For 23 consecutive years, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has provided support for the Student Assistance Program (SAP) in Pennsylvania through the sponsorship of training seminars and planning sessions for school administrators and SAP team members. In fact, if not for Masonic support in the early years, the SAP program would not have become so successful. Today, it is mandatory that every elementary, middle and high school in Pennsylvania has SAP teams working to help at-risk students.

The programs continue through the Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation and, most recently, include sponsorship of the annual Commonwealth Approved Trainer -Training of Trainers meeting held in August at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown. More than 50 of the finest instructors and administrators of the SAP program in Pennsylvania shared organizational strategies and heard guest presenters update them on two new issues confronting SAP teams: cyber-bullying, or the use of electronic technology to intimidate or harass others, and "suddenly military children," or how parental deployment has dramatically affected the learning capabilities and welfare of thousands of Pennsylvania children. This is just one of more than 20 outstanding conferences sponsored by the Foundation and offered in various locations, including our own Masonic Conference Center.

Freemasonry's commitment to helping children live safe, healthy, productive lives continues through support of programs like these, and the work of the Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation. A complete description of the Student Assistance Program and Freemasonry's part in the history of the program can be found on the Internet at www.sap.state.pa.us.

Mrs. Deborah McCoy, of educational Services, LLC, leads an eye-opening introduction to the problem of "cyber-bullying" for participants in the interagency CATTraining of Trainers seminar held at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown.