Southeast Central District

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Written by Vero Beach Elks

Using $1,000 raised at the annual Super Bowl Party Feb. 2 along with items donated by members, Vero Beach Lodge packed welcome boxes for The Hope for Families Center and The Samaritan Center of Vero Beach. The Hope for Families Center uses education, rules, training and requirements to build the foundation for long-term independence to teach families that are homeless the habits and routines necessary to sustain themselves. The center provides housing as well as a structured program that teaches families how to set expectations. The Samaritan Center provides affordable, supportive, transitional housing and support services to those who are homeless or who are close to homelessness.

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Written by Vero Beach Elks

On Jan. 28, Vero Beach Elks Lodge presented 29 stop-the-bleed kits, one for each area school, to the Indian River County School Board’s new superintendent, Dr. David Moore. The $2,247 used for this project came from the kids’ charities account. Shown are Richard Campbell, Esteemed Loyal Knight; Paul Diaz, Exalted Ruler; Dr. Moore; and Richard Miller, Esteemed Leading Knight and Community Activities Chair.

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Written by Becky Wills

Viera Elks Lodge #2817 is continuing its support of Genesis House, a facility which provides transitional shelter for women who are homeless and their children, long-term housing for student mothers and their children, and shelter for pregnant women who are homeless and their children. Genesis House helps women become independent through education, self-discipline and self-reliance. The lodge supports this organization with their Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant. The lodge provided $200 to fund four children’s week at Camp Hope’s Christmas Camp. This program help families like those living at Genesis House with affordable child care during school breaks. Camp Hope provides at-risk children with a fun, safe and enriching place to spend time during breaks so parents don’t have to choose between their children and their jobs.

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Written by Lenny Smallacombe, PDD

After seven months of planning, Fort Pierce Elks Lodge #1520 undertook the Operation 2019 Christmas backpack program at St. Lucie Public Schools including Lakewood Park Elementary School in Fort Pierce, Fla., where a local news station took video. The lodge used funds from the $10,000 Elks National Foundation Impact Grant, backpack lodge funds, and lodge member donations to buy food, new toys, school clothes, hygiene kits, snacks, Christmas candy, and more for hundreds of children who attend St. Lucie Public Schools and their families who are homeless. More than 30 Elks spent Dec. 8 sorting and packing thousands of items. St. Lucie Public Schools assisted by having two large school trucks pick up the 10 pallets loaded with holiday donations. The delivery was Dec 11. They also presented $100 checks to 10 schools to buy school logo shirts for students who helped other students during the holiday season. The Elks backpack program started by helping a few kids each weekend and six years later they are helping more than 300 kids with food items every weekend. This was their largest Christmas event with more than 1,000 kids helped. The program has 35-40 volunteers and many of them have helped since the program’s beginning, an integral reason for the program's growing success. All grants and donations go toward the program.

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Written by Tom Wojnar

Melbourne Elks Lodge #1744 used the $5,000 from their Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant and the matching funds from the Florida State Elks Association to put together 200 Thanksgiving grocery packages that included a 12-15 pound turkey, green beans, mushroom soup, fried onion rings, corn, rice, five pounds of potatoes, stuffing, popcorn, Jello, gravy and cranberry sauce. The groceries were given to families whose children attend one of five area schools who might not have had a good Thanksgiving if not for the Elks.