state sponsor’s president’s message message glenn foster€¦ · · 2017-12-15president’s...

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEGlenn Foster

If I had known that we would havesuch a great time traveling and visitingeach District in our State Association, Iwould have tried for this opportunitymuch sooner. We have visited all eightDistricts and have enjoyed meeting eachof you during our travels. Everywhere wewent, the warmth, friendliness, andBrotherhood has been exceptional. Wethank each of you. The old saying, BPOE stands for, BestPeople on Earth, is exactly correct.

During our Fall Convention, we were honored to haveour Grand Exalted Ruler, Malcolm McPherson, Jr., and hiswife Pat attend the convention. His message was very en-lightening. They both have asked me to extend their sinceregratitude for the hospitality and friendliness bestowed onthem during their visit to Pennsylvania. They both com-mented on how welcoming everyone was. I thank each ofyou for being yourselves. Great job!

Sadly Carlon O’Malley, PGER, could not attend the con-vention because of health reasons. I want to wish both Car-lon and Kay well, and we missed seeing them during theconvention. Maybe they will be able to attend in May.

We had the opportunity to hear the message from RonHicks, PGER, State Sponsor. Ron is excited to be sponsor forthe Pennsylvania Elks and expects great things from ourcommittees and the membership at large. Working togetheras one large team we can make our state association greatagain. Ron and his wife Nancy had a really great time dur-ing the convention as well and are looking forward to re-turning for the Spring Convention.

Malcolm’s administrative assistant, Roy DeRitter, PSP NJElks Association, and his wife Janet attended also. They tooexpressed their thanks for everything during the conven-tion.

All three, Malcolm, Ron, and Roy had great things to sayabout the committee reports that were given Saturday morn-ing and how the atmosphere and excitement carried overthroughout the weekend. I concur with their thoughts onhow much excitement was in the atmosphere all weekend.As I have said, we as Elks have rules and guidelines to follow

STATE SPONSOR’SMESSAGERon Hicks, PGER

It was a pleasure meeting so manydedicated and excited Pennsylvania Elksat the Fall Convention in Harrisburg, myfirst Convention as the new State Spon-sor. Thank you for the warm receptionand hospitality, but most importantlythank you for the way you continue to

demonstrate your “Elks Pride and Community Focus”throughout the Keystone State.

It was a great Convention, blessed with the highest at-tendance in many years, and I know that all who attendedwere extremely proud to hear about how the PennsylvaniaElks are serving our Veterans, Youth, Drug Awareness andState Major Project, and how more and more Lodges aretaking advantage of the ENF Grants to fund their pro-grams and better serve their Communities. No doubt, theElks of Pennsylvania have much to be proud about!

The Committee Reports were interesting and informa-tive, with many individuals and Lodges being recognizedfor their service and accomplishments. The Seminar/Workshops were well attended, and provided much valu-able information on topics of great interest to every Lodge,including Taxes, the Opioid Crisis, new State GamingLaws, Programs for Veterans, ENF Grants and much, muchmore. It was also great to hear that Pennsylvania is off toa terrific start with Membership this year, and, how onthis our 150th Anniversary Year, we intend to be the mostimproved State in all of Elkdom and help our Orderachieve its first Membership gain in 37 years.

There was wonderful food, refreshment and fellowshipin the District Hospitality Rooms, and many dollars wereraised for the Lodges through various raffles, pull tabs andother games of "Skill." The gift baskets donated by Lodgeswere a huge success and raised over $2,500 for ENF,with each donating Lodge sharing in the proceeds. Therewas a lot happening to keep your interest and attentionover the entire weekend, and while I didn't win a thing, itwas fun to be a part of the action.

For those who were not able to attend the Fall Conven-tion, please begin making plans now to join us in May for

(State President - continued on page 2)(State Sponsor - continued on page 2)

The Pennsylvania Elk

Directors and OfficersInsurance Information

William Dickerson, PDDGERAccident Prevention / Insurance Risk Committee Chair

Directors & Officers (D&O) Insuranceand Employment Practices Insurance is notincluded under the Master Liability Pro-gram. D&O/Employment Practices Insu-rance protects the personal assets of individ-ual Officers and Members.

D&O Insurance provides protection for:discrimination claims in the membership se-lection process; breach of duty and; errors/omissions related to Lodge management.

Employment Practices Insurance pro-vides coverage for: employment relatedclaims; sexual harassment; discriminationand; wrongful discharge.

The D&O Insurance and EmploymentPractices Insurance through Aon AffinityServices provides broad coverage and a dis-counted premium for Lodges. The policyprovides all officers, trustees and anyoneacting as an agent of the Lodge with a de-fense. The policy also provides coverage anddefense to the Lodge.

Whether a Lodge needs this coveragemust be determined by the Lodge. EachLodge should review its own circumstancesto properly assess potential exposures. Toobtain information and a quote, please con-tact the Elks Insurance Program Team ofAon Affinity Services [email protected] or800.421.ELKS (800.421.3557) from 8:30AMto 5:00PM CT Monday through Friday

DRUG AWARENESS CHAIRMANDebbie Raible, Chairperson

This year I am asking all lodges to conduct a fund raising activity forAlex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. This is a new Grand Lodge charitythrough ENF that falls under this committee. It was started by Alex a 7year old girl that died of pediatric cancer. She wanted to raise money forresearch for her doctor to find a cure for her cancer, so she opened up alemonade stand at her house. This took off and is now a research founda-tion for pediatric cancer.

I am asking all lodges to conduct their own fundraiser for Alex’s Lemo-nade Stand. I am leading this off with a Fake Beauty Pageant Night spon-sored by the West Central District. It will be held on Saturday March 10,2018 from 7 to 10 pm. I am hoping to raise $5,000 in 3 hours. All are in-vited to attend.

Once your Lodge Activities Committee decides on an event, the firstthing you must do is register it at www.alexslemoade.org. Please registerthe event under your lodge name and # for Pennsylvania to get credit. ifyou have issues registering your event, just call the office. They are veryhelpful in getting you started. You may be asked if you want a starterpackage, take it lot of good stuff. Once registered you will get an eventnumber. Please keep this handy. Once you have event setup on the web-site, you can do many things. Post the link on your Facebook or twitteraccount and ask people to contribute online. Send the link electronicallyor add it to your lodge bulletin and ask members that are out of state orwho cannot attend the event to contribution online or send you a checkwith the event # on the check.

You must include the event # on a cover letter when you send in themoney to the Foundation once your event is complete. You must com-plete your event before April and get all money into the foundation be-fore April 15th.

Take lots of pictures, the site also allows you to upload pictures of yourevent or even preparations for your event.

Grand Lodge is conducting a contest across all States this year for totalper capita contributions to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. With all your help,Pennsylvania can easily win that contest. I would love to bring home thataward and present it to all of you at our Fall Convention.

Finally, email me the date the name of your event, I may just plan toattend.

(State President - continued from page 1)

but we should have fun doing the Great Works of Elkdom. Everyoneenjoyed themselves, which was quite evident. Another positive pointto the Fall Convention was the number of registered members, 314.That was the largest count in recent memory for our Fall Convention.I can hardly wait to see the count in May. Plan now to attend to hearthe great committee reports and the message Mr. Hicks has to offer.

We must not forget to support our State Major Project, the HomeService Program. We must also remember the ENF and the LegacyTrust Fund. Our Veterans must be remembered also. Every past andpresent Service member has given his or her time so that we remain afree country. Some have given the ultimate sacrifice. Please offer aPrayer for our military personnel.

It is not too soon to hold fund raisers for your Lodge to send yourexalted ruler to the Grand Lodge Convention. It is mandated in theGrand Lodge Statutes the exalted ruler or an appointed alternateshould attend.

The winter months are rapidly approaching. Be safe!

Fraternally,Glenn E. Foster,PA Elks State President

the Spring Convention. I look forward to seeingyou, learning more about your Lodges, and hav-ing you participate in the meetings and other fes-tivities. In the meantime, please continue to pro-vide an active Lodge and welcomingenvironment for your Members and prove your-selves a valuable partner for the communitiesyou serve.

Nancy and I wish you and your families a joy-ous Christmas Season and a very Happy NewYear. As we begin the new year, let us reflectupon our successes and resolve to be Loud andProud about who we are and what we do in2018.

Sincerely and fraternally,Ronald L. Hicks, PGER/State Sponsor

P.S.: Please take advantage of the Special 150thAnniversary Grant that is available to everyLodge this year. Don’t leave this “free” money($1,500.00) on the table!

(State Sponsor - continued from page 1)


PA Elks Major ProjectRicki Hood, RN — Special Projects Director

Thanks to a grant from the Special Kids Network, we have had theopportunity to encourage people to plan for the future needs of chil-dren with disabilities and special healthcare needs. Kay Lipsitz, Re-gional Coordinator Supervisor, worked hard to lay the groundwork forthe showing of a PBS documentary titled “Mimi and Dona” at collegesand universities across the state.

This film by Sophie Sartain shows her family dynamics as theystruggle with the question of what to do with her Aunt Dona who hasan intellectual disability. Dona has lived all her life with her motherwho is now in her 90’s. This unforgettable story of love and toughchoices explores issues of disability, long-term care and the realities ofaging.

The Elks Nurses and Regional Coordinators worked together tohost the viewing and will encourage an ongoing conversation aboutthe future needs of persons with disabilities. Many families expect tocare for their loved ones at home. However, a community becomesricher with diversity and often young adults with disabilities dream ofliving, and working independently in their community. The screen-ing of Mimi and Dona provides an opportunity for people to work to-gether to develop options that enrich the lives of persons with disabil-ities, and our communities.

Elks NationalFoundation

Dick Miller, ChairpersonThe Fall Elks Convention was a great success.

In addition to the attendance of the new GERMalcolm J. (Mac) McPherson, Jr., and our newState Sponsor PGER Ron Hicks, the ENF rafflebasket raised a new record amount with a totaldonation for the raffle baskets of $2,525.00.The check will be provided to the Grand ExaltedRuler on behalf of Pennsylvania Elks.

My thanks to the individuals, Lodges, andDistricts that provided the raffle baskets.

The 17 raffle baskets were provided by andwere won by the following:Tarentum Lodge 644 ..........................................................Winner Debbie SmithWest Central District ...........................................................Winner Barb MaduraRaible Family ........................................................................Winner Wendy SeibeWilkins Lodge 577 .............................................................Winner Craig PackardPeg & Pete O’Polka ..........................................................Winner Dorothy SzurlejWest District .............................................................................Winner Bill SchranWest District ...............................................................Winner Becky McCulloughWalter Wieczorck & Nancy Chirichetti .............................Winner Lee McCrillisAllegheny Lodge 339 ..........................................................Winner Helen HughesStephen & Cindy Kempff; State Vice President ...................Winner Mary Kay

McKinneyNorthwest District ..........................................................Winner Sheldon KoehlerHanover Lodge 763 ............................................................Winner Andrew SmithSouthwest District ...........................................................Winner Kathleen DabbsYork Lodge 213 ...................................................................Winner Trish HallmanGlenn & Bonnie Foster PA State President .................................Winner Donna

ShipmanNorth Central District ............................................................Winner Carol SteeleNorth Central District ..........................................................Winner Harvey Smith

At a recent district meeting, the secretary ofone of the member lodges indicated that a lodgedonation may not have been properly credited.When I spoke with the National ENF office, Iwas advised that the local lodge ENF chair hadnot registered with the ENF office. It is impor-tant that the lodge ENF chair register. Log intoelks.org, then click on ENF and then click on“my ENF.” On that page will be a fund raisingchair logo. Click on that logo and then registerusing the link provided. All local lodge ENFchairs should do this as soon as possible if youhave already completed the process. All ERsshould ensure that the Lodge ENF chair has reg-istered with Grand Lodge ENF.

Remember, ENF is the FOUNDATION of theElks. ENF funds many of the charity outreachesthat the Elks provide to their communities. As Iwrite this message Pennsylvania stands at 42,and we can do better. There are some lodges inthe state that have not reached a $1 per mem-ber. Please assist this worthy cause to providecharity to your community and recognition ofYOUR LODGE and the good work that Elksthroughout our country perform.

State AssociationCarol M. Hutson, Chairperson

We have completed sold out of this year’s pin designed by Kath-leen Daabs of Johnstown Lodge # 175. Since the original order of 500we reordered 600 more and sold them all. The pin is designed as adog tag complete with a hole so it can be made into a necklace orbracelet. We have reordered another 300. It is ideal to give to ourVeterans if your lodge hosts an event for them. We hope to havethem in stock by early November. We will continue to carry this pinas well as the Vacant Chair pin and they both sell for $2.00 each.

We are now accepting pin designs for the 2018-2019 year and todate have received 3 designs. Please submit your designs by Novem-ber 17, 2017 to me at [email protected].

The members of the State Association committee submitted a fundraising idea to our State Sponsor Ron Hicks to assist in increasing ourdonations to the Elks National Foundation. State Sponsor Hicks hasgiven his approval to go forward with the following project. Wewould like to ask both Collegiate and Professional sports organiza-tions to donate four (4) family tickets to two (2) different sportingevents held in the state both in the spring and fall. Some suggestionsfor the spring would be: Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tem-ple or Villanova Basketball. The fall would be Pittsburgh Steelers,Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.Since the tickets are for four and would be promoting “family” we feelconfident that they would be easy to promote. In addition to havingthe sports organizations donate the tickets we would also like to havethe promotional tickets printed as a donation also. The only cost fac-tor would be the postage to mail the tickets to eight districts in ourState. The eight District Deputies would then distribute the tickets toall the Lodges within their District. If each Lodge could sell 10 ticketsfor $10.00 each we would realize a profit of $10,000.00 with the sup-port of our DD’s. We are aware that many Lodges are struggling tooperate and maintain their Lodges and that this would be a hardship.However, there are also many Lodges who could easily sell the 10plus. We would like the tickets to have a designation for the purchas-er’s name, address, phone number, lodge name and membershipnumber so they can receive credit through the ENF to help reach theirper capita.


PA StateHoop Shoot

The Hoop Shoot season is in full swingwith Lodges holding their Local Contests.We can’t stress how important the Lodgecontests are, you’re the foundation of theentire program. If we don’t get qualitykids participating at our Local competi-tions, then the quality of the District andState competitions won’t be as strong.

It would be great if we all utilized ourSchool Districts to hold contests, but thatdoesn’t work for all of us. So we have towork harder to promote our contests atthe local gyms and Youth Center’s. Don’tjust put a couple signs and hope the kidscome. We need to get out and promotethe program. Visit your local gyms werethe youth leagues are, talk to the Directorand sell them on the program. They al-ways know who the better players are,and can help getting them to participateat your contest. Don’t get me wrong, wealways want to improve our total partici-pation number, but there’s nothingwrong with getting those really goodshooters to participate. If we want to con-tinue to compete with New York andNew Jersey, we need those talented kids.

Your District Chairpersons are workingon finalizing details for their Contest’s,which begin the last weekend in January.Our District Chairpersons are SteveO’Nuffer (NW), Pete Byron (NC), ToddMcClain (NE), Jon Barker (W), Kevin Tal-madge (WC), Dave Pular & Joe Villaneuva(SW), Kathy Kendall (SC) and Tom Novit-ski (SE).

The State Contest will be held on Sat-urday, March 3, at the Bellefonte HighSchool. We’ll again be staying at thePenn Stater Conference Center, rooms are$92 per night plus tax. Reservations needto be made through me, Steve Lucas, byMon, Feb. 5. If you’ve never attended theState Finals, we would really encourageyou to consider it. Whether you come forthe day or weekend, we’re sure you willenjoy it. Just ask those that have!

We will continue to have the “GoodLuck” in the State Contest program,they’re $10 each. This helps to cover thecost of the programs. If you would like toplace an ad in the program, contactSteve. The deadline will be Friday, Feb.16.

Our goal again this year is to increaseour participation counts and have all ofour Lodges hold a Local Contest; it’s beensome time since we last reached 100%. Ifany Lodges have any questions, pleasedon’t hesitate to contact your District

2017-18 Pennsylvania Hoop ShootDistrict Chairperson & Contest Information

West: Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018Jon Barker ..........................................724-657-7962 (cell) ...................Westminster [email protected] ........724-535-7395 (home) ..................New Wilmington, Pa.

West Central: Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018Kevin Talmadge ..................................412-289-5063 (cell) ....Armstrong Middle/High [email protected] .......724-354-3210 (home) ............................Kittanning, Pa.

South Central: Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018Kathy Kendall ......................................717-377-3643 (cell) .............Alumni Community [email protected] ..........717-485-0221 (home) ....................McConnellsburg, Pa

Southwest: Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018David Pular .........................................724-208-8183 (cell) ............Connellsville Junior High [email protected] .................724-628-4237 (office) .......................Connellsville, Pa. Joe Villaneuva .....................................412-582-5671 (cell)[email protected]

Northeast: Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018 Todd McClain ..................................610-588-0850 (home) ...Washington Elementary [email protected] .........................................................................................Bangor, Pa.

North Central: Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018David "Pete" Byron ..............................814-207-1994 (cell) ..............Philipsburg High [email protected] ..........................................................................Philipsburg, Pa.

Northwest: Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018Steven O'Nuffer ...................................814-730-3708 (cell) ...........Warren Elementary [email protected] ........................................................................................Warren, Pa.

Southeast: Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018Tom Novitski .......................................484-213-0669 (cell) .......Upper Merion Middle [email protected] ........................................................................King of Prussia, Pa.

State Contest: Saturday, March 3, 2018Steven Lucas....................814-505-8566 or 931-2396 (cells) .............Bellefonte High [email protected] ....................814-684-1218 (home) ............................Bellefonte, Pa.

Regional Contest: Saturday, March 24, 2018Steven Lucas....................814-505-8566 or 931-2396 (cells) ...........Penn State [email protected] ....................814-684-1218 (home) ........................Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

National Finals: Saturday, April 21, 2018Billy Donnelly...............................773-755-4758 (ENF Office) ..............................Chicago, [email protected]

Chairperson or myself. Please con-sider helping at your Local or Dis-trict Contests, they can always usemore volunteers.

Please remember to support theNational Foundation, without theirgenerous State funding, we wouldnot have the successful programhere in Pennsylvania that we enjoy.

Merry Christmas and Happy Yearfrom the State Hoop Shoot Commit-tee!!

Steven Lucas, Chairman814-684-1218 (home/office)[email protected]


Government RelationsPete Byron, PA Government Relations Chairman

The VGT bill was passed on a limited basis. Onlytruckstops will be allowed to have them. HB1741,which would allow clubs to sell 6-packs, was voted outof committee. This means it’s on a path for a full Housevote. HB 411, which amends the Bingo Law, is set for fi-nal passage in the Senate, hopefully this will be done inearly December.

With the budget process finally completed, we arepressing for movement of HB 1313, which amends theSmall Games Act.

We will continue to monitor the video game bill forthe games of skill to keep you informed.

Grand Lodge government relations have made a goalfor charity and community donations at $365 millionfor our 150 th anniversary. We want to be able to let thepublic know that we give 1 million dollars a day.

We are asking all lodges to keep accurate records ofall the time, travel and monies and get these reports toyour secretary in a timely fashion. If we all keep track ofthe actual time and trace of our volunteer work we willexceed the 1 million a day.

Home Service ProgramFunding Update

Margie Wood, RN - Grant Projects DirectorThank you to every lodge and member who donated

for 2016-2017. The total at the March for Home Servicethis year was $550,698!!! This has helped us continueto provide services to any child or adult who needs ourhelp and is referred to the program.

We had 11 individuals and lodges that donated$21,162.75 on WCCF Gives Day 2017. With the BonusPool addition, we received a check for $22,724.25.Thanks to every person who made this happen!

Please tell your family and friends - we have severalother new ways to donate to Pennsylvania Elks MajorProjects:• You can now donate through our Facebook page.

We have almost 400 “likes”! Check us out atwww.facebook.com/ElksHomeService.

• If you shop on Amazon, they can donate a percent-age of each of your purchases to our program! Goto www.smile.amazon.com and select PennsylvaniaElks Major Projects as your charity. Each time youshop Amazon, do it from the Amazon Smile site andthe AmazonSmile Foundation will donate .5% ofyour purchase amounts directly to Home Service.

• Exciting News - we have enhanced our website!!!The revised site was launched November 17th. Visitwww.paelkshomeservice.org and check out themany updates and improvements. You can evendonate to the program on the site now using PayPal.Please continue to tell others about the wonderful

work the PA Elks do through the PA Elks Home ServiceProgram. The Elks Home Service Nurses are making areal difference in the lives of more than 4,000 familiesliving in communities all over Pennsylvania. This isonly made possible because of donors like you. THANKYOU SO MUCH!

46th Annual Pennsylvania“Hoop Shoot” Finals

State College/Bellefonte, PennsylvaniaMarch 2-3, 2018

Friday, March 26:00 - 8:00 pm Registration – Will be held at the Penn Stater

Conference Center, outside of Dean’sHall in the Senate Suite. All the con-testants need to register and draw fortheir shooting position. AdditionalSaturday Breakfast Banquet tickets willbe available for purchase during thistime. The Drug Awareness and Mem-bership tables will also be on display.

6:00 - 8:00 pm Get Acquainted Reception – Contestants,their families and guests are invited toenjoy some pizza and soda during Reg-istration, held in Dean’s Hall.

Saturday, March 37:45 am Breakfast of Champions – Will be held at the Penn

Stater Conference Center, in the Presi-dents Hall. The Contestants will situp front at their reserved tables. Eve-ryone is welcome to attend, but youmust have your ticket to enter theroom. Those staying over Friday eve-ning will receive two complimentarybreakfast tickets per room. Additionaltickets will be available Friday eveningduring registration. All late contestantregistrations will be handled prior tobreakfast.

9:00 - 9:15 am Exit for the Gym – Contestants, Directorsand Officials will be bussed to thegym. The bus will run back and forthto the hotel during the contest.

9:30 - 10:00 am Practice/Warm-up Time – No one is allowedin the gym prior to 9:00am

10:00 - 10:30 am Opening Ceremonies – Parade of Champi-ons, introduction of our special guestsand the singing of our National An-them.

10:30 - 2:30 pm Pennsylvania State “Hoop Shoot” Finals –The Contest will be held at the Belle-fonte High School. The 8-9 agegroups will shoot first, followed by the10-11’s, and finally the 12-13’s. First,second and third place medallions andtrophies will be awarded after eachcontest. Each contestant will also bepresented their participation plague.There will be a fifteen minute inter-mission between contests. The con-cession stand, in the Lobby, will beopen during the contest.

Lodging will again be at the Penn Stater, rooms will be $92per night, plus tax.


Lodge ActivitiesJeanette Miller - Chairperson

At the fall convention all DistrictDeputies were given the 2017-2018 AllAmerican Lodge contest forms to passout to each Lodge in their District. Iencourage you to enter this contest.As you read this newsletter you arereading about all the great communi-ty and charitable works that are beingdone through out our state yet manyof these same Lodges are not enteringthe All American Lodge contest. I alsoread in the National magazine aboutall the wonderful things PA Lodges aredoing and once again these sameLodges are cutting themselves short ofthe recognition they deserve by notentering this contest. If you did notreceive the All American Lodge con-test 2017-2018 from your DistrictDeputy ask them why not? If youneed a copy please contact me and Iwill get one to you.

The contest form must be filled outand signed by the ER and Lodge secre-tary and given to your District Deputyby March 15, 2018. District Deputiesmust then sign and fill out their sec-tion marked (DD) and mail to me byApril 1, 2018. All these instructionsare clearly marked in each section, butif there are any questions please con-tact me. I certainly don't take pleasurein disqualifying any Lodge just be-cause they missed a deadline or forgota signature.

It was great to hear all your prideand enthusiasm at the fall conventionwhen Lodges were mentioned, nowtake that same pride and enter the AllAmerican Lodge contest and get therecognition and praise for all yourhard work.

STATE SOCCER SHOOT 2017

U-8 DivisionGirls Boys1. Ali Joyce ...................................W 1. Henry Domasky ........................... SW2. Avianna Gibbs .......................WC 2. Hayden Bartlow .............................NE3. Makenzee Pento .....................SW 3. Cole Tomaine .................................W4. Zemira Singer ..........................SC 4. Nathan Gaynor ...............................SE5. Anneliese Charles .................NW 5. Gabriel Moseman ...........................SC6. Madison Abbott .......................SE 6. Dalton Knapp ...............................NW7. Brielle Mayo ............................NE 7. Beaiu Hunter ................................WC8. Savanna Albright ...................NC 8. Jacob Schellenburg ........................NC

U-10 Division1. Addison Westbrook ................NE 1. Coleman Knapp ...........................NW2. Megan Mehall ........................SW 2. Caden Zollar ...................................W3. Alena Cofied ............................SE 3. Brayden Ramsey .............................SC4. Sierra Albright ........................NC 4. Tanner Bruzda ...............................SW5. Rylie Loughran ........................W 5. Garrett Cherpak ..............................W6. Makayley Shafer ......................SC 6. Wade Habovick .............................NC7. Caylee Henderson .................NW8. Rebekah Kleiber ....................WC

U-12 Division1. Gabrielle Fabery .....................SW 1. Kahale Burns .................................NC2. Gia Babilon ..............................W 2. Tobis McGarvey .............................SC3. Diavanni Alvarez .....................SE 3. Dominick Doan ..............................SE4. Catlin Nordin .......................NW 4. Carson Whitling ..........................NW5. Claire Shoemaker ...................NE 5. Kasey Staton ..................................SW6. Seira Wolfe ..............................SC 6. Andrew Johnston ............................W7. Chelse Bulger ........................WC 7. Tom Anstigg .................................WC

U-14 Division1. Megan Fix ...............................SC 1. Reece Henderson ..........................NW2. Emma Van Orden ....................W 2. Brandon Kuhn ...............................NE3. Haily Yard .............................NW 3. Bronson Earley ...............................SC4. Makenna Williams ................WC 4. Thomas Marzina .............................W5. Kaylee Keys ............................SW 5. Luke Jordan ..................................WC

6. Zander Anderson ..........................SW7. Nichols Houmas .............................SE

Girl High Scorer was Addison Westbrook of the Northeast DistrictBoy High Scorer was Coleman Knapp of the Northwest District

Fifty-nine District winners repre-senting all eight districts for the firsttime in many years, traveled to StateCollege on November 5th, 2017 forthe annual State Soccer Shoot. Theevent actually started on Saturdaynight with a pizza/swim party at theRamada Inn and once again StateDrug Awareness Chairman DebbieRabble passed out small soccer balls tothe contestants.

The competition got started onSunday morning with State Vice Presi-dent Stephen Kempff filling in for

gional finalist Megan Mehall of theSW District squared off against newcomer Addison Westbrook of the NEDistrict with Addison shooting a scoreof 53 and capturing 1st place andHigh Scorer in the Girls Division. InBoys U10 Division Tanner Bruzda ofthe SW District, also a Regional final-ist, went up against Coleman Knappof NW District with Coleman alsoshooting a 53 and taking 1st placeand Boys High Scorer Trophy.

First place winners will advance tothe Mid-Atlantic Regional’s the firstweekend in March 2018, in Frederick,Maryland.

President Glenn Foster who had aprior commitment. Also in attendancewas Past State President Peg O’Polkaand District Deputy Pete O’Polka ,State Drug Awareness Chairman Deb-bie Rabble, State Youth ActivitiesChairman Donna Swigart, and Re-gional Hoop Shoot Chairman SteveLucas. The U8 Division started the daywith both winners, Ali Joyce of theWest District and Henry Domasky ofthe SW District, missing only one shoton the way to their 1st place finish. Inthe U10 Girls Division returning Re-


Hanover #763

Left to Right - Board member - Steve Barrick; ER - Mark Myers;Fireman - Andrew Therit; Loyal Knight & Board Member - RodneyMarkle; Board Member & State President - Glenn Foster; LeadingKnight, PER & Board Member - Steve Rickrode; Lecturing Knight &Board Member - Joe Lake.

The Hanover Lodge #763 made their annual trip to the Leba-non VA Medical Center on Saturday November 11, 2017 armedwith books, puzzles, toiletry items, clothing, food and cash forbingo. The Lodge donated over $11,000 in items and support tothe Lebanon VA Medical Center on this annual trip.

Two battery powered saws (worth $1,200) were recently do-nated by the Hanover Lodge #763 to the Clearview (Hanover)Fire Co.

West Shore #2257Fall has been about fundraising for the West Shore Elks, start-

ing in September with our 4th annual Elks Care, Elks Share golftournament. One hundred and ten plus golfers, over 100 spon-sors and contributors and many Elks volunteers helped to makethis event another huge success, raising over $11,000. Fromthere we moved on to our newest fund raising event – our 2ndannual West Shore Wars professional wrestling event. Our ball-room was transformed into a wrestling venue complete with ringfor performing body slams and bouncing off the ropes. During afamily friendly and incredibly entertaining event, we raised over$1000. Preparations are also underway for our 3rd big fundraiser– our 50th annual Big Elk elimination dinner in January withthousands of dollars to be won by attendees.

On 11/11, a larger than normal crowd welcomed ColonelJames Frick who helped us honor our Veterans, POWs and MIAsin a moving ceremony that reminded us to remember thosewho’ve paid the price for our freedom. He also reminded (or insome cases, educated) us about the prominent political and mili-tary figures who have shared our membership in this great organ-ization including Presidents Harding, Truman, Kennedy, Ford, Ei-senhower and Franklin Roosevelt and Generals Pershing, Pattonand MacArthur.

December is a very busy month starting on the 2nd with ourannual Home Service Christmas party. Clients of our PA Home

Columbia-Middletown #1074 The Columbia-Middletown Elks #1074 and the Columbia Li-

ons Club co-hosted their bi-annual Red Cross Blood Drive onMonday, September 11, 2017. Volunteers from both organiza-tions assisted. Thanks to donors generosity, up to 81 patientswill be helped. The donors and volunteers help our communityby giving the Gift of Life!

The Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts manycommunity events throughout the year. The Elks Lodge #1074participates in the events to raise awareness, support the commu-nity and spread our Drug Awareness message. One of the funevents sponsored by the Chamber is the Feet in the Street ArtShow. This is an art show geared toward families and includesmusic, dancing, and lots of hands on art exhibits. The Colum-bia-Middletown Elks #1074 lodge provides free crafts that thechildren could paint (trinket boxes, key chains and windchimes).

The local Power Packs program provides families with nutri-tional weekend meals, along with recipes and nutritional infor-mation to help families who are food insecure when the school’slunch program is not available to them. The Columbia-Middletown Elks #1074 sponsors a bi-annual food drive at threelocal grocery stores to collect food items and monetary dona-tions. The fall food drive raised $357.07 and two truck loads offood items for the program. Volunteers from the Elks lodgehelped collect and deliver the food to Power Packs .

On November 18th, 20 veterans from the Lebanon VA Hospi-tal visited the Columbia-Middletown Elks #1074 lodge for the an-nual Veterans Dinner. The veterans, VA employees and volun-teers enjoyed a Barbecue dinner in the lodge’s grill room whichwas decorated with red, white and blue table decorations and bal-loons as a tribute to the veterans and went back to the VA Hospi-tal with a bag of goodies. After dinner the veterans were enter-tained by mother and son duo, Stephan Englehart and RobbinEnglehart, who sang a variety of country and patriotic songs.And a favorite of the veterans, Rufus, one of the Elks member’sservice dogs, was there to greet the veterans. The visit was spon-sored by the Elks Veterans Commission of the local Columbia-Middletown Elks #1074 lodge – “So long as there are Veterans,the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forgetthem”.

——————— South Central District News ———————


Service nurse Mary and their families are invited to visit with San-ta and enjoy a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Seeingeach child’s face light up when they receive a special gift fromSanta is a highlight of the year for many of our Elks volunteers.

Apparently we have been very good this year as Santa returnson Dec 9th to delight the children and grandchildren of ourmembers with more gifts at our annual Breakfast with Santaevent.

Then on Dec 10th, our members celebrate Christmas yetagain with our annual members only Christmas party where thePERs prepare and serve their special secret recipes and on Dec16th, we celebrate again with an open party for our friends andfamilies also.

York Lodge #213On Wednesday, September 8, 2017, our Lodge spearheaded

our “All Vets to DC” bus trip and partnered with local VFW’s.There were 12 buses of Veterans and their guests who enjoyed atrip, this year, to Arlington National Cemetery. Their trip includ-ed a light breakfast and coffee before they left, lunch, and theday in Arlington. Our Lodge sponsored 2 of the busses.

York #213 Heroes Among Us DinnerTo further show that appreciation, the York Elks Lodge #213

and the Unforgettable Big Band co-sponsored a Veterans Appreci-ation Dinner Dance entitled “Heroes Among Us”, held at ourLodge on Saturday, November 11, 2017. This was a free eventfor veterans and their dance partners. Our Lodge provided a tur-key dinner with all the trimmings. Our dining room was turnedinto a USO themed dance hall and was packed with Veterans,pride and American spirit. Bob Decker, professional photogra-pher and York Elk Lodge member, took portraits of the veteransand each one received a 5 x 7 photo to remember their evening.Our Wooden Soldier Tree is already up. It contains the “wishlists” of Veterans that live in our York County Nursing Home.Our members will select a wooden soldier and fill the wish list.The gifts will be delivered to the Veterans by our Veteran ServiceCommittee members. They will also be bringing a card and hand-made ornament to all Veterans at 13 other nursing homes, total-

ing more than 300 Veterans.We are having another clothing drive for our neighbors in the

North East Neighborhood to help restock their clothing bank be-fore winter. We are looking forward to providing the ChristmasBundles for all of the students at Tidings of Peace MennoniteSchool again this year, in December. We will also hold our 15thannual Christmas Smile, on Christmas Eve morning. We will behelping other community members to provide breakfast, lunch,gifts, toys, warm hats and gloves, for homeless and needy peopleand families in York. We have over 300 people come to thisevent.

MEGAN FIX WINS PA. STATE SOCCER SHOOTOn Saturday, November 5, 2017 at Park Forrest Middle

School, State College, Pa., the Elks held their 2017 PennsylvaniaState Soccer Shoot Championship. Eight area youths representedthe South Central District. U14 Girl – Megan Fix, (daughter ofLori & Terry of McConnellsburg) became the 2017 Pa. StateChampion with a score of 35. Other Shooters were: U8 Girls –Zemira Singer, (daughter of Kim Winters & Bill Singer from Leba-non) scored 27 points and placed 4th; U8 Boys, Gabriel Mose-mann, (son of Lauren & Mark of Warfordsburg scored 30 pointsand placed 5th;U- 10 Girl Makayley Shafer, (daughter of Erin &Brian Shafer of McConnellsburg) scored 33 and placed 6th; U-10Boy Brayden Ramsey (son of Christina & Jason Ramsey ofMcConnellsburg) scored 49 & placed 3rd; U12 Girl Seira Wolfe,(daughter of Sarah & Jim Conlow of Lebanon), scored 23 andplaced 6th; U-12 Boys Tobias McGarvey (son of Dena & TobyMcGarvey of McConnellsburg) scored 38 & 16 in a shoot out &placed 2nd & U14 Boys Bronson Earley, (son of Nichole Earley &Ryan Earley both of McConnellsburg) scored 31 and placed 3rd.All the shooters and their families were treated to a Pizza PoolParty Friday night at the Ramada Inn and had a fantastic time,compliments of the Chambersburg Elks Lodge # 600. Megan Fixwill compete for the Mid-Atlantic National Competition onMarch 3, 2018 in Fredrick, Md. Anyone wishing to put an ad inthe 2018 program or would like to get more information on theElks Soccer Shoot should contact Kathy Kendall at 717-377-3643.

————— South Central District News (Cont’d) —————


Scottdale #777

Scottdale Elks Lodge #777 used a Beacon Grant receivedfrom ENF in the amount of $2,000 to provide food to eightneedy families with thirty-three children. Food was provid-ed during the months of June, July, and August. Withschool being out for the summer many children rely onmeals they receive in School. This grant helped to providethese families with additional food during the school break.

Scottdale Elks Lodge 777 distributed Thanksgiving fooditems to four families in need. Each family received a Tur-key along with a box of food items for a Thanksgiving meal.The food items were donated by Coca-Cola.

- Southwest District News -- S.C. District News (Cont’d) -

Brayden Ramsey

Gabriel Mosemann

Siera Wolfe

Zemira Singer

Bronson Earley

Makayley Shafer

Tobias McGarvey


Erie #67On Saturday, October 7th, Erie Elks Lodge #67 partnered

with The American Red Cross Northwest PennsylvaniaChapter for the Sound The Alarm, Save a Life campaign.Seven members joined the ranks of over 120 volunteers inErie, PA to educate residents on fire safety. The volunteersattended training prior to hitting the streets of a large sec-tion of Erie, PA. Volunteers went door to door prepared todiscuss fire safety, inspect smoke detectors, and install newdetectors where needed for the residents. Over 85 homestook advantage of the free smoke detectors with the volun-teers installing the detectors. A total of 259 smoke detectorswere installed along with close to 700 homes touched withinformation about fire safety and the campaign if theyshould decide take advantage of the offer.

Pictured left to right Erie Lodge #67 members, Elaine Langer, BenCarrick, Laurie Law, Wendy Seib, Jim Law, Don Langer, Scott Seib

On November 8th, 12 Erie Lodge #67 members volun-teered at the Second Harvest Food Bank, Erie, PA. Membersspent 2 hours packing food for the children's back pack pro-gram. In those 2 hours the Lodge exceeded the expectationand packed 397 back packs. These back packs will feed 397Erie elementary school children over the Thanksgiving holi-day break. Erie Lodge has a long standing partnership withthe Second Harvest Food Bank, volunteering quarterly, do-nating on a regular basis non-perishable food items and ofcourse philanthropically as well.

Erie Lodge utilized the ENF Promise Grant along with theENF Anniversary Grant to provide 40 families with childrenon the Autism spectrum comfort supplies. These suppliesare not usually covered by health insurance. Lodge#67 purchased weighted blankets, noise reduction head-phones for these families. The response to this program wasgreater than anticipated, so the Lodge covered the addition-al expenses! In addition, the families were treated to bingoand a pizza party hosted by Lodge 67. Due to the strong re-sponse Erie Lodge has created a new charity committee forAutism, with a pumpkin sale to kick off the fund raising.

On November 9th, Erie Lodge hosted 76 Veterans fromthe VA Medical Center, PA Soldiers and Sailors Home, andseveral local extended care facilities to a great day of Bingo.The event included prizes, gift cards for all, a warm com-memorative sweat shirt and home cooked comfort food pre-pared by Lodge Chef and best of all homemade pies anddesserts by the Lodge Auxiliary. Erie Lodge used their ENFBeacon Grant and subsidized the event from our VeteransCharity fund. State Representative Ryan Bizzarro and StateSenator Dan Laughlin were present and handed out Viet-

nam pins in honoring those Vets, both guest and LodgeMembers who served during the Vietnam era.

On November 15th Erie Lodge was asked by the VA Med-ical Center to assist their Thanksgiving turkey drive. ErieLodge offered to provide not only the turkey but the entireThanksgiving meal to these 102 families in need. ErieLodge called upon a long time partner, Tops Friendly Mar-kets to put together the boxes at a competitive price. TenLodge members volunteered their time to pick up the boxesand assist the VA with the distribution. Erie Lodge fundedthis event from their Veterans Charity fund, which is sup-ported by the generosity of the Lodge members.

On July 16th Erie, PA Elks Lodge #67 hosted over 40 Vetsfrom the VA Medical Center and PA Soldiers and SailorsHome and their care givers to America's past time, a baseballgame. These Veterans were treated admission to an Erie AASeawolves game, souveniers, hot dogs, cracker jacks, refresh-ments, and a buffet dinner after the game. To highlight theday, the Seawolves pulled off a victory! Lodge members as-sisted in organizing, distributing tickets, assisted the aideswith food, water, seating, serving and simply enjoying thefellowship with the Vets. It was a great day, many thanks tothe Seawolves organization for their support. Erie Lodgewas able to fund this event by using their Beacon Grantfrom ENF!

——————— Northwest District News ———————


On July 16th Erie Lodge #67 utilized their ENF GratitudeGrant by hosting clients from the Erie Homes for Youth andAdults to a great day at the Erie Zoo. Lodge members pre-pared a nutritious lunch for the guests including their caregivers and family members. All were treated entrance to thezoo along with a train ride. This has been a long standingevent with our Lodge. In honor of one of our absent co-founders of this event, Erie Lodge passed renaming thisevent the Lyn Grossholtz, PDDGR, Memorial Zoo Day.

Titusville #264 Elks Lodge 264 recently sponsored a “back to school”

shopping trip for the “Littles” of Big Brothers and sisters.Each child was allotted $150 to purchase clothing andschool supplies. A total of 25 “littles” benefitted from theproject, 19 currently enrolled in the program and 6 future“littles”. The project was made possible through a grantfrom the Elks National Foundation. Following shopping,everyone enjoyed pizza.

Assisting with the event were Chana Hopkins and JessicaWalters of Big Brothers and Sisters, Elks members RuthRoeder-Youth Activities Chair, Carolyn Phenicie-Grant Co-ordinator, and Timothy McCandless and volunteers NancyRoeder and Thomas Phenicie III.

Coleman Knapp sponsored by Titusville Lodge placedfirst in 8-9 years age group in the PA Elks State Soccer play-offs held in State College. Knapp competed against otherDistrict winners throughout PA. He will now advance to the

Mid Atlantic SoccerShoot and will compete with boys fromthe other States. He is the son of Phil and Stephanie Knapp.

Picture: Coleman Knapp with PA Elks State Vice President StephenKempff

In recognition of the Elks Red Ribbon campaign, AmyGreer, Drug Awareness Chair, and Barbara Feltenberger,Lodge Trustee, delivered Red Ribbons and Pencils to all stu-dents to in the Titusville and West Forest Area School Dis-tricts to call attention to the danger of drugs.

Pictured are Hydetown students Brooklyn Whitman, Paige Whitneyand Gavin Carter along with Greer and Feltenberger.

—————— Northwest District News (Cont’d) ——————


East Stroudsburg # 319During National Patriot-

ism week East StroudsburgLodge # 319 recognizedAlyson Jamie Wilder of theAcme Hose Co. # 1 as the"Firefighter of the Year" ata dinner held at the Lodge.Alyson has been with theFire Co. for three years a isalso a EMT with the Bush-kill Emergency Corp. Sheis also a senior at EastStroudsburg Universitystudying Bio-Chemistry.Presenting the award is Ex-alted Ruler Ed Freeborn

East Stroudsburg lodge and the Monroe County Bar Asso-ciation presented Sharon S. Laverdure with the eleventh an-nual A. Mitchell Palmer Award at a dinner held in her hon-or. The award is named after A. Mitchell Palmer who was alocal resident who had a successful career in law, bankingand the newspaper industry. The award recognizes a com-munity leader who has greatly contributed to communityservice or law enforcement. Sharon has been involved inover 20 community based organizations such as Pocono Ser-vices for Families and Children, East Stroudsburg Presbyteri-an Elder, Big Brother/Big Sister, YMCA, Pocono Alliance andJoey's Angels. Presenting the award from left is Exalted RulerEd Freeborn, Sharon Laverdure, Carol M. Hutson, MarkPrimrose and Dave Merklin Co-Chair of the committee. A.Mitchell Palmer was also a chartered member of EastStroudsburg Lodge and served as Exalted Ruler. He was alsoAttorney General of the United States under President Woo-drow Wilson.

Members of the Monroe County Joint Honor Guardgather after the 911 ceremony held at the East StroudsburgLodge # 319. This was the 6th annual ceremony and isopened to the members of the community.

Gerald "Jerry" Richardson was selected as the "Patriot ofthe Year" by East Stroudsburg Lodge # 319. Making thepresentation is Leading Knight Ralph and Exalted Ruler EdFreeborn. Jerry is a retired Colonel having served 30 yearsactive duty in the Army. He organizes a picnic for the Vete-rans at the Wilkes-Barre V/A hospital, luncheons, bingo &bowling and a Christmas party at the V/A hospital.

Corp. Kenneth Palmer of Stroud Area Regional PoliceForce was recognized as Police Officer of the Year by theEast Stroudsburg Lodge # 319 during National Patriotismweek. Making the presentation from left is Sgt. James Wiel-gus, Officer Palmer, Cpt. Jen Lyon and Exalted Ruler EdFreeborn.

Clyde Jerome Henderson is coached by instructor SteveKulick during certification in CPR/AED at East StroudsburgLodge # 319. A total of five (5) members were certified dur-ing this second class held at the Lodge

————————— Northeast District News —————————


Bangor #1106

Bangor Lodge #1106 Drug Awareness Committee distrib-uted backpacks to over 75 third grade children from ICSschool, Holy Family School, Faith Christian School as partof Red Ribbon Week. Each backpack contained drug aware-ness material and goodies along with a thesaurus and redribbon.

Elroy the Elk along withthe Pennsylvania ElksDrug Awareness trailer andthe Bangor Lodge DrugAwareness committeemade an appearance atLukies Fall Festival in PenArgyl PA on October 7. El-roy and the committeehanded our drug aware-ness information to thechildren at the event.

Bangor Lodge #1106 sponsored it’s annual Halloween Pa-rade in the borough on October 17. Over 3000 spectatorswatched the four division parade which featured marchingbands, floats, church groups, civic groups, and Elroy the Elk.

After the parade, all children participants were invited tothe lodge for free hot dogs and soda.

Frackville #1533Frackville

Lodge #1533hosted a celebra-tory function inhonor of both theFrackville Moun-taineers Minisand Pee-Weesfootball teams,who both wontheir respectivefootball champi-onship games totake home the

Tri-County Championship trophies. The town of Frackvilleheld a firetruck parade through town, ending the paraderoute at the Elks Lodge. Parents, children, and communitymembers were invited into the Lodge for this youth func-tion. The event even caught the eye of the television media,with WYOU/WBRE visiting the Lodge for the evening andconducting interviews for their nightly news broadcast. Themini football division includes children ages 5, 6, and 7,while the pee-wee division includes children ages 8, 9, and10.

The Elks Hoop Shoot "Free Throw "Contest was heldat North Schuylkill Elementary on Saturday, November 11,2017. The event was sponsored by Frackville Elks Lodge No.1533 and was free to all participating boys and girls ages 8to 13 from throughout Schuylkill County. Winners of eachof the three age divisions will move on to the PA ElksNortheast District Hoop Shoot Contest on Satur-day, February 3, 2018 at Washington Elementary School inBangor, PA.

Berwick #1138

Berwick Lodge #1138 held their annual Halloween Pa-rade on October 24. Refreshments for all participants andbike give away took place after the parade at the BerwickLodge.

—————— Northeast District News (Cont’d) ——————


Bellefonte #1094

Shown are Jack Zimmerman and ZekePletcher (rear left), and Mac Gilpin, RickZerby, and Eric Fromm, (right side, from leftto right).

The annual Bellefonte Elks LodgeGun Raffle fund-raiser, which benefitsthe Lodge Activities Fund, was a hugesuccess. A large group of volunteershelped to prepare the food for thissold-out event.

State College #1600

Shown here with Exalted Ruler Brenda Ke-phart (aka Elroy the Elk), and a participantat the Fair along with member of the QWIKRock Radio team.

The State College Elks Lodge # 1600,once again participated in the PattonTownship Children’s Safety Fair, heldat the Wegman’s and Target ParkingLot, in Patton Township in September.

(left to right) the State College Elks SockHop organizing committee, Chris Walker,Sheena Walker, Shelly Wike, Greg David-son, and Lynne Corl.

The State College Elks Lodge # 1600recently sponsored a 1950’s Sock Hop,made possible through an Elks 150 YearAnniversary Grant, created through theElks National Foundation. This eventsupported the Centre County Women’sResource Center. The event took place atthe Mountain View Country Club, andfeatured a former local band, Stevie andthe Six Packs.

Shown left toright, Lynne Corl,Shelly Wike, andVernon Crawford.

A full morning of activities awaitedvolunteers from the State College ElksLodge # 1600, as backpacks, schoolsupplies, cookware, and sundry otheritems were donated to the CentreCounty Women’s Resource Center, bythe State College Elks.

Shown with the veterans are, back row Elkmembers Bert Kisner, Mac Gilpin, AndyWhiteside, Larry Cramer, Vernon Crawford,Veterans Service Committee co-chair, ElkEric Fromm, and Jack McKinley, VeteransService Committee co-chair. Front row, vet-erans from left to right: Joe, Clarence, Fred,and Chris.

The State College Elks Lodge Vete-rans Service Committee conducted bin-go games for fifteen veterans duringthe regular visit to the James E. VanZandt Veterans Center. In addition toregular gifts provided by the Lodge, Elkmember, Bert Kisner, provided eachBingo game winner with a Presidentialdollar as a prize.

To meet the needs of our soldiersserving overseas, the State College Elks'Veterans Service Committee purchasedand donated 200 pairs of socks. TheSocks for Soldiers Program is coordinat-ed through the State College AllianceChurch.

Shown here, from left to right, with the do-nated backpacks are Bob Kidder, State Col-lege Elks, Pastor Renee Ford, MommyShoppe and Houserville United MethodistChurch, and Pastor Ed Preston, Mt. NittanyUnited Methodist Church representative.

In the recent months, the Mt. Nitta-ny United Methodist Church, initiateda call to its membership, to donateschool supplies to children of clients ofthe Mommy Shoppe, located in theHouserville United Methodist Church.The State College Elks Lodge # 1600joined the effort, and through an ar-rangement with the Sears Store at theNittany Mall, purchased backpacks tosupport the Church' donated schoolsupplies.

Shown here, are from left to right, JackMcKinley, co-Chair of the State College ElksVeterans Service Committee, David Pensak,Vice President, Pleasant Gap American Le-gion Post # 867, and Vernon Crawford, co-chair of the State College Elks' Veterans Ser-vice Committee.

Shown left to right are Veterans Service Pro-gram co-chair Jack McKinley (PER), LodgeTreasurer Lisa Schroeder (PER), and Vete-rans Service Program Co-chair VernonCrawford (PER), during the presentation ofthe funds to the Lodge Treasurer.

——————— North Central District News ———————


Our State College Elks Lodge # 1600, recently conducteda fund-raising raffle, in support of our Veterans ServiceCommittee. The raffle raised nearly $8,000, in support ofveterans programming carried out during our lodge year.

The State College Elks Lodge # 1600 recently entertainedits chartered organization, Cub Scout Pack # 82, at a SwimParty and Cook-out, at the Park Forest Community Pool inState College, PA. The event was attended by forty (40) CubScouts, parents, Scout leaders, and Elks.

Clearfield #1094

PDDGER DaveSemelsberger andJoseph Waroquier.

PDDGER Joseph Waroquier was honored for his continu-ous service to the Clearfield Lodge. Joe was presented witha beautiful clock in appreciate for his 62 years of service.

Huntingdon #976

The Huntingdon Elks Lodge #976, built a wheelchairramp for an area veteran. The Elks members in the photoare PER James Angelo, Tammy Bennett, Rocky Bennett andVonnie Greene. The remainder folks are the family ofthe ramp. recipients. There were many other Elks membersinvolved in the construction of the ramp, but were unableto be present for the photo.

Allegheny #339Allegheny Elks Lodge 339 Drug Awareness Program

(DAP) and the Urban Impact Foundation (UIF) of PittsburghSummer Day Camp held an event on Friday, July 28, 2017was a big success! We had 170 children between grades 1and 8. The star attraction with the kids was Elroy the Elk. Aspecial thank you goes out to Trustee Tyler Hipchen forwearing the Elroy costume. The children were fascinatedwith the chance to wear the vision goggles that gave the ex-perience of trying to walk or run while under the influenceof drugs or alco-hol. We handedout giveaways toeach participant.They received ei-ther: water bot-tles, Frisbees,sunglasses, key-chains, yoyos, ordog tags. All ofthe giveawayswere imprintedwith AlleghenyLodge 339 DrugAwareness Pro-gram.

Cranberry #2249 Cranberry Lodge hosted a luncheon for the hospitalized

veterans from Butler VA. The vets were served lunch,played Bingo, given canteen books and door prizes. Theevent was funded thru the Beacon Grant from the Elks Na-tional Foundation.

In addition, the Lodge participated in a backpack pro-gram to benefit the local women's abuse shelter. Over 50backpacks filled with school supplies , non-perishablesnacks, and comfort items for the smaller children. This pro-gram was funded through an ENF Promise Grant.

Cranberry Lodge #2249 has received four ENF Grants thisyear, totaling $8000.00 to be used for youth, communityand Veterans programs.

Pictured with one of our Veterans is Cranberry Elks member, RexBrown (L) and Lodge Trustee Jim Nudi, far right.

—— West District News ——N.C. District News (cont’d)

PA Elks State Association703 Georgian PlaceSomerset, PA 15501

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDSomerset, PAPermit, No. 60

Deadline to submit articles for thenext edition of “The Pa Elk” is

February 25th, 2018

Newsletter available onlineat: WWW.THEPAELK.US

PA ELK703 Georgian PlaceSomerset, PA 15501

The Pennsylvania Elk Subscription Form

Complete this form and mail the information to the addressabove to receive The Pennsylvania Elk via US Mail.

NAME ____________________________________________________

ADDRESS _________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Address Service Requested

The PA Elks License Plates havenow increased in price to $31.50. Theincrease in price came from the De-partment of Corrections.

Please continue to submit yourforms as usual for the plates andmake all checks out to the "PA ElksState Assoc." and enclose it with yourapplication when you send it to mefor my signature.

If you have any questions pleasecontact me directly at (610) 247-9244.

Fraternally,Mark A. ShepperdPA Elks SpecialLicense PlateCoordinator

The application is available on line at:www.paelks.com/files/elklicplate2.pdf

ATTENTION:NEW ADDRESSPA ELLKS STATE ASSOCIATION address is703 Georgian Place, Somerset, PA 15501

Phone 814-444-1954, fax 814-444-1495,email: [email protected]

We no longer have our post office box.Some lodges are still sending donations

and mailings to the P.O. box.

state sponsor’s president’s message message glenn foster€¦ · · 2017-12-15president’s...

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