On Oct. 12, the Port St. Lucie Elks Lodge motorcycle riders club put together over three pallets of goods and veterinary items for the Hurricane Dorian relief fundraiser. The donations were raised through their breakfast fundraiser, from lodge member donations and from themselves. Sheriff Ken Mascara was their police escort to the airport where Missionary Flights International is hangered. Exalted Ruler, Lynn Tripoli, was also present as they unloaded their truck and trailer full of goods and loaded them onto pallets that were then loaded onto a plane bound later that day to The Bahamas. Pete Jordan, president of the club, said, “It’s nice to see how people pull together to help one another in the time of need. It feels good to be a part of the fundraising for those distressed families. Hurricane Dorian was right off our Florida coast and just several miles away from our lodge and homes. That could have just as well been us in dire need of food and water. So being Elks, we care, we share and were there.”
Pictured are Jim and Nelly Devery; Lynn Tripoli, Exalted Ruler; Rick Rubinstein; Sheriff Ken Mascara; Pete Jordan, president; Dave Hedgcock; Larry Kristensen; Dan Shipco; Tom Randazzo, vice president; Denise Kristensen; Jill Randazzo; and Teresa Shipco. The photo was taken by Alex Jordan. Not pictured are Gina Jordan, treasurer; Mario and Vivian Orduz; Margie Hedgcock; and Jeanne Rubinstein. The entire club was instrumental in making this happen. Work and other priorities kept these members from attending the event but they were ever so much a part of this venture.
On Sept. 14, Viera Lodge member Billy Wirth, PER who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma offered to have his head shaved at the district visitation held at Stuart-Jensen Lodge. Wirth was beginning treatment the following week for the disease and wanted to have something positive to come from this dreadful situation. Having been a past first responder and having befriended District Vice President Sal Lentine before his untimely death, he wanted to have the proceeds of $500 go to the Elks’ first responder's fund in Lentine's name.
Vero Beach Elementary was awarded a Positive Behavior Intervention Specialist Award in association with the University of South Florida for 2018-2019 for being a model school for positive behavior. Vero Beach Elks Lodge has been a very important part of their success. Using their Elks National Foundation Impact Grant, the lodge continues its Elks store at the school, “Elks Love Kids of Character”, awarding children for their good deeds during the school year.
They also provide funds to the school to purchase uniforms for students who are homeless. In addition to funding, the Elks give their time; their presence at the school shows the students that their community cares about them.
Vero Beach Lodge Exalted Ruler, Paul Diaz, PER.; Pat Diaz; and June Maher, PER delivered school supplies to Vero Beach Elementary Aug. 8.
Vero Beach Elks Lodge #1774 is supplying 1,300 dictionaries to 13 schools' third grade students in the Vero Beach, Fla., area. From kindergarten through the beginning of third grade, students are learning to read. From the third grade onward, students are reading to learn. The distributed dictionaries contain multiplication tables, braille, sign language, history, geography and much more. A large percentage of these students do not have the luxury of a computer or handheld phones at their disposal, so these dictionaries are a vital learning tool for them and are theirs to keep throughout the school year, take home at the end of third grade and use in later school years. This is the third year the Vero Beach Elks have done this project.
Pictured Sept. 17 with Elroy the Elk (Jack Houlihan, PDD) is the third grade class of Ms. Glaser at Oslo Magnet School in Vero Beach, Fla., recipients of dictionaries from Vero Beach Lodge.
On Sept. 10 at Cocoa Beach Elks Lodge #2387, members presented their $2,000 Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant to the Cocoa Beach High School sports teams and ROTC to purchase new equipment as well as uniforms. Exalted Ruler, Ed Ciecirski, is shown with representatives from CBHS Army JROTC, boys and girls soccer, wrestling, girls volleyball, boys basketball, Project Graduation, boys and girls lacrosse, and Key Club.