Oak Island, NC Lodge News
Honor or Remember Our Veterans with a Commemorative Brick
Tis the season for remembrance and giving. What better way to celebrate this Christmas season than to give the special gift of an engraved brick honoring, or in memory of, a beloved family member or friend who has served or is serving, and in some cases, sacrificed their lives in the Armed Forces of our country?
The Oak Island Elks Lodge Veterans Honor and Memorial Plaza Campaign to fund and build a plaza made of engraved bricks around the Elks Lodge flagpole to honor and/or remember Oak Island Elks, as well as their family members and friends is underway. The plaza will be a permanent testament to the honor, courage and commitment of these men and women who have served or are serving in our Uniformed Services.
The commemorative bricks will be used to pave a 12 by 12- foot plaza that will surround the flagpole and be connected to the sidewalk in front of the Lodge by a six by six- foot walkway (see the illustrated example of the plaza). Initially the plaza will be made up of blank bricks that will be replaced as commemorative bricks are purchased and installed. The cost of a commemorative brick with up to four lines of engraving is $100 per brick.
Just before Veterans Day, all Oak Island Elks should have received a letter announcing the kick-off of our campaign. On the reverse side of the letter was the order form to use when ordering bricks. If you cannot find your order form, additional forms are available in a display on top of the glass display case on the right as you come in the door of the Lodge Social Quarters.
Order forms with checks can also be dropped off at the same location as there is a box to put order forms and checks into on the display case. Please place them in an envelope addressed to the attention of Rob McKinley or you can mail your order(s) to the Oak Island Elks Lodge, 106 East Dolphin Drive, Oak Island, NC 28465, attention Rob McKinley. Checks are to be made payable to Oak Island Elks Veterans Committee with Commemorative Brick on the memo line (payment due with order). An order form for the bricks can also be found on another page of this newsletter, which can be used to print more forms if you are ordering more than one brick as each brick must have its own order form.
Our first-year goal is to sell a minimum of 100 commemorative bricks, which began this past Veterans Day and goes through January 31, 2018 (the final deadline for order bricks for this year’s campaign), This will fund the purchase and installation of the initial bricks for plaza. (NOTE: No checks will be cashed, or order forms processed until we receive a minimum of 85 orders, so it may be a few weeks before your check is cashed.) Formal dedication of The Oak Island Elks Lodge Veterans Honor and Memorial Plaza is planned for Memorial Day 2018, if this campaign succeeds in meeting its minimum goal.
So please consider purchasing this uniquely special gift for an Elk veteran or family member or friend of an Elk member who was or is a veteran in this season of remembrance and giving. Merry Christmas!
Rob McKinley, Chair of the Oak Island Elks Lodge Veterans Committee (12-1-2018)