Southwest Central District

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Written by Lakeland Elks

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In November, Lakeland Elks Lodge #1291, the home lodge of the Brotherhood Riders, held an auction fundraiser and raised $12,000 for families of fallen first responders.

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Written by Marge Holbrook

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The grandchild of a Lake Placid Elks Lodge member asked the board members for a donation to plan a celebration for all the teams, cheerleaders, coaches and volunteers involved with Lake Placid Youth sports which are offered by the community for those who want to participate in seasonal sports. The lodge agreed to donate hot dogs, buns, chips, sodas and bottled water for everyone. On Nov. 10, six lodge members hosted the party on the field after the final games. The coaches and some parents pictured are volunteers and give their time to work with the children in the community.

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Written by Ronna Mason

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Each year the Elks National Foundation sponsors an Americanism essay contest for students in fifth through eighth grade. Lodge winners then move on to the district level and then possibly to the state and national level. This year's theme is, "How Can Patriotism be Demonstrated?" Sebring Elks Lodge #1529 received five submissions from Sebring Middle School; history teacher, Linda Lakes, promoted the contest at the school. All essays were very well written and the committee's task of choosing the winner was not an easy one. On Dec. 15, the winners were chosen and awards were distributed. Pictured are Wainetta Holmes, Exalted Ruler; Linda Lakes; Harper Schuknecht, first place winner who was presented $100; Leah Koehler, second place winner who was presented $50; Jayce Graham, Ava Barnes, and Sami Rather who were presented $20 Walmart gift certificates; and Diane Morse, Americanism Chair.

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Written by Mary Lou Scribner, PER

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Brandon Lodge held a brief ceremony Dec. 14 in the morning to present appreciation gifts for local law enforcement officers and others at the sheriff’s department. Lodge members donated 136 gift cards from various restaurants and stores with a total value of $1,925 along with an individual thank you letter for each officer. These were presented to Sergeant Dawn Reisinger by Mary Lou Scribner, PER, chair of this event, and Mark Vargo, Exalted Ruler. Each letter also included an invitation to the officer and their family to stop by the lodge one Friday evening and enjoy a meal at the lodge’s expense. Members see this as a great opportunity for them to personally thank the officers and for the officers to see what The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is all about. Gift cards were also presented to the two law enforcement officers who are members of the lodge. “This was a small token from the Brandon Lodge and its members to show appreciation to our law enforcement for their sacrifices and for willingly putting their lives in harm’s way to protect us and our communities,” said Scribner. Sergeant Reisinger addressed the members and said she was moved by the outpouring of support and thanked the members on behalf of her officers for their thoughtfulness and support, especially through a year that has been most challenging for them. She stated that this generosity and support meant a lot to her and to her officers. Pictured are Vargo and Scribner presenting the gift cards to Sergeant Dawn Reisinger.

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Written by Judy Wise

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For the past seven years, longtime Plant City Elks Lodge member Philip Williams has held a toy drive for community children in need in early December. This year, he and his sons, Jeremy and Justin, along with another longtime member, David Brewington, decided to hold the toy drive at the lodge Dec. 5. Lodge members as well as members of the community dropped off gifts for three days prior to the event and until 10 p.m. the night of the event. Donations included more than 40 new bicycles, and the estimated value of all the gifts was more than $5,000. Philip Williams works with teachers in local schools and finds families in need and makes sure they are the recipients of the gifts. Pictured seated are Jeremy Williams and Kenny Goodwien, Exalted Ruler. Standing are David Brewington and Justin Williams. Philip Williams is not pictured as he was called away for an emergency. The second picture shows the final amount of gifts at the end of the evening. Goodwien volunteered to be at the lodge when people dropped off gifts and to oversee the last night of the event. He and his wife, Tina, stayed afterward to clean up and find storage for the toys.