National Veterans Service Commission
GL Newsletter February 2009 Vets Message: Veterans Leather Program continues to grow
by Robert M. HenningsCommission Director
In 1948, the Elks of California donated 25,000 hides to our Order for the benefit of Veterans. This was the beginning of the Elks National Veterans Leather Program.
Today, Elks in twenty states participate in this program. Last year, over 15,000 hides were collected, prepared and shipped to tanneries for processing. The finished hides become craft kits, fingerless gloves for wheelchair bound Veterans, or craft leather for Veterans hospital therapy and recreational programs.
In 2001, the Elks began a partnership with Help Hospitalized Veterans. In 2008, this non-profit organization produced 40,000 craft kits for Veterans in hospitals from leather we supplied, at no additional cost to the Elks. The kits come in various styles and assemble with relative ease into moccasins, pouches, handbags and wallets.
To those hospitals with leatherworking equipment, the Elks supplied over 6,000 square feet of leather in 2008. Skilled Veterans turn this raw material into various items, some approaching the level of art. The National Creative Arts Festival, sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, exhibits many items created from leather.
Our National Leather Program Chairman, Dennis McAleese (Mountain Home, AR Lodge No. 1714), last year distributed nearly 3,000 pairs of fingerless gloves for use by wheelchair bound Veterans. These are made of high quality leather, embossed with the Elks logo, and greatly prized by their owners. Elks Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service Representatives order the gloves to distribute at the facilities they serve, and at no cost. Brother McAleese also travels to events sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and distributes the gloves personally to Veterans in wheelchairs.
Under his able leadership, the Leather Program is growing every year. For information on participating in this program, contact Dennis McAleese. Brochures about the program are available, at no cost, from our office in Chicago.
If you already collect hides, please do not ship them to a tannery before consulting with Chairman McAleese. There have been changes in the tanneries we employ, and Dennis is the one to consult before shipping. Dennis is also the expert on collecting and preparing the hides, so do not hesitate to contact him for advice: Dennis McAleese, Chairman, Elks National Veterans Leather Program, 384 County Road 852, Elizabeth, AR 72531-9603, 870-488-5786, E-mail: kdmc@mtnhome.com
