Salem Elks #305 Bringing Joy This Holiday Season

Salem Elks Lodge #305 combined an Elks National Foundation (ENF) Beacon Grant & Spotlight Grant totalling $6,000 to purchase Christmas gifts for 40 children. The lodge worked in conjunction with the Salem Salvation Army to receive the information regarding the 23 families. 

In addition, the lodge gave a $100 gift card to each family for what may still be needed.

Pam Gorby, ENF Chairman and her volunteers helped with making the gift purchases at Wal-Mart in a 5 hour shopping spree.  Volunteers were from a local church, Wayne Gorby, Ben-Julie-Owen-Emmerson Blevins, Doug Rudibaugh , Debbie Emelo James Hewitt, Drew Green , Denny Martin, Lynn Phillis & Kerrigan. 

All the gifts were picked up by Captain Amber and Captain Jason Imhoff and 4 of their children Addison, Dominic, Ashley and Jaxson.

Hoping to put a few smiles on their faces. 

Additionally, Salem Elks Lodge #305 ENF used and ENG Gratitude Grant worth $2,500 to donate to the Salem Community Pantry . This will assist them in making additional food purchases for the holidays. Exalted Ruler, Ben Blevins presented the check to Marya Moore, Director of the Salem Community Pantry.

Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ❤️

Athens Elks Lodge #973 Makes An Impact In Their Community This Holiday Season

Athens Elks Lodge #973 donated $1,000 to the Ohio University Student Veterans of America.  This project, Heroes Helping Heroes, has the goal to bring holiday joy to the children of local veterans, particularly those identified by the Athens County Veterans Service Office as being in need of assistance.

Athens Elks Lodge #973 also donated 1,000 to the Athens County First Responders Memorial.  This memorial is a tribute to honor the brave men and women who serve at the first line of defense in emergencies.

Additionally, Athens Elks Lodge #973 prepared a First Responders Luncheon.  Where we honored these first responders from within the City of Athens.  We cooked 10 turkeys, a case of stuffing, 60lb of potatoes, 6 gallons of green beans along with a very nice variety of desserts.  During this project we delivered 45 meals to their stations, had 22 first responders eat at the lodge and another 38 lunches were picked up for their staff to enjoy that they couldn’t get away.

Athens Elks Lodge #973 donated $1,000 to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.  This donation will assist in mortgage-free homes to deserving recipients nationwide by Christmas Eve.

Hocking Valley Basketball League was issued a $1,000 donation by Athens Elks Lodge #973 to help out with their continued support in youth sports and much needed equipment.

Athens Elks Lodge #973 held our annual Christmas Baskets project.  We delivered food baskets to 96 Athens County families.  Our Lodge does this to provide food to help our community members at this much-needed time of the year.  These Christmas baskets contain approximately 600 dollars of food staples each as well as presents for over 200 kids in the community. 

Van Wert Elks #1197 Donate Gifts To Angel Tree Project

Pictured are the wrapped presents waiting to be delivered to the party by the committee.

Van Wert Elks Lodge #1197 have again this year adopted children from the Angel Tree Project to help make their Christmas a little brighter.    Tags are placed on the lodge Angel Tree which contains the items needed for the kids.  The members of the Lodge take the tags from the tree, buy and wrap the items and bring them back to the Lodge.   The members of the Christmas Angel Tree Committee then deliver the packages to the location before Christmas.   This has been a project of the Lodge for several years and the lodge members look forward to the Angel Tree being put up in the Lodge.    By participating in this project, the Van Wert Elks are able to show the community that Elks Care – Elks Share.

Ohio Elks Association Donates More Than $27,500 In Hurricane Relief

The Ohio Elks Association, through its lodges and members donated $27,542 to the Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina Elks Associations to aid in relief efforts associated with Hurricanes Helene and Milton. These storms were some of the most destructive on record killing hundreds of people and inflicting billions of dollars in damages. The funds were divided evenly across the three associations.

Many thanks to the following lodges and districts that added to the State Association donations:

Portsmouth #154
East Liverpool #258
Chillicothe #52
Findlay #75
Gallipolis #107
Van Wert #1197
Kenton #157
Northwest District
Marysville #1130
Washington C.H. #129
Upper Sandusky #83
Xenia #668
Jackson#466
Maumee #1850
Galion #1191
Mt Vernon #140

Berea Elks #1815 Brings Christmas To Those Who Need It Most

Berea Elks #1815 held its annual Winterfest at the lodge, providing fun family crafts, holiday cheer, and even a chance to hang out with “The Big Guy” Santa himself.

The following day, the lodge hosted the family of Alia Bailey, their friends, and the local community during the annual Alia Bailey Memorial Holiday Toy Drive. This year well over 1,000 gifts were donated and wrapped at the event with all presents being delivered to children at Metrohealth Hospital.

This annual event honor the memory of Alia Bailey who was tragically killed in a car accident when she only 6 years as a student of Grindstone Elementary in 2017. Alia was taken away from this world far too early, but her legacy lives on and touches hundreds of kids every year.

Lima Elks #54 Recognizes Local Eagle Scout

Lima Elks Lodge #54 recognized Brian Lockhard of BSA Troop #84 during his 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, Brian built benches and erected a flag pole at Safety City. He places plaques on the benches listing the Firefighters who assisted with his project.

Congratulations to Brian on his many achievements. 

Berea Elks #1815 Making a Christmas to Remember for Foster Kids

Berea Elks Lodge #1815 partnered with Cuyahoga County Children & Family Services donating Christmas gifts to 40 kids currently in foster care with the county. They currently have over 2,200 kids in custody of the county so the need is off the charts. We're grateful to have a chance to make a difference for 40 kids this year. Thanks to all the members who shopped and donated gifts. Many thanks to lodge members Hans and Dawn Larsen for putting this program together. The lodge utilized a $4,000 Elks National Foundation (ENF) Gratitude Grant to help cover the costs of the gifts. In all, nearly $5,000 in presents were donated to these families.

From left: PER Richard Threadgill, Kristin Gardner, Outreach Coordinator of Cuyahoga County Division of Children & Family Services PER Jeff Coyle, PER Danielle Mahany

Van Wert Elks #1197 Announce Lodge Hoop Shoot Champions

Van Wert Elks Lodge #1197 held their Annual Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest at the Goedde Building, Van Wert City Schools in Van Wert.   The contest was open to all boys and girls, ages 8 thru 13 and the boys and girls competed separately in their age class.   All participants shoot 25 free throw shots to compete.

The Elks National “Hoop Shoot” is the nation’s largest co-ed sports competition and the only non-commercial sporting event conducted on a national basis.  More than three million boys and girls, ages 8 to 13, from all fifty states, compete in the Elks “Hoop Shoot” contests at various levels of competition each year.

The first place winners of the local contest will advance to the district competition, which will be held at OSU-Lima/Rhoades State College – Cook Hall, Lima, OH  on January 5, 2025.

This year’s winners were

8-9 Boys:  Everett Gerker 1st place; Tynan Dreyer 2nd place
8-9 Girls: Aurora Perrott 1st place 
10-11 Boys: Jack Clark 1st place; Landon Baer 2nd place; Finn Worden 3rd place
10-11 Girls: Myma Dreyer 1st place; Emma Gibson 2nd place
12-13 Boys: Kyrie Dreyer 1st place; Holden Perrott 2nd place; Dominic Marsicano 3rd place

The winners each received a medal and all participants received a t- shirt compliments of Midwest Sportswear.

Michael Martz, Lodge Chairman thanks everyone who participated in the contest this year.

Ashland Elks #1360 Supports Locals With Disabilities

Ashland Elks member Mary Houska

Ashland Elks #1360 recently donated $1,560 for D-R Services to purchase 10 new wheelchairs so the people they serve can easily get out and enjoy community activities and events. DR Services Inc. assists persons with disabilities to experience a dynamic life of their choice and a future of their dreams.

East Liverpool Elks #258 Partner To Support Local Veterans

East Liverpool Elks Lodge #258 along with American Legion Post 374 and Heritage Thermal Services served dinner to 78 deserving veterans and their families. The dinner was provided by Heritage Thermal Services and catered by Connie’s Corner of Chester, West Virginia.  The lodge donated 78 Ohio Buckeye Bucks calendars to all of our guests.

American Legion Post 374 Adjutant Mark Douglas served as Master of Ceremonies. East Liverpool Mayor Bobby Smith, a Navy Seabee veteran, and SFC. Charles Carr were the guest speakers. 

The local Head Start program children provided the colorful posters to decorate the walls and honor our veterans. 

Van Wert Elks #1197 Select Students of the Month

From left: Linda J. Stanley, Lodge Student of the Month Chair, Megan Hoersten and Hailey Waltmire.

Van Wert Elks Lodge #1197 have selected Hailey Waltmire and Megan Hoersten, seniors at Vantage Career Center as the recipients of the Student of the Month for November.

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.

Lima Elks #54 Recognize Local Eagle Scouts

Lima Elks Lodge #54 recognized Bryce Ballard of BSA Troop #84 during his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. The lodge also recognized Jackson Weber of Troop #777 during their troop annual Thanksgiving banquet.

The awards consisted of The American flag and the Eagle Scout Certificate framed for hanging along with the Grand Exalted Rulers' Congratulatory letter, Certificate of Merit and the Elks/Scouting Pin.

For his Eagle Scout project, Bryce worked through the Allen County Sportsman and Farmers Association to power wash their building, paint the awning and shed, stain the deck and weed then landscape around the building.

For his Eagle Scout project, Jackson replaced the flagpole at the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District’s Heritage Park.

Congratulations to Bryce and Jackson on their many achievements.

Upper Sandusky Elks #83 Partner with Local VFW Posts to Support Veterans

PER Dan Smith recently collected items to be donated to the Veterans Home in Sandusky. Partnering with Carey VFW Post #3759 and Carey American Legion Post #344 they were able to raise funds over $4,000 in donations and items and along with our Elks National Foundation (ENF) Gratitude Grant of $2,500 we were able to buy clothing with the help of Kimmel Corporation to be donated as well! What an amazing opportunity to show our Veterans “That we will always remember them”. Great job to all those involved!

From left: PER Bill Gillen and his wife Chris, Kim Lewallen of the Veterans Home, and PER Dan and his wife Ruth.

Berea Elks #1815 Partner With Berea Police To Raise Thousands For Local Child Safety Organization

Berea Elks Lodge #1815 partnered with Berea Police for a second year as a participating “mixer" team” at the Cuyahoga County Safe Communities/Greater Cleveland Safe Kids Annual Mocktail Party. This event raises thousands of dollars for the community organization that helps educate and equip families in our community to be safe by providing free bicycle helmets, car seats, and more.

The team won the "Best Taste" award for the second year in a row and also won the "Best Mock Cocktail" award this year for their "Get in the Hole" mocktail.

Lakewood Elks #1350 and Berea Elks #1815 Partner To Host Veterans Dinner

The Lakewood and Berea Elks lodges partnered together to host their annual joint veterans appreciation dinner at the Lakewood Elks Lodge. Members from both lodges helped serve a free dinner to all veterans in attendance while also giving appreciation to all those who served. This annual event drew dozens of veterans and the lodges were grateful to give back to our veterans.

Berea Elks #1815 Supports Greater Cleveland Food Bank

Berea Elks Lodge #1815 members volunteered earlier this month at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Members sorted and assembled 30 lb. boxes of beverages totalling 15 pallets, 450 boxes, for a total of 13,500 lbs. The lodge regularly volunteers at the food bank helping provide much needed services to thousands across the region.

Gallipolis Elks #107 Donate $8,000 To Local High School Stadium Project

From left: Tom Morgan (Asst. Elks Secretary), Craig Wright (City School Superintendent), Dan Bowman (ER) and Adam Clark (GAHS Athletic Director)

Gallipolis Elks Lodge #107 donated $8,000 toward the GAHS Stadium project, aiding in the stadium’s expansion on the Gallia Academy High School Campus to establish an infrastructure to support all sports. 

Salem Elks #305 Present CP Check to Robert Boycroft School

Salem Elks Lodge #305's Exalted Ruler, Ben Blevins presented a check to Andrew Garber, the principal of Robert Bycroft school for $1,322.50. The funds were raised during the Northeast District cerebral palsy (CP) charity clambake held at Willoughby-Cleveland Lodge #18, benefiting four area organizations focused on CP care. This was the 10th year for the event.

Conneaut Elks #256 Hosts Veterans Dinner

Conneaut Elks Lodge #256 held a free Veterans dInner for any area Veteran. We had a guest speaker, Tim Rowbotham, who is a vietnam vet. Tim is an Army veteran who spent his time in Vietnam in the LRRP squad. LRRP stands for "Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol." His stories were very enlightening and interesting along with some humor thrown in. The evening was a huge success.

Lima Elks #54 Honor Local Eagle Scout

Lima Elks Lodge #54 recognized Michael Sherrick of BSA Troop #84 during his 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, Michael constructed a 100 ft boardwalk at the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District’s McElroy Environmental Education Center.

Congratulations to Michael on his many achievements!