Lebanon Elks #422 Award Legacy Scholarship
Congratulations to Lebanon High School Graduate Class of 2025 Alex Klein on receiving the Elks Legacy Award Scholarship, presented to him by our Esteemed Leading Knight, Heidi Calvert.
Elks Crown Lena Moore as Most Colorful Crusader Against Drugs with her Drug Awareness Poster
Elks Crown Lena Moore as Most Colorful Crusader Against Drugs with her Drug Awareness Poster
Lena More’s Drug Awareness Poster
The Ohio State winner of this year’s Drug Awareness Poster Contest is Lena Moore. Lena is a 5 th grader attending Salem-Southeast Elementary School. Her poster is an excellent example of the message of this year’s theme, “Throw Away Drugs – Not Your Future!”
Jackson Elks #466 Distributes $17,000 in Donations
Jackson Elks #466 Distribute $17,000 in Donations
Tina Spanos Executive Assistant of Board of Development of Disabilities of Vinton County. Pictured with Cerebral Palsy Chairman Lynn Denny.
Jackson Elks# 466 Presented a Cerebral Palsy Grant of $12,000 to benefit Jackson County Development of Disabilities and $5,100 to benefit Vinton County Board of Development of Disabilities.
The grants were provided by the Ohio Elks Association Cerebral Palsy Fund Board. Pictured Is Christy Byler Principal of Jackson County of Development of Disabilities and Jackson Cerebral Palsy Chairman Lynn Denny. The 2nd picture is Tina Spanos Executive Assistant of Board of Development of Disabilities of Vinton County. Pictured with Cerebral Palsy Chairman Lynn Denny.
Pictured Is Christy Byler Principal of Jackson County of Development of Disabilities and Jackson Cerebral Palsy Chairman Lynn Denny.
Local Media Pro Speaks at OEA Public Relations Meeting
Local Media Pro Speaks at OEA Public Relations Meeting
Left, Jay Allred, CEO, Source Media Properties and Right Brad Smith, Ohio Elks PR Chairman
Over 30 interested Elks from across the state interacted with a special speaker at the OEA Spring Convention in Columbus. Jay Allred, CEO, Source Media Properties, a local online news organization operating in three Ohio counties, had several tips and insights on how to effectively provide Lodge news to local media. The type of digital local media Allred provides is a growing source of local news, and he learned as much as he taught, as his company is working on a new portal to make submitting local news easier for non-professionals. The informative presentation was well received – thank you Jay Allred.
Salem Elks #305 Holds Awards Ceremony for Drug Awarness and Americanism
Sunday, May 4th
Salem Elks Lodge #305
Held their Drug Awareness Program
and Americanism Essay Awards Ceremony
"Throw Away Drugs-Not Your Future"
Makayla Jones-1st essay, Aaliyah Brielle Cantania-2nd essay; Lena Moore-1st poster, Cleo Johnson-2nd poster, Ruby Zellers-3rd poster & Becky Underhill, OEA State DAP Chairman. Backrow: Kim Chapman-Lodge DAP Chairman and Eddy Hanna-NE District DAP Chairman.
Lodge and NE District placings were the same. All continued onto the OEA state level with Makayla Jones and Lena Moore being awarded 1st place Ribbons, as seen in the photo. Their Essay and Poster advanced to the National level of competition; to be judged during the Elks Grand Lodge Convention in Kansas City.
Americanism Essay
"What Does Patriotism Mean To Me."
6th grade division:
Simon Willgohs-1st, Harper Fadden-2nd, Chloe Burns-3rd & Natalie Devine-Honorable Mention
5th grade division:
Kyleigh Bletso-1st,
Margaret Hodgson-2nd,
Audrina Cowher-3rd
Backrow Pam Gerace- Americanism Chairman, 8th grade division:
Ally Chambers-1st and
Olivia Tomasic-3rd, not present is Marissa Gatewood-2nd
The NE District placed both Ally Chambers and Marissa Gatewood in the top 3 of the 8th grade Division. At the Ohio State level, Marissa Gatewood was awarded 1st in the 8th grade division with her Essay proceeding onto the National level. Those essays will be judged during the Elks Grand Lodge Convention in Kansas City just prior to the 4th of July.
Gallipolis Elks #107 Donate over $20,000 to Help People with Cerebral Palsy
Gallipolis Elks 107 Cerebral Palsy Chairman PER Nelson Dray, presented Cerebral Palsy grants to Lisa Arthur, Director
of Education, Meigs County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities ($10,900) and to Laura Johnson,
Director of Education, Gallia County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities ($10,000). The grants were provided by the Ohio Elks Association Cerebral Palsy Fund Board and will be used to purchase Smart Boards for the classrooms. Pictured recveving the grants from PER Nelson Dray were, left to right: Kim Wolfe, teacher, Meigs Co. MRDD; Lisa Arthur, Laura Johnson and PER Nelson Dray.
Gallipolis Elks 107 Cerebral Palsy Chairman PER Nelson Dray, presented Cerebral Palsy grants to Lisa Arthur, Director of Education, Meigs County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities ($10,900) and to Laura Johnson, Director of Education, Gallia County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities ($10,000). The grants were provided by the Ohio Elks Association Cerebral Palsy Fund Board and will be used to purchase Smart Boards for the classrooms. Pictured recveving the grants from PER Nelson Dray were, left to right: Kim Wolfe, teacher, Meigs Co. MRDD; Lisa Arthur, Laura Johnson and PER Nelson Dray.
Lima Elks #54 recognize Eagle Scout
Micah Reeder of BSA Troop #106
On April 27, 2025, the Lima Elks Lodge #54 recognized Micah Reeder of BSA Troop #106 during their Eagle Scout Court of Honor. The award consisted of The American flag and the Eagle Scout Certificate frames for hanging along with the Grand Exalted Rulers' Congratulatory letter, Certificate of Merit and the Elks/Scouting Pin. For his Eagle Scout project, Micah upgraded the firepit and added three picnic tables on the north side of Shawnee United Methodist Church.
Congratulations to Micah on his many achievements.
Pictured with Micah are his father, Brad Reeder (left), and his Scoutmaster,
Mike Sims (right).
Keith Denny Installed as President at 126th Ohio Elks Association Meeting
During the weekend long proceeding at the 126th Ohio Elks Association meeting in Dublin Ohio. Keith Denny of the Jackson #466 and his core of officers were installed during the Saturday evening business session. During his succinct acceptance speech, he thanked his beautiful wife Lynn, his family and the elks of the Jackson Lodge. He also introduced his theme for the year of “Pour Yourself into Elkdom” There will be plenty of information to come shortly. For more information about Keith and his officers, check out the leadership page on OhioElks.com
Ohio Competes At Regional Soccer Shoot
I am happy to report that all 10 of our shooters were able to attend. They were:
Violet Van Dresser U-8 girl from Norwalk Lodge #730 – placed 4th in her age group in York
Brantley Barnett, U-8 boy from Coshocton Lodge # 376 – placed 6th in his age group in York
Sayla Gancarz, U-10 girl from Salem Lodge # 305 – placed 2nd in her age group in York
Noah Gancarz, U-10 boy from Salem Lodge # 305 – placed 3rd in his age group in York
Makenna Banta, U-12 girl from Upper Sandusky Lodge # 83 – placed 5th in her age group in York
Lincoln Kuhn, U-12 boy from Findlay Lodge # 75 – placed 1st in his age group in York and Lincoln also won honors for the highest score for U10 – U16 boys in the entire region.
Javyn Gress, U-14 girl from Newcomerstown Lodge # 1555 – placed 1st in her age group in York
Aiden Deem, U-14 boy from Upper Salem Lodge # 305 – placed 3rd in his age group in York
Alexis Warner, U-16 girl from Conneaut Lodge # 256 – placed 3rd in her age group in York
Aiden Davis, U-16 boy from Salem Lodge # 305 – placed 3rd in his age group in York
A great time was had by everyone, new friendships were made, and most importantly, every had a GREAT time. We competed against 5 other state associations; Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, DC., New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Ohio placed in 2nd place overall. The weekend started with a pizza party and DJ hosted by York Pa. Lodge # 213 with the actual shoot on Saturday morning. The banquet and awards program highlighted Saturday evening with everyone enjoying the fellowship of the evening and the honoring of the winners.
Looking ahead, our 2025 state shoot will be held on November 8, 2025, and the regional shoot will be held in March 2026. Details on those shoots will be posted as they become available.
Ravenna Elks #1076 Host “Hope Resource Carnival”
Ravenna Lodge #1076 hosted the Ravenna Center of Hope Resource Carnival. What a joy it was to see so many families come together to enjoy carnival games, photos with the Easter Bunny, Bunny Bags, and meaningful fellowship!
Other community partners whose generosity and dedication made this event not only possible but truly wonderful included: Townhall II, Reed Memorial Library, The Ravenna Lions Club, Portage Learning Centers, Portage County Health District, WIC, PARTA, Axcess Pointe, and the United Way.
Newark Elks #391 Presents Awards to Drug Awareness Contest Winners
Pictured left to right are DAP Chairman Becky Underhill, Emmett Marteney, Daniel Beaubien, Emma Davies, Xahvier Spradlin, Zavyer Elizondo, and Exalted Ruler Mark Gilligan.
Tuesday, March 18th was a special evening for five students in the Newark City Schools, After School Adventures program. The students are this year’s winners of the Drug Awareness Program’s Coloring, Poster, Essay, and Middle School Video contests.
Our guests were the parents and siblings, grandparents, teachers and administrators from Newark City Schools. The evening was highlighted by Newark Mayor, Jeff Hall speaking to the students, telling them how important it is to be educated on drug abuse and congratulating them on a job well done.
The winners are as follows,
Emmett Marteney, winner of the lodge coloring page. Emmett is a 2nd grader at Hillview Elementary School and he received a certificate and a $10 Walmart gift card.
Daniel Beaubien, winner of the Poster contest. Daniel is in the 5th grade at Legend Elementary and he received a certificate and a $25 Walmart gift card. By the way, Daniel is the grandson of member Rick Costa.
Emma Davies, is the winner of the Essay contest. Emma is in the 7th grade at Heritage Middle School. She received a certificate and a $25 Walmart gift card.
The team of Zavyer Elizondo and Xahvier Spradlin was the winner if the Middle School Video contest. Both boys are in the 7th grade at Heritage Middle School and they both received a certificate and a $25 Walmart gift card.
Emmett, Daniel, Emma, Zavyer and Xahvier progressed to the SC District competition and won a pennant at that level where they moved on to the state competition.
Congratulations to our five winners and a round of applause to all the 99 kids who entered the contests.
Elyria Lodge #465 Awards $6,500 in Scholarships to Local Students
On March 22nd, the Elyria Elks awarded $6,500.00 in scholarships to 9 local students. The students, in alphabetical order, were Hezekiah Garcia, Grace Grove, Angela Harp, Ryan Hart, Alayna Kasper, Andrew Peacock, Carolina Reed, James Tatam and Sierra Wirscham. $2,000.00 came from the Lodge, $2,000.00 from the P.E.R. (Past Exalted Rulers) Association and $2,500.00 was raised at our annual Ohio State vs Michigan football party - in honor of long time member, and a huge Buckeye fan, Brad R. Smith. GO BUCKEYES!
Van Wert Elks #1197 Recognizes Students of the Month
From left: Linda J. Stanley, Lodge Student of the Month Chair with Lauren Anspach
From left: Adelyn Figley with Linda J. Stanley, Lodge Student of the Month Chair
Van Wert Elks Lodge #1197 have selected Lauren Anspach, senior at Lincolnview High School and Adelyn Figley, senior at Crestview High School as the recipients of the Student of the Month for March.
Students are nominated by their high schools to receive this award. Each Student of the Month receives a monetary donation along with a certificate from the Van Wert Elks Lodge 1197 with the possibility to be named the Student of the Year. Students are judged on the basis of multiple achievements – Volunteerism, Character, Leadership, Service, Citizenship and Scholastic.
This program is designed to recognize outstanding young men and women for their achievements in school and community. The Elks wish to recognize and praise those students for their accomplishments, their activities, and their contributions to society through this program.
Van Wert Elks #1197 Donate To Local Scholarship Program
Pictured, left to right are Kim Ousley, Peony Committee President, Nicole Welker, Peony Committee Secretary and Michael Martz, Lodge Leading Knight.
Van Wert Elks Lodge #1197 recently donated $150 to the Van Wert Peony Festival Committee. The monies are to go towards the Peony Festival Scholarship Program. The Elks, nationally, are only second to the United States Government in the number of scholarships that are given out each year. Van Wert Elks Lodge is proud to be a contributor each year to this important scholarship program.
Lima Elks #54 Honors Silver Award Winners
Lima Elks Lodge #54 recognized Silver Award recipients Bren Smith, Cambria Whitehead and Katelyn Shields of Girl Scout Troop #21252 during their Scout meeting. The award consisted of The American flag and the Girl Scout Silver Award Certificate along with the Grand Exalted Rulers' Congratulatory letter, Certificate of Merit and the Elks/Scouting Pin.
For their projects, Bren redecorated the basement classrooms at her church. Cambria and Katelyn teamed up to repaint the Scout room at the Bath Community center. This room is used by both Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops.
Congratulations to these young ladies on their many achievements.
2025 Ohio Most Valuable Student Scholarships Announced!
This year 50 students in Ohio are receiving Most Valuable Student scholarship awards ranging from $2,000 to $30,000. These scholarships are issued by the Elks National Foundation (ENF) with a total of $162,000 in scholarships being awarded in Ohio and more than $2.5 million nationally. The full list of Ohio scholarship winners can be found here: https://ohioelks.com/scholarships
Ohio Elks Association Donate Puzzle Board To Veterans
The Ohio Elks Association donated puzzle board to veterans at the Ohio Veteran’s Home.
Many of our veterans enjoy piecing together puzzles. We found these puzzle boards that are equipped with ultra-smooth rotating lazy susans that enable the puzzles to rotate 360 degrees for easy access to all sections without shifting. By reducing strain on their arms and wrists it makes a more comfortable and enjoyable experience. They absolutely Love them.
On St. Patty’s we also treated the veterans to homemade cookies to go along with shamrock milkshakes. A selection of Irish tunes were also enjoyed.
Columbus - Grove City Elks #37 Visit With Veterans
Matt Beedy, Exalted Ruler, and Angelo Nocera, Veteran's Chairman of Columbus-Grove City Elks Lodge #37, visited the Veterans at Monterey Nursing Home in Grove City, Ohio. Our Lodge gave 14 male and 2 female Veterans sweatsuits.
State Americanism Essay Contest Winners Announced!
The Americanism Essay Contest is completed for 2024-25 year. Thank you to all the districts that participated. All your hard work is greatly appreciated. Essays were received from 5 out of our 6 districts. The winners are as follows:
2024-2025 State Winners
5th Grade State Winners
1. Meredith Rhodes – NE District – Berea #1815
2. Emmitt Ralph – NE District - Ravenna #1076
3. Griffin Pelfrey – NC District – Wooster #1346
6th Grade State Winners
1. Aryln Morris – NE District - Ravenna #1076
2. Malinah Rivas – NE District – Berea #1815
3. Fennyx Depew – NW District – Toledo Sylvania #53
7th Grade State Winners
1. Liam Kuzmickas – NE District – Berea #1815
2. Sutton Clay – NE District – Alliance #467
3. Aarush Bhirud – SC District – Marysville #1130
8th Grade State Winners
1. Marissa Gatewood – NE District – Salem #305
2. Ahleya Grimm – NE District – Alliance #467
3. Nevan Moore – SC District – Marysville #1130
Congratulations to all the winners!
Hamilton Elks #93 Making An Impact Against Food Insecurity in Butler County
Hamilton Elks Lodge #93 was has been awarded a renewal of their Impact Grant from the Elks National Foundation (ENF). The grant funds a program focusing on food insecurities in Butler County, OH, especially for older seniors. The lodge concentration is heavily on food insecurities with low income and home inbound seniors.
This year the lodge has diversified their efforts to help seniors directly and indirectly. They have partnered with the “Open-Door Pantry” and will donate food boxes each month in 2025. This food pantry is close to our hearts because we have one of our own working there 3 days a week and in a month’s time, John Drexler an Elk member will put in about 91 hours of work at the Pantry doing all kinds of things needed.
We are also continuing our work with Kevin Kurpieski, Manager of Job & Family Services in Butler County in the Adult Protection Services Department. We provide food for 10 senior families each month. Kevin and his department provide the list of senior families that are the neediest each month and make face-to-face deliveries due to privacy issues.
Our Elks members do all the shopping for the food, prepare and pack all the food boxes. Last year we had 128 Elk members participate, this not including helpers. Elk members contributed 282 hours to the Impact Grant in 2024. The cost of value worked by the Elk members was $9,000.
Hamilton Elks Lodge #93 looks forward to thriving in 2025.
