Elks National Foundation Blog

By ENF Programs Assistant Jocelyn Moya Happy New Year! Well, sort of. The ENF closed the 2014-15 fiscal year on March 31, but lucky for you there’s still time left in the grant year. In fact, there are plenty of Gratitude Grants available, to Lodges that reached the per capita goal, to apply for by May 31. I’ve had many Lodge members tell me they’d like to apply for a grant but due to the time of year and project deadlines they have difficulty thinking of a project. As you know, the Community Investments Program is all about using the resources and relationships that already exist to benefit the community so what better resource to maximize than that of the four seasons. One simple project your Lodge can easily start is a community garden. Community gardens are a fantastic way to meet the needs of the surrounding community and teach youth about the benefits of local food and healthy eating. The best part of starting a community garden is that it is versatile. Your Lodge ca...

By ENF Development Coordinator Billy Donnelly I started working at the Elks National Foundation in June of 2014. I spent all of my time here at the ENF hearing about our major milestones. I only could read about the Hoop Shoot National Finals , or the MVS Leadership Weekend . People could only tell me what the Elks National Convention or the end of a fiscal year is like. Recently, that has started to change. I have had a small part in the legwork for some of our major events, and it has been quite the experience. I recently made it through the end of my first fiscal year with the ENF. It was almost as if time sped up. If I blinked, I would have missed two weeks. Everything that I had learned from the past year with the ENF was put to the test. Although it was very busy, it was busy in a good way! I had the opportunity to talk to countless ENF Fundraising Chairs, Secretaries, Treasures and Exalted Rulers from all across the country. Being able to talk to so many people and hearin...

By Elks National Foundation Director Jim O'Kelley   A long time ago, a speaker at a workshop I attended hit us with a quote that left a lasting impression: “Change is inevitable, but progress is optional.” April 1 marked the 18th turning of a fiscal year for me as director of the Elks National Foundation , and I still get excited when we flip the calendar.  Each fiscal year ushered in at least one interesting and significant change. Most of them have moved us forward. We’re making progress, and that’s what keeps me and the staff going. Here's one small change that will inspire big ideas! Mary, Jocelyn and Sarah talk CIP around their new table. Every single one of our major programs has at least one big change coming, from the latest expansion to the Community Investments Program to the new Elks Scholar Service Trips . It’s going to be a great year for our programs and the people who count on our services. But even on the fundraising side—on both the front and ...

By Elks Scho lar Advisory Board Member Macy Warburton It's not easy keeping track of 25 free throws! Good thing Elks scholars Macy and Isaac attended the Region 8 Hoop Shoot contest to help out! As I write this, I am at a student affairs conference in New Orleans, or as I like to refer to it, “Nawlins.”  I have a bit of a break today before attending more workshops, so I am taking some time to reflect on all my adventures over this past month. Naturally my thoughts have wandered to the Elks since my previous time in New Orleans was spent at the 2014 Elks Grand Lodge Convention going on haunted ghost tours, sharing my experiences as an Elks scholar, eating substantial amounts of gumbo and jambalaya, and doing my favorite Convention activity—challenging people to free throw competitions at the Hoop Shoot booth.   The Elks Hoop Shoot competition has held a special place in my heart over these past few years, and this past month has been no different. I have ha...

By Gunther & Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship Recipient and 2014 Elks Scholar Alum of the Year Kelly Ryan Murphy Being the Elks Scholar Alum of the Year has been a wonderful experience. I was able to attend the Elks National Convention in New Orleans, meet incredible members of the Elks community, and expand a service project that is near and dear to my heart. Meeting Mrs. Weigel was my favorite part of Convention. Although initially I was hesitant to apply, I am so glad that I ended up doing so. Out of all the many talented Elks scholars, I did not think that I could possibly be considered. But as an Elks scholar and a Gunther & Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship recipient, my connection to Elks had been reaffirmed over the years and I knew I had made the ideals of the Elks National Foundation a part of my daily life. Once I applied, I was completely shocked that I had received the honor. I was also excited that I would finally get a chance to put a fa...

 by Youth Programs Associate Colleen Muszynski When your boss asks in the middle of yet another brutal Chicago winter if you’d be interested in traveling to Oregon, the only acceptable answer is YES, YES, A MILLION TIMES YES! It didn’t take much convincing to get me on a plane to Portland. I was ecstatic to be on my way to visit the Coos Bay Lodge No. 1160 Impact Grant project and the Northwest Region 1 Hoop Shoot contest. You’ve already heard from my co-worker Mary Morgan about the front end of our trip to the Northwest, so I’ll pick up where she left off.  Elks (animals) looking good! The Elks (people) in Coos Bay recommended we check out the elks (animals) in Reedsport on our drive back to Portland. Living in a city like Chicago, where the wildest animal I’ve ever seen is a stray cat, I was skeptical that we’d even get a chance to see any real live elks. Sure enough, not even a half-hour into our drive, Mary and I pulled off Highway 38 to see about a dozen huge e...

 by Senior Programs Associate Mary Morgan Elks National Foundation Programs Associate Colleen Muszynski and I recently had the chance to visit with some Elks on the West Coast. Here’s a recap of Part 1 of our trip. Enjoying a sunny lunch in Portland! As Colleen and I flew out of Chicago early on a Thursday morning, I dreamed of fresh mountain air, sunshine and temperatures above 15 degrees. I was not disappointed, as we lucked into a warm and sunny Oregon weekend. Locals kept insisting that the weather was like this all the time, but something about the way they said it left me suspicious of their claim.  We landed in Portland, and immediately shook off our winter coats. We picked up a rental car at the airport and cruised into the city for lunch. We enjoyed sandwiches on the patio, stopped in Powell’s Books for some reading material and wandered in the sunshine for a bit. Then, with sustenance for our bodies and minds, we began our journey to Coos Bay, Oregon. ...

By Most Val uable Student Scholar Eric Kim I finally got the chance to volunteer at the Alabama Elks State Hoop Shoot Contest. Full of tests and deadlines, the week leading up to it had been demanding, but the Hoop Shoot had been marked in my calendar for more than a month, and I was excited to attend. Representing various Lodges from across the state, hopeful participants and their families traveled hours to gather at Birmingham Southern College for the contest. It was nice to see how the Hoop Shoot brought the community together to support the hard work and persistence of the contestants. Walking into the gymnasium, I spotted familiar faces from my sponsoring Lodge, Bessemer, Ala., Lodge No. 721, and several others I had met at the Elks National Convention in New Orleans over the summer. With wide smiles and open arms, they approached me and asked me about my family, my first year in college, and so on. As registration came to a close, everyone squeezed together in the ble...

Nicolette Brannan 2014 Most Valuable Student Scholar Stanford University—Biology Major Sponsored by San Diego, Calif., Lodge No. 168 Just like their Elks family, Elks scholars share the values of education, community service, and having a positive impact on their communities. Nicolette Brannan is a perfect example. She was active in high school, serving as president of the Science Olympiad and Academic League at her school, while also founding and leading a Spanish Literature Club after the AP Spanish Program was cancelled. “I wanted to continue my studies and to allow others to continue theirs despite the elimination of the program,” says Nicolette. Her desire to help students and promote education translated well into her community service. Each summer, Nicolette served as the volunteer ambassador for her local library’s summer reading program. She also tutored fellow students and became the tutoring coordinator for her school’s chapter of the California Scholarship Federation. N...

By Emergency Educational Grant Recipient Reed Tabor When I was first asked by Terry McMichael to come to the Kentucky State Hoop Shoot Contest my first thought was—what is the Elks Hoop Shoot contest ? I had no idea what I was getting into but I agreed to come anyway. As soon as I entered the gym I knew this was something serious. You could see the nervousness on the contestants with every shot they took. It was unlike any competition I had seen before, and to these kids it meant everything. That’s when I found out about how the Hoop Shoot works and that these kids weren’t just trying to be the best in the state of Kentucky—they were trying to become the best in the country.  It was amazing to see the contestants, some of which were half my age, stand at the free throw line and knock down 95 percent of the shots they took. It was a great experience for me to be able to a part of such a great Elks program. It was nice to meet all the Elks volunteers that give so much of their...