From September 19-21, Shriners in Myrtle Beachthe 40th Annual South Atlantic Shrine Association (SASA) Fall Festival will bring hundreds of Shriners from a myriad of states to Myrtle Beach.  You’ll see matching blazers, colorful shirts and ties, and the traditional Fez which adorns the head of the membership.  The city of Myrtle Beach has designated this week a city-wide Festival and the entire town is ready to join with this philanthropic organization as they celebrate the unparalleled impact that they continually have on the lives of children around the country.

The first Shriners Hospital opened in 1922 in Shreveport, Louisiana and began a tradition of service to the community that is unsurpassed in medical treatment, care, and compassion.  Nearly one million children have been treated at one of the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children across the US and in Canada and Mexico.  Beyond treating children, Shriners quickly learned that they had two additional missions that need attention in their quest to serve children.  The result has been a three-pronged mission (care, research, and education) that has impacted medical care not just for children but for people of all ages all over the world.

Research in every area of care including orthopedic disorders, burns, spinal cord injury treatment, and cleft lip and palate have been established as “bench” research and represent a hallmark of the Shriners organization.  This lab-based research has been responsible for major discoveries in genetics, nutrition, metabolic function, and wound healing.  Shriners Hospitals for Children are perhaps best known for work in burn research and are responsible for the standard practices used in burn centers across the country today.

In the area of Pediatric Orthopedic Care, Shriners Hospitals for Children are the experts.  Almost every pediatric orthopedic specialist in the US has done a rotation during their educational process at one of the Shriners Hospitals for Children.  These wonderful facilities are training grounds for many other medical professions like nurses, physical therapists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists.  This focus on education keeps the Shriners Hospitals for Children on the front lines of medicine and impacting the medical community with their willingness to share their expertise.

In South Carolina, we are fortunate to have a Shriners Hospital for Children located in Greenville that delivers the highest quality of care to children with orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal disorders and diseases.  This 50-bed facility has a family-centered approach that cares for and supports the entire family during treatment; children from all over the country and around the world come to Greenville for services that are performed without care of the ability of the family to pay.

So when you see the traditional maroon Fez around Myrtle Beach, take the time to shake the hand of a man who truly cares about his community, giving back to children who are in dire need of exceptional medical attention, and one that reveres God, country, family, and his fellowman.