Supreme Council’s Valley of Excellence Program is a special distinction designed to recognize Valleys in the Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction who go above and beyond. With focuses on areas of membership, service/philanthropy, leadership development, and operations, this program encourages Valleys to deliver a premier Scottish Rite experience.
Out of 97 total Valleys, we are pleased to announce that 40 Valleys achieved Valley of Excellence status for the census year beginning June 16, 2023, and ending June 15, 2024. In addition, five Valleys attained a perfect score of 105!
Valleys of Excellence
The 2023-2024 Valleys of Excellence and their respective scores are:
- George Rogers Clark (105)
- Northern New Jersey (105)
- Albany (105)
- Steubenville (105)
- The Firelands (105)
- Rockville Centre (104.52)
- Hartford (104.33)
- Akron (103.50)
- Southern Illinois (103.05)
- Schenectady (103)
- Boston (102.91)
- Central Jersey (102.90)
- Philadelphia (102.72)
- Eau Claire (101.74)
- Toledo (101.58)
- Reading (101.49)
- Concord (101.12)
- Portsmouth-Dover (100.80)
- South Bend (100.51)
- New York City (100.18)
- Cambridge (100.06)
- Waterbury (100.00)
- Rochester (99.71)
- New Haven (99.50)
- Columbus (99.47)
- The Merrimack (99.30)
- Greenfield (99.22)
- Michigan (99.15)
- Lowell (99)
- Harrisburg (98.80)
- Bridgeport (98.69)
- Nashua (98.15)
- Utica (97.27)
- Burlington (96.50)
- Danville (96.35)
- Youngstown (96.28)
- Lancaster-Littleton (96)
- Norwich (95.40)
- Cleveland (95.10)
- Portland (95.01)
Leveraging Joining Opportunities
In the census year ending June 16, 2024, 270 members joined the Scottish Rite, NMJ through a Join the Rite Night event, and 63 out of our 97 Valleys had at least one member join through a Join the Rite Night. In addition, 68 out of 97 Valleys held a Rite on the Road event to bring in members.
Service and Philanthropy
Valley contributions for Grand Almoner’s donations totaled $183,000. In addition, Valleys donated $512,000 championing various charities of their choice. For the Blue Envelope appeal, 45 out of 97 Valleys reached or surpassed their goal.
Leadership Development
With the release of Supreme Council’s new book, “The Path Forward: Empowering the Future of Freemasonry,” Valleys of Excellence leveraged key insights from our study to ensure Scottish Rite, NMJ continues to appeal to the modern man. Fostering the growth of Valley leaders through ambassador and mentoring programs, in addition to educational programming like Hauts Grades Academy and Pathfinder, proved to be a recipe for sustained Valley of Excellence success.
“A massive congratulations to all our Valleys of Excellence this year. Achieving VOE status is no small feat, and your tireless work does not go unnoticed,” said Bob Kefalas, 32°, Senior Director of Member Services and Programs.