Grand Assembly Scholarships
“Rainbow gets girls ready for life.” Rainbow strives to instill high moral and ethical standards in its members, while providing opportunities to gain self-confidence and develop leadership skills. Additionally, Missouri Rainbow believes it is important to extend this readiness by supporting scholarships to assist members with their post-high school education and career endeavors.
The number of scholarships awarded each year may vary, based on the funds available through assembly, Grand Assembly and individual donations. Some of the individual scholarships have been privately funded while others are in recognition of our previous leaders. Not all scholarship awards listed on the Missouri IORG website are available each year.
A Rainbow girl is eligible if she has been a member in good standing of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls for 24 consecutive months and presently has her current dues card from an assembly in Missouri. Majority girls still in college or majority members who wish to pursue a master’s degree are eligible to apply. An individual can reapply each year while enrolled as a full-time college student or as a student completing a master’s degree.
Our Scholarships include:
C.O. Simpson Scholarship
Dad C. O. was installed as Missouri’s second Supreme Deputy in 1956. He and his wife, Estle, lived and worked in the Kansas City area and were active participants in Service Assembly #9. Our Dad C. O. was much loved by the Rainbow girls in Missouri and much to his delight, a scholarship was begun in his honor in order to help our members seek a higher education. He was elected to the Supreme House of Gold and Supreme Inspector in 1963. He was also appointed Supreme Confidential Observer in 1970 and held that position until he passed away unexpectedly at Supreme Assembly 1976 in Anaheim, California.
Jeanne Mueller:
Our beloved “Dragon Lady” was elected State Dean to Missouri Grand Cross of Color in 1949. Her home assembly was St. Louis #2, and she was instrumental and well known in the continued encouragement of Pledges. As such, she wrote the first ritual for them. This ritual has been borrowed and copied by many other Grand Jurisdictions throughout the years. She was appointed Supreme Deputy in November 1976 and was elected to the Supreme House of Gold and Supreme Inspector in 1983. During this time period, a Missouri Rainbow scholarship was begun in her honor. She was appointed Supreme Patriotism in 1991, an office she held until her death in September 1994.
Robert and Mary Beth Bird Scholarship:
Robert (Bob) and Mary Beth Bird had been members of the Masonic family for a very long time. Robert was a member and leader of many of the Masonic bodies. He served as Worthy Grand Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star and was a Past Potentate of the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine. He worked in the banking industry for many years. Mary Beth served as the presiding officer in Eastern Star, Beauceant, and White Shrine organizations. She was a legal secretary for many years and retired as the secretary to Judge William Collinson. They were hard workers behind the scenes not only in their fraternal orders but in their church as well. Robert and Mary Beth were married for 68 years at the time of his death on November 22, 2012. Mary Beth passed away on January 2, 2015. Bob and Mary Beth were very interested in our Masonic Youth. They were so pleased to be involved with the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and were very proud to be Masters of the Grand Cross. They enjoyed attending Grand Assembly and seeing the girls performing their ritualistic work and seeing their excitement and smiles. This led to their decision to create a Rainbow Scholarship fund to assist the girls in furthering their education.
Marge Carney Scholarship:
Marge Carney was born June 20, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri. As a young woman, Marge was a member of the Bethel 32, International Order of Job’s Daughters. Marge was installed as Worthy Grand Matron of the Grand Chapter of Missouri on October 16, 2013. While Ms. Carney was a member of Job’s Daughters International in her youth, as an adult she was a strong supporter of all three Masonic Youth Groups. Marge Carney passed away May 17, 2014, prior to being able to complete her year as Worthy Grand Matron. Her support for the Masonic Youth will continue due to her generous contribution to each of the Masonic Youth Groups.
2023 Missouri Rainbow Scholarship Requirements and Application may be downloaded or they can be obtained from your Mother Advisor, or by contacting RainbowScholarship@moiorg.com
Masonic Body Scholarship and Interest-Free Educational Loan Opportunities
Many of our Masonic bodies offer scholarship opportunities to our members. Below are a few of those opportunities:
Grand Lodge of Missouri
Masonic Merit Scholarship
Ruth Lutes Bachmann Scholarship
Samuel Smith Stewart Masonic Scholarship
Applications and requirements can be found at: http://www.momason.org/scholarships
Supreme Forest of the Tall Cedars of Lebanon of North America
A few eligibility rules include proof of Masonic affiliation; demonstrate leadership abilities; and participate in community service work. More information and an application can be found at:
http://tallcedars.org/Forms/FormsIndex.htm
Missouri Association of High Twelve Clubs, Inc.
An interest-free loan from the Frank S. Land College Educational Loan Fund of Missouri. The Trustee has additional information.
Great scholarships are open to Masonic Youth Group members in various amounts and different qualifications.
http://scottishrite.org/brothers-in-the-community/scholarships/
Scottish Rite Foundation of Missouri, Inc. Melvin Hall Memorial Scholarship Program
Information, requirements, and application are available:
http://www.modemolay.org/forms/melvin_hall_scholarship.pdf
Order of Eastern Star – Lois Jackson Newman Scholarship
Lois J. Newman is a Past Most Worthy Grand Matron, the highest honor attainable in the Order of the Eastern Star. Eligibility for this scholarship project is supported through donations by the various OES chapters in Missouri, the Grand Representatives’ Club of Missouri, and various other individuals.
Pertinent information is available from the Missouri OES webpage:
http://www.oesmo.org/lois-j-newman-scholarship/
Many girls and adults have benefited from the Missouri Rainbow Scholarship Program. To view a partial list of recipients click here.