Central District

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Written by Zephyrhills Elks

On Feb. 3, Zephyrhills Lodge hosted the monthly breakfast meeting for the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce. Because their meetings are usually held at a local restaurant, most attendees were inquisitive about having breakfast at the lodge, but through the meeting, they were very impressed by the Zephyrhills Elks and how they help the community. Barbara Conklin, Leading Knight, donated the breakfast with over 50 people in attendance and arranged speakers from the lodge to present their charities. The speakers were Donna Moyer, trustee for the Feed the Kids program; Judy Osgood, Elks National Foundation Fundraising Chair; Beth Impson, Lodge Harry-Anna Trust Fund Chair; and Paul Nutting, Exalted Ruler. Each gave a speech about their charities and what the Elks do for them and the community. Zephyrhills Elks Lodge has been a chamber member for many years.

Pictured are breakfast attendees.

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Written by Zephyrhills Elks

On Jan. 11, Zephyrhills Elks Lodge #2731 delivered fleece sweatshirts in various colors and sizes to four elementary schools in Zephyrhills — Chester, Woodland, Centennial and West. Chester and Woodland are Title I schools, which have underserved students. The sweatshirts were purchased using $2,012.87 of the lodge’s Elks National Foundation (ENF) Gratitude Grant.

Pictured at Centennial Elementary are Alice Tolson, ENF Fundraising Committee member; Noemi Torres, parent advocate; and Judy Osgood, Lodge ENF Fundraising Committee chair and lodge grants coordinator.

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Written by Kissimmee Elks

On Feb. 6, Kissimmee Elks Lodge #1873 donated its $2,000 Elks National Foundation Spotlight Grant to First United Methodist Church of St. Cloud, Florida. The church sponsors "Bags of Love" two days a week, where those experiencing homelessness receive a bag of nonperishable items and a hot meal. Counseling and clothing are also available. On Sunday, the church rotates with four other churches to offer a hot meal through Elmer's Kitchen Ministry. The church also provided cold-weather housing and food during a recent string of cooler weather. Some of the monies are also being used to purchase a commercial refrigerator.

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Written by John Gudavich, PDD

On Dec. 14, members of Aripeka Elks Lodge #2520 hosted a Christmas party for more than 200 children in foster care under the guidance of the Guardian ad Litem program in New Port Richey, Florida. These children have been removed from their families for a variety of reasons and placed in a foster home with a family to care for them. The lodge’s main hall was decorated for the event. Lodge members and members of the Guardian ad Litem program donated toys for all the children, and all 35 bicycles were purchased by the lodge. Lodge members also provided every child and sponsor with food and drinks during the party. Santa Claus even made an appearance to greet the children which was a great hit!

Pictured are all the toys donated by Aripeka Lodge members for children in foster care.

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Written by Zephyrhills Elks

Zephyrhills Elks participate in many local activities as an opportunity to show the community what they do. One of these was the downtown Halloween parade Oct. 30 called Halloween Howl. Community organizations create floats and this year’s theme was Christmas in Candyland. Members donate candy for Elks to toss to the kids in the crowd.

Pictured in the float are Ceil Muldroon as the Lollipop Queen, Dorothy Sollmann as Princess Lollipop's cousin and David Moyer, PER as Elroy the Elk/King Candy. He walked around talking to the kids about drug prevention.