Shriners have a long history of service in New Mexico

The Shriners of North America have been around since 1872, with the first Shriners Hospitals opening in 1922. The New Mexico Shriners have been here in Albuquerque since 1887, twenty-five years before New Mexico became part of the United States.

The center has been located on 6600 Zuni Rd. SE since 1987, making the New Mexico Shriners a staple of Albuquerque as the hub for all New Mexican Shriners, their 32 units, and the 18 clubs statewide. (They have been here) longer than many realize.

During the late ’60s to the early 2000s the Shriners were such a centralized part of each community we had a presence in, that former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and former Gov. Garrey Carruthers dedicated Aug. 22 to Sept. 3 as Hospital Crusade Week.

That passion hasn’t stopped for the Shriners of this state. It has grown year after year, as the goal of Shriners is to raise funds and support the philanthropies of Shriners International — the hundreds of thousands of Shriners in states all across America, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Philippines, Brazil, and many other countries who come together for a single cause — putting aside borders, political views, and cultural division.

Shriners International is the number one supporter of Shriners Children’s, the 21 medical facilities throughout Canada, the US and Mexico that treat skeletal and neuromuscular deficiencies, discrepancies, diseases, and children burn victims. Through this support, despite ability to pay or insurance, no family receives a bill for their child being seen at a Shriners Children’s facility.

Beyond that, the New Mexico Shriners also support their own philanthropy in the state called the Shriners Children’s Transportation fund. The New Mexico Shriners are responsible for transporting our Shriners Children patients, taking care of travel, accommodations, and groceries as they go from their home to one of our Shriners Children’s facilities, and ensuring these children and their guardians have one less thing to worry about during their treatment.

In order to do this, the New Mexico Shriners host various events throughout the year, both public and private, for our child patients, Shriners members, involved families and friends, and the community. That’s like the free Comic-Con hosted by the New Mexico Shriners’ unit, the Cause-Players, Saturday.

What many don’t know is that the New Mexico Shriners are a volunteer nonprofit. Many of our members joined in their early 20s and are still aiding the cause well into their 80s and 90s.

In order to operate, the organization must also rent the beautiful facility for events such as weddings, bar /bat mitzvahs, vendor shows, youth retreats, proms, graduations, retirements, and so many more, to ensure the continued support of the children and their families who seek our aid.

The Shriners of New Mexico and the New Mexico Shriners Center respect the privacy of our renters and afford all the ability to use our facility for their events and special moments.