Hello my fellow Elks brothers and sisters,
Well, it seems winter has arrived. That means it is time for
all of the great events we have been planning and talking about. There are some fun times to be had and some
great volunteer opportunities that are sure to warm your heart.
I hope everyone was able to be with family and give thanks
in November. I also hope that everyone
will take some time in December to be with family and enjoy the holiday
season. We are going to kick-off the
spirit of giving on December 3rd with Shop with a Hero. This is such
a wonderful event that gives true meaning to the holiday season. Please come up to the lodge and join us to
make this holiday special for several children and their families. This will
make you proud to be an Elk! Watch for
an email requesting goodies to send home with families for Shop with a Hero.
This will be a busy weekend.
The Hoop Shoot will be going on simultaneously as the Shop with a Hero. The
Elks Hoop Shoot is a free throw program for youth ages 8-13. Brady and Kevin
Curran do such an amazing job organizing and coordinating the event. Many area youth participate and have a great
time while gaining an opportunity to move on to districts, State, and National
events.
December is also a time to remember our Elks that have
passed through the light. We will be having a memorial program on Sunday
December 4th at 1:30 p.m. This gives us
an opportunity to invite the families of our members that have passed in the
last year and reflect on their lives and contributions. Please join us for the memorial program and
send our message, never forgotten, never forsaken.
The Iowa State Elks Association fall convention went
well. We were able to spend some time
with GER Bruce A. Hidley and his wife Helen.
They are such energetic, down-to-earth, wonderful people. A group of us are planning to attend the Elks
National Convention July 2-5th in Minneapolis, MN. This is a great opportunity to see the Elks
on a larger scale and meet many like-minded people while getting some insight
on how others spread Elkdom. The
national convention doesn’t get much closer than this. They are also looking for volunteers to help
during the convention if you are interested.
Log onto https://www.mnelks.org/2023-gl-convention.html
for details. For all that volunteer, the
registration will be free. It will be a
great time.
We will be initiating a new group of Elks at the lodge
meeting in December (note: there is only one lodge meeting in December). Keep the new members coming. You all are doing an amazing job spreading
the word of what it means to be an Elk and recruiting other to join in our
cause. Keep up the good work!
Everyone is invited to come up to the lodge on Christmas
morning for some Elk family fellowship to have some Tom and Jerry’s from 9 -11
a.m. This is a longtime tradition that
is a lot of fun.
Save the date!
January 21, 2023 we will be hosting Dueling Pianos at the lodge. We had these hilarious gentlemen do a show at
the lodge in 2019 to a sold-out crowd. I
have had a lot of great times at the lodge, but this was absolutely the most
fun I have ever had. Tickets will be
going on sale very soon. Get your
tickets early as this will sell out fast.
Inquire from any officer, trustee, or at the lodge. We are also planning to do a special meal
that evening. More to come soon.
Fraternally
yours,
Ryan Ford, Exalted Ruler
The next
Stagettes meeting will be December 8th.
Please join us for dinner, some Christmas drinks, and a white elephant
gift exchange ($15 maximum). We look
forward to seeing you there! Dayna Ford