Shriners International: A Century of Commitment and Hope In 1872, Master Masons Walter M. Fleming — a physician — and Billy Florence — an actor — founded Shriners International in New York City. Originally named the “Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,” it was informally known as the “Shriners of North America.” The fraternity’s most distinctive symbol is the red fez with a black tassel. Its name derives from the city of Fez, Morocco, and was inspired by a “One Thousand and One Nights” themed party attended by Florence in Europe. IIn 1919, Freeland Kendrick proposed establishing a hospital to provide free medical care to children suffering from the aftereffects of polio. This initiative later developed into a nationwide paediatric healthcare system in America. The first hospital was inaugurated in 1922 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Chapters were established in Canada (1888), Mexico (1907) and Panama (1918). In recent years, chapters have been founded in Puerto Rico and the Philippines (2010), Germany (2011), Brazil (2015), Bolivia (2018), and more recently in Peru, Uruguay, Spain, Australia, and Lebanon.
To become a Shriner, one must first be a Master Mason. The organisation is founded upon core values such as brotherhood, family, empathy, and service to others, with the overarching mission to improve the world through dedicated care for children.