On Oct. 25, members of Manasota, Lakewood Ranch-Sarasota and Bradenton Elks lodges, along with Elroy the Elk, the mascot for the Elks Drug Awareness program, attended the Manatee County School Board meeting for the reading of the proclamation of Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23-31. Jack Cantwell, PDD from Bradenton Lodge spoke on behalf of the BPOE national Drug Awareness program, the largest volunteer drug awareness program in the United States. He mentioned the Elks support of Red Ribbon Week to communicate drug awareness to youth. From Oct. 24 through Oct. 31, Elroy the Elk (Dawn Markham) was escorted by Diane Davis to 11 elementary schools in the Manatee County School District to greet students at arrival/morning announcements and visit classrooms to deliver his message of “Say NO to Drugs.”
Pictured are Jack Cantwell, PDD, Drug Awareness State Vice Chair from Bradenton Lodge; Diane Davis, Manasota Lodge Drug Awareness Chair; Ken Davis, PDD from Manasota Lodge; Dale Steinke, Manasota Lodge Exalted Ruler; and Elroy the Elk (Dawn Markham from Lakewood Ranch-Sarasota Lodge). Pictured in the back row are members of the Manatee County School Board.