Change for the Troops was initiated in 2010 by Past Grand Master John T. Parsons. The program was originally created to purchase phone cards for each and every Nebraska serviceman and woman who deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. In order to fund the purchase of these cards, the Grand Master asked members of each lodge, at the conclusion of their stated and special meetings, to throw their loose change in a jar. At the end of the month, each lodge was asked to remit that money to the Grand Lodge office.
In February 2014, the program was taken under the wing of the Nebraska Masonic Foundation and the name was changed to Masonic Veterans Partnership (MVP). As a program of the Nebraska Masonic Foundation, a 501c3, contributions to the fund are eligible for tax deduction. The Masonic Veterans Partnership will continue to search out programs to support for the benefit of returning military members and wounded warriors.
As troops returned from the Middle East, the purpose of Change for the Troops evolved to support other programs to benefit our members of the military. In 2013, contributions to the program were donated to the Disabled American Veterans to purchase a Ford Flex for the purpose of transporting veterans throughout the state of Nebraska to and from the Veterans Administration hospitals.
Donate to Support the Masonic Veterans Program Today!
There are several ways a tax-exempt gift can be made to MVP: gifts of cash, online donations using the button below, appreciated properties and securities, life insurance policies, annuity trusts and unitrusts, real estate, charitable lead trusts, and bequests.
If you’d like to include the Nebraska Masonic Foundation in your estate planning, please call or contact the Nebraska Masonic Foundation.