Shriners International is a fraternal organization with 195 temples (chapters) in the U.S., Canada and around the world. More than half of the individual temples host cruel circuses as fundraisers.
The 2013 Imperial Session of Shriners International will be held June 30-July 4 in Indianapolis. At the 2012 meeting, it was reported that Shriners International had lost over 15,000 members during the past year (out of a total membership of 310,000).
Due to dwindling membership and rising costs, some Shrine temples have been forced to sell their building. Fort Myer’s Araba Shrine announced in May that it would sell its 30,000-square-foot building. The Amara Shrine (Palm Beach Gardens) is also selling an affiliated Shrine Club building in Boca Raton.
Certainly, circuses aren’t the only problem faced by Shriners International, but getting rid of circuses would be a good step toward improving its public image and turning around a struggling organization.
Please follow this link to sign ARFF’s petition and send a message to the Imperial Divan, the governing body of Shriners International, that non-animal fundraisers should be encouraged: www.change.org/petitions/shriners-international-stop-hosting-cruel-circuses
Shriners International is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.