The North Carolina Mason

Never Forget: Brother Burton's Humble Beginnings B rother Isaac Burton was born in an orphanage in San Jose, Costa Rica, but was brought to America by his adoptive parents in Virginia. He never forgot his humble beginnings, and his passion to help children never waned. In the process of becoming an Eagle Scout during 2013, Burton raised money for shoes and baby formula for the orphanage where he lived in his youth. In 2019, Brother Burton noticed the square and compasses for the first time, displayed on the car of a good friend. His questions about the Masonic lodge were answered in 2020 when he was initiated, passed and raised by a lodge in his home state of Virginia. Later that year, he moved to Charlotte, NC and joined Charles M. Setzer No. 693. It was there that he first heard about the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford (MHCO). Upon meeting Yancey Otero of MHCO and getting a tour of the campus, Burton knew at once he had found a calling. He told MHCO administrator Kevin Otis that he wanted to get involved. "The MHCO is a wonderful place, and if I had not been adopted by my parents and was still in Costa Rica, it's more than likely I never would have had the opportunity to be a Mason and to become more active with the MHCO and other orphanages around the state, or even the country," Burton said. He said, "In Costa Rica, things are so different due to poverty and the orphanage I stayed in did not have the same opportunities or a program like the MHCO." Burton noted that since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the orphanage in Costa Rica is lacking in supplies like shoes and baby formula. Brother Burton wants more friends, Masons and government leaders to realize that it is never too late to help at-risk youth and orphans. He's grateful for the parents who instilled in him morals and the need to help others who are less fortunate. His first- hand experience in Costa Rica and recognition of its need for even the most basic materials, combined with the first-class facilities offered by MHCO, keep him filled with a drive to help. "I know there are still children in Costa Rica who have likely been moved out of the orphanage due to the age requirements, and may now be homeless or at risk," he said. "I hope not, but that is why awareness is so important. I owe so much to my parents who raised me, and realize that it is now my passion to do all I can for at-risk youth and orphans." "The MHCO is a wonderful place, and if I had not been adopted by my parents and was still in Costa Rica, it's more than likely I never would have had the opportunity to be a Mason and to become more active with the MHCO and other orphanages around the state, or even the country." – Bro. Isaac Burton L AT E S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 | 9

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