Rockland Elks Help Less Fortunate for Christmas

Working with the local Salvation Army Chapter, the Rockland Elks recently helped 90 needy families with Christmas Dinner. The Lodge worked to raise $1700 dollars, which allowed them to purchase groceries to fill baskets. Each basket contained the following:

1-can corn, 1-can green beans, 1-can cranberry sauce, 1-can turkey gravy, 5-lbs apples, 5-lbs potatoes, 1-package of celery, 5-lbs onions, 1-butternut squash, 1-rutabaga, 1-package of margarine, 1- loaf of bread, 1-box of stuffing, 1-jar of olives,  1-can whipping cream, 1-apple pie, 1-bag of Christmas mints, and 1-turkey.

The project originated in 1914, when the Lodge had donated a mix of toys and food, however in later years, they moved away from toys and donated just food. This year, the project involved 47 members to help raise the money and fill the baskets. Each year, the Rockland Elks have given of themselves to help out the needy in their community, showing once again that Elks Care--Elks Share.
 

York Elks Hold Hoop Shoot

The York Elks Lodge recently held their annual Hoop Shoot event at the York High School. Four children will be advancing to the District Contest on January 17, 2010 in Bath.
 

ENF Auction Coming Saturday Night 
From Albert Ingraham, ENF Director 

Wondering what to do with the extra present you got for Christmas, bring it to Skowhegan-Madison Saturday night and donate it to the ENF auction. Remember ENF is the "Great Heart of Elkdom". 

The ENF Auction will be in conjunction with the MEA State President Visit to the Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge. The evening will begin with a social hour, followed by a Chicken Stir-Fry Dinner for $12 per person.. The Auction will follow.
 

Lodge Activities Committee Update 
From Greg Sirpis, MEA Lodge Activities Director 

Jim Ferland, Area 1, Grand Lodge Representative for Lodge Activities and State Associations, wants to remind every Exalted Ruler in Area 1 of the awards that are available to you, your members and your lodge through the Grand Lodge.
Grand Exalted Ruler's Awards
 
FOR OUTSTANDING MEMBERS - Each Exalted Ruler is authorized to issue two (2) Grand Exalted Ruler's Outstanding Service Certificates to Members performing outstanding service for their Lodge. NOTE: These certificates must be ordered from your Area Members of the Grand Lodge - Lodge Activities / State Associations Committee. Please order on a timely basis. Specify if any special presentation date is required on the certificates. This request should be postmarked no later than March 31.

FOR THE EXALTED RULERS -  Special Citations will be awarded to Exalted Rulers who participate in four (4) or more of the following programs during the year: (1) Community Service and Image Brochure Contest. (2) "Hoop-Shoot" Program (3) "Elks Soccer Shoot" Program (4) Youth Scholarship Program (5) Achieve $4.25 Elks National Foundation per capita goal plus participating membership by all Lodge Officers. (6) Participation in at least three (3) of the following:

FOR SUBORDINATE LODGES - A Special Citation will be awarded to each Lodge which participates in at least six (6) of the following programs. These certificates should be ordered from the Area Member of the Grand Lodge - Lodge Activities / State Associations Committee. This request should be postmarked no later than March 31. (1) Community Service and Image Brochure Contest (2) "Hoop-Shoot" Program (3) "Elks Soccer Shoot" Program (4) Ritualistic Contest (5) Youth Scholarship Program (6) Veterans Service and/or Adopt-A-Vet Programs (7) Drug Awareness Program (8) Every Officer a subscribing member of the Elks National Foundation (9) Mother's Day Program B. A Special Citation will be awarded to each Lodge which attains at least two (2) of the following goals. These certificates should be ordered from the Area Member of the Grand Lodge - Lodge Activities / State Associations Committee. This request should be postmarked no later than March 31.

FOR SUBORDINATE LODGES - that attains at least two of the following goals; (1) Achieves the level of $4.25 per member in donations to the Elks National Foundation. (2) Achieves a net membership gain of at least one (1) member. (3) Every Officer, elected and appointed (15), sponsors a New / Reinstated Member will be eligible to receive a GER "Making A Difference" Citation. This request should be postmarked no later than March 31.

Finally, a Grand Exalted Ruler's Citation will be awarded to each Lodge with a Lapsation rate of two percent (2%) or less as of March 31. Entitlement to this award shall be determine by the Office of the Grand Secretary based on information provided by each Subordinate Lodge in its final membership report for the period ending March 31.

A copy of the application for these awards can be found here

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

Each Lodge is encouraged to select a citizen, not necessarily an Elk, who has contributed in a special way to improving the local community. This individual should be someone who has shown leadership in the community; has contributed voluntary service and is recognized as being an all-around good citizen. The selection is yours alone - promote it!

Recognizing such a person helps show that the Elks are concerned with building a good community, and demonstrates "Elks Care - Elks Share." After the selection, honor him or her by presenting the award at a dinner sponsored by the Lodge, or in conjunction with a community-night program sponsored by a local civic organization.

The full name (no nicknames) of the person selected should be submitted to the Grand Secretary in writing so that an inscribed citation may be issued to the "Citizen of the Year."(Not issued before January 1; Postmark Deadline is March 31.)

NOTE: The proper form for requesting awards is sent to each Lodge Secretary and Exalted Ruler with the December issue of the Grand Lodge Newsletter.

ELK OF THE YEAR

The "Elk of the Year" Award has become increasingly popular. It is an award which has a great amount of meaning. It is a way a Lodge can recognize a Member who is always willing to help; a Member you can rely upon to get things done. The selection process should not be taken lightly. The qualifications should be stringent as it would be far better not to designate an "Elk of the Year" than to select a Member less than worthy of the honor. The attributes of the nominee should be weighed very carefully. Every involvement should exemplify "Elks Care - Elks Share." Loyalty, dedication and willingness to work are essential to this consideration.

An anonymous committee should be appointed by the Exalted Ruler in sufficient time to observe and evaluate worthy candidates. The committee should preserve its anonymity throughout the selection process, and at the proper time (preferably during the month of February), the announcement of the award should be made at a dinner or other special event for the purpose of honoring the chosen "Elk of the Year." If properly organized and promoted, this can be an outstanding annual event within your Lodge. Strive to make it so!

We caution everyone to keep in mind the two basic rules which are to be followed in the selection of your "Elk of the Year":

- CANNOT be a Lodge Officer

- Only ONE ELK can be chosen.

The full name (no nicknames) of the individual selected should be submitted to the Grand Secretary in writing so that an inscribed citation may be issued to the "Elk of the Year." (Not issued before January 1; Postmark Deadline is March 31.)

NOTE: The proper form for requesting awards is sent to each Lodge Secretary and Exalted Ruler with the December issue of the Grand Lodge Newsletter.

OFFICER OF THE YEAR

This award is a way a Lodge can recognize a current Officer who has contributed over and above the duties of office toward the improvement of the Lodge and our Order. This Officer must be someone who has shown leadership, contributed voluntarily to services and Committees and has status among Members as an outstanding Elk.

This award will reward an Officer who is always willing to help, an Officer who can be relied upon to get things done. The qualification should be stringent as it would be far better not to designate an "Officer of the Year" than to select an Officer less than worthy of the honor.

The Exalted Ruler shall direct the Lodge's Past Exalted Rulers' Association to select the "Officer of the Year." At the proper time (preferably during the month of February), the announcement of the award should be made at a dinner or other special event for the purpose of honoring the chosen "Officer of the Year."

We caution the Lodge's Past Exalted Rulers to keep in mind two basic rules which are to be followed in the selection of an "Officer of the Year":

- Recipient must be a Lodge Officer.

- Only One Officer can be chosen.

The Officer's full name (no nicknames) and title should be submitted to the Grand Secretary in writing so that an inscribed citation may be issued to the "Officer of the Year." (Not issued before January 1; Postmark Deadline is March 31.)

NOTE: The proper form for requesting awards is sent to each Lodge Secretary and Exalted Ruler with the December issue of the Grand Lodge Newsletter.
 

Government Relations Update
From Robert Drisko, MEA Government Relations Director

A Work Session will be held at State House Room 437 on January 8, 2010 beginning at 10:30 AM. They are reviewing the following: 

HP0934, LD 1330, item 1, 124th Maine State Legislature

An Act Regarding Gaming by Charitable Organizations

SUMMARY

This bill repeals the existing chapter of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 17 on games of chance and replaces it with a new chapter. The provisions governing games of chance are the same but structured differently with the intent of clarifying the provisions within the chapter. This bill makes changes to cross-references in order to comply with the new section numbers assigned to the games of chance provisions.
 

The only substantive change made by the bill is to the definition of "slot machine," which is amended by the bill to be consistent with other references to slot machines in the law and to recognize the electronic nature of modern slot machines.

If you have news or information of interest to the members of the Maine Elks Association, please send your articles to Public Relations Director Wayne Cotterly at meapr@fairpoint.net for inclusion in the MEA Calendar, the MEA Website, or future issues of this newsletter.

If you would like to create newsletters like this, and begin an e-mail marketing program for your business or organization, please click on this referral link to receive a $30 dollar credit.