Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 22, 1993 TAG: 9307220585
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bratton, born with spina bifida and fluid on the brain, has been receiving help from Roanoke Shriners for five years. In May, he traveled to a Shriners hospital in Greenville, S.C., to have surgery. A mass was removed from his back, and steel rods were placed near his spine for support. He stayed three weeks, and his care cost his family nothing.
"Brent does really good in school, and he enjoys life. He's not in any pain," said his mother, Betty Bratton.
"We are very grateful for everything this organization has done for us," she said.
Lauren's mom, Lynn Fringer, passes around photographs of her child at age 4 in a body cast. Two years ago Lauren underwent surgery for scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, a condition that could have put her in a wheelchair. The child lives a normal life because of early detection and intervention.
"I think what you do is great. Without your help, Lauren wouldn't be here with us today," said her mother.
The first Shriner Lauren's family met was a man dressed as a clown at a family restaurant near Troutville. The man, from upstate New York, became their friend.
By coincidence, Lynn Fringer said, the man phoned the family the night Lauren's condition was diagnosed.
"He told us not to worry, the Shriners would take care of us."
The Roanoke Kazim Shrine Temple, best known for its circus and summer auction fund-raisers, supports disabled and severely burned children and their families in the valley by providing free hospital care and transportation to Shriners hospitals.
"What we do is one of the best kept secrets in the valley," said Shriner Roger Hognett.
The club sponsors 38 Roanoke-area children. It is their mission not to turn away any child, age 18 or younger, who needs the kind of medical attention provided by Shriners hospitals.
In order to foot the bills at the hospitals, the Roanoke Valley Shriners hold a public auction. This year's auction is Aug. 14.
Each year, the club raises about $25,000 during the auction with about $50,000 in goods and services donated by local merchants.
The auction, conducted by J.G. Sheets & Sons Inc., begins at 8 a.m. and features a variety of items from antiques to weekend vacations. It will be held at the Kazim Shrine Temple, 628 Campbell Ave. S.W.
Nationally, each temple raises an average $300,000 to $600,000 annually, according to literature distributed by the group.
by CNB