Winter Park Elks Lodge #1830 planned to use the Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant to support a bicycle repair program for homeless veterans. However, the pandemic reduced the opportunity to get used bicycles needing repair, so instead, the Elks National Foundation staff was quite willing to approve a donation for the Fisher House in Lake Nona. The $3,500 was donated Sept. 7 for gift cards to be used by the Fisher House manager, Teresa Turner, and her assistant, Cynthia Phillips-Lewis, to buy food and other items at Publix or Target stores needed at the Fisher House. The Fisher House is a place where families of military members and veterans can stay while their family member is treated at the Orlando VA Medical Center. Fisher House is located on site. As usual, thank you letters were sent to the lodge.
On Sept. 12, Winter Park Lodge used its Elks National Foundation Spotlight Grant to provide for veterans who are homeless and receive care at the Baldwin Park and Lake Nona VAMCs. The lodge used the $2,000 to buy gift cards so the veterans could obtain necessities which Adaline Sowell, director, and Fred Holmes, volunteer, purchased at Walmart and Target.