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What Is Rainbow? The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls (called IORG, or Rainbow) is a non-profit, fraternal youth service organization for girls between the ages of 11-20. Rainbow provides an environment where teenage girls gain self-confidence and self-respect while practicing reverence, patriotism, love and service. Rainbow teaches leadership skills, service to the community, patriotism to our country and respect for all. It is not a religion, cult or secret order. Nor is it connected with any other group using "rainbow" in their name or logo. Rainbow is a character-building service organization that is open to all girls regardless of their religious belief. The IORG has an active membership of 275,000 girls worldwide with over one million majority members (At age 20, or upon marriage, whichever occurs first, a girl who is a member in good standing is eligible to receive her majority membership). Over one million teenage girls have been initiated into the Order since its founding on April 6, 1922. It is represented in 45 states and in nine foreign countries. Girls from Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Aruba, Japan, the Philippine Islands, Canada and Germany enjoy the same privileges of the Order as the girls in the United States, where it originated. The organization started in the city of McAlester, Oklahoma where it spread rapidly throughout Oklahoma and the surrounding states, then throughout the nation and into foreign countries. What do Rainbow Girls Learn And Do?
Rainbow girls earn merit awards for their activities and participation, and many scholarships are available for those seeking higher education. Rainbow girls develop important life skills through their involvement, such as public speaking, poise and maturity. Rainbow promotes personal growth, fellowship, and charity. In addition to learning valuable character building lessons, Rainbow affords excellent leadership experience, public speaking opportunities, study skills, and organizational techniques. For example; each Worthy Advisor (the girl who serves as the head of her Assembly) is responsible for selecting her officers, planning her term, choosing service and charity projects, planning social events, preparing greetings and speeches for guests, and presiding during meetings.
The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is an organization whose goal is to teach young women of today:
The teachings are non-sectarian, based on the seven lessons taught to the girls at their initiation ceremony -- Love, Religion, Nature, Immortality, Fidelity, Patriotism and Service. There are also teachings of Faith, Hope and Charity. Taken together, the beautiful lessons of Rainbow guide a young girl into a better life. The Ritual for the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a book of ceremonies used primarily for the Opening, Closing and Initiation ceremonies of a Rainbow Assembly. Members recite verses and passages from memory that are contained in the Ritual. As well, there is often floor work that accompanies the spoken word. The performance of floor work demonstrates each girl’s attention to detail and level of discipline. Sometimes friendly competitions are held for Ritual and floor work, providing a motivation and incentive for the girls to perform well in a supportive environment. About Rainbow Assembly Officers And Meetings
A complete corps of officers in an Assembly consists of 20 girls – the top 5 line officers are elected by the girls in the Assembly, and the remaining 15 officers are appointed by the Worthy Advisor. Members are encouraged to accept the responsibility of being an officer. Any member may accept chairmanship of an event or committee, learning to organize and work with peers to a successful conclusion. In addition to the twice-monthly meetings at her local Assembly, there are statewide meetings, held annually and called “Grand Assembly”, and international meetings, held every two years and called “Supreme Assembly”. At Grand Assembly, Grand Officers exemplify Rainbow ceremonies in beautiful form. Newly-appointed Grand Officers, who will serve for the following year, are revealed to the anticipation and excitement of all. State scholarships are awarded for outstanding service and scholastic endeavors. Many awards are presented throughout Grand Assembly sessions for exceptional Rainbow participation. The presentation of the funds raised for the Grand Service project (a statewide fund raising project) is one of the highlights of Grand Assembly. At Supreme Assembly, Rainbow girls from all over the world come bringing souvenirs from their native countries and states to exchange with other members. The real highlight of the sessions is the model exemplification of the Ritual, which is put on by a team of girls composed of Grand Worthy Advisors of the various states. These girls are perfectly trained and are the most outstanding girls of the Rainbow world. Who Can Attend A Rainbow Meeting? Active and Majority Rainbow girls in good standing may attend any Rainbow meeting or function. As well, any member of the Masons, Eastern Star, White Shrine of Jerusalem, or Amaranth in good standing, and any parent, grandparent or legal guardian of an active or majority Rainbow Girl are also welcome to attend. Rainbow Parents are always invited and encouraged to attend all meetings and events. Many Rainbow parents feel their participation has provided an opportunity to establish a unique relationship with their daughters and her Rainbow friends. Joining Rainbow Rainbow membership applications, called petitions, are readily available. Any active Rainbow girl, Mason, Eastern Star, Amaranth, or majority member can obtain a petition for an interested girl. Advisory Board Members can assist in completing the form. A prospective candidate must be sponsored by another girl who is a active member in good standing, and at least one adult who must be a member in good standing of either the Masonic Lodge, Order of the Eastern Star, White Shrine, or Order of the Amaranth (again, an Advisory Board member can help in this measure).
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Rainbow
girls enjoy many fun activities and have many opportunities to make lifelong
friendships. Rainbow girls raise money for various charities through bake sales,
dinners and car washes, and they extend themselves through service to their
communities, churches and their sponsoring organizations. The activities in the
life of a Rainbow girl are varied and numerous. The girls take part in community
drives, some Assemblies work to furnish rooms in hospitals, adopt an orphan, buy
wheelchairs for crippled children, look after needy families, put on benefits
and care for the aged.
Rainbow
girls go on to become successful leaders in all fields of employment, such as
doctors, lawyers, teachers, Supreme Court justices, judges, actresses, nurses,
and engineers, to name just a few. Some former Rainbow girls you might recognize
are Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, comedians Ruth Buzzi and Lily
Tomlin, actress Lee Meriweather, and former Miss Americas Jane Jaroe and
Chantelle Smith.
Most
Rainbow Assemblies meet twice a month. Under the direction of the Worthy Advisor
(a girl elected to serve as the assembly leader for a four-month period), all
the girls in the Assembly attend to business and perform memorized ceremonies,
including opening, closing and initiation. The girls themselves are responsible
for the financial management, correspondence and organization of their Assembly,
with guidance from adult advisors. Assembly activities are always chaperoned by
responsible adults.