Maine Elks Association

Public Relations Committee Newsbriefs -09/27/07

Maine Elks Association Newsbriefs

Sanford Elks Hold Soccer Shoot

From Carol Spellman, Sanford PR

The Sanford Elks held their annual soccer shoot at Shaws Field on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007. Sixty Eight boys and girls, ages 4 to 13 competed in the event, with many new competitors as well as those who had competed in previous years. The next day, the Lodge invited all the winners back to the Lodge for a pizza and ice cream party. Awards were presented to the 1^st through 3^rd Place winners. The top three places in each division were:

Girls			Boys
U 14	1st	Allison L	U 14	1st	Brandon M
	2nd	Lauren L		2nd	TJ D
	3rd	Faith C		3rd	Roger C
U12	1st	Samantha F	U 12	1st	Jacob C
	2nd	Aisling T		2nd	Matt T
	3rd	Courtney G		3rd	Michael R
U10			U10
	1st	Lindsey H		1st	Quinn S
	2nd	Sydney P		2nd	Tyler B
	3rd	Courney C		3rd	Derick C
U8			U8
	1st	Kimberly W		1st	Marcus G
	2nd	Marley D		2nd	Casey D
	3rd	Miranda B		3rd	Daniel M

All of the winners will advance to the Coastal District Soccer Shoot, to be held on September 30, 2007 at the Sanford Elks Lodge.

The Sanford Elks also wish to thank the Sanford Soccer Association for allowing them to set up on the edge of the fields again this year so that the kids could shoot before and after their games.

Pictured above are: Front (L-R): Quinn S, Kimberly W, Lindsey H. Back (L-R): Soccer Chairman Tom Spellman, PER, Jacob C, Brandon M, Samantha F and Sanford’s Exalted Ruler Richard Simpson. Not shown in picture are winners Allison L and Marcus G.

Brunswick Elks Celebrate their 50^th Anniversary

The Brunswick Elks Lodge #2043 celebrated their 50^th Anniversary this past weekend. As part of the weekend of festivities, MEA State President Bruce Brunelle & First Lady Lisa made their official visitation to the Lodge on Saturday, September 22, 2007. Those attending the event were treated to a pork loin dinner with all the trimmings, a special gift bag which included a commemorative yearbook, small gifts from the area, and either a commemorative shot glass or wine glass. Entertainment was provided by Dave and the Angels, a 50’s style dance band. Greasers, Pink Ladies, and Poodle Skirts were worn by many attending the event. Even the State President and First Lady wore 50’s style attire. During the event, Brunswick’s Exalted Ruler Ginny Gramaglia presented Bath’s Elks Lodge with a plaque commemorating the event, and thanking their mother lodge for their support throughout the years. Receiving the award on behalf of the Bath Lodge was Exalted Ruler Betty Smith. Congratulations to the Brunswick Elks Lodge on their 50 years of showing that Elks Care—Elks Share in the community.

Farmington Elks Hold Golf Tournament for ENF

The Farmington Elks Lodge held their annual Golf Tournament to benefit the Elks National Foundation. Eight Teams of four competed in the event, with participants coming from not only the Farmington area, but from across central and southern Maine. Following the tournament, which was held at the Wilson Lake Country Club in Wilton, the competitors were invited back to the Farmington Elks Lodge for a prime rib dinner and awards. In all the event raised a total of $2550 for ENF; the great heart of Elkdom.

Retain New Members with Impressive Initiation
by Barton Barnes, GL Membership Committee

Making an initiation a memorable experience increases the probability of retaining newly initiated members. The orientation and indoctrination sessions are important parts of the initiation process. Neither should be abbreviated or eliminated. Indoctrination is the lodges’ first opportunity to interact with new members. Keep the session informative, but avoid too much detail.

Provide candidates with pamphlets about the Order to read at their leisure. When they leave, make a special effort to ensure each is comfortable with the members they met and aware of the commitment of Elks to helping the community, youth and veterans. Tell them briefly about ENF and the scholarships and other programs the foundation supports and the activities your lodge supports in its service area.

Be sure to inform the initiates about what to expect on Initiation Night so there are no surprises, particularly with respect to the amount of money needed for dues and any other fees that might be payable that evening. You don’t want to embarrass them because they don’t have enough money.

Keep Initiation Night as free of other business as possible. Avoid long-winded speeches or debates. Keep the evening under three hours from beginning to end. Ideally, the ritual should be memorized. If it is anticipated to be a problem for some of the initiation team, make sure they are able to read their part impressively. Ask those individuals to read their part several times so they are comfortable with it. Speak proudly and distinctly to the new members. You want them to understand what the Order is about — a fraternal organization committed to helping our fellow man. The bar is secondary.

Don’t forget to give each initiate a packet containing an ENF application, the booklet “What it means to be an Elk,” a copy of your latest lodge bulletin that lists coming activities and other opportunities for involvement, Constitution and Statutes, by-laws, house rules and finally an application for membership for a friend or relative.

Contact your State Association or Grand Lodge Area Membership committeeman for additional information and assistance with developing and implementing an effective Indoctrination and Initiation program.

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