At the president’s visit to Vero Beach Lodge, President Frank Malatesta presented Rose Tufano with a plaque as Southeast Central District Elk of the Year for her work with the Cookies for Soldiers lodge program which has been providing cookies and other treats to troops in southwest Asia for over 10 years. On the third Thursday of every month, Tufano and a dedicated group of volunteers meet at the lodge to receive donations from members of homemade or store-bought cookies for soldiers. The group carefully wraps the cookies to withstand shipment and mails them to designated locations.