Skip to main content

Bring us a figgy pudding… 
and some better singing

by Kate Keating Edsey, Development Manager
Elks National Foundation

2015 marks my eighth Elks National Foundation holiday season--and my eighth stint as an ENF caroler. I’m not a singer, as anyone who has heard me will attest, but I enjoy Jim O’Kelley’s annual tradition of the ENF staff coming together on the morning of our staff holiday party to delight the Elks headquarters staff with our tunes.

Five years ago some of our staff put together a caroling video to share with friends of the Foundation--some practice, some chaos, and borrowed construction lights from the Elks Veterans Memorial resulted in this masterpiece.

This year, the ENF carolers are again featured on a video, and also the December Midday podcast. For those of you who aren’t Middies, Midday is now recorded and produced with the help of our new friends at Tribeca Flashpoint College in Chicago’s Loop. We packed up most of our carolers and headed downtown with excitement to meet the professionals and students who would assist us in making this vision a reality.

Some new staff, some new songs, still some chaos. Our caroling expedition was definitely an exercise in herding cats--where to stand, who’s in front, who will count us off, and especially the best way to turn a page of lyrics (I’m looking at you, Colleen Muszynski). The final result?

Maybe not our best caroling in eight years, but heartfelt and fun. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you’ll accept my apology in advance for standing too close and dominating the microphone.

We have less than 365 days to practice for next year, so we should probably get started.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Comments

Labels

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

Finding a Place in the #ElksFamily

by Aleah Hahn, Most Valuable Student Scholar Aleah Hahn received a second place Most Valuable Student scholarship in 2018. She graduated from Michigan State University in 2021 with degrees in Biosystem Engineering and German. She is pursuing her master’s degree in Marine Resource Management at Oregon State. In her free time, she likes to cycle, forage and hike. Over my spring break I was able to partake in the 2022 Spring Elks Scholar Service Trip in Chicago! In 2018, I attended the 150 for 150 Service Trip in San Antonio, where we celebrated the Elks 150th anniversary through service. Both were amazing experiences to serve in the name of the Elks. They were alike but also different in many ways.  In San Antonio, I connected with Elks state leadership from my home state of Michigan since the trip was at the Elks National Convention!  I served with 149 other scholars and met many of them. It was a great opportunity to connect with other scholars. The majority of our service was at Haven

The Experience Was a Revelation

by Garrett Schumacher 2011 Legacy Scholar, University of Colorado-Boulder   Prior to this trip of service in Chicago, I had always admired the individuals who gave of their time and talents with the purpose of bettering someone else’s life. I wanted to be like them but for the wrong, selfish reasons. After feeling inadequate in this regard for some time, I decided to take the leap and apply for the opportunity that only an incredible organization could provide. My background with the Elks has shown me that they are a communal group that profoundly affects the lives of many people on a national scale every day; being one of those people through scholarships, I felt I owed something to the F oundation and the people they serve. The experience was a revelation for me. I am a proud member of the Elks family and will continue my work and participation in the organization. I did not owe anyone anything other than gratitude, and I could give of myself for the sole purpose of be

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 with the s