Alliance Lodge Fights Hunger This Holiday Season

Alliance Elks Lodge #467 topped last year basket donations. Volunteers filled 300 baskets for 250 needy families. Baskets were filled with enough food for a week and delivered to the families. Some of the bigger families received 2 or 3 baskets. 

Berea Elks Bring Holiday Cheer to VA Hospital

The Berea Elks Lodge #1815 in partnership with Columbia Station VFW Post #9340 delivered special Christmas gifts to veterans at the Louis Stokes VA Hospital at Wade Park in Cleveland. The gifts included sweatpants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, underwear, socks, and personal hygiene products. In all, almost 100 veterans were greeted. The Elks also brought holiday music during the event and a therapy dog. A great time was had by all!

Pictured from left, Lodge Secretary Danielle Mahany, ER Jeff Coyle, member Gary Farkas and Mrs Claus!

Pictured above are Lalene Kay, Member David Kay, and a musical guest

Pictured are Michelle Hill, Linus, and Secretary Danielle Mahany

Salem Elks Hosts Local Hoop Shoot

Salem Elks Lodge #305 held their local Basketball Hoop Shoot contest on Sunday, December 9th at the Community Center Plex.

Those pictured left to right are Douglas Rudibaugh, PER and Chairman; Alaina Johnston 1st in girls 12-13, Macey Troy 1st in girls 10-11, Destany Cunningham runner-up and Alivia Ruth 1st in girls 8-9; Blake Bezon 1st in 8-9 boys; Luke Courtney runner-up and Steven Landfried 1st in the boys 12-13. The winners will continue onto the NE District Hoop Shoot contest on Saturday, January 16th at the Ravenna High School.

Newark Elks Take Aim at Officers for CP

As a Cerebral Palsy fundraiser, Newark Elks Lodge #391 held a Pie-In-the-Face event.  Several Officers and bartenders volunteered to let members "take a sweet shot" at them...for a price!  Laughter, whipped cream, and donations were abundant!

Pictured from left to right are: Esquire Valerie Deedrick, Trustee Dave Underhill, ER John Ridenbaugh, member Mike Firestone and Chaplain/CP Chair Debbie Provasko.

Athens Elks Lodge Delivers Christmas Cheer

Athens Elks Lodge #973 delivered 96 Christmas food baskets to families in need, including presents for their children, on Saturday, Dec 15th. The "food baskets" was enough food to feed a family of four, for two weeks! The cost involved in this annual program is approximately $7,000. 

Pictured is Athens Police Officer Destry Flick, who helped the Athens Elks Lodge #973 deliver the items to families within the city of Athens.

Upper Sandusky Lodge Assists Shop with a Cop Program

Upper Sandusky Elks Lodge #83 recently assisted the Upper Sandusky Police Department in their annual Shop with a Cop program. The lodge donated $1,000 to help the 24 children chosen to participate be able to purchase hats, coats, boots, and gloves!

Pictured with the USPD representatives is PER Amy Ratliff.

Ashland Elks #1360 Host Foster Kids Christmas Party

The Ashland Elks Lodge #1360 held a Christmas party for the foster kids in Ashland County for the 13th year. In all, 27 foster kids received gifts from Santa. The kids and their families arrived at the Elks for lunch and games until Santa's sleigh arrived and he handed out gifts to the children. 

Photo Santa with his helpers: left to right. Shay and Emma Oxenrider, Shawn Bartly, Santa, Scott and Judy Peters, Tom Masburger, Michele Larue and Mike Fallon.

Van Wert Elks Lodge #1197 Remembers Our Veterans

Van Wert Lodge Elks Lodge #1197, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks veterans committee recently made a donation of $195.00 to the Wreaths across America program.    The monies will purchase 13 wreaths.

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, the mission of Wreaths Across America it to Remember, Honor and Teach, which is carried out by coordinating wreath laying in ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery as well as more than 1,400 additional locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.

Pictured are Keith Collins, Lodge Veteran Committee Chairman along with members of Boy Scout Troop 32.

This year National Wreaths across America Day is set for December 15 and Boy Scout Troop 32 from Middle Point, OH will be participating in the laying of wreaths at the Woodland Cemetery in Van Wert.

Van Wert Elks Lodge is proud to be able to remember our deceased veterans during this holiday season.

Kent Elks Lodge #1377 Helps Homeless Veterans

Kent Elks Lodge #1377 used their Elks National Foundation Anniversary Grant to purchase a shed for the Freedom House in Kent which is a transient home for homeless male veterans. The lodge also provided coats, hats and gloves along with gift cards .

From left: Tiffany Hawley, program coordinator, Cody Sparks, freedom house rep., and Lisa Wadlow, ENF grants coordinator.

From left to right Cody Sparks, Senior Support Worker Lisa Wadlow, ENF grants coordinator, Tiffany Hawley, program coordinator with Freedom House.

The shed is for storage of the donation items they receive for the veterans new homes.

Berea Elks Work To Reduce Hunger in NE Ohio

Members from Berea Elks Lodge #1815 helped to identify, sort and repack over 10,500 pounds of frozen meat for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Meat was re-packed from large pallets to smaller, 25 pounds boxes which will be distributed across 900 agencies and pantries over a six county area.

The Cleveland Food Bank estimates that volunteer efforts like this help save the organization over $3M annually, helping to close the “food gap” of nearly 58,000 meals every day.

Many thanks to the wonderful Berea Elks members who worked so hard to meet the need.

Ohio River Valley Elks #231 Brings Book Fair to Local Students

Ohio River Valley Elks Lodge #231, Martins Ferry, staged a book fair for the Bellaire, OH Middle and High School’s After School Academy students.  The event was held in conjunction with its annual Thanksgiving dinner prepared and attended by the students and their families. 

Prior to the event, Elks worked with the teacher moderators to compile a list of books to present to the students and enhance their library offerings. Titles were chosen and ordered by Elks from Scholastic and Amazon at the most reasonable prices available.

High school teachers picked several titles to use with an entire group of the after school attendees and 20 books of the same title were provided.  Middle school students all received a math workbook How to Ace Middle School Math and were permitted to pick one other title for personal use.  The remainder of the $2,500 worth of books was donated to enhance the school library.

Elk members were hosted at the dinner and then presented books to excited and deserving youngsters.  The event came about in response to identifying a student need and the Elks using an Elks National Foundation (ENF) Promise Grant to help meet that need.

Two more book fairs are scheduled in January for after school students in Martins Ferry and Bridgeport, OH.  These fairs will be supported by the Lodge 231’s ENF Beacon Grant.

Marysville Elks #1130 Continues Dictionary Project

These 3rd graders from Navin and Fairbanks Elementary Schools recently received their own dictionaries thanks to the Marysville Elks Lodge #1130. 

Member Betsy Spain is shown presenting a dictionary to her grandson at Edgewood Elementary School.

The Dictionary Project is in its 12th year and distributes over 800 dictionaries to all the 3rd graders in the 4 school districts in Union County.  To date nearly 9,000 students have benefited from this project which would be difficult to continue with out the support of the ENF Gratitude Grant.

Ohio River Valley Elks #231 Helps American Veterans

Ohio River Valley Elks Lodge #231 received a Freedom Grant from Elks National Foundation in the amount of $2,000.

This was used to purchase pajamas and slippers for veterans in four different nursing homes. We needed bags to put the gifts in and Belmont Savings Bank in Bellaire donated bags for each gift.

This photo shows a veteran at Country Club Retirement receiving his new pajamas, purchased with a Freedom Grant from the Elks National Foundation. Each veteran at four local nursing homes got a pair of warm pajamas, slippers and a bag of comfort items donated by local school children. These were presented at their Veterans Day Program. Tom and Peggy Cusick are shown in the photo giving a gift to a veteran at the nursing home in Bellaire.

They were delivered in time for Veterans Day and the celebrations in the nursing homes. The veterans were delighted with the gifts. Our veterans names will be placed on the Christmas Tree at Boscov’s.

People who take a star will purchase a gift, Boscov’s will wrap it and these will be delivered to the veterans in time for Christmas. We also have sweatshirts, socks and a can of popcorn for each of them. This has been one of the best years for our veteran’s program and with your help we served a lot of veterans.

As our slogan goes, "As long as there are veterans, the Elks will never forget them". Many thanks to all of you for your support and help!

Marysville Elks #1130 Hoop Shoot a Great Success

Winners were recently crowned in the annual Marysville Elks Lodge #1130 Hoop Shoot Contest at the Marysville High School Gymnasium.  

14 students participated in this year’s competition at the local level.  Elk members and the Marysville High School Boys Basketball team assisted the competitors by keeping score and rebounding the basketballs. 

Shown in the picture are the winners and participants. The winners were: Boys 8-9 years old division - Dominick Dials, 10-11 division - Drew Hughes, 12-13 division - Merrick Reynolds. Girls 10-11 division Kylie Levings. The other participants are: A.J. Gratz, Drew Chaffin, Kiefer Brock, Alex Orders, Braden Bates, Brady Carper, Dawson Taylor, Caden Canfield, Carson Taylor, Clark Aden.

The winners of each division are moving on to compete in the South Central District Hoop Shoot January 13 at Newark High School. 

Berea Elks Lodge #1815 Helps Drug Awareness and Public Safety

The Berea Elks Lodge #1815 donated $500 to the Berea Police Department to cover costs for materials for the Too Good For Drugs program that is taught to all 4th and 5th graders in the Berea City School system.

Additionally, another $1,000 dollars was donated to the Berea Fire Department to purchase new smoke detectors and lock boxes to be delivered to those in the community in need.

The checks were presented publicly at a recent City of Berea Council Meeting.

These funds were made possible by a Gratitude Grant from the Elks National Foundation.

Pictured from left: Sgt. Pat Greenhill of Berea Police, Lt. Tom Emming of Berea Fire, Richard Threadgill, PER, and Chief of Police, Joe Grecol.

New Lexington Elks Lodge #509 Honored By PCCA With Dove Award

During Breast Cancer Awareness month, members of the Perry County Cancer Alliance (PCCA) held their  annual vigil on the Perry County Courthouse steps Oct.18th.  This event recognized cancer survivors and those individuals and organizations supporting the PCCA.

During the ceremony, New Lexington Elks Lodge #509 was awarded the Dove award for its continuous and generous donations they provide to the PCCA (over $73,000 donated since 2009.) Over $4,000 has been donated to date this year alone.

Accepting this award on behalf of New Lexington Elks Lodge #509 that evening were Exalted Ruler Carl Trunko and Esteemed Loyal Knight Tina McCall.

Elroy Helps Newark Elks Lodge #391 Pass out Drug Awareness Materials and Candy

Newark Elks Lodge# 391 members worked to put together bags to hand out to the children at the Halloween on the Square Event held in the city on October 25th. The bags contained drug awareness coloring books, crayons, wrist bands, bookmarks and information for parents.

The children were delighted to see Elroy and he received many high 5’s and hugs from children and adults alike as lodge members passed out the bags and candy.  An estimated 1100 children attended the event.

Pictured on the right: member Tom Stoyle passes out the drug awareness bags as new member Renee Brewer, in crayon costume, passes out candy.

New Lexington Elks Helps With Expired Drug Collection

The New Lexington Elks Lodge #509 partnered with the Perry County Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) to help prevent expired and unused medications going into water systems. 

During the recent annual drive-thru flu clinic Oct.10th held at the Perry County Fairgrounds,441 disposable drug deactivation bags (Deterra) were passed out to everyone receiving a flu shot.

With the assistance of members of the Perry County Sheriffs Dept., New Lexington Police Dept. and the Perry County Health Dept. these bags allowed people to dispose of unused drugs correctly. 

550 Deterra bags were purchased through a $2,000 Gratitude Grant from the Elks National Foundation. The remaining biodegradable bags(designed to deteriorate and keep wastes from water systems) were shared with the Sheriffs Dept. and Police Dept. for future use.

Officers and Trustees of New Lexington Lodge #509 present were Phil Wollenberg PER,Lodge Esquire and Grant Committee Chairperson, Trustee Jim Leckrone, Grant writer Trustee Mike Sherlock, Ruth Liff-Gray, Esteemed Leading Knight,RSVP director, Sheri Howydshell, Lodge manager and Mark Shoemaker, Lodge Tiler.

Van Wert Elks Hosts Successful Hoop Shoot

Van Wert Elks Lodge #1197, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks held their Annual Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at the Goedde Building, Van Wert City Schools in Van Wert.   The contest was open to all boys and girls, ages 8 thru 13 and the boys and girls competed separately in their age class.   All participants shoot 25 free throw shots to compete.

The Elks National “Hoop Shoot” is the nation’s largest co-ed sports competition and the only non-commercial sporting event conducted on a national basis.  More than three million boys and girls, ages 8 to 13, from all fifty states, compete in the Elks “Hoop Shoot” contests at various levels of competition each year.

All the participants received special Hoop Shoot tee shirts, provided by sponsors, Lee’s Ace Hardware, Van Wert Propane, Lee Kinstle GM and Pizza Hut.

 The first place winners of the local contest will advance to the district competition, which will be held at 1:00 pm in the King Horn Center at the Ohio Northern University on January 13, 2018.

The winners in the boys divisions are: Age 12-13 Division: Dalton Keysor, 1st place.  Age 10-11 Division: Griffin McCracken, 1st place and Caden Sinn, 2nd place.   Age 8-9 Division:  Ryder Brown, 1st place and Broylin Sinn, 2nd place.                                                                           

The winners in the girls divisions are:  Age 12-13 Division: are Ashlyn Price, 1st place, Tianna Sinn, 2nd place and Breece Baltzell, 3rd place.    Age 10-11 Division: Sophia Brickner, 1st place; Jazzlyn Florence, 2nd place and Riley Brown, 3rd place.     Age 8-9 Division: Brenner Keysor, 1st place.

 Kyle Hammons, Lodge Chairman thanks everyone who participated in the contest this year.

Ohio Elks Northwest District Helps Veterans

On October 21st at the Northwest District Meeting held at Lima Elks Lodge #54, several donations of personal care items and new clothing was brought in for Veterans residing at the Sandusky Ohio Veterans Home. 

Lodges and their members donating respectively were Defiance Lodge #147, Van Wert Lodge #1197,  and Toledo –Sylvania #53. Also donated were generous monetary gifts totaling $3,040 in funds allocated to our 1 North Adopted unit.

Presenting donations were North West District Association, Toledo-Sylvania Lodge #53 and Maumee/BG Lodge #1850, Fremont Lodge #169 funds remaining from the Adopt A Veteran Mud Hens Baseball Game.

Following the meeting all the collecting personal gifts along with the donation check were delivered to the Ohio Veterans Home. 

Pictured: Kimberly Lewallen, Volunteer Coordinator, Ohio/ NW District Rep Mary Beaston, and Veteran Kenny.

The Veterans greatly appreciate everything the Elks do for them.