Masonic Education Council
of Whatcom County

History of the Recognition and Scholarship Program

For 54 years members of the Whatcom County Masonic Lodges supported a Public Schools Recognition Program, the Masonic Scholar Citizen Award Program. An annual celebration was held for the top junior students from each of the public high schools with scholarships awarded by the non-profit Masonic Education Council (MEC). On December 31, 2020, the MEC transferred its fund balance to the non-profit Whatcom County Dollars for Scholars under the administrative umbrella of the Whatcom Community Foundation (WCF). The total of $96,400 was directed to first pay the committed scholarships for the high school junior winners from 2019 and 2020. Income from the residual funds will be directed to support a perpetual Masonic Scholar Citizen Scholarship. This endowed fund will be professionally administrated by the WCF to initially support two post-secondary scholarships annually, starting with the class of 2022, for graduating high school seniors – one boy and one girl – attending any one of the county’s public high schools, including the Lummi Tribal School.

Whatcom County Masons will continue to support the scholarships by adjusting the application  as needed, volunteering to judge the applications as part of the annual judging teams overseen by Whatcom Dollars for Scholars, and, as the endowment grows through judicious professional management, by directing how its annual awards will grow in amount and number. Masons wishing to be involved in any of these ways or others seeking more information about the MEC may contact Ken Gass, at kbgass@gmail.com.