From the Bedford Minuteman 6/10/2009

By Susan Ellis/Correspondent

Bedford, Mass. -  

On Saturday, the Bedford Fire Department hosted the Child Identification Program (MYCHIP) for the Mass Freemason Society and its sponsors: The Massachusetts Dental Society and the Massachusetts Crime Prevention Officers Association. 

Now a mainstay in the community, the program helps parents and caregivers create at no charge a personal record of their children that includes fingerprints, a DNA sample, tooth impression and video interview with a voice recording. 

Children are required to register and have an adult sign a release form that stays with the Masons. However, all of the identifying materials created in the program are kept by the family for storage at home.

“It’s a great program,” said Bedford Lodge Master Michael Curry. 

Curry is particularly proud having been one of the people who first brought MYCHIP to Bedford. 

“I was working with a group to complete my training in the Masonic Leadership Institute and looking for a project,” said Curry. “MYCHIP was an opportunity provided by the Grand Lodge in Boston and we decided to take advantage of that.”

The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts is one of the oldest institutions in the area and part of the worldwide organization of Freemasons that is itself the world’s oldest and largest fraternity. Masons offer the MYCHIP program in 20 states and have been supplying equipment and training in Massachusetts since 1996.

 “For MYCHIP all of the Masonic lodges in the area are willing to help out just as we help them when they are doing a program in their community,” said Curry, who explained there is a real commitment to charity throughout the organization.

As much as they do, the Masons do not work alone, though. For MYCHIP, they enlisted several groups including the Bedford Women’s Club who provided lunch for the workers and staffing at many of the tables; Bedford Family Connection who offered juice boxes, face painting, and tattoos, and Bedford Dental Arts, who provided trained staff for making tooth impressions as well toothbrushes, stickers, and colorful “toothfairy boxes” as rewards for the children.

“I think it is really important,” said Pediatric Dentist and MYCHIP volunteer Kamar Baloul, who was helping out for the first time in Bedford but had worked with the program in the past in Natick. 

Seven-year-old Joe Aucoin of Billerica knew nothing about the work involved, but enjoyed biting down on the softened plastic and seeing his tooth impression after. 

“Joe never registered with the MYCHIP program,” said his mother Joan. “We were driving by and decided to stop in.”

Behind the camera, Bedford resident and Mason Gordon Huggins collected shots according to a formula. 

“I went through training to do this and now here I am,” said Huggins, who is a full-time cardiologist and research scientist in genetics. “I joined the Masons about a year ago to have greater community involvement and this is a great community event.”

Although not a Mason, Bedford Family Connection president Niki Curry is Master Michael Curry’s wife. 

“I originally found out about the Bedford Family Connection through the Masons when I had children,” Niki Curry said. “Later, when they needed volunteers for MYCHIP they came to us to ask for help and support, and we just couldn’t say no.”

According to Michael Curry, MYCHIP serves an average of 150 children each year and will continue to be offered indefinitely. 

“There is new equipment available and an effort being made to update everything over time,” Michael Curry said. “Meanwhile, we’ll keep working with what we’ve got and we’ll keep offering the service.”