Friday, June 18, 2004 | 3:44 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION
June 19 - 20, 2004
When it was having fun at parades this year, the Shriners of North America wore those funny red hats, but when it got down to business, the group raised $596 million to spend on its hospitals for children.
The 1,200 members of the Zelzah Shriners of Las Vegas are holding an Outreach Clinic at Desert Springs Hospital from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today to find patients to use up some of that budget. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will be there to receive the Shriners' Helping Hand Award.
The Outreach Clinic, a concept initiated in Las Vegas in 1987 that has now spread to many of the 191 Shrine lodges across the country, chooses local children eligible for treatment at the nearest Shriner hospital, in Los Angeles, Joe Giarraputo, mini-clinic chairman, said.
The Zelzah members accept applications twice a month from children under 18 who have bone, joint or muscle problems. The applications are then sent to the Los Angeles hospital, where doctors who specialize in orthopedic care determine whether applicants could benefit from treatment.
If the Shriner medical team decides a child's condition can be helped, the child is given an appointment at the next quarterly clinic, where the patient is further evaluated by doctors who come to Las Vegas from Los Angeles.
After the evaluation the children and their families are whisked away to the Los AngelesShriner hospital at no charge in three vans. Upon arrival the children receive the treatment they require for free.
Parents don't pay any medical bills or transportation costs, and neither do insurance companies nor the federal government.
"We accept no money from anyone," Larry Levine, Zelzah Shrine special projects chairman, said.
This quarter about 100 children will travel to Los Angeles to receive medical care at no cost. Currently, 1,258 Las Vegas children are receiving free treatment at the Los Angeles hospital, courtesy of the Zelzah Shriners.
As the largest and oldest fraternal organization in the world, the Shriners have 500,000 members in North America.
The Shriners' 22 hospitals concentrate on treatment, research and education for orthopedic problems, severe burns or spinal cord injuries.
The hospitals are supported by an endowment fund to which each Shriner contributes an annual $5 donation. In addition, the group holds fund-raising events.
At the end of the summer, the organization plans to hold its 40th annual Shrine Circus at the Plaza Hotel, where the Circo Caballero will perform under the big top. Steve Stone, circus chairman, expects the event to draw an audience of 20,000 for the 10 performances, which run Sept. 30 through Oct. 3. The circus should raise about $80,000, he said.
The group is also planning its annual Red Fez Fundraising Campaign for Oct. 14 and 15. The event uses the unique Shriner headgear to attract attention and donations at traffic lights, Wal-Marts and local grocery stores.
Levine, a mason for 50 years who became a Shriner in December, attended his first Outreach Clinic three months ago.
As he was walking toward the elevator, he saw a girl who looked so sad that he decided to enlist the help of another Shriner dressed up like a clown to make her smile.
"Do me a favor and cheer this little girl up," he said as he entered the elevator.
When Levine returned, he found the same child with a huge grin painted on her face, literally. The clown had drawn a smile.
When she saw him, the child threw her arms around Levine's 6-foot, 200-pound figure.
"She melted me like a bowl of jelly," he said.
That moment, Levine said, made him realize how rewarding the Shriners' program is for him.
"I am going to do everything in my power -- and every other Shriner is going to do everything in his power -- to make sure these kids get a shot at life," he said.
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