As a Knight Templar Mason, one has many opportunities to help others who are less fortunate. One way is through the Knights Templar Eye Foundation. The Eye Foundation is a great humanitarian charity whose purpose is to provide funding for research into diseases or injury to the eyes. Cross-eyes, which occurs in children under 16 for example, is one affliction that can lead to blindness if not treated properly and is just one of the eye afflictions for which the Foundation provides considerable research funding.

Concern For Others

Since its inception in 1956, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation has spent more than $89,000,000 ($89 million) dollars to help those who could not afford eye surgery. Over 75,000 people have benefited from this financial assistance. More than $8,000,000 has been given to research. As of 2011, all of the foundation's efforts will go toward funding research. Their efforts in funding pediatric ophthalmology research have been the primary reason that we have had fewer and fewer children with strabismus (crossed eyes) to treat and their research dollars have helped develop new, non-surgical treatments for this problem.

The Foundation Trustees are excited about the prospects of being able to benefit more of humanity by redirecting your generosity from treating 2,000 individuals per year to benefiting untold millions in generations to come.

You can visit their web site at http://www.knightstemplar.org/ktef to read more about this wonderful charity.

August 2002 and August 2005: Thanks and a Tip of the Master's Hat to Sir Knight Bill Orr, KYCH, Past Commander-Wichita Falls Commandery #59 KT, Wichita Falls, Texas for providing us with some updated figures for this outstanding charity. And in early 2011 to Sir Knight Bradley L. Baker for the update relative to funding of research.