The Perry Lady Elks hosted a Christmas-in-July event where they prepared and sold barbecue lunches. Additional vendors set up as well for attendees to shop. Mr. and Mrs. Claus made an appearance as well. The event raised $807 for the Elks National Foundation.
During the summer, the Perry Lady Elks, Elk members and volunteers came together to help a local family battling leukemia. The family of four-year-old Marvin Overstreet was able to attend the lodge-sponsored brunch fundraiser, and he was definitely the star of the day! The Perry Lady Elks donated a check in the amount of $2,002.25 to the Overstreet family. The overwhelming love, relief and joy they were given during this event warmed the hearts of many and will help this family in covering the cost of travel for further treatments.
Perry Elks Lodge #1851 sent six youngsters this summer from the Perry, Fla., area to the Florida Elks Youth Camp – two kids going early in the camping season and four others going together later. Transportation to the camp was provided by six adults, including parents and lodge members, who carpooled to get the kids to camp and home again. Two of the campers were returning this year and have aspirations of becoming counselors-in-training next year.
Campers, parents and members make their way from Perry, Fla., to the Florida Elks Youth Camp for summer camp in Umatilla, Fla.
A back-to-school bash was held at Tallahassee Elks Lodge #937 in August and featured the movie Mary Poppins as well as hot dogs, mac and cheese, popcorn, lemonade, and ice cream sandwiches. A special visit by Elroy the Elk was a surprise for both parents and kids. School supplies and cash were collected by the lodge and totaled $1,000 and was donated to Leon County Astoria Park Elementary School.
From Sept. 12-15, Tallahassee Lodge sponsored its annual Gretchen Everhart School trip to the Florida Elks Youth Camp. With the help of an Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant of $2,000, the lodge procured two buses to transport kids and their families to the camp.
In April, Tallahassee Elks Lodge #937 hosted the WAVE (Widening Adult Vital Experience Inc.) spring event. WAVE is an organization comprised of adults who are emotionally and physically challenged, many of whom graduated from Gretchen Everhart School, who retain their social interaction with many friends from their youth. The lodge donates space for WAVE events without charge. This event included music provided by DJ "Captain Bob" Thorburn, Exalted Ruler, for the participants' dancing pleasure.
In concert with the local acting group Theatre Tallahassee, Tallahassee Lodge donated space and hosted an evening of theatre and dinner. The performance was comprised of four brief comedy skits and as the actors left the stage, they delivered plates of food to the folks in the audience. Food was served in four courses – one course between each act. Well attended, the evening allowed Theatre Tallahassee a free venue to share their acting skills and attract new audiences to further productions away from the local theatre where performances are normally staged.