The legacy of Shriners connects son and father. For Michael Kerns, the Shriners were always part of his childhood — parades, Easter and Christmas events, parties at the temple.
Source: Making His Parents Proud
From Shriners International website. Our friend Illustrious Sir Mike Kerns from Ali Ghan.
“He enjoyed being ‘one of the guys’,” Kerns said. Kerns became a member of Ali Ghan Shriners in 2007. “It was one thing that my dad did in life that I felt like I could emulate,” Kerns said. “I wanted to follow in his shoes.” Like his father, Kerns enjoys the fun and fellowship. He loves clowning and driving the little cars in the Motor Corps. As an experienced driver, Kerns typically leads the unit in parades, zigzagging the figure-8s and making spectators laugh. “The parades are really fun to me,” Kerns said. “But I rarely smile, because I am concentrating so hard!”
Being a Shriner, he said, means “Being able to share joy through parading with my fraternal brothers when driving the little yellow cars or clowning. It’s a way to spread joy to our communities and put a smile on a child’s face, knowing we are making a difference in children’s lives.”
Serving the Fraternity and the Philanthropy
Following in his father’s footsteps also brought a new dimension into Kern’s life. Although his father never pursued leadership opportunities within Shrinedom, Kerns held various roles for the Motor Corps. Then he was asked to serve the temple’s leadership team; he was Potentate of Ali Ghan in 2020. Currently, he is the temple’s treasurer. “You get this crazy idea you can help people!” Kerns said with a smile. Kerns enjoys serving the philanthropy and is on the Board of Governors for the Shriners Hospitals for Children location in Erie, Pennsylvania. “I feel like if you do something, you need to do it right. You need to step above and beyond.”
A Positive Spirit Even During the Pandemic
Michael Kerns’ mother, Theresa, has also been a role model for him. She has been an Eastern Star and Daughter of the Nile for more than 50 years. In 2020, when Kerns was Potentate, his mom served as his First Lady. Although they weren’t able to host galas together as they had hoped, they were proud to be able to lead their temple through the pandemic.