Elks National Foundation Blog

by Ashley Hart Development Assistant This February, the Elks National Foundation welcomed me to their team as a Development Assistant. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to start my nonprofit career with the Elks family—a community known for their volunteerism, generosity and charitable work throughout the United States. As a DePaul graduate student studying nonprofit management, my decision to join the ENF stemmed from my passion for volunteer work, fundraising and nonprofit development. After my first week, I was delighted to discover the humility and devotion displayed by the ENF staff and volunteers. Never before have I worked for an organization as friendly and accommodating as the ENF. Their hard work and positive organizational culture mimics the passion and care demonstrated by the Elks.   It seems I joined the ENF at a prime time. After a week of pleasantries, we entered the month of March full speed ahead. As a new hire, I quickly understood the stress t...

  by Gabriella Haire 2015 Most Valuable Student Scholar My name is Gabriella Haire and I am a junior studying biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota. Beyond dreaming up medical innovations, I enjoy volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, training for cross country ski races, and exploring new cities one ice cream shop at a time. Following a typical track practice in March 2015, I received an atypical email. It was an invitation to the Elks Most Valuable Student Leadership Weekend and the promise of an Elks National Foundation scholarship. I was elated as I celebrated in the locker room, but I didn’t fully realize how that email and the Leadership Weekend were just the beginning of my relationship with the Elks. After a physics lecture in November 2015, I received an email confirming my acceptance to the Winter Elks Scholar Service Trip in Oakland, California. I was eager to connect with Elks scholars for a whole week, rather than just a weekend. A...

by Marc Rademaker 2017 Most Valuable Student Scholar My name is Marc Rademaker and I am a first-year at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. I’m majoring in Biology on the pre-medicine track with a minor in Chemistry.   Traveling to Asheville with my fellow Elks scholars marked my second service trip with the Elks after Santa Monica this past winter. Entering the Asheville Service Trip, I had very high expectations for the week. My experience in Santa Monica had been so incredible that I couldn’t wait for another great week with the Elks. I was not disappointed. Arriving at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, I immediately began to form connections with my fellow Elks scholars. Because it was a smaller trip, we were able to grow close almost immediately while sharing our stories and ambitions with one another. These new friends came from Alaska, Puerto Rico, and everywhere in between to serve together.   As I witnessed the sunrise on the first day of service, I k...

by Billy Donnelly Youth Programs Associate A contestant shoots a free throw during the competition. While low temperatures afflict most of the United States in January and February, things are really starting to heat up for the Hoop Shoot. In gyms all across the country, Hoop Shoot contestants have been competing in state contests--another stop on the road to Chicago. This year I had the privilege of attending the Missouri State Hoop Shoot contest, just outside of St. Louis. Randy Eaton has been the Show-Me State’s Director for more than 30 years, but after all that time, you can tell he has not lost his fire and passion for the program. I left a looming snow storm in Chicago, happily heading south to help out with Randy’s event. It didn’t take long after my arrival before we could start to get to work. The hotel was practically ready to go—a Holiday Inn with an arcade and a large indoor pool meant that the 48 best free-throw shooters in Missouri weren’t going to ...

by Raphael Banuelos 2017 Most Valuable Student Scholar My name is Raphael Banuelos and I am studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. I am a 2017 MVS scholar from Pinetop, Arizona and I can confidently say that spending a week volunteering alongside Elks scholars was the highlight of my winter break. This was my first service trip and I had little idea of what to expect. I initially thought time spent on service trips could be better spent volunteering in our hometowns. How could we make a lasting difference working in a new city for five days? However, the first night of the trip, our leader shared something a scholar had said on a past service trip, “service without reflection is just work.” Throughout the week, our reflection discussions every night offered lots of insight. I heard various scholars’ perspectives that made each activity and day more meaningful. Our discussions opened my eyes to the difference we could make in Santa Monica.  ...

by Keegan O'Ravez 2017 Legacy Awards Recipient Keegan spending time with fellow Elks scholars. My name is Keegan O’Ravez and I am a freshman at Sonoma State University. I am majoring in pre-nursing with a minor in Spanish. I am a 2017 Legacy scholar, and the winter trip to Santa Monica was my first time going on an Elks Scholar Service Trip. When I heard about the service trip to Santa Monica, I was in a place where I needed more from my time. On a whim, I applied to the trip. I was intrigued, and nervous, but mostly excited to go on this unknown adventure. Back then, I never realized how big of an impact this trip was going to have on me. During the week, I learned three major lessons that changed my perspective on people experiencing homelessness, my understanding of the people who make these trips possible, and my connection to fellow Elks scholars. I grew up in a beautiful town in northern California, surrounded by lakes and mountains. However, as years went...

by Jessica Carter 2015 MVS Scholarship Recipient and Elks Scholar Advisory Board Member GreekBuil packing boxes at Feed My Starving Children. My name is Jessica Carter, and I am a junior at Northwestern University studying Political Science and Psychology. In 2015, I was a top 20 Elks Most Valuable Student Scholar and for the past three years I have served on the Elks Scholar Advisory Board. I can’t believe I’m already halfway through my junior year of college—it feels like just yesterday I was applying for the Elks MVS scholarship in my senior year of high school! This past year, especially, has flown by; from taking on new leadership roles in the winter and spring, an exciting summer internship, and studying abroad in the fall, everything has been very fast, but very fun. A year ago in January of 2017, I became the Vice President of Service for one of the service clubs at Northwestern. In charge of organizing all volunteering events, I planned trips to pack f...

by Makenna Cannon Programs Assistant Last month, I moved to a new city, into a new apartment, and, most importantly, started a new job at the Elks National Foundation. From taking the wrong bus to work one morning to volunteering at my first Standdown for Chicago veterans, it has been a month punctuated by stand-out experiences. That said, most of my November was spent learning; the ins and outs of the Most Valuable Student scholarship contest, what it means to be a member of the #ElksFamily and, of course, the correct bus route to work. I started a month before the end of the Most Valuable Student scholarship contest deadline, the largest of the ENF scholarship programs. These past weeks have been a whirlwind of important deadlines for applicants and volunteers alike. The MVS contest relies on a national group of passionate, dedicated volunteers that judge applications at their local Lodges. I am constantly struck by how the volunteers, whether from Missouri or Alaska or V...

by Billy Donnelly Youth Programs Associate The process of becoming an Exalted Ruler at a Lodge is simple. Before you can become a leader, you first need to follow. Working your way up the ladder, or going through the chairs, is a perfect way for you to get hands-on experience with every aspect of Lodge business, thus allowing you to make informed decisions when elected as Exalted Ruler. It makes sense. My experience with the Hoop Shoot has been the exact opposite of that. When I started as the Youth Programs Associate at the Elks National Foundation, I had never even seen a Hoop Shoot contest in person. My first contest was my own Lodge’s—Chicago Northshore, Ill., No. 1316—and it was an eye-opening experience. Two years ago, I went to the Goethe Elementary gymnasium in Chicago ready to take notes and observe my first Hoop Shoot from the sidelines. I should have known better. Without skipping a dribble, my Lodge Secretary Paul Ronzani called me off the bench and told me ...

by Taylor Odisho Communications Assistant Elks headquarters staff smile while distributing thermal clothing. Hundreds of volunteers and sponsors bustled around the Illinois National Guard Northwest Armory in Chicago, preparing for the rush of homeless veterans. The line for the winter Standdown went well past the front doors, and since it was the middle of November, everyone rushed to get people through the doors and out of the cold. A group of Elks Headquarter staff and Elks scholars lined up to help veterans collect winter boots, thermal  clothing, toiletries, shelf-stable food and more. Before veterans headed down the line, they were given a small, white envelope—thank-you notes written by local students. When some veterans opened their cards, they quickly disguised their misty eyes with a smile, and gently placed the letter in a place for safekeeping. A veteran named Mike who helped organize the event shared his gratitude for the volunteers. “You’re going...