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 ...

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...

by Melissa Hoffman 2017 Most Valuable Student Scholar My name is Melissa Hoffmann. I’m a sophomore studying Environmental Studies at Vassar College in New York. I’m involved in climate justice and environmental activism work on campus and with the community. Traveling to Portland, Oregon, with the Elks marked my first time traveling alone, and it was to a place I’ve never been with people I’ve never met. My first Elks Scholar Service Trip ended up being the best spring break I’ve ever had. One of the reasons I was interested in the trip to Portland, aside from wanting to connect with other Elks scholars and use my energy to make a difference in the world, was the location. As an environmentalist who fully embraces my love for a good soil composition and a low-carbon lifestyle, Portland has always interested me. It is known as one of the greenest, if not the greenest, city in the U.S. for its high-quality public transportation, walkability and bikeability, access to green spac...

by John Kavula Elks Scholar Fellow At 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 12, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. After a week of long days running around with kids at the Boys and Girls Club and serving in the Mississippi sun followed by little sleep, my first Elks Scholar Service Trip was over. While it certainly wasn’t easy, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I like to think I have one of the best jobs in the world—I get to travel around the country, learn about new communities through service and, best of all, meet amazing people while doing so. This year’s winter trip to Biloxi was no exception. Returning to the Gulf Coast was a bit of a homecoming for me because I lived an hour away from Biloxi for about 10 years. Even though it was only for a week, it was great to see the scholars, many of whom had never been to Mississippi or even the Deep South before, get a taste of what the Gulf Coast has to offer. And I don’t just mean the food! A highlight, or at le...

by Nathan Kriha Donor Services Coordinator One of the most consistent passions in my life has been a love for nonprofits—especially ones that focus on education and the development of impoverished communities. This love can be traced all the way back to my high school days when my mother (quite forcibly) suggested I teach a kindergarten religious education course with her. After my introductory class, I thought that this decision would easily be one  of the biggest regrets of my life: The children would scream, cry, launch their crayons into space, tear up their books, and cry a little more. While I was initially stunned by this preliminary lesson, I witnessed my mother corral these angsty students and gradually create a heartwarming and quite soothing environment. At this moment I realized the true influence that a teacher can have on their students, and I became captivated with the study of successful teaching methods. This interest persisted into my coursework at t...

by Taylor Odisho Communications Coordinator This may come as a shock to no one, but starting and running a nonprofit is not easy. Every initiative must be calculated; every mailing needs a purpose; and every volunteer and staff member should overflow with passion for the cause, or it just won’t work. Luckily, since I started working at the Elks National Foundation a year ago, I’ve noticed that last part comes pretty easily.  Recently, I had the privilege to attend a week-long fundraising course taught by two experts in the field—Jeri Pat Gabbert and Tim Seiler from Indiana University. They were engaging and provided fruitful information that seemed applicable to everyone in the class, from the students who worked for established nonprofits like the Salvation Army to one-person fundraising teams there to learn the basics.  The biggest lesson I took away from the course—aside from understanding the fundamentals of fundraising—is that the ENF is a well-oiled nonprofit mac...

by John Kavula Elks Scholar Fellow As the chilly fall weather crept in on Chicago, Programs Relationship Senior Associate Maryann Dernlan and I had the chance to escape to the sunny, 80-degree weather of the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a site visit in preparation for the 2019 Winter Elks Scholar Service Trip. When I accepted the position of Elks Scholar Fellow nearly five months ago, one aspect of the position that drew me in was the opportunity to choose the location for the Elks Scholar Service Trips. When I found out that Community Collaborations International (CCI), a service organization we had worked with on a past trip, had a program in Biloxi, Mississippi, I knew that I wanted to go to a place that meant so much to me: The Gulf Coast. Before going to college, I lived just an hour east of Biloxi in Mobile, Alabama, so I jumped at the opportunity to bring a group of Elks scholars, many of whom may have never been to the Gulf Coast, to share the experience of the pl...

by Mary Morgan Elks Veterans Service Commission Director I was an employee of the Elks National Foundation for 6 years, and I’ve been a donor for longer. Now that I work at the Elks National Veterans Service Commission, nearly our entire budget comes in the form of a grant from the Elks National Foundation. So, you could say I have many reasons to celebrate ENF Month. And you’d be correct. My first job at the ENF was in the Donor Services department, which processes the donations that come in, maintains all donor records, and helps to ensure that every gift is acknowledged. Often, donations would come in with jokes, notes and updates—like from Roy Weichold, a.k.a. “Mouse,” who was a member of Carmichael, Calif., Lodge No. 2103. One of his jokes was: Why are the streets of Paris lined with trees? So the Germans could march in the shade. Reading these notes from donors like Mouse was one of the joys of the job, and it helped deepen my connection with our donors and supp...

by Megan Kalie 2015 Legacy Awards Scholar My name is Megan Kalie, and I’m studying English with a concentration in creative writing at Slippery Rock University. I attended the past three Elks Scholar Service Trips in Santa Monica, Asheville, and San Antonio, and the Elks National Foundation has changed my life immensely in only six months. Not only did being back in San Antonio feel like a homecoming, but getting to see familiar faces from previous service trips did as well. One thing I really loved about the 150 for 150 celebration, outside of all the great service work did, was watching everyone reconnect. Knowing I’d get to see people from the Santa Monica and Asheville trips again made me more excited for San Antonio than I could’ve imagined. I was happy with my own reunions, but seeing other scholars reconnect with friends they’d made on their service trips was a joy to witness, too. Megan and her parents stopped by the ENF booth at the Elks National Conventi...

by Makenna Cannon Programs Assistant  The Elks National Foundation 2019 scholarship contests are underway, and our office has spent the last few months supplying scholarship materials and information to our dedicated volunteers across the country. We’ve been encouraging volunteers to promote the contests in their local communities and to communicate directly with applicants, families, and guidance counselors.  While we consistently push our volunteers to go out in the field to promote our programs, most of our promotion at the Elks National Foundation is online or by proxy. This week, I had the chance to practice what we preach and promote the contest in our own local community of Chicago. I attended the second annual Scholarship and Resource Fair hosted by Chicago Scholars. Ten scholarship organizations presented their scholarship programs, ranging from local scholarships to national programs, like ours, to 150 high school seniors and their families. Most of my ...