from https://www.midkentmnda.org/