Maine Elks Association

Public Relations Committee Newsbriefs -06/07/07

Maine Elks Association Newsbriefs

MEA State President Message

Hello all,

May was a quite month for our household.  It started out early at the State Convention in South Portland.  Our oldest daughter, Kara and her fiancé Matt came home from Burlington, VT to attended the convention and see the Installation of Officers.  Brother Mark who resides in Alameda, CA, came east for the occasion also.  Many other family members were there, our daughter Kaitlin, brothers Brian and David with their wives Donna and Jazzi.  Uncle Dick (Bruce’s sponsor into the Elks) came too.  Other events include our son Kevin graduating from New England School of Communications and our daughter Kaitlin attended her last prom that same day.  She is also preparing to graduate from High School in June and start college this fall in Boston. 

We celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary and attended the State Emblem Club’s installation of Officers in Brunswick over Memorial Day weekend. 

We would like to thank all those who came to the convention this year and made it a very special time.  On Friday, we enjoyed a reception put on by Maine Medical Center called “Celebration of Giving” in honor of the Maine Elks reaching Two Million Dollars in donations.  Saturday evening the Sanford Lodge hosted a champagne toast in our honor.  It was a great time.  Roger Normandeau and Frank Ricker had very kind words to say about both of us and we thank them and the Sanford Lodge for all they have done.  Thank you to Willie Deshaies, as no Maine State President’s toast would be complete without Lobster Salad on crackers.  The rest of the convention seems a blur as we moved from one event or meeting to another.  It seems we only had a few hours of free time the whole weekend.  It all rapped up with the Installation on Sunday.

Our calendar is filling up quickly so if you have not booked us yet, you might want to do so soon.  We are looking forward to visiting with all of you this year and hope everyone has a successful Elks year.  Please keep in mind the MEA motto for the year “Family and Community Commitment” and plan events that revolve around it.

Fraternally your,

MEA State President and First Lady
Bruce and Lisa Brunelle

York Elk Receives Citizen of the Year Award



Mary Andrews of York receives the Elks "Citizen of the Year" award from the York Elks.  Mary has been a tireless worker for her community.  She served eight years in the Maine Legislature as well as devoting herself to many Town committees and charities. 

Pictured with Mary are Past Lodge Presidents Steve Morse and Jack Clines, who was recognized as Officer of the Year.

 Frank Heller received Elk of the Year honors. Others receiving appreciation awards were Lodge members Dana Putnam and Bob Carr.  Sam Horne, for the York Beach Fire Department, and the York House of Pizza received awards for their continued support of the Elks youth programs.

Avenue of Flags—Americanism Project

The Augusta Emblem Club #233 in conjunction with the Augusta Elks Lodge #964 have come together to announce an Americanism project that we are confident will not only boost our Veterans Programs, but also the hearts of our Veterans across the State of Maine. The project is named “The Avenue of Flags,” and they have set a goal of placing an avenue of flag poles at the new Maine Veterans Cemetery in Augusta. 

The Augusta Emblem Club and Elks Lodge are soliciting donations to help make this project possible. The cost of each pole is $850.00 which includes a small placard recognizing an individual donor or donor group. This is a one time cost, as the State of Maine will take care of purchasing the flags, and lighting of the poles.

A completion date for this endeavor has been set for April 1, 2008 so that all work can be completed and all flag poles will be installed so the donors have the opportunity to raise a flag on the pole they sponsored at the 2008 Memorial Day dedication ceremony.  This is a great way to show our Veterans and their families that the Elks and Emblem appreciate the sacrifices they have made for the freedoms we enjoy!

If a Lodge or individual would like to participate in this project with the Emblem Club and the Elks from the Augusta Lodge, please send a letter of intent stating the amount of your participation to the Augusta Emblem Club #233, P.O. Box 206, Augusta, Maine 04332-0206.  It is important that you reply before July 1, 2007 so that we can advise the Cemetery Director of the number of participating donors and of the completion date of the project.

The cost breakdown for a Lodge, Emblem Club, individual, or group of individuals is $73.84 per month if they sponsor the pole themselves.  If a Lodge and an Emblem Club make it a joint venture, then the cost per month for each organization is just $35.42. For more information, contact the Augusta Elks Lodge or Augusta Emblem Club.

Wells Elks honor Veterans



Volunteers from the Wells Elks honored our past veteran’s on May 12, 2007 by decorating their gravestones with our nation’s flag.  The flags can be seen waving at Ocean View Cemetery where the Memorial Day parade will end on May 28, 2007.  The Wells Elks marched in the parade as well as reading Grant’s Letter and giving the Gettysburg Address. 

Sanford’s New Look
From Carol Spellman, Sanford PR



Introducing the new face of the Sanford Elks Lodge. Our flag pole is back up where it belongs and the sign is up! It was great to see the signage go on the lodge last week to add that finishing touch. The old A & P store bought in 1972 after our original lodge on School Street burned down has now been transformed into a beautiful new Lodge for our members. We are very happy and proud of our new renovations. The flag pole is actually the pole from our original Lodge, it was all that was basically left after the fire. Come on by and visit us anytime!

Youthfest 2007

The MEA Youthfest Committee is looking for support from the Lodges for this year’s event, which will be held on August 25, 2007. So far the committee has heard from only 2 Lodges. If your Lodge is planning to participate this year, through either a cash donation, providing volunteers, or providing a game, we would like to hear from you! Please contact Youthfest Director Wayne Cotterly at meapr@fairpoint.net or call 998-2282 to confirm your participation by the end of the month at the latest. The committee is looking forward to having our third year with 100% participation from the Lodges in Maine.

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, Newsbriefs, and/or Website. Also, if you would like to be removed from this mailing list, please send an e-mail to Public Relations Director Wayne Cotterly at meapr@fairpoint.net. In addition, if you know of someone who would like to be added to this list, please have them forward their e-mail address to the same address. All information provided has been read and approved by the MEA State President.