West Central District

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Written by Jacquie LoCicero

As a last push to meet their goal of $2,000 for Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services (FECTS), the Tampa Ladies of Elks hosted a low country boil Sept. 13 at the lodge. With the support of the Ladies of Elks and fellow lodge members, they surpassed their goal. At the annual Florida Ladies of Elks conference in Daytona Beach, Fla., Tampa Ladies of Elks President, Jacquie LoCicero, presented a check for $2,500 for FECTS. 

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Written by Rita Smith

Tampa Elks Lodge #708 uses its Elks National Foundation Impact Grant for Club Chivalry for Successful Students, a high school club started by and sponsored by Elks. There is a new club sponsor this year – Caroline Hand. Summer is usually slow, but in August, four Elks went to the school prior to the start of the school year to help Ms. Hand inventory her supplies. The first club meeting was Sept. 16, and Ms. Hand said, “The meeting was AMAZING.” It was her first time seeing the Elks and the students interact. PERs Shelagh Gombarcik and Dee Cisneros did the heavy lifting and got the refreshments out of the walk-in cooler and into the school. Treasurer, Laura Jones, was there as the guest speaker. Helpers Carolyn Miller, Elma Kelly and Linda Peterson distributed refreshments and handled the door prizes. Also in September, there was a field trip to USF. The students toured the campus and dorms and had lunch in the Marshall Center. Forty students made the trip with three Elks among the chaperones. Tampa Elks also provided refreshments before the bus left the high school in the morning.

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Written by Chris Hayes

On Sept. 22, Seminole Lodge Exalted Ruler, Chris Hayes, and the lodge invited the Seminole Chiefs under-12 football team and cheerleaders to the lodge for a special presentation of two checks totaling $750. An additional $100 from members was raised after an amazing performance of dance and cheers.

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Written by Chris Hayes

On Sept. 8, Seminole Elks Lodge #2519 hosted a spaghetti dinner for The Movement School, a nonprofit organization that provides physical and occupational therapy free of charge in the community. All food was donated by the lodge and more than 120 dinners were sold, raising $1,657 for the school. The lodge is excited about this new partnership to show that “Elks Care and Elks Share.”

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Written by New Port Richey Elks

On June 27, New Port Richey Elks Lodge member Lyn Dexter held a fundraiser at a meeting of the West Coast Claims Association which consists of independent insurance adjusters and raised $275 for Elks National Foundation. Pictured are Brenda Jones, secretary of the association; Lyn Dexter, president; Marilee Mills, PER who received the donation on behalf of the lodge; and Ramon Flores, vice president.

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Written by May Graci

On Sept. 24, St. Petersburg Lodge donated $1,000 to Azalea Youth Soccer. The home fields for the program are located at the Walter Fuller Soccer Complex in St. Petersburg, Fla. The lodge is a gold sponsor of the Azalea Youth Soccer League and the funds are used to sponsor three teams. Azalea Youth Soccer uses the funds for whichever teams don’t have sponsors for uniforms. The league’s recreational soccer program is for boys and girls of all skill levels ages 2-18. The soccer program is intended to teach the game of soccer while building players’ skills in an environment that encourages an understanding of sportsmanship and teamwork.