By Brother Jim Giese
In 2009, Freemasons from Wisconsin Rapids Lodge began a fundraising endeavor to assist the Wood County Sheriff’s Department with funding for its K9 program. It began with the Lodge being able to fund one dog with the goal to build a fund large enough to replace the dog when it was retired. Knowing that the service life of a K9 dog is only about 8 years, it was a tall order.
As the county’s needs increased it became evident that a charitable foundation would be needed to continue the mission and that donations would be tax deductible. It was at that point that the “Acacia Foundation of Central Wisconsin Inc.” a 501(C) 3. was established after all of the legal and IRS conditions were met.
As a result, donations increased! The Board of Directors now includes community members, members of the Wood County Sheriff’s department and Freemasons. It now funds the entire Wood County K9 program with 5 dogs with a variety of expertise including illegal drug detection, explosive detection, lost persons search and rescue and a new therapy dog. Pictured above, Wood County Sheriff’s Deputy Sargent Brandon Christianson and Wood County K-9 “Ace”.
Below are, but not limited to, the items the foundation funds:
1. Purchase and train 5 K9 dogs including 1 therapy dog for various stressful needs.
2. Provide continued education and training for the K9s and their handlers.
3. Purchase K9 equipment and gear including but not limited to squad vehicle inserts, ballistic K9 vests, heat monitors, and shelter for the K9s.
4. Provide routine and emergency medical care for the K9s.
5. Allow retired K9s to receive continued support to ensure a high-quality of life for their remaining years.
This is just another example – along with automated external defibrillators (AED) and fire suppression tools (FST) donations – that Freemasons provide for the safety and welfare of our communities. Even from a distance we are proud to be relevant in a variety of ways to improve the lives in our communities!
