News Features
The Front Page - State Sponsor's Message
- President's Message
- State Secretary's Message
- Development Director's Message
- Florida Ladies of Elks President’s Message
- Children’s Therapy Services Director’s Message
- Youth Camp Director’s Message
- Our Military & Veterans
- _______________
- DISTRICT NEWS
- Central
- East Central
- North
- North Central
- Northeast
- Northwest
- South
- Southeast
- Southeast Central
- South Southeast
- South Southwest
- Southwest
- Southwest Central
- West Central
P.O. Box 49
Umatilla, FL 32784-0049
Share Your Story
We'd love to see & share your Lodge & District Events!
Let's promote what our Florida Elks are doing to support your community
Preserve any person, event, or memory with a personalized brick at your Florida Elks Youth Camp in Umatilla, Florida.
Learn More
Northwest District
Pensacola Elks Lodge Supports Children's Home Society
- Details
- Written by Harriet Gossett
Pensacola Beach Elks Lodge #497 made a $5,000 donation from its charity account to the Children's Home Society Oct. 6. The Society provides family counseling and adoptive services and is located in Pensacola, Florida.
Pictured are Dan Smith, lodge trustee, and Cynthia Vick, Children’s Home Society board member.
Fort Walton Elks Lodge Donates to Hope Squad to Help Prevent Youth Suicide
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
Fort Walton Lodge partnered with United for a Good Cause Sept. 12 to support the Hope Squad in the county school system with the presentation of the $4,000 Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant. Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program in schools. Okaloosa County has been in the top 10 Florida counties for youth suicide for many years. Most often a youth will reach out to a peer before an adult if they are thinking about suicide. Youth suicide is increasing in the country and the lodge wants to help address the mental issues students struggle with in today's environment. There are currently 15 out of 20 secondary schools in Okaloosa County with Hope Squads. The program needs to be expanded to all 20 schools. One of the suicides in the county last year was a fourth grader.
Pictured are Paul Willey, PER; Linda Mayfield, PER; Marcie Tingler, Esquire; Kathy Pacheco, 3-year trustee; Jamie Clemons, Secretary; Rob Parks, Loyal Knight; Peggy Brockman, Hope Squad executive director; Paul Eubanks, PER; Marcia WrightReynolds, Lecturing Knight; Tom Knowles, PER; Kevin Clemons, PDD, Northwest District Leader; Tom McLaughlin, Leading Knight; and Michael “Taz” WrightReynolds, PER, Exalted Ruler.
Food for Thought Feeds Local Children with Help from Destin Elks Lodge
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
On Sept. 13, Destin Lodge presented $2,000 from the Elks National Foundation Spotlight Grant to Food for Thought of Destin, Florida. They assist in providing food to many children through their backpack program at local schools. The Food for Thought mission is to provide outreach in the community to bridge the meal gap in the lives of food-insecure children and empower them to get the most out of their education. They understand that students coming to school after missing multiple meals do not learn or develop at the same rate as their peers. The goal is to provide year-round services to take the fear, stress and illness related to childhood hunger away from students from kindergarten to 12th grade. They provide weekly access to healthy, easy-to-prepare meals.
Pictured are member Terri Griffin; Allison Chorey, Food for Thought program manager; and member Robert Griffin.
Destin Elks Lodge Shares Grant with Blue Door Homeless Ministry
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
Destin Lodge presented $2,000, the remainder of its Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant, to the Blue Door Homeless Ministry of Destin Aug. 24. The ministry was so grateful for this much-needed gift. They support those experiencing homelessness on a daily basis by providing showers, clothes, shoes, bag lunches and other services. This ministry also operates a food pantry that provides hot meals several times a week. This money will be used to keep the pantry stocked and to purchase necessary supplies such as personal care products.
Pictured are member Terri Griffin, Paula Jorgensen of Blue Door and member Marion Hargraves.
Twin Cities Elks Lodge Holds Eighth Backpacks and School Supplies for Kids Collectio
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
Using the Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant and under the guidance of Caroleen Swanson and Tammy Kuhn, project officers, Twin Cities Elks Lodge #2747 conducted the lodge’s eighth annual Backpacks and School Supplies for Kids initiative July 30 and Aug. 4. In cooperation with The United Way’s Sharing and Caring of Okaloosa County, the lodge purchased and donated 103 backpacks valued at $2,035 and $2,000 in school supplies to returning students in the Niceville and Valparaiso community. This program provides much-needed school supplies to local students and their families needing assistance defraying back-to-school expenses. Distribution was made at the lodge and the Sharing and Caring facility in Niceville. The students showed so much appreciation.
Pictured at the lodge are Florena Dowdy; Tammy Kuhn; Joyce Griffin, Tiler; Lorraine Jones; Caroleen Swanson, Treasurer; Ron Peterson; Ann Kur; Bob Griffin, trustee; Tom Kuhn, PER; and Kim Cauley.
Holley-Navarre Elks Lodge Shares Information with Shoppers at Outdoor Market
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
Holley-Navarre Elks Lodge #2787’s Drug Awareness Committee was at the outdoor market at Pik-itz, an art and antique shop of Navarre, Florida, Aug. 20 displaying information and giving brochures about the Elks Drug Awareness program, the Elks National Foundation Most Valued Student Scholarship and Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services. If a family had children with them, a bag with similar information was provided for parents along with a coloring book, crayons, pencil and drug-free Red Ribbon for each child. What makes a weekend like this special is knowing that drug use touches almost everyone’s life or family, and lodge members provided a listening presence to hear their stories. The lodge is grateful to Terry Light, owner of Pik-itz, who provided the space for them to set up a canopy and provide information to the community.
Pictured with two guests at the booth are Jeff Grady; Kris Kane, PER; Tom Stevens, Northwest District Vice President; Heather Townsend; Ray Yantch, PER; and Skip DalleMolle, Lodge Chair of Drug Awareness and Public Relations.
Fort Walton Elks Lodge Supports One Hopeful Place
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
On July 8, Fort Walton Elks Lodge #1795 presented its $3,000 Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant to One Hopeful Place at the Greater Fort Walton Beach Area Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee. There were approximately 300 business, community, church and school leaders in attendance during the presentation. The lodge will partner with One Hopeful Place, the primary shelter in the community serving unaccompanied individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness. They currently operate a 50-bed shelter for men and a 10-bed shelter for women. The community struggles with affordable housing issues due to high costs of both permanent housing and rental housing costs in the area. One Hopeful Place is the doorway into permanent housing and their mission is to help end the cycle of homelessness for those experiencing housing loss.
Pictured at the check presentation are Larry McFarland, Robin Donlon, Bonnie Barlow, Sherry Jones, Donna Morgan, and Lisa Jo Spencer of One Hopeful Place; Marcia WrightReynolds, Lecturing Knight; Kevin Clemons, PDD, Northwest District Leader; Jamie Clemons, Secretary; Paul Eubanks, PER; lodge member Jackie Hubbell; and Michael “Taz” WrightReynolds, PER, Exalted Ruler.
Destin Elks Lodge Purchases Headphones for Destin Elementary
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
On Aug. 19, Destin Elks Lodge #2688 utilized $500 of its Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant to purchase 31 sets of headphones for Destin Elementary School. Between Destin Lodge and American Legion Post 296 Destin Auxiliary, the school received more than 100 sets of headphones and a large supply of pencils. This was a joint project by both charitable organizations serving the Destin community. The school staff and teachers were thrilled and very thankful for the gift.
Pictured are member Sandy Trammell; Amy Meyer, principal; and members Margarite Foreman, Gloria Meade, and Terri Griffin.
Warrington Elks Participate in Rotary Burger Battle for Local Charities
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
To improve the lodge’s visibility in the community and hopefully attract new members, Warrington Lodge had two cooking teams at the Rotary Burger Battle by the Bay 2022. Eighteen members spent the morning cooking burgers and handing out drug awareness materials to children in attendance. They also had the district drug awareness trailer on prominent display and members were “loud and proud” throughout the event. Over 1,000 members of the public had a chance to learn about the Elks and their work on behalf of children and veterans. Although they could only walk away with an honorary mention for their burgers, they were definitely proud to help raise more than $30,000 that will support children’s charities in the community, including Take Stock in Children, Gulf Coast Kid’s House and the Global Learning Academy.
Pictured are Warrington Lodge members.
Fort Walton Elks Lodge Makes Donation to Choctawhatchee HS Flag Football Team
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
In May 2022, Fort Walton Lodge donated $250 to the Choctawhatchee High School girls’ flag football team. They achieved their status by hard work, extensive play on the field and their overall record for the state of Florida. On behalf of Jim Bay, Choctawhatchee flag football head coach, and Matt Pacheco, assistant head coach, coach Cortland Fuller of Choctawhatchee High School track accepted the check from Kathy Pacheco, lodge trustee. The funds were used for travel and participation for the 18 student athletes who qualified for the state championship meet in Gainesville, Florida, which took place May 13. The girls went all the way to the finals with resounding wins and only came up short a couple of plays in the final game.
Pictured are Kathy Pacheco and Cortland Fuller.
Fort Walton Elks Support Future Stars Football Clinic
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
In April 2022, Fort Walton Elks Lodge #1795 donated $500 to Future Stars Football Clinic (FSFC), a local youth organization of Okaloosa County, Florida. This annual event is in its fifth year and had approximately 350 participant players 6 to 13 years of age. The donation will help with the purchase of greatly needed football equipment, which will in turn enable young football players to train harder, more efficiently and, most importantly, safely. FSFC believes that sports are a great way to build character, self-esteem, sportsmanship and leadership skills. A proven fact is that kids who participate in sports do better in school and are more likely to have a positive impact on other students and their communities. The FSFC mission is to provide children with an avenue for growth with the hope of long-term community fortification. Christopher Torres, CEO, was very pleased and thankful for the involvement and donation.
Pictured are Paul Eubanks, PER, lodge board chair, and Coach Chris Torres.
Warrington Elks Lodge Provides Outdoor Learning to Bellview Elementary
- Details
- Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER
Warrington Elks Lodge #2108 supported the installation of a multiplication table grid on the patio area of Bellview Elementary School’s multiuse physical education building. Students’ scores on standardized tests dipped significantly in 2021 with the sharpest decline in math scores. The math grid will be used by all students at Bellview Elementary School — pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It will serve as an engaging tool to increase familiarity and fluency in mathematics. This project was funded by the 2021-2022 Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant and a portion of the 2022-2023 Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant. The remainder of the Beacon Grant plus an additional $1,000 from local fundraisers will be used to fund a similar project at a second local elementary school. Bellview very much appreciated this gift and uses it regularly.
Pictured are Rick Wright, PER, lodge grant coordinator, with the sign noting the gift from Warrington Elks Lodge at the school, and the multiplication table sidewalk graphics.