The South Dakota Masonic Child Identification Program (SD-ChIP) is a charitable initiative by South Dakota Masonic Lodges to aid in the identification and recovery of missing children.   According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, on average in the United States, a child is reported missing every 43 seconds.   The SD-ChIP program is supported monetarily by the Masons and Lodges of South Dakota and from donations made to the South Dakota Masonic Foundation, and are staffed by volunteers from the local lodges as well as by law enforcement and dental professionals.

The SD-ChIP program allows parents the opportunity to create a kit of identifying materials for their child, free of charge.   The kit contains a fingerprint card, a physical description, a picture and video DVD of the child, a dental imprint, and a DNA sample.   The purpose of the kit is to provide critical information to the public and to law enforcement in the event that a child goes missing.   The program has been lauded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

The DVD besides capturing appearance and voice, includes questions tailored toward the child's age group and can assist in finding children who might be missing for other reasons besides abduction.The Masonic Child ID Program has been referenced by state and local law enforcement agencies as their model for establishing this service.   The difference between Masonic CHIP and others is that municipal and law enforcement agencies typically place all data that is collected (including fingerprints) into a database.   The Masonic Child ID Program operates with strict confidentiality, with all data on portable computers being removed from systems immediately after the DVD data has been written.   

If a DVD is lost by a parent or guardian, they can simply have another created free of charge by attending another Masonic Child ID event.

The Masons of South Dakota are proud to bring to the families of our state this wonderful program for the protection of all of our children!

The South Dakota Masonic Model Student Assistance Program (MMSAP) is the signature or flagship program of the South Dakota Grand Lodge. The Freemasons of South Dakota offer this distinct student assistance program to serve communities throughout the state in the belief that prevention is the most effective tool for combating the scourge of addiction. Prevention stops use and abuse of drugs and alcohol before they take root.

The statistics are both alarming and depressing. Each day in the United States 3 children die from child abuse, 5 children under the age of 20 commit suicide, 9 children under the age of 20 are homicide victims, 9 children under the age of 20 die from firearms, 180 children are arrested for violent crimes, 340 children are arrested for drinking or drunken driving, 367 children are arrested for drug abuse, 2,350 children are in adult jails, 2,861 high school students drop out, 4,248 children are arrested, 5,703 teens are victims of violent crimes, 7,883 public school students are suspended, and 7,945 children are reported as abused or neglected. Research has shown that 1 out of 4 of America's youth is extremely vulnerable and another 1 out of 4 is moderately vulnerable to the negative consequences of engaging in multiple high-risk social and health behaviors. Concerns and problems concerning today's families and youth are often too intimidating for families and youths to solve on their own. Research has also shown that 8 out of 10 of America's youth are in need of behavioral health services and may not be receiving them.

The South Dakota Masonic Model Student Assistance Program is an intensive 3-day training workshop for educators to team how to identify, intervene with, and create appropriate referrals for students that may be at risk for substance abuse, depression, suicide, or violence. The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of South Dakota, is 1 of 19 Masonic jurisdictions that sponsors a Masonic Model Student Assistance Program. The Masonic Model Student Assistance Program is coordinated through the National Masonic Foundation for Children and training is conducted by Newman/Stecher International, the sole providers of Masonic Model Student Assistance Program training.

The purpose of the Masonic Model Student Assistance Program is to train a core team of 5 to 8 educators from a school building in how to intervene early and effectively with students who display patterns of behaviors that threaten their success at school. Masonic Model Student Assistance Program training involves practice sessions designed to simulate real events along with presentations on such subjects as chemical dependency, depression and suicide, conflict, anger and violence, communication skills and intervention, family dynamics, enabling, life skills development, treatment and aftercare, and group process. Participants leave the training with a specific plan for behavioral interventions, and a system for implementing a Masonic Model Student Assistance Program in their schools. The Masonic Model Student Assistance Program has proven to be an effective tool for educators as they seek increasingly to make the most out of every minute of teaching time.

By supporting the South Dakota Grand Lodge scholarships through your gifts, you are supporting the future of the youth of South Dakota and the strength of Masonry.