Local Shriner donates $1 million
Charlotte – To be clear, all the money you have dropped in the bucket outside the Robbinsville Post Office each Friday is going to good use.
Many have probably wondered just what the return of investment is on emptying your pockets or billfolds into the Robbinsville Shrine Club’s yellow container.
It’s simple: it’s an investment in the future.
Officially known as “Oasis Shriners,” the 129-year-old organization has spent over a century spreading philanthropy worldwide. Untold amounts of donations have been dispersed in the wake of natural disasters, wars and – perhaps its most well-known focus – crippled children.
Much like the roughly 5,500 other members under the Oasis banners, the Robbinsville Shrine Club prefers to collect donations and otherwise fly under the radar to help those same efforts today.
But one recent act cannot be ignored: a resounding $1 million donation made by Robbinsville Shriner Club member Martin Oehler to the Greenville, S.C., Shriner’s Children Hospital, which specializes in treating children who have suffered traumatizing injuries, superficial or internal.
Oehler made the donation official during the Oasis Shriners’ Jan. 6 Appreciation Night, held annually at its headquarters in Charlotte. He noted while presenting the gift that the donation was being made in honor of his late wife Cris.
The funds were divided evenly between the Robbinsville Shrine Club and the Oasis Keystone Kops.
Additionally, the Robbinsville club was recognized for giving $535,634 to the hospital, which was the highest by any of the members in the organization.
Oasis Shriners is a member of Shriners International, which has almost 200 temples (otherwise known as “chapters”) in seven countries worldwide.