Holley-Navarre Elks Lodge #2787 participated in the Outdoor Market at Pik-itz May 6 in Navarre, Florida, promoting the Drug Awareness program and Elks membership. Members teamed with the Navarre High School Naval Junior ROTC unit, which also happens to be one of the lodge’s legacy charities, to share this information with more than 50 attendees and provided the Elks membership quick response code (QR-code) to everyone seeking information on membership in the Elks.
Pictured are cadets Deryn Duzagadusmez and Ethan Feliciano with Drug Awareness Co-Chairs Skip Dalle Molle and Jeff Grady and Tom Stevens, endorsed District Deputy.
On May 6, Warrington Elks Lodge #2108 participated in the Burger Battle by the Bay at Maritime Park in Pensacola, Florida. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pensacola and raised nearly $25,000 for Florida’s Take Stock in Children program, which provides college scholarships to children who are underprivileged who maintain good grades, stay out of trouble and stay off drugs through middle school and high school. The lodge entered two Elk burger cooking teams — one led by Ralph Daniels, PER and one led by Randy Dufner, trustee. Thousands of people attended to vote for the best burger. The lodge provided Elks membership information and had a tent sent up to promote Drug Awareness. They gave out more than 250 bags of drug awareness information and approximately 400 red ribbons. The judges selected Dufner’s team as the winner of the best burger in the amateur category. One of the judges was Chef Darian Hernandez, a recent winner of the Food Network television show “Chopped.”
Pictured is the winning team from Warrington Lodge.
On Feb. 13, Fort Walton Elks Lodge #1795 donated $1,250 to the local youth organization Future Stars Football Clinic (FSFC), which serves the Fort Walton Beach area to develop youths ages 6 to 13. The objective of the structured nine-week clinic, which balances fun, rigorous training and mentorship to produce a positive learning environment, is to instill self-confidence via participant sports safety and fundamentals. FSFC also creates an environment in which children not only integrate as a team through sport but as a community via two community service events. The lodge donation will help purchase greatly needed sports equipment, which will help the youths train harder, more efficiently and safely. FSFC believes sports are a great way to build character, self-esteem, sportsmanship and leadership skills. Christopher Torres, CEO/coach, has grown this program to a new level and will serve several hundred kids in their introduction to sports and fair play.
Pictured are Paul Eubanks, PER, lodge board chair; Kathy Pacheco, lodge trustee; Marcia WrightReynolds, Lecturing Knight; Michael “Taz” WrightReynolds, PER, Exalted Ruler; Chris Torres, CEO/coach; Tom Knowles, PER; Dusty Austin, lodge trustee; Rob Parks, Loyal Knight; Kevin Clemons, PDD, District Leader; and Tom McLaughlin, Leading Knight.
On Feb. 7, Holley-Navarre Elks Lodge #2787 donated $600 to support the operations of the Navarre Youth Sports Association (NYSA) complex. NYSA has been a longtime supporter of the community and supporter of the Elks Hoop Shoot, where local and regional events have taken place. The NYSA is a nonprofit all-volunteer organization. The athletes can enjoy participating in several different sports at both the recreational and competitive level year-round. The NYSA strives to teach children of the Holley-Navarre community good sportsmanship, honesty, courage and respect so they may be well-adjusted, stronger and happier children. There are no residency requirements to join the NYSA or to participate in the programs.
Pictured are TJ Carey, Exalted Ruler, and Canna Ellerbe, Navarre Youth Sports Association office manager.
On Jan. 31, Holley-Navarre Elks Lodge #2787 donated $1,000 to Healing Paws for Warriors, an organization dedicated to providing service dogs for relief to combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma through rescue-to-trained ADA-certified service dogs. Their motto is “Bringing Awareness to Veteran Suicide — Reducing the Numbers One Service Dog at a Time.”
Pictured are Ann Riley, member; Mike Arena, Healing Paws for Warriors representative; TJ Carey, Exalted Ruler; and Chip, a service dog.
Holley-Navarre Lodge donated $1,000 Feb. 15 to support the Billory Baptist Church Bread of Life food pantry and clothing closet. The pantry and closet helps dozens of families and individuals weekly.
Pictured are Angelo Santiago and Rina Longmire, pantry volunteers; TJ Carey, Exalted Ruler; and Heather and Jim White, food pantry coordinators.
On Feb. 8, Holley-Navarre Lodge donated $1,500 to support the Holley-Navarre Primary School’s weekend backpack food program. The program feeds more than 100 children considered food-insecure, meaning they often do not know where their next meals will come from. Children living in such families may worry about school breaks because they rely on the meals they receive in school for their daily sustenance. This backpack food program provides meals during the weekend breaks.
Pictured are Krista Robinson, Leading Knight; TJ Carey, Exalted Ruler; Tonya Lancieri, assistant principal; and Libby Blackwood, lodge manager.
On Feb. 17, Pensacola Beach Elks Lodge #497 donated $5,000 to the Northwest Florida Salvation Army from the lodge's charity account.
Pictured are Cap Pratt, PDD, trustee, and Mattie Broxton, Salvation Army social services coordinator in Milton, Florida.
On Feb. 25, Fort Walton Elks Lodge #1795 presented a $500 donation to the award-winning Choctawhatchee High School track team, as they continue their winning season with the goal of returning to the Florida High School Sports Association (FHSAA) finals.
Pictured are athletes Wynter Downs, Ariana Gonzalez and Cole Tabb; Coach Courtland Fuller; Kathy Pacheco, lodge trustee; and athletes Kaleb Hollins and Owen Burks.
Pensacola Beach Lodge donated $3,000 from its charity account to Pensacola Beach Elementary School to help pay for rebuilding the school’s elevated walkways.
Pictured are Dan Smith, lodge trustee, and Susan McLeod, school principal.
On Oct. 24, a $2,000 Elks National Foundation Spotlight Grant was awarded by Pensacola Beach Lodge to the Gulf Breeze Weekend Food Program. The grant will provide two weeks of weekend food packages for 135 school kids in need in Santa Rosa County, Florida.
Pictured are Mike Stahl, lodge member and program director; Dan Smith, PER, trustee; and lodge members Ron Steiner and Henry Lambert.