W. Curt Vincent | The Laurinburg Exchange
                                Kevin Otis, administrator of the Masonic Home for Children, spoke with the members of the Laurinburg Masonic Lodge No. 305 on Tuesday.

W. Curt Vincent | The Laurinburg Exchange

Kevin Otis, administrator of the Masonic Home for Children, spoke with the members of the Laurinburg Masonic Lodge No. 305 on Tuesday.

LAURINBURG == Mother Nature was an uninvited guest Tuesday for the Masonic Lodge 305 AF&AM celebration banquet, but despite the dinner being served and enjoyed by cell phone light, the evening went on without much of a hitch.

Ron Gibson, master of the Laurinburg Lodge, opened the evening by pointing out that, on Dec. 7, 2020, the local Lodge had observed its 150th anniversary.

“It truly is a special time for us and all Free Masons,” he said.

He went on to explain how the past year has been an unusual time.

“COVID has presented its challenges, but we have still managed to continue giving scholarships to high school graduates, hold blood drives in the community and we have remained active in the community,” Gibson said. “For instance, we plan to have a booth out at the John Blue Cotton festival in October.”

Gibson then introduced the featured speaker of the evening, Kevin Otis, who has been the administrator at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford for the past nine years.

The Masonic Home for Children is the first children’s home in the state of North Carolina, in existence for 148 years.

Otis opened with a scenario faced by some families.

“Can you imagine taking your children two hours away from home and dropping them off with people you don’t know?” he said. “Just try to imagine having to do that.”

Otis said there are a number of reasons families are faced with that kind of decision — including being impoverished, domestic violence, parents’ health, violent neighborhoods or schools, homelessness, failed adoptions, kinship care and more.

“We take in these kids and work with them — and they do extremely well,” Otis said. “There are so many success stories over the years that we are proud of.

“The Children’s Home is simply an incredible place,” he added. “And it’s thanks to the people there, as well as all those who contribute to us.”

The Masonic Home for Children serves children between the ages birth through 22. It offers residential group foster care for ages birth through 21 and an independent living program for ages 18 to 22.

Throughout the child’s stay, their guardians are able to maintain their guardianship — unless the Department of Social Services has taken that over.

Otis continued by saying that the staff at the Children’s Home works hard to help the children be successful. He said they do that by emphasizing things like education, recreation, spirituality, career readiness, respectfulness and responsibility.

Ov er the past year, however, the Children’s Home has seen its population drop from a capacity of 84 children to somewhere in the 30s.

“With COVID, things have been different,” Otis said. “Kids only got to go home for a visit with family for four days at Christmas. Their family could visit during the year, but even that had to be curtailed, along with all of the usual activities we have.”

He said COVID has probably played a big part in why the Home’s population has dwindled, but added that he feels sure there are still families who need to consider the Home’s services.

“If there are families out there who are in real need, I hope they will seriously consider the Children’s Home,” Otis said.

The Masonic Home for Children can be reached for referrals and/or information at 919-693-5111 or at www.mch-oxford.org.

W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or [email protected].