Greetings, everyone. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of my 2023-2024 term as FLOE President. It has been a great year thus far, but it’s not over yet.
The 61st annual FLOE conference will take place Sept. 20-21, 2024, at the Shores Resort and Spa in beautiful Daytona Shores, Florida. There is a golf outing planned Friday, Sept. 19. If you are interested in golfing, please let us know. Friday night’s dinner will be followed with a performance by the Deep Creek Ladies of Elks and it promises to be a fun time. You can register for the conference and make hotel reservations by visiting floridaelks.org. We currently have two fundraisers taking place, with winners being drawn at the conference Saturday, Sept. 20. You DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT TO WIN. The Angel Reverse Draw tickets are available for a donation of $20. Only 300 tickets will be sold, with $3,000 in prizes and $3,000 to benefit Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services. Our annual conference raffle consists of three great prizes. First prize is a two-night stay at the Shores Resort & Spa with a $600 Visa gift card (for a free weekend getaway), second prize is a Northern Tool Quiet Generator with a $150 Visa gift card (so you can afford to run the generator), and third prize is a Yeti 18 soft-sided cooler with an adult beverage and a $100 Visa gift card (in case you don’t like the beverage provided). Tickets are available at six for $5. If you would like tickets but do not have any available at your lodge, please email floeinformation@gmail.com. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Our goal this year was to increase awareness and visibility of FLOE throughout the state as we shared information on who we are and all the great things we do for the major projects. All our fundraising efforts benefit the Florida Elks Youth Camp and Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services. Monthly articles promoting what we are doing in FLOE are being sent to lodges for inclusion in their monthly newsletters. I have heard more lodges have published the article and I hope all lodges will soon follow. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Ladies organization, joining us from South Hillsborough Lodge #2672. I am happy to say there are a few other lodges in the consideration stage of starting a Ladies organization and I want them to know we are there to help in any way we can.
The third annual Ladies Weekend at the Florida Elks Youth Camp was held April 12-14, with 62 ladies from across the state in attendance. Massages were available Friday evening and all day Saturday. The Friday night meet and greet started the weekend with music and karaoke. On Saturday morning, the ladies had the option of participating in chair yoga, and it was a big hit. The Saturday night dinner once again consisted of a murder mystery. There were 18 suspects, with everyone trying to figure out who committed the murder. Even the murderer was unaware it was them. Everyone had a great time. Planning has begun and we are looking forward to the Ladies Weekend April 11-13, 2025. Save the date and join us.
The second annual FLOE RV Rally (Camping for the Kids) was held May 31- June 2 at the Ocala North RV Resort and was once again a success. The weekend started Friday evening with a social gathering, where everyone brought an appetizer to share before a friendly game of Left, Right, Center. On Saturday morning a wonderful breakfast was provided, and a group went off to lunch at a local restaurant while others remained at the RV park to swim, play cornhole and socialize. On Saturday evening, there was a cookout with hot dogs and hamburgers, followed by a fun night playing Show Me the Money. It was a weekend of great food, fun and making new friends. Several campers participated in the patriotic theme campsite decorating contest. All the participants did a great job, making it hard for the judges to select the winners. Planning is already underway for the third annual FLOE RV Rally, May 30 - June 1, 2025, so save the date. Thank you, everyone, who joined us, and special thanks go to those who organized the event and donated their time and funds to cover all the meals provided. Without them, this event would not have been possible.
Our last meeting was held at the Florida Elks state convention at the Rosen Centre May 25. A vote for the 2024-2025 officers took place. Congratulations go to our elected officers: Pauline Talbott, President (Sebastian #2714); Pam Snyder, Vice President (Punta Gorda #2606); Dianne Cook, Secretary (St. Augustine #829); and Sue Crady, Treasurer (Deep Creek #2763). I thank everyone who supported us by visiting the FLOE hospitality room. We had a great time with karaoke, music, food and just good old-fashioned conversation.
The Grand Lodge convention in Austin, Texas, had a new workshop added to the schedule. That new workshop was for ladies across the country to meet each other and share event and fundraising ideas. Fundraisers are an important part of every lodge, and let’s face it, the ladies are a huge part of these events, whether it is as a lodge member or a member of the Ladies organization within their lodge. The workshop was hosted by the Florida Ladies of Elks and attendance was at room capacity. There were a lot of ideas shared and everyone expressed interest in having this workshop at the 2025 national convention in Kansas City, Missouri. They did, however, ask for a larger room and a longer workshop session.
Just a reminder: EVERY lady Elk, wife of an Elk and widow of an Elk are members of FLOE (regardless of affiliation in a lodge Ladies organization). There is no application to complete nor dues to pay. How active a lady chooses to be is completely up to her, but she remains a member of FLOE.
I look forward to meeting many of you as I visit most of the districts during the FSEA State President visits for 2024-2025.
Pauline