Brookfield, IL 1510

ENF

IT IS A WONDER!
ENF Chairman Bob Rolewicz

It is a wonder to me why only 7 of our Lodge members have contributed to the ENF since the beginning of this Lodge year. As of Jan. 1, 2021, that represents 5.56% of our membership. It seems that most of us wanted to join this organization to be able to participate in it’s charitable works. There is no greater charitable entity in the Elks than the Elks National Foundation (ENF). The ENF distributes many, many millions of dollars to a multitude of charities and to individual lodges to serve the needs of their local communities. Typically, for every $1 given to ENF, $2 is returned to the 
communities via the  lodges to help in that lodges neighborhood. Every Elk should try to give what they can, but $10 per month or even every now and then, should not be too big of a burden for most of us.

There was a time when every Lodge officer was expected to be enrolled in an ENF donor program. What happened? Today, only 3 Officers in our Lodge make regular donations! I believe that we can do better. In these times of the pandemic, we don’t go out as much but this does not have to make a negative impact on our charitable involvements. Let’s celebrate those from our lodge who do donate (most of them have been doing so for years):

  • Wally Johnson
  • Mark Roegner
  • Debbie Doles
  • William Gomora
  • PER Bob Rolewicz & PER Vicki Rolewicz
  • Jeremy Rolewicz
  • Edward Rentka
  • Joseph & Margaret DeGuide
  • Marty Jackson
  • Herb Bartz
  • DONATE and we'll add your name here!

These are the ones who help to guarantee our generous grants each year. Please step up and join this group. The responsibility to have to fund the great charitable arm of the BPOE should not fall upon 5.56% of our membership! The options on how to donate are plentiful. Some have opted to have a monthly or bi-weekly direct withdrawal from a bank account for example. One can fi nd out everything that you’d like to know about these programs by going to elks.org or dropping me a note c/o the lodge. We can do better and as the premier charitable, benevolent organization 
in this country, we should do better. It is not just a program for “the other guy”.

As Elks, it is the responsibility of each member to see and take pride in the good works of the ENF, but more importantly to participate! We’re all in this together.

Thank you

Bob Rolewicz