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FAQs Why is Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA) changing its name to Masonic Cancer Alliance? A $5 million gift commitment from the Kansas Masons will provide funds for outreach, professional education, staff development and membership support for the Midwest Cancer Alliance, a network of hospitals, cancer centers and research facilities. The gift will permanently endow the MCA providing longterm sustainability. In recognition of the gift, Midwest Cancer Alliance, the outreach division of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, will change its name to the Masonic Cancer Alliance. Since 1972, the Kansas Masons, through the Kansas Foundation the philanthropic arm of the fraternity has partnered with the University of Kansas to fight cancer and improve people’s lives. Kansas Masons have contributed nearly $25 million to the KU Medical Center, which honored this commitment by naming the research arm of the cancer center the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute (KMCRI).The generosity of Kansas Masons was instrumental in helping The University of Kansas Cancer Center achieve the milestone of obtaining National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Cancer Center in 2012. Fundraising support from the Masons continues to benefit KMCRI and its programs, such as patient navigation through the Midwest Cancer Alliance. Together, we are ensuring a growing base of support for cancer research, education and treatment for Kansans and the surrounding region and are giving naming rights to the MCA. When will MCA change their name to Masonic Cancer Alliance? The MCA will change its name to the Masonic Cancer Alliance once the $5 million funding commitment is complete. Will the MCA’s activities change when it becomes the Masonic Cancer Alliance? The Midwest Cancer Alliance partnership with hospitals across the state will not change. The MCA will remain the outreach network of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, the governance will not change. The MCA is a membership-based organization that brings together cancer research, care and support professionals to advance the quality and reach of cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and survivorship in the Heartland. The gift will provide enduring operations support to the MCA. In addition, the MCA will be able to extend additional support for cancer prevention and survivorship services to communities and primary care providers across the state. More options, close to home. Will the MCA’s activities change when it becomes the Masonic Cancer Alliance? (cont.) MCA, links member hospitals, medical professionals and their patients with KU Cancer Center research and services with so that the latest cancer research and care can be accessed close to home. In fact, the motto of the MCA is More Options, Close to Home. All MCA-member medical professionals have access to second opinion and consultation services with multidisciplinary cancer experts, conferences and other networking events, outreach programs, patient navigation support, communication materials, web resources and continuing education programs. For the convenience of our affiliated medical professionals, the MCA provides many of these services at member locations, thanks to technology like Interactive Televideo (ITV). When did the Kansas Masons develop a partnership with The University of Kansas Cancer Center and MCA? Since 1972, Kansas Masons has partnered with the University of Kansas to fight cancer and improve people’s lives. The foundation has contributed nearly $25 million to the KU Medical Center, which honored this commitment by naming the research arm of the cancer center the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute (KMCRI).The generosity of the Kansas Masons was instrumental in helping The University of Kansas Cancer Center achieve the milestone of obtaining National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Cancer Center in 2012. Fundraising support from the masons continues to benefit KMCRI and its programs, such as patient navigation through the Midwest Cancer Alliance. Together, we are ensuring a growing base of support for cancer research, education and treatment for Kansans and the surrounding region. • • • • • • • • Kansas Masons first partnered with KU School of Medicine in 1972 by providing funds for an Oncology Nurse The relationship evolved and additional gifts to support specific pilot projects in oncology like Carol Fabian’s, “Markers Predictive of Breast Cancer in High Risk Women”, which leveraged funding from the National Cancer Institute By October of 1992, more than $1.2 million was contributed to the cancer center allowing KU Medical Center to take the first step toward acquiring a highly competitive cancer center planning grant from the NCI In 2003, $5 million had been raised by the Kansas Masonic Foundation to benefit the cancer center, funding a myriad of cancer research projects and statewide cancer screenings with collaboration from Kansas Masonic Lodges With a pledge of $15 million in November of 2003, the research arm of the University of Kansas Cancer Center was renamed, The Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute The $15 million raised from the “Partnership for Life” campaign has funded innovative cancer research pilot projects, the Midwest Cancer Alliance Kansas Masonic Navigator and multiple professorships The partnership continues and current funding supports faculty research essential to our ongoing quest for NCI designation. More than $22 million in cancer support is attributed to the Kansas Masons and the work of the Kansas Masonic Foundation With a $ 5 million commitment in 2016, the Midwest Cancer Alliance will be renamed, the Masonic Cancer Alliance once the funds are raised Why are the Kansas Masons interested in supporting cancer programs at The University of Kansas Cancer Center? For nearly a half century, Kansas Masonic Foundation’s philanthropic efforts have been funding effective programs in the areas of charity, education and research that both embody and encourage the power of cooperation. On September 21, 1974, during the dedication of the Oncology Center in the KU Medical Center, Masons and the Kansas Masonic Foundation were recognized for their support of outreach programs at the Center. According to the Foundation’s minutes, “This was indeed an event which is now a monument to the Masons of Kansas for their contributions in aiding mankind and serving the residents of Kansas in a most tangible and humanitarian way. Today, the outreach program, in collaboration with The University of Kansas Cancer Center, continues to provide free public screenings at locations across the state for prostate and skin cancer, as well as bone density scans. KU Medical Center staff members are on hand to perform the procedures and to answer questions from the public. Sponsored by the Kansas Masonic Foundation and hosted by local lodges, these clinics perform a valuable public service, while embodying the Kansas Masonic Foundation’s enduring goal to be of service to all mankind. Many hundreds of people have been helped in the program’s history. These outreach screenings have alerted to individuals to potentially dangerous cancerous conditions and have received potentially life-saving advice. This important program not only furthers the work of the Midwest Cancer Alliance at the University of Kansas, but also allows communities statewide to see the long-standing commitment of Kansas Masons to continue to fight cancer until a cure is found. Who are the Kansas Masons? Freemasonry (Masonry) is a fraternity. Although Masonry is believed to be the oldest surviving fraternal organization in the world, the exact date of its founding is uncertain. Freemasonry can, however, be easily traced to sixteenth century Scotland although the first Masonic governing body was not founded until 1717 in London. The Grand Lodge of Kansas is the governing body of Freemasonry in Kansas, formed March 17, 1856, nearly five years before Kansas statehood. Bleeding Kansas, the prelude to America’s Civil War, provided the backdrop to Kansas Freemasonry. In Kansas, a prospective member must be at least 18 years of age and profess a belief in a Supreme Being. Masonry explicitly states the equality of men, regardless of race, creed, or color. There are Masons of all racial, ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds. Who are the Kansas Masons? (cont.) In 1854, three Wyandot Indians and five white settlers – all of whom were Masons – coalesced in what is now Wyandotte County, Kansas, and petitioned the Grand Lodge of Missouri to establish a Lodge of Masons in a Wyandot Indian village. On August 4, 1854, the dispensation was granted and one week later Kansas Lodge U.D. (eventually to become Wyandotte Lodge No. 3) opened for work. Within two years, two other lodges in Kansas were formed and in 1856 the trio formed the Grand Lodge of Kansas as America’s Civil War loomed. Notably, the first master of Kansas Lodge U.D. was John Milton Chivington, a Methodist missionary to the Wyandot and a vocal opponent of slavery. Chivington left Kansas in 1860, became an officer in the Union army and was later celebrated as a hero for his part in the Battle of Glorieta Pass (1862). His orchestration of the Sand Creek Massacre (1864), however, earned him universal condemnation and ultimately made him infamous. – F. P. Strickland, Transactions, The American Lodge of Research, Vol. III, No. 3, p. 485. Do the Masons support cancer research and hospitals in other states? Yes, for example, the University of Minnesota named their cancer center the Masonic Cancer Center http://www.cancer.umn.edu/about/minnesota-masonic-charities/index.htm and Shriners Hospitals http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/ (all Shriners are Masons, but not all Masons are Shriners, Shriners International is a branch of the Masons). Additional Information: http://kmfonline.org/#KUCancerResearch http://www.medfordlodge103.org/faq