Northwest District

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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On July 8, Fort Walton Elks Lodge #1795 presented its $3,000 Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant to One Hopeful Place at the Greater Fort Walton Beach Area Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee. There were approximately 300 business, community, church and school leaders in attendance during the presentation. The lodge will partner with One Hopeful Place, the primary shelter in the community serving unaccompanied individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness. They currently operate a 50-bed shelter for men and a 10-bed shelter for women. The community struggles with affordable housing issues due to high costs of both permanent housing and rental housing costs in the area. One Hopeful Place is the doorway into permanent housing and their mission is to help end the cycle of homelessness for those experiencing housing loss.

Pictured at the check presentation are Larry McFarland, Robin Donlon, Bonnie Barlow, Sherry Jones, Donna Morgan, and Lisa Jo Spencer of One Hopeful Place; Marcia WrightReynolds, Lecturing Knight; Kevin Clemons, PDD, Northwest District Leader; Jamie Clemons, Secretary; Paul Eubanks, PER; lodge member Jackie Hubbell; and Michael “Taz” WrightReynolds, PER, Exalted Ruler.

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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On Aug. 19, Destin Elks Lodge #2688 utilized $500 of its Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant to purchase 31 sets of headphones for Destin Elementary School. Between Destin Lodge and American Legion Post 296 Destin Auxiliary, the school received more than 100 sets of headphones and a large supply of pencils. This was a joint project by both charitable organizations serving the Destin community. The school staff and teachers were thrilled and very thankful for the gift.

Pictured are member Sandy Trammell; Amy Meyer, principal; and members Margarite Foreman, Gloria Meade, and Terri Griffin.

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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To improve the lodge’s visibility in the community and hopefully attract new members, Warrington Lodge had two cooking teams at the Rotary Burger Battle by the Bay 2022. Eighteen members spent the morning cooking burgers and handing out drug awareness materials to children in attendance. They also had the district drug awareness trailer on prominent display and members were “loud and proud” throughout the event. Over 1,000 members of the public had a chance to learn about the Elks and their work on behalf of children and veterans. Although they could only walk away with an honorary mention for their burgers, they were definitely proud to help raise more than $30,000 that will support children’s charities in the community, including Take Stock in Children, Gulf Coast Kid’s House and the Global Learning Academy.

Pictured are Warrington Lodge members.

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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In May 2022, Fort Walton Lodge donated $250 to the Choctawhatchee High School girls’ flag football team. They achieved their status by hard work, extensive play on the field and their overall record for the state of Florida. On behalf of Jim Bay, Choctawhatchee flag football head coach, and Matt Pacheco, assistant head coach, coach Cortland Fuller of Choctawhatchee High School track accepted the check from Kathy Pacheco, lodge trustee. The funds were used for travel and participation for the 18 student athletes who qualified for the state championship meet in Gainesville, Florida, which took place May 13. The girls went all the way to the finals with resounding wins and only came up short a couple of plays in the final game.

Pictured are Kathy Pacheco and Cortland Fuller.

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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In April 2022, Fort Walton Elks Lodge #1795 donated $500 to Future Stars Football Clinic (FSFC), a local youth organization of Okaloosa County, Florida. This annual event is in its fifth year and had approximately 350 participant players 6 to 13 years of age. The donation will help with the purchase of greatly needed football equipment, which will in turn enable young football players to train harder, more efficiently and, most importantly, safely. FSFC believes that sports are a great way to build character, self-esteem, sportsmanship and leadership skills. A proven fact is that kids who participate in sports do better in school and are more likely to have a positive impact on other students and their communities. The FSFC mission is to provide children with an avenue for growth with the hope of long-term community fortification. Christopher Torres, CEO, was very pleased and thankful for the involvement and donation.

Pictured are Paul Eubanks, PER, lodge board chair, and Coach Chris Torres.

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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Warrington Elks Lodge #2108 supported the installation of a multiplication table grid on the patio area of Bellview Elementary School’s multiuse physical education building. Students’ scores on standardized tests dipped significantly in 2021 with the sharpest decline in math scores. The math grid will be used by all students at Bellview Elementary School — pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It will serve as an engaging tool to increase familiarity and fluency in mathematics. This project was funded by the 2021-2022 Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant and a portion of the 2022-2023 Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant. The remainder of the Beacon Grant plus an additional $1,000 from local fundraisers will be used to fund a similar project at a second local elementary school. Bellview very much appreciated this gift and uses it regularly.

Pictured are Rick Wright, PER, lodge grant coordinator, with the sign noting the gift from Warrington Elks Lodge at the school, and the multiplication table sidewalk graphics.