Skip to main content

Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Elks


By 2011 Legacy Awards Recipient and Elks Scholar Advisory Board Member Maryann Slater
Though Elks may know about all the great work Lodges do across the country, Elks scholars are not as familiar with the Order. We asked Elks Scholar Advisory Board member and Legacy Awards recipient Maryann Slater to share a few facts about the Elks that scholars might be surprised to know! 

My name is Maryann Slater and I’m the President and Junior Representative of the Elks National Foundation Scholar Advisory Board, a board comprised of Elks scholars charged with sharing ideas to shape the future of the Elks scholar experience. I’m a Junior at Rutgers, majoring in Spanish and Communication. I’m a Legacy Awards scholarship recipient and both of my parents are Elks! Since I’ve grown up in the organization I’d love to share some of my knowledge with you to hopefully give you a better understanding of the organization that gave you your scholarship.

Ten things you didn’t know about the Elks…until now!

1.    The Elks have almost 2,000 Lodges all over the country and nearly 826,000 members!
Maryann and her parents—members of
South Plainfield, N.J., Lodge No. 2298


2.    The organization was originally founded in 1868 in New York City by a group of actors who called themselves the Jolly Corks.

3.    The Elks National Foundation is the charitable arm of the Elks. Founded in 1928, the ENF has contributed more than $324.6 million toward Elks' charitable projects nationwide.
Maryann collects food for military families
through the N.J. State Army of Hope

4.    The Elks have their own magazine!

5.    Each Elks Lodge has its own local community service projects. In addition, each Elks State Association has its own project that it manages for the whole state.

6.    The Elks are huge supporters of our country’s veterans and hold many events and programs throughout the year to show their appreciation. 

7.    If you become a member of an Elks Lodge, you can visit any other Lodge in the country when you’re traveling. If you move, you have the option to transfer your membership.
Maryann and MVS scholar Macy Warburton
volunteer at the Hoop Shoot National Finals

8.    The Elks National Foundation fully funds the Hoop Shoot and Drug Awareness Programs for children throughout the country—meaning you don’t have to wait to apply for a scholarship to feel the generosity of this organization!

9.    Each Lodge has its own leadership—the Lodge President is called the Exalted Ruler.

10.    The Elks have both State Conventions and National Conventions where members from all over come together to meet, attend meetings, share meals and make connections!

While this is a very brief introduction to the Elks, I hope that it opened your eyes to some facts you may not have known! Check out www.elks.org for more information, and email scholarship@elks.org if you’re interested in connecting with a Lodge near your home or college campus. I wish you all the best for this academic year!
Labels:

Comments

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