Two Youth Advisors of the Year awards were presented at Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s Annual Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky. Supreme
Council created the Youth Advisor of the Year award to honor the contributions
of those who commit themselves to supporting the development of our Masonic
youth.
All adult advisors in the Order of DeMolay, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, and The International Order of Job’s daughters, and The Organization od Triangles (New York only) are eligible to be nominated to receive the Youth Advisor of the Year Award.
2022 Youth Advisor of the Year Recipient Dave Berry, 33°
Rodney Boyce, 33°, Executive Officer for Pennsylvania DeMolay, nominated Ill. Brother Dave Berry for the 2022 Youth Advisor of the Year award for his service to Masonic youth in Pennsylvania. Ill. Bro. Dave served as Advisory Council Secretary (1993 to 2005), Chapter Advisor (1993 to 2001), Advisory Council Treasurer (2005 to present) and Executive Secretary of Pennsylvania DeMolay. He has served on the Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation (PMYF) for more than 20 years and currently serves as executive director of PMYF, is an advisor for Elizabethtown DeMolay, and on the board of governors of the Lancaster Children’s Dyslexia Center.
“Dave Berry is a passionate, self-sacrificing, and committed adult volunteer. He gives himself fully to the service of youth. Entire generations of DeMolays and other masonic youth have looked to ‘Dad’ Berry for guidance and advice. He offers his time without hesitation, shares his wisdom with humility, and gives his support with no expectation, said Ill. Bro. Boyce.
"Dave is patient and an excellent role model of commitment and integrity. His outpouring of time and effort is covered in quiet modesty and many have little idea on the number of hours he serves," said Jona Green, a member’s mother and advisor at Elizabethtown Chapter.
Ill. Bro. Berry is a member of Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682, Elizabethtown, and an officer in the Lancaster Lodge of Perfection. He is a plural member of the Valleys of Harrisburg and Lancaster.
2023 Youth Advisor of the Year Recipient Lois Taylor
Lois Taylor of Nashua, New Hampshire received the Youth Advisor of the Year award for her contributions to both New Hampshire Rainbow and DeMolay for more than a decade. Due to her dual status as an advisor, she became referred to as “Mom/ Dad Lois,” showing her true dedication to both groups. Lois serves as New Hampshire State Mother Advisor for Rainbow; Mother Advisor for Nashua Assembly No. 9; DeMolay Liaison Advisor and Dad Advisor for Souhegan Valley.
Stacy Derosier, Supreme Deputy for New Hampshire Rainbow, nominated Lois for the award based on “her ability to relate to the members while still having a firm guiding hand as only a true parent would have.”
While Lois was a Rainbow Girl herself, her true passion for the youth organizations came when her son joined New Hampshire DeMolay. As she rose through the ranks in Eastern Star, she started to become more active with Nashua Assembly Rainbow and worked to bring the two organizations together.
“She relates to the youth in a special and unique way that will make her long remembered by the young ladies and men in New Hampshire. Our youth need to feel heard and loved and know that their advisors will ‘be real’ with them. Lois is exactly the type of advisor we all need for today’s youth,” Derosier said.