Ben Ali Shrine Center,
Sacramento, California, bears the charter # 154 and is one of seven
Centers in
California, one of 19 in the Western Shrine Association, and one of
191 in North America.
The territorial
jurisdiction of Ben Ali Shrine Center is a sizeable one, including
twenty-three counties, which ranges from San Joaquin to Siskiyou from
Alpine to Trinity, and east to the Nevada state border. This
territory comprises over 44,200 square miles, an area exceeding that
of the State of Ohio, and one that is larger than some countries in
the world today.
The Shrine reaches
its sizeable jurisdiction in a very direct way through its Shrine
Clubs, which currently number thirty-three, and which extend from
Escalon on the south, to Siskiyou on the north. The Clubs have a
combined membership over 4,000 and are the embodiment of the Shrine
in their respective localities. Each one has its corps of officers,
its budget, and is program of activities. Yearly each one is the
source of many new candidates for the Shrine's exciting ceremonies.
Shrine Clubs literally are the lifelines of the Shrine.
Likewise, in many
communities throughout the Shrine's jurisdiction, there is at least
one official representative of the Potentate who acts as the
"eyes and ears" of the Shrine Chief Executive Officer,
during the year of his administration. In addition, since the days of
its origin, Ben Ali has frequently held special meetings, and has
staged certain of its ceremonies in different communities throughout
its official domain.
Ben Ali is proud
of its history. Since 1922 the
Shrine's name and its fez have been synonymous with wholesome fun,
convivial fellowship, and the cheerful support of good causes. The
Shrine numbers in its members outstanding leaders in virtually every
walk of the political, economic, educational, social, civil,
religious, and cultural side of life. It is an organization noted for
having fun, but its constructive purposes, characterized by
"hospitality without rudeness and jollity without coarseness."
Ben Ali
traditionally has prided itself on the fact that it attempts to
improve whomever and whatever it touches - persons, places, and things.
