Elks National Foundation Blog

by Savannah Skaggs Most Valuable Student Scholar My name is Savannah and I’m from Arkansas! I was honored to receive a Most Valuable Student Scholarship in 2011. I studied Spanish, medicine, and public health during my undergraduate years. I am currently completing a Master’s degree in health policy, and I will be starting medical school this fall. When I reflect upon the Elks Scholar Service Trip to New Orleans, I am reminded of many vibrant colors and the grand memories associated with them. Green popped up throughout the week as our group helped pull weeds, replant vegetables, and build flower beds in a community garden. We sampled a variety of fresh greens and I’ve never seen so many people excitedly eat kale before! As we walked around the city, pinks and yellows made old shotgun houses shine. It was inspiring to hear about growth and restoration in a city so devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The cheery colors reflected the positive hopes the citizens had for t...

by Christine Robinson Senior Associate, Communications This past week, the ENF staff prepared for two big events—MVS Leadership Weekend and Hoop Shoot National Finals—all while closing the 2016-17 fiscal year. It’s a team effort, which begins at the local Lodge level and continues through district, state and National. We couldn’t do what we do in Chicago without every one of you. Thank you.   So, the weather. What’s that got to do with it ?  Leadership Weekend takes months of planning and hard toil.   We want to make it the best weekend ever. Of course, we couldn’t do any of this without the Elks scholars—the most important part of the best weekend ever .    And as you may know, Midwestern weather can be unpredictable. It changes at the drop of a scholarship cap. We can’t control the weather. If we could, there wouldn’t be any seasons. It would be our favorite one year-round. (For me, that’d be late summer.)  So you’re still wo...