“Rainbow Girls” reach out to public, hosting event June 21

Cassidy, Kylee and Carsyn Atkinson were three of the “Rainbow Girls” at the Libro Centre recently, showing what the organization does. They are part of International Order of the Rainbow for Girls

Recently, our members of The Fort Assembly #26 of IORG were at the South County Predator’s End of Season Fun Day at the Libro Centre, promoting our group with an information booth and holding a craft activity where any of the girls could make princess crowns or colour drawings.

The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls (IORG) is a non-denominational international all-girls youth organization that is associated with the Shriners, Masons, and the Eastern Star. 

Girls in IORG range in the ages of 6- 21 (6 to 10 being pledge and 11 to 21 being Rainbow girls). 

We are located in Windsor, but we also meet very often in Amherstburg.  Our assembly, The Fort Assembly #26, opened in 2012, but IORG has been around since 1922. 

The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls (IORG) helps prepare young girls and women for life by promoting leadership, public speaking, interpersonal skills, and service within the community and by building a sense of community that allows you to grow and flourish as individuals.

One of the main pillars of Rainbow is service. We, as an assembly, have a charity selected each six-month term that our Worthy Advisor (head of the assembly for the term) chooses. 

For the next six months, we as a group raise money to donate and help these charities. 

Some of the local charities we have chosen in the last couple of years were Wings Rehabilitation Centre, In Honour of the Ones We Love, WEST of Windsor, The House Youth Centre, and the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. 

In IORG, we like to use the seven colours of the rainbow to represent stations you visit in your initiation. Red is love, Orange is religion, Yellow is nature, Green is immortality, Blue is fidelity, Indigo is patriotism, and Violet is service. You also make stops at the sisters of Hope and Charity so they can help you along your journey. 

All of these lessons and stations are positions that can be held in your assembly and on a Grand level, which is all of Canada.

Among the girls of the Fort Assembly #26, we have a past Grand Worthy Advisor (GWA). In Rainbow, she is the head or lead of the organization for all of Canada. Our member and sister Elise Warnock was Canada’s Grand Worthy Advisor in 2023-2024, with her theme being “Let’s Rebuild Our Village.” Other members of our assembly also hold Grand Offices, which means they have a part in the leadership and a say that helps run all of Canada as well.

Because we are an international organization, one of the more fun activities we do is frequently travel to visit our other assemblies throughout Ontario and Canada as well as have opportunities to visit assemblies throughout the world, where we make many new friends who share the same values and interests as us, and the car rides are always a blast. 

This organization has helped me grow as a person. I came to it as a shy eight-year-old girl who was too scared to speak or look at anyone. 

Our group took me and gave me a sense of belonging and family; the older Rainbow girls gave me a helping hand and a smile whenever I needed it. 

As I grew up, I became one of those older Rainbow girls who was always there with a smile and a helping hand. This organization helped me do that. I am now a 20-year-old young woman who is confident not only in herself but also when she speaks. I am no longer shy, and I am outspoken. 

Rainbow has shown me growth in myself and my sisters near and far, my assembly, and my community. 

This wonderful organization has also given me friendships I will cherish for life. But those friendships aren’t just here in Windsor/Essex or just Canada. They are around the world with my other Rainbow sisters. 

If you have or know of a girl between the ages of 6-21 who you think may be interested in becoming a leader in her community and giving back in some way while learning skills to prepare them for life as an adult, contact us or come visit us Saturday, June 21.  

We have another fun event planned where you can visit with our members, do some fun activities and learn more about our fantastic group of girls and what we do. Come visit us that day between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Thistle Masonic Lodge located at 68 Murray St. in Amherstburg.

For more information on The Fort Assembly #26, please look us up on Facebook at TheFortAssembly26 or e-mail us at thefortassembly26@gmail.com.  

—Submitted by Cassidy Atkinson

“Rainbow Girls” reach out to public

Special to the RTT