Gilroy Assembly No. 125, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls: Fun, Friendship, and Service since 1923 for girls ages 11-20
Are you a girl age 11-20 who wants to have fun, make friends, and make the world a better place? The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a service organization for young women which promotes values, teaches communication and leadership skills, encourages cooperation, and improves our communities through service while forming lasting friendships.
Gilroy Rainbow is our local assembly of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. We are governed on the state level by California Grand Assembly and on the national/international level by Supreme Assembly. Our membership includes girls from Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Martin, South San Jose, Hollister, and Prunedale.
Join Us! Our organization is open to all girls between the ages of 11 to 20 who profess a belief in a higher power. We welcome everyone, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin. Gilroy Rainbow strives to keep the costs of membership low so that all girls can participate.
(Continued below picture.)
What are the prerequisites to joining Rainbow?
You must be a girl between the ages of 11 and 20 who professes a belief in a higher power. In order to join Gilroy Rainbow, ours must be your nearest assembly to your home. If you have doubts, use the assembly locator on Supreme’s website to determine your nearest assembly.
How to I join Rainbow?
Click this button and ask!
After we contact you, we can start the ball rolling for your Initiation.
What is Initiation?
Initiation is the ceremony performed by our girls to bring a new girl into our group. During Initiation, our traditions are revealed and explained to the new initiate, along with the various lessons of the Rainbow, as written by our founder, Rev. Mark W. Sexson.
This is a beautiful ceremony which members of Rainbow work hard to commit to memory. Your parents, grandparents, and legal guardians are welcome to attend this meeting as well, as they are welcome to attend all of our meetings. It takes at least fifteen girls to present these lessons, plus they must practice together beforehand, so please be certain to write down the date of your Initiation on your calendar well in advance and plan to arrive on time.
(Continued below picture.)
What is the dress code?
Our girls have elected to wear Rainbow formals at every regular meeting. A Rainbow formal is either floor length, no more than 2 inches above the ground, or tea length (mid-calf). Dresses may be of any color, as long as it is not black, brown, or very dark blue.
Girls are required to wear modest clothing at other events too, but not necessarily formals. See here for our full dress code.
Gilroy Rainbow has a closet full of dresses of various sizes and styles for your use. We are also blessed with a couple of ladies who are accomplished seamstresses. Please do not allow the lack of a dress to stop you from joining Rainbow. We are here to help.
(Continued below picture.)
.jpg)
What can I expect if I join Gilroy Rainbow?
First, prepare to have fun! Our assembly has fun at every meeting, whether it’s just laughing and joking together, playing a game, or singing a silly song. Sometimes we get together just to have a party, see a movie, or go someplace zany. Ask any Rainbow girl and she will tell you how much fun we have together.
Secondly, expect to make lots of new friends, not only in Gilroy but all over the state and beyond. When you join Rainbow, you automatically get several thousand new Rainbow sisters in California alone. These relationships often last for a lifetime.
And, yes, since we are a youth service organization, we do perform lots of service to make our commuity and our world a better place to live. At the end of each term, you will fill out a worksheet to report your service hours — don’t worry, we’ll help you! — and you will be rewarded with merit bars and pins to memorialize all your hard work. Plus, years of community service through Rainbow sure looks good on your college applications and work resumes. Best of all, you will have fun doing your service and grow closer to your Rainbow sisters in the process.
(Continued below picture.)
.JPG)
What is Grand Assembly?
Grand Assembly is our once-a-year statewide convention. It is an awesome experience. It is held in Fresno. Here is the page on Grand Assembly of California’s website describing Grand Assembly in 2009. Notice the variety of events! Poetry, arts and crafts, sew & show, talent competitions, volleyball — Grand Assembly has a little something for everyone. We all come back with a renewed enthusiasm for Rainbow. Here are some pictures from Grand Assembly 2007 to give you an idea of what it’s like.
Grand Assembly is held during the last weekend in March. We leave on Friday night and do not return until Tuesday evening. Unfortunately, that means our girls miss school on those two days every year; however, if you tell your teachers what you are doing ahead of time, most teachers are supportive and willing to work with you. If you absolutely must return to school on Monday, you may leave Grand Assembly early.
(Continued below picture.)
Is it expensive to be a Rainbow Girl?
Not at all. Our annual dues are $15, plus there is a one-time Initiation fee of $10. If a girl has trouble paying these dues, scholarships are available. Petitions should be returned with a total of $25, which includes the dues for that calendar year.
We try to keep our fun trip expenses at or below $10. If we want to do something that costs more than that, we encourage the girls to have a fundraiser to bring the cost down. Recently, we had a bake sale which raised enough money for the girls to have pizza and see Cinderella in San Jose at no cost.
The most expensive thing we do every year is our trip to Grand Assembly. We are fortunate, however, to have most of the cost of going to Grand Assembly paid for by the money we raise at the Garlic Festival. Usually the girls and chaperones pay less than $100 each to go to Grand Assembly. Which brings me to our next question!
(Continued below picture.)
Do I have to work at the Garlic Festival?
YES!!! Please set aside the last weekend in July every year for Garlic Festival, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We need all hands on deck to help out in our Pepsi booth. Parents, we appreciate your help as well. It’s hard work, but that’s where our money to go to Grand Assembly comes from plus our contribution to Grand Service.
What’s your connection to Freemasonry?
IORG is a proud part of the Masonic family. Our order was founded in 1922 by Reverend Mark W. Sexton, who was both a clergyman and a Master Mason. Our lessons are derived from Masonic principles, those same values near and dear to Masons such as George Washington, John Hancock, and numerous others. Have you seen the National Treasure movies or read The Lost Symbol? Yup, that’s us. Well, Hollywood style, you know. Visit this website for assistance in separating fact from fiction.
Where can I find out more about Rainbow?
- Supreme Assembly’s website, www.gorainbow.org
- California Grand Assembly’s website, www.caiorg.org
- Continue to our blog!
