The Shriners are a member of the American Secret Brotherhood. They are not Franciscans. They only absorb members of the Order of the Holy Knights and thirty-second-level Franciscans as their members. It is an organization within the Freemasonry that originated in the late nineteenth century. Shriners just want to have fun, and they try to put their eccentric behavior in perspective by completing some charity work on behalf of Children's Hospital. Recently, their image has been greatly reduced, and it was revealed that of the $8 billion in donations they received, less than 25% was actually used for charitable activities.