Elks National Foundation Blog

Anne Stretz Programs Relationship Associate Scholarships Anne stays calm and collected even as the MVS scholarship application deadline nears! How long have you worked at the ENF? I’ve worked at the ENF for just over four years. What projects are you/your department working on right now? The Most Valuable Student scholarship application deadline is fast approaching on December 6, so Ashley and I are very busy fielding calls and emails from applicants. When the phone stops ringing, we are spending time educating Scholarship Chairs about our new MVS Judging Dashboard. I’ve also been connecting Elks scholars with their local Lodges and communicating with scholars in Bloomington, Indiana, Corvallis, Oregon, and right here in Chicago about volunteer opportunities and meet-ups happening at their local Elks Lodge. What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? Every day I continue to be more and more impressed by Elks scholars . As I read their applications when they

Paula Lukos Donor Services Coordinator Did Paula's Donald Duck impressions inspire her desk decor, or did her desk decor inspire her Donald Duck impressions? How long have you worked at the ENF? Going on 14 years this January 2014. What projects are you/your department working on right now? Processing donations in a timely and accurate manner, and working on mailings. What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? Working with wonderful and hardworking co-workers. Describe your average day at the ENF. Most of the day is spent processing donations that come in. From creating and researching accounts to posting the money to the accounts and having it all balance. What are you thankful for this month? To have a job that I truly enjoy. What’s one thing about you that might surprise people? I can do impressions—Donald Duck and James Cagney are a couple. If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why? The person I would like to meet most would be Abrah

Newport, Vt., Lodge No. 2155 This year, community members in need from Orleans, Vt. have so much to be thankful for. They’re thankful for support from friends and family, food and fellowship on holidays, and—because of the Elks—a stronger community. Using an Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant , Newport, Vt., Lodge No. 2155 partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Derby, Vt. and the Area Agency on Aging to hold a Thanksgiving dinner at the Lodge for more than 500 people in need. Elks invited local groups to come together and ensure a successful dinner. Local businesses grew or donated most of the food. This included potatoes—farmed in Stanstead, Quebec—and pies, baked by the culinary class at North Country High School. Elks cooked the Thanksgiving meal for their guests and delivered more than 175 meals to homebound community members. Boy Scouts served the turkey dinner, local bands entertained the crowd, and guests enjoyed the company of the Elks and the community.

By 2011 Most Valuable Student scholar Dunae Crenwelge Dunae Crenwelge, a 2011 Most Valuable Student scholar sponsored by Kerrville, Texas, Lodge No. 2081, had the opportunity to connect with Elks members at the Texas State Elks Convention on October 19, 2013. Dunae attended the convention with her MVS Named Scholarship Donors Shan and Mike Clark. Read her recap of the experience. Last weekend, I found myself speaking in front of a crowd of Elks about how my Most Valuable Student scholarship has helped me throughout my collegiate career. I’m a 2011 recipient of the Emma Whaley Byars Memorial Most Valuable Student Scholarship sponsored by Michael and Shan Clark. Over the course of five semesters at Texas A&M University, this scholarship has really proved its value. Dunae speaks on her experience as an Elks scholar. I was asked to speak at the 2013 Texas Elks State Convention by Danny Holman, TESA Youth Activities Chairman, who said that the Elks don’t often have t

Jon Flaherty Donor Services Associate The Chicago Cubs may have had another losing season, but Jon knows that, thanks to generous donors, the ENF will always have a winning season! How long have you worked at the ENF? I’ve been at the ENF for a little more than 4 years. I started out as the Donor Services Assistant in July of 2009, and since then moved into my current role as the Donor Services Associate.    What projects are you/your department working on right now? The Donor Services Department is working on our end of the month procedures. Once our team processes all of the donations we receive within one month, we work on updating our online reports for ENF chairs like the Lodge Per-Capita totals , the Chair Challenge standings , the online record of donations report , and many others. We also print and mail reports out to ENF Chairs , PGERs, and State Sponsors.      What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? I work closely with processing ENF donation

Lydia Raabe Communications Assistant What's Lydia writing? Check the ENF website and ENF social media pages to find out! How long have you worked at the ENF? I started just over a year ago as a temp in Donor Services and have been the Communications Assistant since March. What projects are you/your department working on right now? We’re celebrating Veterans Remembrance Month by sharing how Elks use Community Investments Program grants to serve veterans year-round. I especially enjoy reading how Elks have helped student vets, since many of them are my age. Their commitment to education and their communities is inspiring! What’s your favorite part of working at the ENF? I enjoy working closely with our Programs Department to share ENF successes through the ENF website , social media pages and mailings. I also work closely with the Development Department to put together ENFrontline , the monthly newsletter for ENF Chairs. Every day, I get to see how hard Elks volunteers