History of the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado

How It Began

In early 1952, a social worker at Children’s Hospital in Denver reached out to the Scottish Rite Masons seeking financial assistance for a young mother whose four-year-old son needed treatment for a language disorder.

The request prompted several members of the Scottish Rite to investigate the family’s circumstances and consider how similar needs might be addressed more broadly. Their work led to a proposal to establish a charitable foundation dedicated to helping children with childhood language disorders.

The Foundation Is Born

On November 25, 1952, approximately 500 Scottish Rite Masons gathered at the Scottish Rite Consistory in Denver to consider the proposal. The membership voted to establish the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado, with a mission of providing financial assistance for the treatment of childhood language disorders.

The Foundation was formally organized on February 3, 1953, and subsequently received recognition as a 501(c)(3) public charity.

What began with a single family in need became the foundation for a statewide commitment to helping children communicate, learn, and thrive.

From Financial Assistance to RiteCare

Over the decades, the Foundation’s work expanded beyond direct financial assistance. Through partnerships with healthcare organizations, universities, clinicians, educators, and community organizations, the Foundation developed programs designed to address childhood speech, language, and learning needs throughout Colorado.

Today, these efforts are carried forward through RiteCare, a network of programs supported by the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado. RiteCare provides access to speech and language services, early intervention, literacy resources, family education, and other programs designed to improve outcomes for children and their families.

The Foundation also supports graduate education and professional development to help strengthen the pipeline of qualified speech-language professionals serving Colorado children.

A Continuing Commitment

More than seven decades after its founding, the purpose behind the Foundation remains remarkably consistent: to help Colorado children find their voices and reach their full potential.

From that first request for assistance in 1952 to the thousands of children and families served through RiteCare and other Foundation-supported programs, the commitment has continued to grow.

The names and faces of those involved have changed over the years, but the mission has remained the same.