Greetings from Muriel Knapp

Ninety-five years ago, twenty-two ladies in my home town of West Seattle, Washington, created a forward-thinking, morally responsible, intellectually stimulating social organization for female relatives of the Shriners of North America. Less than ten years later, the Shriners gave this Daughters of the Nile organization the opportunity to help support the Shriners Hospitals for Children system through financial contributions, provision of goods, and volunteer hours on-site at the hospitals.

To the present time, the organization has grown to 147 Temples located throughout Canada and the United States, and the women continue to work with focused attention for the Shriners Hospital for Children. To further that concentrated effort, in February 2007, the fraternal Order incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the State of Washington, and subsequently received U.S. IRS approval as a 501(c)(3) public charity in May 2007. This status allows the Daughters of the Nile Foundation to receive fully tax-deductible contributions for its endowment fund. This fund, together with cash gifts given, generates sufficient investment income to provide yearly cash donations to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in the approximate amount of $1.5 million. In addition, Daughters of the Nile members give over $1.5 million worth of goods and supplies to the hospitals every year.

We Daughters of the Nile like to share our enthusiasm for the organization and its philanthropic purpose. After all, it’s not all work! The membership enjoys great friendship, social contacts, and activities. I extend to you an invitation to look through this fraternal website and our linked Foundation website so that you can find out about us and our work. There’s always room for more people at our functions – for many hands make light work and every party loves more people!

It really is a humbling honor for me to represent this organization as its Supreme Queen and its Chairman of the Board of Directors. I have but one year to lead to the best of my ability by positive example; to inspire the membership to further this organization’s influence for good in the communities where we live, work and play; and to tell all listening ears about our great philanthropy! It is a great adventure and privilege!

Muriel V. Knapp, Supreme Queen
Chairman of the Board of Directors