Elks National Foundation Blog

by Jim O'Kelley, Director Elks National Foundation My wife likes to say that my family has “the circus gene.” Maybe she’s right. My mom always wanted to be an actress, and my younger sister is one. (Perhaps you’ve seen her in such shows as The New Adventures of Old Christine and Devious Maids .) My sister, the actress. As for me, I’ve been known to dazzle karaoke crowds with my powerful rendition of “Wonderwall.” However, mostly I prefer to watch other people perform. Especially in the summer. One of my favorite ways to beat the heat is to take in a movie. Of course, with two small children, I don’t get to the movies as often as I’d like, nor can I always find two hours to watch one at home. Sound familiar? Well, guess what? You’re going to love our YouTube channel . The ENF has been cranking out short films this year—we’ve produced 21 since the Hoop Shoot in April. There are a couple of long-form interviews among them, but most are pretty short—between 2 a...

By Elks National Foundation Communications Associate Christine Robinson   A new class of Elks including six of my co-workers, after our initiation ceremony at Chicago-North Shore, Lodge No. 1316 Pictured with our sponsor Lecturing Knight Sandy Supancic. Last night I had the unique opportunity to join an organization that I’ve worked closely with for the past year. Since I started working at the Elks National Foundation, I’ve heard about all of the amazing initiatives Lodges are organizing in their own communities. Through my conversations with Elks—in my role in the Donor Services department and now in my role in Communications—I’ve heard many reasons for why people are involved and why they support the Foundation. My time at the ENF has brought me to an understanding of why some people choose to join the Elks. Charity—one of the four virtues of Elkdom—inspired me to join the Order. For the past year, I’ve seen the Elks through the eyes of the ENF, now I can broaden my u...

By Elks National Foundation Development Manager Kate Keating Edsey   All our boxes are packed, we’re ready to go… to the 2015 Elks National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana! Convention is a big deal around here. As a national organization, we just don’t get to see ENF volunteers and supporters often enough. However, each July, our staff descends on a host city to meet and greet thousands of Elks. Through hosting special ENF events and representing the Foundation at the booth in the exhibit hall, we get to know our friends of the Foundation and hear what is happening in Lodges across the country. We also get to engage with eager Elks at seminars and workshops, helping Lodges with grants, fundraising and youth programs. Pretty exciting, right? The road to Indy this year—and for every Elks National Convention—is a long one. Our team starts planning for the next year as soon as we return from a Convention, while our successes and opportunities are fresh in our minds. Then, ...

by Elks Scholar Fellow Maryann Slater   Hello Elks members and Elks scholars! My name is Maryann Slater, and I joined the Elks National Foundation staff last week as the first Elks Scholar Fellow. I recently graduated from Rutgers University and moved from New Jersey to Chicago at the beginning of the month. My position is a two-year fellowship, and I am in charge of promoting, planning and leading three Elks Scholar Service trips each year. These trips will allow Elks Scholars to travel and serve in a location somewhere in the United States for one week while giving back in the name of the Elks and learning how to become active citizens who are committed to a lifetime of service. Click here to learn more. It was certainly an exciting first week for me at the Elks National Foundation! I’d like to share with you the top 5 things that I learned during my first week (drumroll please): 1. Don't hesitate to take a leap of faith Whether it’s moving to a new city, starting a new...

By 2014 Legacy Awards Recipient and Elks Scholar Advisory Board Member Anji Radakrishnan Anji Radakrishnan, 2014 Legacy scholar and freshmen representative on the Elks Scholar Advisory Board , is giving us a glimpse into life as a college freshmen. Join her each month as she blogs about her exciting new challenges and experiences at Penn State.  Hello Elks scholars! As the school year winds down for most of us, it is the perfect time to reflect on the past year. We’ve all had our ups and downs this past year, but through it all we’ve taken away lessons to remember. First, I have to elaborate on a huge highlight of my past semester: the Elks National Hoop Shoot Finals in Springfield, MA. The trip itself was incredible, and we even got to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame. The best part for me, however, was when my parents came to visit me! It was so nice to be able to spend time with my family after being away at college for so long. A major lesson that I learned thi...

By Elks National Foundation Director Jim O'Kelley   This month’s Midday with the ENF , our podcast about the Elks National Foundation, features a must-listen interview with Bryce Caswell and Sean Loosli. To refresh your memory, Bryce and Sean were the top two Most Valuable Student scholarship recipients back in 2003. Here’s a photo of the two of them at the Elks National Convention in St. Louis, along with Meghan and me and also Robin Edison, who used to work with us. Robin Edison, Sean Loosli, Bryce Caswell, Meghan Morgan and Jim O'Kelley at the 2003 Elks National Convention in St. Louis It was taken after they had blown everyone away with their speeches. They left town that day with $60,000 scholarships, both headed to Harvard. Fast forward 12 years. The two of them were with us recently for our second Leadership Weekend. Here’s what we look like now: Sean, Bryce, Meghan and Jim Sean and Bryce served on the judging panels for the interviews and were two ...

By 2009 Elks Legacy Scholar Lauren Kuhn 2015 Miss America 4th runner-up Lauren Kuhn speaking to Hoop Shoot Finalists at the 2015 National Finals Springfield, Massachusetts—the birthplace of basketball. Believe it or not, my time as Miss Massachusetts had not yet taken me to Springfield for an event surrounding basketball. I jumped at the opportunity to be the keynote speaker and National Anthem performer for the Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals . As a 2009 Elks Legacy scholar, I looked forward to the chance to reunite with my Elks family but what I didn’t know was that I’d be reuniting with some of my biological family too! When I stepped through the elevators in my downtown hotel in Springfield, I was stunned to see my grandmother and grandfather waiting for me. They live more than two hours from Seattle, Washington, so they had a long way to travel! The Elks National Foundation surprised me with their attendance. Why was this so meaningful? Let me share. Lauren takin...

By MVS Scholar Sean Pringle I first volunteered at the Oceano/Five Cities Elks Lodge back in my junior year of high school. The Lodge was serving a huge crab feed dinner to benefit one of their many local causes. That night, I met an Elks member—Tony Ulibarri—who held a very large smile in the back kitchen as he served up his homemade pesto sauce. Sean Pringle and Tony Ulibarri The next year (as a high school senior), I volunteered at the same dinner. Earlier that fall, I applied to be an Elks Teenager of the Month and for the ENF Most Valuable Student Scholarship. I remember submitting my Teenager of the Month application to the high school counseling office the same time Tony arrived to pick the applications up. He arrived—again with a large smile—and we talked for a few minutes. A few months later, I found out that I had been selected as a Teenager of the Month and, later, Teenager of the Year. Then, in April, I was notified that I was selected as an MVS Scholarship rec...

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...