Skip to main content

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu!

By Christine Wagner, Donor Services Associate

While these lyrics come from my favorite musical, they are a little bittersweet to sing right now. After a little more than three years, I am saying “so long” to the Elks National Foundation to pursue a new career opportunity. While I am very excited to embark on new experiences, I regretfully leave behind a special and unique group of people.

Working in the Donor Services department for the past three years gave me the wonderful opportunity to see all of the generous donations the ENF receives on a daily basis. Down on the first floor, we definitely appreciate the ENF Chairs who have neat handwriting and alphabetized lists! My job also allowed me to talk to volunteers from all across the country; one of my favorite parts of the job! However, it was always hard to hear from the Florida, Arizona, and California Elks about how warm it was in their area of the country while Chicago was still feet deep in snow!

I will look back on my time at the ENF fondly. Whether we are celebrating weddings (we are on a streak of four in four years…I think there is something in the water!), competing in K-Kup (our annual team-building event), or having our end-of-year pizza party (Deep Dish of course. We are in Chicago after all!), the ENF has always been a warm and welcoming place to work. 

What will my coworkers miss about me? Definitely my “impressive” singing voice. Karaoke is one of our favorite hobbies at the ENF! My go-to song? “Born to Run”—Long Live the Boss!
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 2, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    Hey Christine,
    Good luck in your new career.
    Thanks for all your return e mails and info; and your dedication and work for ENF.

    Think of us all sometime.
    Best wishes!!!

    Take care.
    Margie Brouse,
    Berwick, PA #1138

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Labels

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

Seizing Every Opportunity

Reflections from the SAB President By Kat Nakamura 2019 MVS Scholar Hi, Elks Family! I’m Kat Nakamura, a 2019 MVS Scholar currently serving as the president of the Scholar Advisory Board. My time with the Elks has been a transformative experience, not only providing me with financial support for my education but opening the door to a nurturing community of like-minded individuals and remarkable opportunities. My journey began when I applied for the Elks Most Valuable Student scholarship, and little did I know it was just the beginning of a life-changing adventure. Months later, my mom encouraged me to apply to join the Scholar Advisory Board. Initially hesitant, I thought there was no chance of being accepted. Little did I realize that this decision would lead me to one of my most cherished experiences throughout college. The Scholar Advisory Board are the representatives that advise the ENF on scholar relations. Apart from being on the board, members attend the Elks National Conve...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Boatload of Scholars, a Busload of Clothes

By: Aditi V. Patel,  2019 Most Valuable Student scholar Last week, I had the pleasure of serving alongside 20 other amazing Elks scholars as a part of the Tampa Elks Scholar Service Trip. I did my research before the trip and found that Hurricane Ian had displaced more than 40,000 Floridians in September 2022—I wanted to do something to help! After landing in Tampa, we got right to work by sorting a busload (literally) of clothing that Tampa, Fla., Lodge No. 708 collected from the community for Greater Pine Island. We organized each item of clothing by size, made sure each item was in good condition, and placed them into bags. Whenever there weren’t clothes at my table, I would shift to another station to help others, and I saw other scholars doing the same. It was amazing to see everyone laboriously working for hours without any complaints, learning names and fun facts as we went. We had dinner at the Tampa Elks Lodge, which is where I had my first genuine conversations w...
3 comments
Read more

Elks Scholar to Scholar Fellow

by Raleigh Cury, Elks Scholar Fellow My first week as the Elks Scholar Fellow has been a whirlwind. Unfortunately, there was a hiccup with my work laptop, as it seems to have been either lost in the mail or stolen from my doorstep. Luckily, the ENF was able to get a second one to me quickly! Besides that, it has been a smooth transition into a new job! Everyone has been warm and welcoming, and I am very excited for what is to come. I have started brainstorming about the Winter Elks Scholar Service Trip. My initial idea is to provide disaster relief in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian. We might not do disaster relief, but Florida has become a strong contender for the trip. As a life-long resident of the South, I am especially excited to have a job that will take me all over the country.   In fact, I will be flying to Chicago for the job for the first time in less than a month.   I graduated in 2021 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I was heavil...
5 comments
Read more