Elks National Foundation Blog

Weehawken, N.J., Lodge No. 1456 Weehawken, N.J. is a more beautiful place thanks to the Elks! Using an Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant , Weehawken, N.J., Lodge No. 1456 partnered with local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, a teen peer leadership group, and other high school students to plant a garden surrounding Weehawken Town Hall. The students gave this project two green thumbs up! They enjoyed digging in the dirt, and working alongside other local youth and the Elks. To keep the plants and their new friendships thriving, the Elks plan to tend to the community garden year-round. “The Lodge furthered its status in the community by working with youth on this visible project,” says Project Manager Thomas Rovito. “We plan to plant more next year, and cultivate this project for years to come.” Does your Lodge want to be featured on the ENF blog or other ENF pages? Simply submit fabulous Final Report Forms! Include project successes, feedback from the Lodge and community, and ...

 Naval (Port Angeles), Wash., Lodge No. 353 Thanks to the Elks, the Loggers of Crescent High School in Joyce, Wash. are bringing home the gold! Using an Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant , the Elks of Naval (Port Angeles), Wash., Lodge No. 353 built a long jump pit for the local high school. Because Crescent High School has limited funding, its athletic program has suffered. With this upgrade, track and field athletes have a safe, effective place to practice and compete. The Elks also constructed a cover for the pit to ensure that it will be available for athletes in the future, despite the harsh Northwest weather. “The new long jump pit will create a safer environment for athletes from Crescent and from visiting schools,” says Project Manager Sherrie Riggs. “So many athletes in the community will use the long jump pit. The Elks and the school really took pride in this project.” Did your Lodge meet the National President’s per-member-giving goal in 2012-13? Ther...

By Programs Associate Mary Morgan Debbie Doles, Kristen Scaletta and I landed in Las Vegas on a warm, sunny afternoon, which was a welcome change from recently-turned-cold Chicago. We rented our car and soon left the bright lights and big dreams of Vegas behind as we headed into the dusty red mountains and desert that led us to St. George, Utah. We were on our way to gather footage for the ENF’s soon-to-be released short feature film, Giving Back . For the past three years, St. George ‘Dixie’, Utah, Lodge No. 1743 has used an Impact Grant to run the Pantry Partners for Success project at Millcreek High, a local alternative high school. The Lodge provides material and other support to the students at the school. It’s a wildly successful project, and has both raised the graduation rate at the school and raised the Lodge’s image in the community. Because of this, we chose to feature this project as part of the ENF video, and were headed to get footage of Elks in action. Desert Cru...

Cocoa Beach, Fla., Lodge No. 2387 Elks from Cocoa Beach, Fla., Lodge No. 2387 know the importance of extracurricular activities. That’s why they partnered with the local high school, and last year raised a record $28,000 to help student groups ranging from the athletic department to the robotics team. With the help of an Elks National Foundation Promise Grant , the Lodge helps students hold car wash fundraisers. Check out this news coverage of the Lodge’s partnership with the school. The ENF awards $2,000 Promise Grants to the first 500 Lodges that pledge to host an event that helps build the character and competence of youth in their community. To find out more about Promise Grants and the Community Investments Program, visit www.elks.org/enf/community .