On July 19, 2026, two Lodges and a Chapter held a Star Spangled Soiree to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The evening began with a few welcoming remarks and a moment of appreciation for all the veterans in the room. Then, Worshipful Brother Matt Beyes, Past Worshipful Master of St. Charles Lodge No. 241 and current member of the Masonic Home of Missouri’s Board of Directors, set the tone for the evening with a simple request:
“Everybody here that plans to help children tonight, I want you to stand up.”
In that moment, over 200 guests in the room stood together. Beyond the good food and fellowship, all attendees were there for one shared purpose: to raise funds for Marcy’s Project, a local nonprofit organization that helps children in need.
While St. Charles Lodge No. 241 was the official host of the event, Alexander Chapter #242 of the Order of the Eastern Star (O.E.S.) and Tuscan Lodge No. 360 each played a vital role in making the event a success. In all, the night of the event raised $30,000. Then, through the Creating-A-Partnership (CAP) Program, the Masonic Home of Missouri matched those funds 2:1, resulting in a total donation of $90,000 to support children in need.
The Soiree Takes Form
The idea for the soiree started months before, when members of St. Charles Lodge began talking about holding a fellowship event within the Lodge.
“As we progressed through the night and a couple weeks later, we got to talking about it and thought that this would be a wonderful thing,” Brother Matt said. “Well, if we’re going to get this many people together, especially this many charitable people, why would we not help someone? That’s when we started looking for a charity that we thought we could mesh well with.”
The event took shape as a fundraiser with two main beneficiaries: the Masonic Home of Missouri and Marcy’s Project.
“We wanted to see men get together to do some real good and to come together as a Lodge to do good in the community,” said Worshipful Brother Robert Best, Worshipful Master of St. Charles Lodge.
Around fifteen Masons and Eastern Star members made up the planning committee that led the efforts to bring the Star Spangled Soiree to life.
The event’s program included special touches such as a flag presentation by the Heroes of 76 in full regalia and a live performance of the poem “Old Glory.” Throughout the night, Brother Phil McDaniel offered professional photos for guests at no cost, and the silent auction held one-of-a-kind items such as a portrait of Harry S. Truman hand painted and donated by Brother Ron Hauser.
Guests peruse the silent auction table, which included a range of items such as hotel stays, Cardinals tickets, fireworks, and a hand painted portrait of Harry S. Truman.
The committee also worked hard in the months leading up to the event to secure event sponsors to maximize the night’s impact. Some of the night’s sponsors had direct ties to Masonry, while others were just local businesses that believed in the cause.
“People are good, and people are generous. You just have to give them that opportunity,” Matt said.
Matt Beyes thanks sponsors for their support during the soiree’s program.
Through sponsorships, the soiree served as a regional fundraising event for the Masonic Home. All told, 17 sponsors donated enough funds to cover 100% of the event’s expenses and also provide an additional $15,114 to support the Masonic Home’s mission and programs. This generosity ensured that the funds raised through ticket sales, the silent auction, and all other night-of donations were free to be used to support Marcy’s Project through CAP.
Marcy’s Project
All CAP funds from the soiree went to Marcy’s Market, a program through Marcy’s Project which provides essential items to families and children at no cost — including clothing, shoes, diapers, hygiene products, school supplies, and other necessities.
“We have two employees, and everybody else is a volunteer,” said Gregg Robinson, Board President of Marcy’s Project during his presentation at the soiree. “These are the same people that shop at our grocery stores, they get gas at the same gas stations. Our kids go to the same schools, same church. Everything that we do stays in St. Charles County. We are neighbors helping neighbors take care of our neighbors.”
The choice to select Marcy’s Project sparked from a laundry party.
All clothing that’s donated to Marcy’s Project must be cleaned and inspected before it is offered to families through Marcy’s Market. Before the soiree, members of Alexander Chapter had heard about this opportunity and volunteered to help launder donations. From there, word spread to St. Charles Lodge members.
“My girlfriend was part of the Eastern Star Chapter that helped with the laundry, and she came back and said it was an amazing charity,” Brother Robert said.
Members of St. Charles Lodge looked into the organization further, including touring the facility to see the good work being done in their community.
“I saw that [Marcy’s Project] was grassroots and wasn’t cycling through millions of dollars of donations, so I knew we could make a big impact,” Robert said. “It was a St. Charles-based organization and we’re St. Charles Lodge so the handshake just made sense.”
The planning committee included information about Marcy’s Project in their communications for the event and worked to make the event as impactful as possible.
“The sincerity in the way they did it has blown us away more than anything else,” said Gregg. “The way that they embraced us is really impressive.”
The Impact of the Star Spangled Soiree
The soiree will be memorable for many of its special touches, but the most lasting impact of the night will be the difference it made for the children and the Lodge.
Last year, Marcy’s Market served over 4,500 individuals in St. Charles County. Of them, around 3,000 were children. While Marcy’s Market gets much of the clothing they offer from donations, donations cannot supply everything the organization needs. Specific sizes of clothing and other household essentials must be purchased to ensure each family is served with dignity and has access to all their basic needs.
“To stock the market to serve 4,500 [individuals] cost roughly $50,000 last year: things like hygiene items, socks, underwear, and kids clothes,” Gregg said.
According to Gregg, Marcy’s Project is expecting the number of individuals and children they serve to increase this year, so receiving a CAP donation of $90,000 will allow the organization to continue to make purchases necessary to keep Marcy’s Market fully stocked.
Representatives from Marcy’s Project are presented with a check for $84,210 at the end of the event. Additional donations were made in the days after the event, bringing the full CAP donation to $90,000. Pictured left to right: Maureen Watson (Alexander Chapter), Gregg Robinson (Marcy’s Project), Wendy Robinson (Marcy’s Project), Robert Best (St. Charles Lodge), Barbara Ramsey (Masonic Home), Keith Bail (Masonic Home Board President)
“I just hope you know how appreciative and grateful we are, and the difference it will make in the community,” Gregg said. Later, he added, “This type of donation is a game changer for us.”
The event was also the catalyst for strengthening the relationship between St. Charles Lodge and Alexander Chapter. While the two groups share a facility and have been working to build rapport together for a few years, the soiree served as an opportunity for the two groups to work side-by-side on a shared goal.
“We have grown together as a group. We partnered with the Eastern Star. Being able to form those relationships, the relationship with Marcy’s Project, and the Masonic Home has been an incredible benefit of the event,” Brother Robert said.
If your Lodge or Chapter is interested in hosting a regional fundraiser for the Masonic Home or participating in the Creating-A-Partnership Program, contact our staff at (800) 434-9804.
