Maine Elks
Association
Public Relations Committee
Newsbriefs -08/30/07
Maine
Elks Association Newsbriefs
Maine Elks hold 7th
Annual Youthfest for Kids
On August 25, 2007, the Maine Elks
Association held its seventh annual Youthfest program for disabled and
disadvantaged children at the Augusta Elks Lodge #964. The purpose of the event
was to provide children with special needs with an opportunity to have a day of
fun, at no cost to their families!
It was a hot day, but the 174 people
who attended the 4-hour event had a great time. Attending the event were
children from organizations that support children, including the Autism Society,
DHHS Foster Families, Mobius, and children of military families who have a
parent either currently serving on active duty overseas, or have recently
returned. The activities at the event were run by volunteers from the Maine Elks
Association, Massachusetts Elks Association, and Maine State Emblem
Clubs.
Throughout the event, the children were treated to food, music,
games, pony rides, face painting, bounce houses, a soccer shoot, hoop shoot,
crafts, educational booths on the Elks Drug Awareness and Americanism Programs,
as well as many other activities. The children were also entertained by
“Sparkles the Clown,” “Slugger the Seadog,” "Smokey Bear", "McGruff the Crime
Dog,” as well as the Maine Elks own mascot "Elliott the Elk.”
The
day was capped off with a performance by Maine’s own Rick Charette and a drawing
for two bicycles.
Pictured above are Slugger the Seadog, Maine Elks Association State President Bruce Brunelle, Alex and Kaitlyn T. of Chelsea.
Remember our Flag
and All it Represents
by
Rick Palanzo, GL Americanism Committee
Pledge of Allegiance? How many times have
you recited the pledge and really thought about what you were saying? Do you
recite the pledge mechanically or do you recite the pledge with respect and
feeling? I became aware of how most people recite the pledge several years ago
when I was in a room full of adults and we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. We recited it just
like we learned it when we were children. Like most of us, I learned the
Pledge of Allegiance in first
grade. We were taught to memorize it in small three-word phrases, a simple
method for a small child, fairly robotic and without feeling.
I continued to recite the pledge like that until a member of the Americanism Committee raised my awareness of what we were doing and the meaning of that short paragraph. After that moment I started reciting the pledge differently. True it was written more than a hundred years ago for children; but as an adult the pledge takes on a new dimension. If you take a moment to think about what you are saying, facing the flag with your hand over your heart becomes relevant and meaningful to every American. I now recite the pledge in complete phrases which highlight the meaning of the exercise.
“I pledge
allegiance to the flag,
of the United
States of America,
and to the
republic for which it stands,
one nation under
God, indivisible,
with liberty and
justice for all.”
When thoughtfully recited as five phrases we recognize that this flag is a symbol of a God-fearing, free, cohesive, self-governing nation — a fusion of many peoples into a new people that live together in a country in which freedom and justice is guaranteed, not only for a privileged class, but for
everyone. It is this uniqueness that makes America the most sought after residence in the world. Oppressed and underprivileged people have been flocking to our shores from our very beginning for the chance to build a new life. Men and women have fought and died to make sure that this American way of life is protected. The one enduring symbol for our nation is our flag. It is more than a piece of cloth. It is you and me, our parents, our children, our ancestors, our ideas and ideals!
As Americans and patriots let us remember what our flag symbolizes and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with new fervor. Let us show our communities the respect Elks feel for our flag, and may we ever love and defend it!
MEA Public
Relations Committee Needs Your News
For the past few
weeks, I have had to scrape to find news that is taking place across the State.
The District Chairmen have not received anything from the Lodges, nor have I. If
you would like to keep this e-newsletter going, we need news from the Lodges.
Please provide us with a brief summary of an event that has recently taken
place, or will be taking place in the future; just send it to your District
Chairmen. They are:
Northern District: Donald Dow at Don.Dow@KleinschmidtUSA.com
Central District: Mike Lange at mdlange@roadrunner.com
Coastal District: Dwayne Guy at dguy4@netscape.net
Without Lodge
news, the e-news will need to be cut back, and be sent out less often. Please
help us to keep it going!
Wayne Cotterly
MEA Public Relations Director
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