CA Rainbow Girls

The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls in California

Menu

Leadership, Service and Sisterhood

By

By: Carley L., Assistant Grand Editor

Leadership, service, and sisterhood. The three beautiful virtues that make up our wonderful order. When I was first initiated into the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, many people told me “The friends you make in Rainbow will last you a lifetime.” Of course, I believed them. I had met a few of my mom’s friends that she made when she was a Rainbow Girl and Grand Officer. My only hesitation was that I had never experienced it. I never had trouble making friends at school, but none of them were friends I could count on when I knew I needed them the most. Rainbow has not only given me friends that I know I can count on, but has given me friends that I know will be there for me throughout life. The friendships you make in Rainbow are so special. They are with girls who have the same beliefs, morals, and life values. I can truly be myself around my Rainbow sisters. A few of the friendships I have made have been more recent. No matter if you’ve known them for years, days, or even minutes, those true friends will make an impact on not only your life but your soul. Soulmates exist in many virtues of life, including love. But best friend soulmates are the best of all. You know deep down that they are truly there for you because they love who you are, even at your worst. Rainbow has given me friendships that I will never take for granted and will always cherish. I’m certain some of these ladies will be my bridesmaids when I get married and causing trouble with me in the nursing home from having too much fun. These girls are my best friends. I owe it all to the order we all know and love, the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls for giving me my forever friends.

The Narrator Welcomes You to be His Guest

By

By: Zoee S., Grand Editor

Oh, a guest! Hello there! I haven’t seen you in a while. You might not remember me so let me re-introduce myself. I am the Narrator and the Narrator is me! You have come at the perfect time for I am about to tell the story of a handsome prince cursed to turn into an ugly beast by a witch and a girl, named Belle, who came along and healed his cold heart. It began long ago in a small village in France


Belle was unlike any woman in her town, she enjoyed reading and had an education. Many of the townspeople called her peculiar but she didn’t mind. She enjoyed her quiet life in her village until one day her father needed to go off on a journey to the Beast’s castle. Her father was a maker of music boxes. One day when he was traveling back to the village he came upon a rose garden and plucked a singular rose. Unknown to him, this rose garden belongs to the Beast. Seeing Belle’s father pluck the rose, the Beast locks him up in the dungeons for life. Concerned her father has yet to return, Belle travels to find her father and happens upon the castle. There she finds her father being held in the dungeons and makes her first encounter with the Beast. Appalled by what the Beast was doing with her father she asks the Beast to release him. The Beast refuses only to accept when Belle offers to take her father’s place instead. 

Sometimes we do crazy things for the people we love. We may question our choices at first, but it’s all worth it if we can prevent our loved ones from being hurt. Even if that means taking their place. Belle did exactly that. She didn’t know what would happen because of her actions, all she cared about was making sure her father was safe. In the end, she fell in love with the Beast and became a princess. Belle’s father experienced a similar situation, but only negative. He picked the rose thinking about Belle and how it would make her happy. Because of this, he ended up in the dungeon with Belle ultimately taking his place. Not really a desired outcome. However, it’s okay because in life we won’t know what will happen if we don’t do it. My advice is to do what you think is right, and to try the grey stuff because it’s delicious!

Ah, would you look at that I’m late for dinner! Please excuse me, Mr. Cogsworth doesn’t like tardiness, he tends to keep time better than most. Tah! Tah! Till next time when we meet again for our storytelling corner!

Pawsitive Teams

By

By: Zoee S., Grand Editor

Hello California Rainbow! I am so excited to share with you more about our Grand Service Project, Pawsitive Teams. I had the chance to interview the Executive Director of this nonprofit organization, Eileen Heveron. Eileen told me Pawsitive Teams was started 25 years ago in San Diego by two local women
and one dog. She then explained their mission was to enhance the lives of individuals with special needs in San Diego County through the use of highly trained service and therapy dogs. Pawsitive Teams has three programs they train dogs under: service dogs, facility dogs, and therapy dogs. 

Pawsitive Teams specializes in training Service dogs to work with mobility limited individuals. These dogs are trained once a week during group training, otherwise, they are at home, at work and around town every day with their volunteer trainer learning very specific commands. Formal specific activities occur in short sessions throughout the day so as to not overwhelm the dog. A lot of the time during these sessions the trainers have to break down the command into tiny pieces to help the dog understand the specific task they need to do, which takes a lot of time and effort. For example, if you drop your keys or wallet the dog needs to recognize to pick up the item and give it back to their person specifically and then whether to place it back into the person’s hand or in their lap. They will even learn to give something to a sales clerk in a store, and these choices all depend on the specific commands. Anything we do in our day-to-day lives can be/needs to be translated into a request that the service dog can understand. The service dogs Pawsitive Teams works with come from different breeders they know and are labs, golden retrievers or lab/golden crosses. These dogs are usually dogs who have the right temperament and have the physical conformation to help a disabled person. 

Facility dogs are dogs that go to work with their professional partner at a specific workplace to help clients. They are trained in obedience and specialty cues. An example of where a facility dog might work is in the court system. Currently, Eileen says they have one facility dog who goes to work with the Victims Advocate in Family Court where the dog supports children who might need to testify in court. 

Therapy dogs can be dogs of any breed and who are pet dogs. They go through Pawsitive Teams’ Therapy Dog Prep School with their owner who wants to train their dog to become a therapy dog. Therapy dogs are typically dogs that are loving and have good temperaments. Pawsitive Teams also offers a specialized therapy dog program, called Pawsitive Animal Assisted Therapy. These Goal Directed Therapy Dog volunteers can work with kids that have physical/developmental limitations or with veterans who have PTSD or a serious injury coming back from war. Pawsitive Teams now work with eight partner organizations in this program to help serve people with special needs. 

The Service and Facility dogs from Pawsitive Teams take about two years to be trained. After the dog is trained, they are matched to a person who has applied for a dog; matching is based on what the dog can do and what the person needs the dog to be able to do. This transition from the trainer to the new owner takes about three months to accomplish. This process is needed so the dog will know to follow the new owner’s requests, rather than following its original trainer. 

In order to be matched with a dog from Pawsitive Teams, people need to apply and unfortunately, they don’t have enough dogs for all their applications and not enough trainers to train a possible new puppy coming in if all the trainers are already working with a dog. In the past 18 months, Pawsitive Teams logged close to 150 applications for service dogs and have been training six dogs, so they would like to grow to serve more people. When a person does get matched with one of their dogs, Pawsitive Teams supports that dog throughout their life, helping the owner in emergencies and retesting the dog every two years until the dog retires or sadly passes away. 

Eileen told me about a memorable sponsorship. Eileen’s dad, before he had passed away, told her he wanted to do something for the dogs! He left a donation to sponsor a Pawsitive Teams service dog, which Eileen and her family decided to name “Duffy” after her dad. Turns out, everyone knew Eileen’s dad as Uncle Duffy! Duffy was a yellow lab who was placed with a woman who had a service dog previously with Pawsitive Teams that had passed away. The woman had seen Duffy when he was a puppy since Duffy was being trained by the same trainer as her former service dog. She said when Duffy was little that he would be her next service dog, which isn’t how it works but she was very insistent. She even had his photo on her desktop! Low and behold Duffy became her service dog. Another cool pairing was when a woman was getting married, her Pawsitive Teams service dog walked down the aisle with flowers around his neck just like a flower girl. As you can see Pawsitive Teams dogs have a special impact on individuals and on the community. Pawsitive Teams is a very hands-on dedicated organization. Their tagline for this year, their 25th anniversary, is “Pawsitively Changing Lives for 25 Years!” Eileen told me that all of Pawsitive Teams is so excited California Rainbow has chosen to support them and can’t wait to work more with them! I also can’t wait to see what California Rainbow can do for Pawsitive Teams!

Meet the Meerkats – State Mother Advisor for Grand Assembly 2022

By

Mighty Meerkat Mom

By: JoAnn Stern, State Mother Advisor for Grand Assembly 2022

JoAnn Stern, State Mother Advisor for GA 2022

Hello California Rainbow, I am Jo Ann Stern, Treasurer of the Grand Executive Committee.  I was a member of Napa Assembly.  My very first office was Fidelity, followed by Choir (several times throughout my tenure), Choir Director, Service and Recorder.  I received the honor of the Grand Cross of Color in 1964. 

I was fortunate to find the love of my life, Don in 1965; we were married in 1967 and spent 38 loving years together. We have always been extremely proud of our two children – Debbie & Michael.  All four of us joined Silver Spray Chapter O.E.S.

Debbie served as Grand Representative to Maryland in 1989 and is now serving as Mother Advisor in Napa Assembly.  She met a wonderful man, Michael Kmiec, who soon discovered that joining Masonry was the way to go.  Mike has retired from the Air Force and is working in radiology.  Debbie has her master’s degree in special education and enjoys teaching.  Both are excited about being parents; Brandon, Ryan, and Zachary. 

Our son, Michael, was a member of Napa DeMolay.  He served as Treasurer and Master Councilor of Northern California DeMolay.  Mike graduated from Sacramento State College and is now teaching eighth grade in Stockton.   He is also a member of Napa Valley Lodge and served two years as Master.  Brenda, Mike’s wife, is also a teacher and is serving as Bethel Guardian in Stockton.  Michael is still involved in DeMolay as well as Jobs Daughters.  They have two boys Jameson and Paxton. 

I returned to Rainbow in 1975 and served on Napa’s Advisory Board; served as Mother Advisor in 1977, 1988, and 1989.  Beginning In 1991, I spent seven years as Mother Advisor in Benicia Assembly.  In 1993, I was honored as Mrs. Lind appointed me GEC Mom for the Outrageous Otters and the Mischievous Moose.  In January 1996, Mrs. Lind again asked me to serve on the Grand Executive Committee, only this time it would be as Treasurer.  And now in 2021, Mrs. Regier presented me with another opportunity to serve California Rainbow as the Meerkat Mom for Grand Assembly 2022.

In my spare time, I enjoy scrapbooking, embroidering, and going to band reviews.

I cannot begin to tell you just how much Rainbow has brightened my life.  Working with all the girls and adults in California is such a joy.  As Charity says, “There are other treasures in the Pot of Gold
” Thank you, California Rainbow; the treasures are too many to count.

Fidelity Assembly is True Blue

By

By: Ella H., Fidelity

Have you ever wondered how our Rainbow teachings are relevant in the world we live in today? Like most, I never really thought about it until someone not familiar with Rainbow asked why our Assembly was called “Fidelity” and not just simply “Simi Valley.” I didn’t have a well-rehearsed answer, so I gave an explanation that fidelity means to be loyal, and truthful, and to demonstrate honor. I further explained that fidelity is one of the many things we teach in Rainbow and that it was a nice shade of blue. The name also sounded good at the time our Assembly was instituted way back in the olden days. Being satisfied with the answer, we shared a smile and a giggle, but it made me stop and think about it; like staying up until 2:00 AM on a school night, thinking about it! What does fidelity really mean? 

The answer became clear to me when our assembly decided to honor our own truths and create a very meaningful Rainbow Church Sunday service. Fidelity Assembly is filled with girls and adults from many different faiths and cultures. In fact, our Worthy Advisor practices Hinduism and instead of a more traditional Christian prayer, she often opens our meetings with a beautiful Hindu blessing in Sanskrit. It is awe-inspiring listening to her speak an ancient language, then explain the significance of the blessing. This sparked us to want to share a bit more about each other’s spiritual beliefs, and we found Church Sunday to be the perfect opportunity! 

On a beautiful sunny day at the park, we shared in a socially distanced circle of trust. It isn’t easy sharing very personal and meaningful beliefs, but we soon realized we were safe and respected as we honored a part of who we are. We learned about Hinduism being a religion that supports many different forms of expression, and about karma. Yes, karma is a real thing! We learned about the healing and cleansing power of crystals, and we heard about Christianity and all its different sects. We laughed as it was compared to an ice cream store where there are at least 31 different varieties to choose from. Really, though, what we shared is what our faith means to us on a personal level. We realized we are all connected by a belief that there is something bigger than ourselves that provides us a sense of peace and calm in a very busy world. We learned that in being true to ourselves by overcoming fear to share our own customs and beliefs, and in being supportive to our Rainbow Sisters as they shared their special messages, we were honoring ourselves and each other. To me, that is the best way to explain fidelity. 

Fidelity Assembly showed our spirit and demonstrated how to be true and loyal to each other and to ourselves by simply honoring each other’s customs and cultures. So, the next time someone asks, I am more than ready to explain why Fidelity Assembly is true blue!

Meet the Meerkats – Grand Fidelity and Rep. AK/HI

By

And So The Adventure Begins

By: Haleigh S., Grand Fidelity and Rep. to AK/HI, Heart of the Valley

Haleigh S., Grand Fidelity and Rep. to AK/HI, Heart of the Valley

Who wants to take a trip to the tropical beaches of Hawaii right about now? I can say that sounds like an ideal plan! Since we can’t go on any out-of-state adventures at the moment let me tell you about some I’ve already been on. I am Haleigh S. your new Grand Fidelity and Representative to Alaska and Hawaii. 

My adventures of being a Rainbow Girl began about nine years ago in Heart of the Valley Assembly with my twin sister right by my side. Not knowing at the time how much of an impact this organization would have on my life, it was pretty convenient having a second half to go through this exciting journey with me. My love for service also began shortly after this, leading me to want to help outside of Rainbow. I started by volunteering with the local Valley Animal Center, training all the cute dogs, and playing with the kittens. In high school, I became very involved with the environmental science pathway where I was introduced to Fresno Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. I soon fell in love with this organization because their goal was to help injured or orphaned wildlife in the central valley and this opportunity couldn’t be more perfect. I have the amazing opportunity to work with birds of prey and many other animals and Rainbow helped me gain the courage, independence, and selflessness to be a part of something so great. 

When I’m not busy with Rainbow or helping injured animals, I like to spend my free time enjoying the peacefulness of the outdoors, listening to new music, or searching for the next best thing in the local thrift stores to add to my closet. As you can see my life has been a rollercoaster of new adventures and this year will be just one more to add to my never-ending list.

Meet the Meerkats – Grand Treasurer, Honorary Drill Leader and Rep. to ME/MA

By

Money, Money, Money

By: Bea G., Grand Treasurer, Honorary Drill Leader and Rep. to ME/MA, Natoma

Bea G., Grand Treasurer, Honorary Drill Leader and Rep. to ME/MA, Natoma

Hello everyone!! My name is Bea G. and I am so, so excited to be your Grand Treasurer, Honorary Drill Leader, and Rep. to ME and MA for the rest of this year! I entered Rainbow alongside my sister Gwen, who is a Past Grand Chaplain and Rep. to Bolivia, back when I was 11 years old. We came to find out about Rainbow through my dad, Michael, who was becoming a Mason at the same time. Shockingly enough, I was extremely quiet and shy when entering Rainbow, but I can safely say that if I wasn’t a part of such a great organization as this I definitely wouldn’t have come out of my shell. As the years went on and as I continued to be introduced to new, amazing people within and out of our assembly, I eventually became the loud extrovert some of you may know me as.

When I’m not at Rainbow, I spend my days walking around aimlessly with my friends at Target© for genuinely no reason, getting In-n-Outℱ four times a day, and sleeping until 2 pm. I am a very big bookworm (if you have any book recommendations send them my way please), I typically like the classics such as “Pride and Prejudice” or “The Scarlet Letter”. I was born and lived in the Philippines for the first five years of my life, so traveling is something I love to do and I still have family over there which makes traveling over there 1000 times more exciting. I am very much a night owl and stargazing with my friends is definitely another one of my favorite past times. Overall, I am extremely blessed to be in this organization and to also represent Rainbow everywhere I go! I hope we all stay happy and healthy, and I am so excited to (hopefully) meet you all soon 🙂

Meet the Meerkats – Grand Outer Observer and Rep. to OK/TX

By

Meet the Meerkat Who is Out of this World

By: Trianna D., Grand Outer Observer and Rep. to OK/TX, Santa Rosa

Trianna D., Grand Outer Observer and Rep. to OK/TX, Santa Rosa

Hello California Rainbow! My name is Trianna D. and I am Grand Outer Observer and Representative to Oklahoma and Texas for 2022. I was initiated into Santa Rosa Assembly in September of 2013, and will be celebrating eight years in Rainbow this year! Before I was in Rainbow I was a member of our Assemblies Pledge group. I moved right up into Rainbow when I turned eleven. I‘ve served as Worthy Advisor three times and will be going for my fourth term in late June to early July.

Right now I am taking a gap year from school to figure out what I might want to do, when I do go back I think I’ll go into maybe either Computer Programming or Game Development. When I was in high school I took a video production class all four years and a production/drama class my senior year. 

Here are a few things that I like so it’s not too awkward to talk to me. I really like Asian food and anything strawberry. I enjoy gaming (mainly Minecraftℱ, Stardew ValleyÂź, and Among Us©) but I will talk about any type of game. I like to watch anime and a few of my favorites are My Hero Academia©, Demon Slayer©, and Ouran High School Host Club©. I listen to artists like Wilbur Soot, Ricky Montgomery, Dream, and many K-Pop artists.

I’m so lucky to be GOO for the 2022 Grand Year!

Finding Service Each Day

By

By: Ainsley K., Grand Service and Rep. to SC/VA, Natoma

Ainsley K., Grand Service and Rep. to SC/VA, Natoma

As a Rainbow Girl, we are told to do some service every day, and I’m sure your assemblies, before Covid, went out and did plenty of service. Maybe it was cleaning up your town, or helping at a food bank, or volunteering at a local school. Since the pandemic, it has become more challenging to find places to do service. We are Rainbow Girls and I know we won’t let even a pandemic stop us from serving our communities. There are plenty of safe ways to go out and serve or do service from home. 

Remember that service isn’t about how big the act is, even the smallest gesture can have the biggest impact on someone’s life. There are plenty of local organizations that are actively accepting donations such as hospitals, food banks, and shelters. You could organize a blood drive or donate blood. Sending cards to frontline workers, veterans, and those serving in the military is another way you can serve. Find a local senior center and write them cards, make them blankets, or reach out to see what else you can do to help. It can even be as simple as assisting a neighbor with yard work or picking up someone’s groceries. Your assembly can also organize a socially distanced beach, park, or creek clean-up. Perhaps if crafting is one of your talents, you could tie no-sew blankets, make reusable masks to donate, or knit baby hats to give to your local hospital. I challenge you all to go out and find a way to serve because we are California Rainbow and we are unstoppable.

Meet the Meerkats – Grand Service and Rep. to SC/VA

By

Wrapped in Violet Hue

By: Ainsley K., Grand Service and Rep. to SC/VA, Natoma

Ainsley K., Grand Service and Rep. to SC/VA, Natoma

Hey California Rainbow, my name is Ainsley K. and I am Grand Service and Representative to South Carolina and Virginia for the 2022 Milestone Making Meerkats!

I have loved Rainbow since I was first exposed to it eight years ago when I went to a Pledge meeting at Natoma. I served as Pledge Sister in my Pledge Group and also served at the Pledge Ceremony at Grand Assembly in 2014. I was initiated in 2015 as a third-generation Rainbow Girl and guess what? My dress was violet.

The first office I held in Natoma Assembly was Service which is crazy now that I get to serve that same office six years later! I was installed as Worthy Advisor in 2019 and also received my Grand Cross Of Color that year. Service has always been a big part of my life. Through Rainbow, I always do our creek week, egg stuffing, and community service events.

At school, I am a member of leadership where we also do plenty of community service such as can food drives and walk for wishes with Make A Wish Foundation.

In my community, I am also on the committee for Folsom Runway which is a fashion show that raises awareness for inclusion programs and funds for the Parks and Rec team to form inclusionary positions and programs in our city.

Outside of Rainbow, you may catch me out shopping at the mall, at the lake with friends, eating sushi, or getting coffee at Dutch Bros. When I’m not running around Folsom for fun, I might be at Folsom Lake College where I am enrolled as a Freshman, or at Green Acres which is a local plant nursery where I not only work but also spend way too much free time buying plants for my room! I am so truly blessed to represent California Rainbow this year and can’t wait for all the fun and memories to come!