Where is the Dorchester Shrine Club?
Dorchester Shrine Club is located approximately six (6) miles south of Summerville, SC (1st traffic light on 17A after Dorchester Rd.) At 1st traffic light, turn onto Highway 61 South (Beech Hill Rd.).  Go approximately 1,000 feet to the entrance of the Dorchester Shrine Club.  Welcome friend, you have arrived!  Map below shows us in the proper place but, we are on the other side of the road.

What Is the Dorchester Shrine Club?

The Shrine was founded in 1872 in New York and their first Shrine Temple (Not a shrine but rather a corporate headquarters) was named Mecca in line with the Arabic accent that was adopted for ceremonial and motif purposes.

Omar Shrine Center recieved it's charter in 1907 as Omar Temple and was located at 40-44 East Bay St., Charleston,SC.  In 1996 it was decided to move to Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Supporting and caring for children in one of the nineteen orthopedic hospitals or one of the three burn institutes, totally without charges to the families, has been the main goal that began with the first hospital that opened in Shreveport, LA in 1922.  SC has a hospital located in Greenville, SC.

In 1976 a small group of Shriners in Dorchester county began talking about planning and forming a new Shrine club in their area.  A sand and gravel pit known as Becker Sand and Gravel became available and with $10.00 down they held the land for two years while they formed the Dorchester Shrine Club.  They started out in a tent, moved to an old school bus, and after three years a club house was built.  The club kept growing and in 1993 the current club house was built on the shores of what has become known as Shrine Lake.  The club has grown to include a 40 acre lake, which is part of an overall approximately 73 acres.  There is a thirty eight site camp ground which is operated today as a limited visit facility.

Today, we can see that the charter member's dreams and the dreams of all the members who, over the years, have come and gone, plus the membership body of today, are alive and well.  We can see that their hard work has laid the ground work to make the club what it is today.  From the original twenty five, the membership has grown to over two hundred and continues to grow to this day.

Four Omar parade units currently call the Dorchester Shrine Club home as do our two hundred plus members who come from all over the tri-county, the out lying counties and even a few from other states.

What Is the Mission of the Dorchester
Shrine Club

The Club shall be an incorporated association formed for the purpose of assisting the Crippled and Burned Hospitals and for the promotion of Shrinedom.

Do you like a story with a great ending?
Yes? Then read on and open your heart to Baby Robert.  He is just one story of the thousands of children who are in or have passed through the Shrine Hospital System

This young man is "Baby Robert" and he resides in the South Carolina Lowcountry and is living proof that MIRACLES do happen.  It is great to know that we, as Shriners, played an important part in this young man’s recovery to a “normal” life.   "Baby Robert" is no longer a baby and was chosen a couple of years ago to be our "special" Hospital child to represent our Shrine Heroes for a whole year and I do not feel that a better choice could have been made!  His parents gave me permission to share his story with you and I hope it makes all of us realize what an important role that we can and do play with Shriners Hospital for Children.  This is the real reason for the Shrine and Shriners and represents why most Shriners became Shriners.   This is but a small sampling of what our Fraternity has made available to so many children.