Maine Elks Association

Public Relations Committee Newsbriefs -08/09/07

Maine Elks Association Newsbriefs

MEA State Meeting This Weekend

The Maine Elks Association will hold its summer meeting at the Portland Elks Lodge on Sunday, August 12, 2007. The weekend festivities will begin with an MCCP meeting at the Portland Lodge beginning at 3 PM on Saturday, August 11, 2007. That evening, MEA State President Bruce Brunelle and First Lady Lisa will be making their official visitation to the Portland Elks Lodge. The evening will be a “Country Night,” featuring a dinner and dance. Tickets will be $25.00 per couple. Meal will be chicken with all the trimmings.

On Sunday, the MEA State Trustees will meet at the Portland Lodge beginning at 9 AM, followed by the general meeting at 10 AM. All Elks are welcome, and encouraged to attend these meetings.

Augusta Elks Lodge Holds Golf Tournament for MCCP

On July 23, 2007, the Augusta Elks Lodge held its 11^th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. Several members from Elk Lodges across Central Maine played at the Meadow’s Golf Course in Litchfield. The event raised a total of $3,367.50 for the State’s major project. Another golf tournament is scheduled for September 21, 2007 to benefit the Lodge’s Scholarship program. (See the state calendar for details)

More Kids Finding “It’s a Kick”
From the GL Newsletter

This is the time of the year when two things happen: (1) school starts and (2) the Elks Soccer Shoot season gets under way. Exalted Rulers, District Soccer chairpersons and State Soccer chairpersons should already have their plans under way. Plan for local shoots in August, September and October with the state Soccer Shoot in November. All results should be in to the Grand Lodge representative for soccer as soon after that as possible for national tabulation.

Soccer is the largest participant and spectator sport in the world and is the fastest growing youth sport in the United States. State Elks associations presidents should be selecting a state soccer chairperson to help your Elks take advantage of this growing interest. Make sure your state is involved. To aid this effort the Grand Lodge Youth Activities Committee has provided every lodge in the country with a new Elks Soccer Shoot manual (Code 513800), and it should be in the secretary’s office. If more manuals are needed they may be ordered from the Grand Lodge.

To bring you up to date on the success of the program, the participant figures for 2005-2006 indicated that Elkdom served 95,545 young soccer shooters, and for the 2006-2007 year the figure rose to 186,509. And this was accomplished with only 40 of the state associations participating. What could that figure have been if all state associations had done so? What a tremendous achievement and what a tremendous job that you all have been doing for our youth.

Remember that one of our charges, as Elks, is to provide wholesome out-of-school activities to prevent them from slipping into the sometimes dangerous offerings of idle time. Be there for the kids!

In closing, I would like to thank Jim Pilgrim, the outgoing chairman of the Grand Lodge Youth Activities Committee and the representative for the soccer program. His outstanding contributions to the soccer program, the Grand Lodge Youth Activities Committee and to Elkdom, in general, are to be commended. Under his stewardship, and through his efforts, all have prospered and blossomed. I am privileged to have been asked to “fill his shoes.”

From this point on, all correspondence and questions concerning the Elks Soccer Shoot program should be directed to me: Otto G. Sayles, 8104 East 133rd Terrace, Grandview, MO 64030; (816) 223- 0981; e-mail gvhm2088@aol.com.

Remember, Elks Soccer Shoot: “It’s a kick!”

I will also be continuing my role as the Antlers representative on the committee, and all questions pertaining to that program should be directed in the same manner.

Otto G. Sayles
Committee Member

Current-Year Lodge Per-Capita Donations
Lodge year through: 07/24/2007

(Per-capita based on 4/1/2007 membership totals.)

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