Elks Offer Legacy Scholarship  

The Elks National Foundation is pleased to announce its 2010 Legacy Awards scholarship contest for children and grandchildren of Elks.

The program, which kicks off September 1, 2009, awards up to 250, four-year, $4,000 scholarships to children and grandchildren of Elks members.
 
Applications must be completed and submitted online only. Visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars to start the application process.
 
The contest is open to any high school senior who is the child or grandchild (or step-child, step-grandchild, or legal ward) of an Elk who has been a member in good standing for at least two years. Applications must be submitted to the Foundation by January 8, 2010.
 
Applicants are judged on the core values of the Elks National Foundation: knowledge, charity, community and integrity. Legacy Award winners will be announced late April 2010.
 
Children and grandchildren will compete separately against other children and grandchildren in their state. Each state is eligible to receive a number of awards based on its past support of the Elks National Foundation. Each state's quota is divided evenly among children and grandchildren. 
 
Each year, the Elks National Foundation and the Maine Elks Association provide millions of dollars in college scholarships to high school seniors like those in the (Anytown) community.

If you're interested in learning about other Elks National Foundation scholarship opportunities, visit the Elks website at www.elks.org/enf/scholars.

Good Guys Wear Masks Too!

From Leon "Mac" McCreary, Bath Elks Lodge 

The member Lodges of the Maine Elk's Association have, for many years, maintained the Maine Children's Cancer Program as one of their two major annual efforts.

A subsidiary of Maine Medical Center, MCCP is linked to research centers throughout the country and beyond, to provide children with treatments here in Maine. Because of this, there is rarely a need to send the children and families elsewhere for treatment.

The MCCP program currently averages 65-70 new children diagnosed with cancer each year, and now has a total of 180 active patients at the clinic receiving regular treatment. Since its inception, the program has treated over 800 children here in Maine.  Thanks in part to the efforts of the Maine Elks Association and Subordinate Lodges, 70% of children in the MCCP Program are cured of cancer. However, there is still much work left to be done.

Unfortunately, due to the unpredictability of childhood cancer, the program sadly loses 10 to 15 children per year. The goal of the Maine Elks Association and the Maine Children's Cancer Program is to bring that number down to zero.

Spurred on by their Past Grand Exalted Ruler (National President) state sponsor, the Honorable Amos A. McCallum, since 1985 the MEA has raised over $2 million for MCCP. Using a myriad of activities from Motorcycle Rides, Chili and Chowder cookoffs, to several Golf Tournaments, the MEA continues their fundraising charge onward, maintaining an eye toward the $3 million mark.

On Saturday, September 19th, the Bath lodge of Elks will be conducting one of their annual endeavors in support of the MCCP.  Beginning with social hour at 5:00 p.m. will be a "Black and White Masqued Ball" in the main room at the Lodge on Lambard St.

The event is open to the public, with ticket sales going to the end of August.  Cost is $15 each, or $25 per couple, with the Lodge providing your mask.  The menu is Roast Beef with all the trimmings, served buffet style.  Dance music will be provided through the evening, interspersed with a series of quick auctions and drawings for items donated by area businesses and Lodge members, with all profits generated going to support the kids.

To purchase your tickets, or for further information, contact the Elks at 443-9852, or event co-chair Lyni McCreary at 882-9301 

Current ENF Standings

Rank           Lodge                                             Per-Capita

PGER McCallum Launches Wounded Warrior Project

Through a generous grant by the Elks National Foundation, the Elks National Veterans Service Commission has launched the Elks/Wounded Warrior Project.

During the Grand Lodge Session of July 8, 2009, Grand Exalted Ruler Paul Helsel, PGER Amos A. McCallum, Chairman of the Elks National Veterans Service Commission, and PGER Frank Garland, Chairman of the Elks National Foundation Trustees, presented a check in the amount of $50,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Neil Duncan, a 25-year-old veteran who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2005, accepted the check on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project. Neil was welcomed with a standing ovation by those attending the session:

The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization created by and for wounded veterans. It's goal is to provide assistance to veterans who were wounded, both physically and psychologically, in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org for more information.


The Program

According to the Department of Defense, more than 34,000 service men and women have been wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). When these warriors return to their communities, their adjustment to civilian life is complicated by injuries, both physical and psychological. For many, their problems can be overwhelming and lead to desperation, loneliness, and depression.

The Elks/Wounded Warrior Project helps them to realize that they can still perform their favorite recreational activities. Sharing their experience with comrades in arms and Elks will lessen their sense of isolation. Giving them a sense of accomplishment may help them to face and overcome other difficulties relating to home, career, and their community.

The premise of the ELKS/Wounded Warrior Project is simple. A Lodge will propose an outdoor event such as hunting, fishing or camping, held for the benefit of wounded warriors. If selected, the Elks National Veterans Service Commission will work with the Wounded Warrior Project to find veterans who wish to take part in each of these events.

The outdoor events will not only help heroes who made such a sacrifice, they will be a tremendous opportunity for Elks to help these Veterans who have sacrificed so much and raise public awareness of the issues these service men and women face. Elks and their volunteers will benefit from an unforgettable experience of which they can be justifiably proud.
This grant will be used to pay the expenses of Wounded Warriors who participate in outdoor events hosted by Elks and their volunteers. A Wounded Warrior event is an outdoor activity such as hunting, fishing, or snowmobiling. Lodges will fill out a request form detailing how many veterans it can host, the length and nature of the trip, and what type of logistical and financial support it can offer.

Lodge proposals to host an event must be submitted to the State National Veterans Chairperson for review. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2009, with the events to be held from May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011.

We believe this is an excellent opportunity for Elks to help our young heroes, and at the same time enjoy themselves in the great outdoors. It will be a challenge to organize and carry out the events, but the reward will be great, for both the Veterans and the volunteers. What a great way to show that 'So long as there are Veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them.'

View a video of the presentation by the Honorable Amos A. McCallum at the Grand Lodge Convention.

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.

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