President's Message 

Season's Greetings!

It's hard to believe that we are coming to the close of another calendar year; yet we are only half way through our fraternal year. It is amazing how quickly the time flies by when you are doing something that you enjoy; spending time with family and friends. December is a time to reflect on what we have accomplished during the past year, and a time to remember our departed members.

Each year, Lodges across the country unite on the first Sunday in December to remember our departed members. This solemn occasion is dedicated to those who have come before us, and who have done the work of Elkdom during their lives. They are a constant reminder to us all of the work which we all must continue to do to support our youth, our veterans, and our charities. The Elks Memorial Service is an event which can bring us closer together as a fraternity, as it reminds us of how short our lives are; and how precious the time we spend with friends and family can be. Whatever our members faults, they are written on the sands, and their virtues shall live on in our hearts and minds until it is our time to go. This December 4th, please make an effort to attend your Lodge's memorial service, and remember our departed members. I also encourage each Lodge to make the event a memorable experience for the families of the departed.

The holiday season is also one where we should remember the living as well, and support those who are having difficulties supporting themselves. If you know of a member who is ill, or in need of some support. Stop on by, or give them a phone call to show that you remember. If you have the time, thank one of our Veterans, who may be in a nursing home or at the Togus VA medical center. Why should we do this? Because we are a fraternal organization, and Brotherly Love is one of the principles of our great Order.

The past month, Kathleen and I had the opportunity to visit the Rumford and Augusta Elks Lodges, and we thank each of the officers and members of those Lodges for all of the hospitality that was extended to us during our visits. In Rumford, we celebrated our Veterans, and in Augusta, we enjoyed participating in their annual Rock & Roll Show. They were both memorable experiences.

We also had a visit from our Grand Exalted Ruler, David Carr and his wife Penny. They both had a wonderful time here in Maine, and thanked the association for the hospitality that was shown to them during their visit. They truly appreciate all of the gifts that were presented to them, as well as the donations to the Elks National Foundation in their honor. They were two great people, and I hope they have an opportunity to come back and visit with us again in the future.

To all of the members of the Maine Elks Association, Kathleen and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Wayne Cotterly
President

Special benefit at Portland Lodge

On Saturday, Jan. 7 the Portland Elks Lodge will be holding a benefit for the grandson of one of their members.

Jacob Sprague is two years old and has kidney cancer. His grandfather, Maynard Sprague, said that Jacob has just finished up a round of chemo and will be heading to Boston for an operation.

Jacob's dad works two jobs; and although Jacob is covered by insurance, the bills are very overwhelming.Because we are Elks who care and share, the Portland Lodge will be reaching out to everyone and has scheduled a dinner/dance on Saturday, Jan. 7. The proceeds that we raise from this event will be handed over to Jacob's family to help with medical costs.

Saturday, Jan. 7 was chosen because Maine State Elks President Wayne Cotterly and First Lady Kathleen will be visiting our Lodge on that weekend as well as members of other lodge who will be down to attend the State Meeting at our Lodge on Sunday, Jan. 8. For entertainment, Jose Duddy will bring us music and good times.

The meal is still in the planning stages  Please mark this date on your calendar early and plan to attend.

Millinocket Elks Dictionary Project

The Millinocket Lodge of Elks gave each member of the 3rd grade in the East MillinocketSchool system a dictionary for them to keep and use fortheir own.  To date the Millinocket Lodge has given out over 750 dictionaries in the local schools.  Pictured with one of the 3rd grade students in David VanDine PER, Dictionary Project Chairman and John Nicholson, ER of Millinocket Lodge #1521. 

New website calendar format

There will be several changes to the MEA State Calendar on the MEA Website. First, we have switched to another company to handle the calendar. Problems with displaying the old calendar, lagging out, and server reset errors were quite frequent. We are hoping that the new calendar will be much quicker to display.

Because the calendar is "free" there will be ads associated with it, unless the association decides that they would like to have no ads, which will incur a subscription fee for the association each year. If the association decided to go with that option, e-mail reminders can be sent out automatically from the calendar, if requested.

Next, a letter will be sent to each Lodge, and each Lodge will be provided with a password to add items to the calendar. In an effort to preserve integrity of the system, the Lodge will not be able to edit or delete entries. Those can be handled by the MEA Website administrator, upon request. By doing so, Lodges will have the freedom to enter their Lodge events, and it will be displayed immediately upon entering it onto the calendar. (No more waiting for the Website Administrator to get it up on the website).

Finally, due to the considerable amount of time it takes to maintain two calendars (website and e-mail), we have decided to go with only one calendar, and that will be the one for the website. The weekly e-mail calendar will be discontinued.

We are hoping that these changes will provide the MEA a positive website experience.

Wayne Cotterly
Website Administrator

Waterville recaptures Central Roaming Elk

The good-natured rivalry between the Waterville and Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodges continued on Nov. 23 as a delegation of Waterville Elks recaptured the Central District Roaming Elk on the Skowhegan-Madison Lodge's first-ever Elks National Foundation Pie and Cake Auction Night.

The Roaming Elk, nicknamed Romeo by the Waterville Lodge, has been back and forth between the two lodges several times during the past few months. Romeo only managed to stay in Skowhegan for a short time after seven members corraled him after attending a meeting and initiation in Waterville.

But the seven Waterville Elks certainly earned the right to take Romeo home again, said Skowhegan-Madison ER Mike Lange. "We made $452 on the pie-and-cake auction that night for the Elks National Foundation, and I swear the Waterville Elks spent at least $100. They're a great bunch, and they support many of our functions."

Lange warned the Waterville Elks, however, not to make Romeo feel too much at home. "We're checking their newsletter to see what's coming up later this month," said the Skowhegan-Madison E.R.

Government Relations Committee proposal

By Robert E. Drisko, PSP, PDDGER, PER
State Elks Government Relations Chair

As many of you know, in July 2011 a vote was taken at the Grand Lodge Convention in Phoenix, AZ to abolish the present structure of committees existing in the Elks. The vote passed.
 
Among the casualties were the Grand Lodge Government Relations Committee and the local Lodge Committees, which were also eliminated, effective at the end of this Grand Lodge Year in July 2012.
 
At the October Government Relations Seminar in Oklahoma, State Chair Karl Reich of the Texas Elks Association provided a copy of a resolution to the attendees that proposing to restore the Grand Lodge Government Relations Committee and the Local Lodge Committees. Those in attendance at the seminar totally support and uphold the sentiments of Mr. Reich and the Texas State Elks Association. The consensus was that the Government Relations Committee needs to be retained as part of the Order due to the functions and procedures it now performs which are critical to the protection of our organization. At this point in time, the Government Relations Committee and chairpersons see no other viable alternatives to this situation. All the attendees present agreed to take this back to their State Associations and make proposals to support the Texas State Elks Legislation.
 
This Texas resolution will be submitted and voted on at the Grand Lodge Convention in Austin, Texas in July of 2012.
 
Proposal: Therefore and with great enthusiasm and love for the organization known as the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, I hereby propose that the Maine State Elks Association and its member Lodges voice their support with a vote at the January Maine State Elks Association meeting on Sunday, January 8, 2011 for the Texas State Elks Resolution to restore the Grand Lodge Government Relations Committee and Local Lodge Government Relations' Committees across the United States of America and its Territories.
 
I request the Maine State Elks Association Secretary Philip O'Brion to record this email as the proposal and to make it part of our agenda under new business on that day. I also request that he notify the Maine State Elks Association Lodges about this proposal in his normal notification letter to them about the January Meeting.  
 

Millinocket Veterans' Appreciation Day

Again this year, Millinocket Lodge of Elks No. 1521 hosted a Veterans Appreciation Day at the Lodge with a meal and entertainment provided to all Veterans their spouse, widow or widower. This years program's chairman was PER David VanDine. Some 22 million veterans live in our communities.  Grand Exalted Ruler David R. Carr has proclaimed November as Veterans Remembrance Month to encourage us to find local veterans and help them with their needs.

As Elks, we proudly state, "So long as there are Veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them."  Elks are present in every VA hospital.  We adopt veterans, support families with our Army of Hope, and place POW/MIA tables in our Lodges.  The Elks participate in the National Veterans History Project and happily pack and distribute Comfort Care Kits.  The Elks do a great deal for our veterans.

New address for PSP Powers

Past State President Mike Powers has a new mailing address: Box 1123, Houlton, ME 04730. His residence, e-mail and phone are all the same. 

Lodge Assistance Grants

Did you know?

Lodge Assistance Grants are designed to help Lodges secure donations from local businesses for specific Lodge charitable projects through monetary donations to the Foundation. In this program, the Foundation extends the benefits of our charitable status to both the business and the Lodge.

All too often, local businesses are reluctant to support Lodge projects because Lodges are not considered charitable organizations under the qualifications of a 501 (c) (3). Many businesses even have written policies stating that only 501 (c) (3) organizations can receive donation funding from them.

In order to help Lodges receive donations from these specific businesses, the Foundation developed the Lodge Assistance Grants. The Lodge Assistance Grant (LAG) helps Lodges by allowing business that only support charitable 501 (c) (3) organizations to support a specific Lodge charitable program or project through a restricted monetary gift to the ENF. By taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone benefits: the business is able to support a local charitable cause; the Lodge is able to expand on its good deeds; and a community need is addressed. No matter how you slice it, it's a win-win situation!

The Lodge Assistance Grant mechanics are simple.

1. Contact the ENF Programs Department for LAG guidelines and specifics.
2. The Lodge applies for a grant to fund a specific Lodge charitable program or project, such as a holiday food basket program, a veteran's service project, or an event for youth.
3. Upon approval, the ENF receives a cash gift from a local business, restricted for the specific project.
4. The Foundation deposits the gift and issues a new check to the Lodge.
5. The Lodge files a Final Accounting Form with the ENF specifying how the funds were used.

If your Lodge is interested in participating in the program, please contact the ENF Programs Department. We will be happy to discuss your project ideas related to the Lodge Assistance Grant. There are certain restrictions that apply, so please be sure to read the full guidelines, which can be found on the application. Below you can download a copy of the grant application form, which you will submit to us for approval:

• Lodge Assistance Grant (Adobe PDF Format)  

If you have news or information of interest to the members of the Maine Elks Association, please send your articles to Public Relations Director Mike Lange at maineelks@roadrunner.com for inclusion in the MEA Calendar, the MEA Website, or future issues of this newsletter.

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