About Us
Fun and Fellowship
About Us
About Us
About Us
Celebrating Over 52 Years of Fun and Fellowship (1974 - 2026)
ABOUT US
The Jamil Shriners are a distinguished fraternity dedicated to community service and philanthropy. As part of the larger Shriners International, our members come from diverse backgrounds, including truck drivers, dentists, contractors, heads of state, movie stars, generals, clergymen, and accountants. With a rich heritage rooted in Freemasonry, every Jamil Shriner is a Master Mason committed to the principles of brotherhood, charity, and fellowship.
Our organization is renowned for its vibrant parades, colorful costumes, and engaging community events. However, our most significant contribution lies in our unwavering support for Shriners Children's Hospitals. These 22 specialized hospitals across North America have provided transformative care to over 735,000 children since 1922, offering orthopedic, burn, and spinal cord injury treatments at no cost to families.
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Jamil Shriners is to foster a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie among its members while making a profound impact on the lives of children in need.
Through our support of Shriners Children's Hospitals, we are dedicated to providing exceptional medical care to children regardless of their families' ability to pay, ensuring every child has the opportunity to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be a beacon of hope and healing for children and families, extending the reach and capabilities of Shriners Hospitals for Children.
We strive to create a world where all children have access to the highest quality medical care, empowering them to overcome physical challenges and achieve their full potential. Through our commitment to philanthropy and community service, the Jamil Shriners aim to inspire and unite individuals from all walks of life in the pursuit of a brighter future for all.
The History of the Shrine
Shrinedom had its beginning in 1870 in New York City when a group of Masons established a new fraternal organization for Master Masons based on having fun, fellowship, and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. It was then known as “THE ANCIENT ARABIC ORDER OF THE MYSTIC SHRINE”, which over time become Shriners of North America, and now Shriners International.
After its initial establishment, the Shrine movement began to spread throughout the United States. By 1878, there were 425 Shriners in 13 Temples (now called Shrine Centers) in 8 states. Within ten years, by 1888, there were over 7,000 Shriners in 48 Temples and by 1900 there were 85,000 Shriners and 82 Temples.
Shrinedom in the two Carolinas began in 1894, with the creation of Oasis Temple in Charlotte, North Carolina. Oasis then became the “Mother Temple" for all of the two Carolinas. The growth of Shrinedom within the Carolinas produced initiates from all across North and South Carolina: from Asheville, Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington, Spartanburg, Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia. But with this growth came logistical issues of traveling the great distances for Temple meetings and events; not to mention the issues with communicating with the Nobility in a timely and expedient manner.
To address these issues new Temples were established across the Carolinas and these were:
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Omar Temple in Charleston, South Carolina in 1807
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Sudan Temple in New Bern, North Carolina in 1916
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Hejaz Temple in Greenville, South Carolina in 1920
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Jamil Temple in Columbia, South Carolina in 1974
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Amran Temple in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1976
The History of Jamil Shrine Center
The Arabic meaning of the word "Jamil" means "Beautiful"
The story of Jamil Shrine Temple began years before the Temple itself was officially established. Shrine activity in the Columbia area took root in the 1950s and 1960s through groups including the Omar Temple Legion of Honor and the Omar Motor Patrol. Their members shared a vision of establishing a permanent Shrine presence in the Midlands and, in the mid-1960s, organized the Columbia Shrine Club. Through the generosity and hard work of local Shriners and their families, funds were raised, ten acres of land were purchased at our present location, and the original auditorium was constructed. When Jamil Temple was later established, the Columbia Shrine Club donated its property, building, and other assets to the new Temple.
The effort to establish an independent Shrine Temple in Columbia formally gained momentum in the early 1970s. Led by a dedicated committee of local Nobles, including John M. Terry, the first Potentate of Jamil, the group secured 1,464 signatures in support of forming the new Temple. Their first effort to receive dispensation in 1972 was unsuccessful, but the committee refused to give up. After another year of determined work and cooperation with Shrine leadership, their efforts succeeded.
On July 4, 1973, at the Imperial Council Session in Atlanta, Georgia, Jamil Temple officially received its dispensation. It was a fitting Independence Day milestone for the members who had worked for years toward establishing a Shrine Temple dedicated to fellowship and service to children through the Shrine's philanthropic mission.
Jamil's growth was extraordinary from the beginning. Thirty-one new Shrine Units were organized, and the Temple held its first Ceremonial on November 3, 1973. That class welcomed 865 new Nobles, setting a record in the history of the Shrine of North America. A second Ceremonial in June 1974 added another 673 members, followed by 257 more that September. In only its first year and a half, Jamil grew from its original 1,464 petitioning members to 3,806 Nobles.
Jamil received its Charter in 1974 and soon began expanding its facilities to meet the needs of its rapidly growing membership. Construction beginning in 1975 added offices, meeting rooms, a lounge, and an enlarged auditorium, with the expanded Temple completed in 1976. Members and Units personally supported the financing of the project, and through years of fundraising and dedication, the Temple's mortgage was fully paid by the summer of 1980.
The years have also brought challenges. In 1978, a major fire damaged the upstairs portion of the Temple and caused extensive smoke damage throughout the building. Important ceremonial items, including Jamil's original Dispensation and Charter certificates, were destroyed. Once again, Jamil's members came together, and the building was repaired, restored, and its lost ceremonial items were replaced.
Throughout its history, Jamil has been built upon the dedication of its Nobles, Units, Clubs, Aides, committee members, families, and volunteers. Generations of members have given their time, talents, resources, and leadership to strengthen the Temple and support the charitable work at the heart of Shrinedom.
More than five decades after receiving its dispensation, Jamil Shrine continues that tradition. The buildings, programs, fellowship, and community we enjoy today are the result of those who came before us — and their commitment remains the foundation upon which Jamil continues to build its future.
What is a Shriner?
“Oh yeah, Shriners are those guys who always have those parades with the wild costumes, wearing funny hats like flowerpots and have those big conventions.”
“I don’t know about that, but I do know my little girl was born with club feet and now they are straight, and she can walk like anyone else, thanks to Shriners Hospital for Children.”
“I thought the Shriners ran those fantastic burn hospitals. I’ve read stories about them saving kids with burns on 90 percent of their bodies.”
All those people are right. Each has experienced and aspect of the Shrinedom. What they cannot experience, unless they are Shriners, is the camaraderie, deep friendship, good fellowship and great times shared by all Shriners. What they may not know is that all Shriners share a Masonic heritage and adhere to the principles of Freemasonry – Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.
Thirteen Masons organized the first Shrine Temple in 1872. That first Temple was named Mecca and was in New York City. They knew they needed on appealing theme for their new order, so they chose the Arabic (Near East) theme. The most noticeable symbol of Shrinedom is the distinctive fez that all Shriners wear at official functions.
There are approximately 250,000 Shriners now. There are 196 Temples throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Republic of Panama, Philippines, Europe, and Brazil. There are 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children, 18 orthopaedic hospitals, three burn hospitals and one hospital that provides orthopaedic, burn and spinal cord injury care. These hospitals have cured or substantially helped more than one million children regardless of the ability to pay, since the first Shriners Hospital opened in 1922.
Why Shriners Wear A Fez
The red fez with a black tassel, the Shrine’s most distinctive symbol, has been handed down through the ages. It derives its name from the place where it was first manufactured — the holy city of Fez, Morocco. The fez was chosen as part of the Shrine’s Arabic (Near-Eastern) theme, around which the color and pageantry of the Shrine are developed.
