Cheryle Honerlah, 18, participates in her Grand Officer

Dedicated to community service and supporting one another, the
South Valley assembly of the Rainbow Girls isn’t what you think
They are not a cult. They are not gay pride advocates. They are not unaccustomed to whispers of curiosity. They are not to forget their pantaloons under their long dresses.

“They” are lovely modern-day young ladies of the South Valley who are part of the nonprofit, service-oriented organization known as the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.

The group, commonly referred to as the Rainbow Girls, was founded by a Freemason in 1922, and many of the original ceremonial traditions and terms remain. Their deep bows of greeting to organization leaders; the extended memory recitations from the “Ritual,” also sometimes called the book of ceremonies; the secret meetings and the group’s affiliation with the rainbow symbol have all led to rumors and speculation. But the girls in South Valley Assembly 125 just roll their eyes and sigh in exasperation at the whispers and misinformation.

“We are not a cult, and we are not affiliated with any other group with the word ‘rainbow’ in their name,” said Stephanie Koppi, 15, who has been a Rainbow Girl since she was 11 and a pledge girl since she was 8. “We do learn self-confidence, how to speak in public, trust and so many other things. I can walk into any group and feel comfortable with myself and not worry about being judged by anyone.”

In recent years, the upper echelon of Rainbow Girls has taken care to relax some traditional rules to help dispel myths surrounding the group. At one time, only a Rainbow Girl or former Rainbow Girl could attend meetings. Now, parents, grandparents and legal guardians are all permitted to attend the meetings.

At one time, every detail of the ceremonies and teachings of Rainbow Girls was a guarded secret. Now, anyone can check out a copy of the Ritual from the Library of Congress, said Katrina Sherwood, 17, who has been a Rainbow Girl for almost seven years and who was a pledge girl for three years before that.

“People are afraid of what they don’t understand,” she said. “The meetings are closed, but I can tell you what I’ve learned at Rainbow. I’ve learned not to be afraid to talk, public speaking, how to hold myself. I’ve learned embroidery, how to make quilt squares, how to enjoy community service and charity work. I’d never have learned these things without Rainbow.”

Rainbow Girls is 275,000 girls strong with more than 1 million alumni. The organization is in 45 states and nine countries.

“The meetings are secret to keep them sacred and to keep it special for the girls,” said Ena Ferranti, one of the adult leaders. “I was a Rainbow Girl, and I still value the lessons I learned. We teach these girls to be ladies, and there are wonderful scholarships for Rainbow Girls.”

The girls meet twice a month at the Masonic Lodge in Gilroy to engage in ceremonies that review teachings and to plan community service projects. In the past, the South Valley assembly of the Rainbow Girls has worked at the Garlic Festival, made luminaries for the annual Relay for Life, served dinner at Wheeler Manor retirement home, donated to battered women’s shelters, participated in beach clean-ups, and cleaned light and telephone poles to get rid of old postings and stickers.

The girls also attend both educational and fun field trips.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the organization is the dress code for members. The girls wear modest, long dresses to every meeting and ceremony. The hem of the dresses must be no more than 2 inches from the ground. The straps must be at least an inch thick. Although girls must wear bras, they are not to be visible, and necklines cannot be too revealing.

The code has been relaxed to permit Sunday-best pants at regular meetings, though not at formal ceremonies, but Assembly 125 has not adopted the relaxed rules. The dresses must also be brightly colored – no dark colors allowed. Adult leaders must also wear long dresses.

“You can tell the difference when the girls are wearing pants. They kind of slump over and are very lax,” said Pat Gewin, an adult leader. “But when they’re in their dresses, they carry themselves differently. They sit up, their shoulders are back and they hold their heads high.”

The girls learn to walk in a certain way so it appears they float across the room. They roll their feet and seem to glide beneath the crinolines and hoops of their skirts. They also learn to walk in straight lines, doing military-style left faces when it’s time to turn a corner. They must never address adult leaders by their first names. They refer to them as Mrs. Gewin, Mrs. Ferranti and Mrs. Honerlah.

“We learn to be responsible, and we learn respect for each other, for our peers and for adults,” said Brianna Anglikowski, 12, who has been a Rainbow Girl for a year. “I used to pass out in front of people if I had to talk, but now I can look at an audience and speak louder.”

Rainbow Girls range in age from 11 to 21, though girls can pledge when they’re 8. They are much like the rainbow they’ve adopted as their trademark: They are different sizes, shapes, colors, ages and backgrounds.

“I had, like, three friends before Rainbow, and I didn’t talk to people,” said Heather Brodersen, 13, who has been a Rainbow Girl for two years. “Now I have a lot of friends because I’ll actually talk to people and because Rainbow is like a family.”

The Meaning of the Colors

Rainbow Girls learn and memorize teachings associated with seven colors of the rainbow, reciting them during meetings.

Red: Love, in all its forms.     

Orange: Religion, though Rainbow Girls is not affiliated with a specific religion. Members must believe in a higher power of some sort, whether it is Buddha, Christ, God, or an un-named power.

Yellow: Nature, and its importance in daily life.    

Green: Immortality, an understanding of death as part of life.     

Blue: Fidelity, with an emphasis on being honest and reliable.    

Indigo: Patriotism, and encouraging citizenship.     

Violet: Service, the lesson that ties all others together.

Source: www.iorg.org

The Past Ten Years of Charity

Every year, all Rainbow Girl Assemblies of California work toward one special service project. The assemblies do fundraisers to make money to donate to various charitable organizations. This year’s “Grand Service Project” will benefit Straight From the Heart, Inc., a foster-care resource charity that gives new foster families care packages of necessary items such as diapers and formula to help them care for their foster child.

In the last 10 years, the Rainbow Girls have raised almost $920,000 for charity.

1996 $76,090 for Multiple Sclerosis Research at UCLA School of Medicine

1997 $80,845 for Shriners Hospitals for Children, Sacramento Unit

1998 $82,663 for Canine Companions for Independence

1999 $85,876 for Blind Babies Foundation

2000 $100,787 for Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Association

2001 $94,566 for Speech and Language Development Center

2002 $106,306 for Freedom in Motion Therapeutic Riding Center

$2,597 for New York UFA Widow’s and Children’s Fund

2003 $108,567 for Camp Sunshine Dreams, a nonprofit camp for children with cancer and their siblings

2004 $90,907 for No Limits for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

2005 $86,818 for Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation

$339,500 for Locks of Love

Source: International Order of the Rainbow for Girls

Become a Rainbow Girl

To become a Rainbow Girl or to get someone you know involved in the organization, contact the South Valley’s local Assembly 125 adult leaders.

Ena Ferranti: (408) 842-4704

Pat Gewin: (408) 842-3777

Petition

Turn in a petition, available from the Rainbow Girls, asking to be allowed membership.

Investigation/Information Sharing

Once the petition is received, it is reviewed by the Advisory Board and the Assembly. When the petition is accepted, a committee of three people will visit the prospective member and her parents at their home. The chief purpose of this visit is to provide the parents and the prospective member with more information about Rainbow and to answer any questions.

Balloting

Balloting is the next step and is a traditional ceremony that is largely a formality. Only a few have ever been rejected for membership. Petitions are usually only rejected if a girl abuses drugs or alcohol, has a serious criminal record or has been pregnant out of wedlock, according to the adult leaders of Assembly 125.

Initiation

A booklet called “The Journey of Initiation” is available from the Supreme Assembly to help provide some brief explanations of the principle lessons and teachings of Rainbow Girls. This booklet may be shared with prospective members and their parents. The Initiation Ceremony is a solemn presentation that impresses an obligation on young women to live a good life and do right.

Source: www.iorg.org

The Order of Rainbow Girls

The organization of the order is complicated but not impossible to understand, according to the girls. Here’s a breakdown:

– Supreme is the international leadership level

– Grand is the jurisdictional leadership level. A jurisdiction is often a state, but some are countries or combined states or other geographic areas.

At the local assembly level, the member leader hierarchy goes as follows:

– Worthy Advisor

– Line Officers, who are elected to their positions, and progress to increasingly more responsible positions until the member becomes the Worthy Advisor

– All Officers, each with its own duties

– Choir/Members, who are active members, but who do not hold office

At the local assembly level, the adult leader hierarchy goes as follows:

– Mother Advisor

– Advisory Board

– Other Advisors

Source: www.iorg.org, the official Rainbow Girls Web site

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