Elks National Foundation Blog

by Meaghan Morris Lodge Grants Program Coordinator Hello! My name is Meaghan, and I am thrilled to be the new Programs Coordinator in the Community Investments Program office. I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2015. Since then, I’ve jetted around peripatetically, travelling to 46 states and 24 countries, and living in Western Massachusetts, Boston, and the mountains of rural Wyoming.  I moved to Chicago in 2016, and the Cubs won the World Series a little while later. I attribute my move as the main catalyst for the breaking of the Curse of the Billy Goat, so, you’re welcome for that, Cubs fans! I joined the ENF during its busiest time of the year. I started working in the CIP office one day after grant applications opened for the new year, and our office was inundated with hundreds of grant applications in that first week alone. On top of the busyness in our office, Fundraising, Communications, Hoop Shoot and Scholarships were excitedly (yet grac

by Christine Robinson Communications Senior Associate Every year, we ask the Hoop Shoot National Finalists to tell us fun facts about themselves. One of the questions we ask is, “What’s your lucky charm?” Finalists have a variety of answers. They list things like lucky jerseys, tie-dye socks, family members, or their favorite t-shirts. But this year, a Finalist from New York listed his lucky charm as a glazed donut. For as long as I’ve been working with the trading cards, a Finalist has never listed food as their lucky charm, let alone a donut. As a donut fan myself, I had to know more. I hoped to meet Tommy Goodelle and his family during the Finals weekend in Chicago. On the first day, I found myself in the FanZone with Tommy and his dad, Andy. I introduced myself and began my line of questioning. “What’s with the donut?” (His dad told me it’s become a tradition so that Tommy isn’t shooting on an empty stomach.) “Do you eat one before the contest?” “Yes.” “Do you