Elks National Foundation Blog

Brooksville, Fla., Lodge No. 2582 The gifts are unwrapped, the fruit cake is eaten, and the eggnog is gone, but Christmas magic is still alive and well at Brooksville, Fla., Lodge No. 2582. The Lodge used an Elks National Foundation Promise Grant to hold a Christmas party for local kids in need. A record 320 children attended, enjoying a feast of pizza, soft drinks, snow cones and homemade cookies. During the party, Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman greeted the guests. The event culminated with a visit from Santa Claus, who handed each child his or her very own Christmas gift. The Elks National Foundation awards $2,000 Promise Grants to the first 500 Lodges that pledge to host an event that helps build the character and competence of local youth. To find out more about Promise Grants and the Community Investments Program, visit www.elks.org/enf/community .

Johnson City, Tenn., Lodge No. 825 For Johnson City, Tenn., Lodge No. 825, the Christmas tree is much more than a decoration. Instead of traditional ornaments hanging from the branches and wrapped presents nestled under the tree, the Lodge's tree is decorated with socks and shoes. These unique ornaments are mementos from the Elks’ recent shopping spree, through which, with the help of an Elks National Foundation Promise Grant , Elks provided brand-new socks and shoes to 279 local children in need. The Elks National Foundation awards $2,000 Promise Grants to the first 500 Lodges that pledge to host an event that helps build the character and competence of local youth. To find out more about Promise Grants and the Community Investments Program, visit www.elks.org/enf/community .

By Programs Associate Mary Morgan Debbie Doles, Kristen Scaletta and I landed in Las Vegas on a warm, sunny afternoon, which was a welcome change from recently-turned-cold Chicago. We rented our car and soon left the bright lights and big dreams of Vegas behind as we headed into the dusty red mountains and desert that led us to St. George, Utah. We were on our way to gather footage for the ENF’s soon-to-be released short feature film, Giving Back . For the past three years, St. George ‘Dixie’, Utah, Lodge No. 1743 has used an Impact Grant to run the Pantry Partners for Success project at Millcreek High, a local alternative high school. The Lodge provides material and other support to the students at the school. It’s a wildly successful project, and has both raised the graduation rate at the school and raised the Lodge’s image in the community. Because of this, we chose to feature this project as part of the ENF video, and were headed to get footage of Elks in action. Desert Cru

Catalina Mountain, Ariz., Lodge No., 2815 Christmas is almost here, and Elks across the country are getting in the spirit. Look at Catalina Mountain, Ariz., Lodge No., 2815, whose members take time out of their busy holiday schedules each year to reach out to local kids in need. Using an Elks National Foundation Promise Grant , the Lodge held its annual Christmas shopping spree. Elks started the day off bright and early by taking 35 kids shopping for Christmas gifts. They then treated the kids to a pizza lunch back at the Lodge, which culminated in a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Elks National Foundation awards $2,000 Promise Grants to the first 500 Lodges that pledge to host an event that helps build the character and competence of local youth. To find out more about Promise Grants and the Community Investments Program, visit www.elks.org/enf/community .