Rainbow Girls Conference Held In Nashua This Weekend

The 79th annual statewide gathering of members of the New Hampshire jurisdiction of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls will be held in Nashua at the Courtyard Marriott at 22 Southwood Drive from July 5 to July 7, 2019.

Rainbow, a non-profit organization for girls ages 11-20, with “Pledge” and “Sparkle” groups for girls as young as 6, has existed in New Hampshire since 1924.

Members from the around the state, as well as visiting girls from around the country, will converge on Nashua for this annual celebration of sisterhood.

The festivities will include competitions; awards and recognition, including the distribution of scholarships; a banquet on Saturday night, and the installation of statewide officers on Sunday morning.

This year’s theme for the gathering, known as “Grand Assembly”, is the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch and is titled “Find Your Family with New Hampshire Rainbow”. While a lot of the important statewide business is addressed at the sessions, the weekend is full of fun, color, music, and emotion.

“When I joined this organization back in 2009, I didn’t realize how much of an impact it would have on my life.”, said Madeline Going of Nashua, the 2018-19 youth leader of the organization.

“Rainbow has given me lifelong friends and the skills to be a successful individual with whatever path I choose in my future. I have the confidence to take on whatever challenge comes my way because of Rainbow. But besides all the skills, the friends, and the scholarships we always advertise as a part of our organization, what will stick with me the most is the memories. Going to Dunkin’ Donuts at 6am before a long trip, pulling pranks at out-of-state events, and just being there with other Rainbow Girls from all around the world; those are the things that I will cherish most from this organization.”, Going continued.

Going, 20, will end her term as Grand Worthy Advisor, and her years as a Rainbow girl, at the close of the sessions. She recently completed her Sophomore year at the Mt. Ida Campus of UMass Amherst and is studying Veterinary Technology.

“Our Grand Assembly sessions are a culmination of the girl’s hard work. It is a time for the girls to let their light shine with the confidence that is growing inside them, a time to gather together in friendship and fun, a time to re-connect with mentors from years gone by, and a time to further develop those bonds in their own Assembly which helps them with later life skills. It is a great pleasure for me watching each girl grow into confident young women of tomorrow.”, said Joan L. Smith, the adult leader of Rainbow in New Hampshire.

Sessions will end on Sunday with the semi-public installation of the 2018-19 statewide officers. Nykola Isaia, 19, of New Boston will begin her term as Grand Worthy Advisor for the ensuing year’s term. She is a student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI.

About the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls

For over 80 years, The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls has helped girls to become strong, confident leaders. Through an integration of community service with fun and leadership-focused programs, girls are challenged with responsibility, encouraged to serve their communities, and taught valuable lessons of love and sisterhood. The order was founded in 1922 in McAlester, Oklahoma by the Reverend W. Mark Sexson as a Masonic youth service organization. Today, membership is open to any girl regardless of Masonic affiliation

About New Hampshire Rainbow

With its first chapter founded in Concord in 1924, the governing body of New Hampshire Rainbow was formed on May 3, 1941 in Concord with its first Grand Sessions attended by Governor Robert O. Blood. New Hampshire Rainbow currently has 8 chapters, each known as an “Assembly”. Each Assembly is run by the girls with the assistance of adult Advisors. The Assemblies are in Nashua, Tilton/Franklin, Holderness/North Haverhill, Milford, Derry, Rochester, Exeter, and Goffstown. In New Hampshire, Assemblies are sponsored by Chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star, a co-ed Masonic organization, or Masonic Lodges. New Hampshire Rainbow supports charities like Girls at Work and David’s House.

For more information on Rainbow, visit http://www.nhrainbow.org or http://www.gorainbow.org.