Our Military & Veterans

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Written by Harriet Gossett

Pensacola Beach Elks Lodge #497 partnered with the Veteran’s Assistance Program for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida to provide backpacks to veterans experiencing homelessness. The backpacks included toilet paper, face masks, socks, knit caps, soaps, nail clippers, various shampoos, hand sanitizers, hand towels, face cloths and more. Twelve backpacks were assembled. Pictured packing at the lodge Feb. 27 are lodge members KB Branch; Jon Bock with his wife, Debi; and Kenny Gramenz.

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Written by Carol Aitchison

Deep Creek Elks Lodge #2763 used its $2,500 Elks National Foundation Freedom Grant to provide cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, and new sheets and towels for the residents of Veterans’ Village in Punta Gorda, Florida. Each of the residents also received a $50 Walmart gift card to purchase needed clothing items. The resident manager was given $100 in quarters to be used by the residents to do their laundry, since the facility has coin-operated washers and dryers. There are currently 23 veterans (19 men and 4 women) living at the facility, which serves as a halfway house for veterans experiencing homelessness. There are 12 apartments in the facility, each shared by two people. The veterans pay rent during their stay, and the goal is to get them rehomed into the community. This project was completed during March by Kay Neilley, lodge treasurer, and Carol Aitchison, Lecturing Knight.

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Written by Mary Lou Scribner, PER

Brandon Lodge has a long-standing partnership with James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. For many years, Brandon Elks have visited veterans for holidays, invited veterans to dinners and hosted veterans at picnics. On March 6, Robin Rutzke, Lodge Veterans Chair, invited Geoff Hopkins, M.Ed., Chief of Recreation Therapy at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, to join the Southwest Central District’s Florida Elks during the visitation of State President, Rudy Masi Sr., and his wife, Dolly Masi, PER. Rutzke asked President Masi to present their contribution to Hopkins, made possible by Brandon Lodge’s Elks National Foundation Freedom Grant — $750 in Olive Garden gift cards and a check for $300. Olive Garden works with the veterans’ hospital to meet the veterans’ dietary restrictions. Hopkins said the $300 donation will be put to good use supporting their annual picnic for their long-term patients. This year, due to the pandemic, the picnic will be held at the hospital, but it is hoped that next year’s picnic can again be held and hosted by Brandon Lodge. Hopkins shared that he has fond memories of visiting the Elks lodge with his father when he was a child, so President Masi invited him to join and is sponsoring his membership with Zephyrhills Elks Lodge #2731. Several Brandon Lodge members will attend his installation.

Pictured are George Scribner, PDD; Sharon Hammersla, District Vice President; Rudy Masi Sr., State President; Dolly Masi, PER; and Geoff Hopkins.

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Written by Northeast District

On Feb. 27, the six lodges of the Northeast District — Gainesville #990, Green Cove Springs #1892, Jacksonville #221, Mandarin-St. Johns #2866, Orange Park #2605 and St. Augustine #829 — joined together to donate a flagpole to the newest Gold Star Memorial located at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida. This is the fifth Gold Star Memorial in the state with 76 memorials across the country. This memorial, organized by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, honors the sacrifice of veterans killed in action, missing in action or listed as prisoners of war. The plaque, bench, garden and flagpole are dedicated to Gold Star families, and the ceremony included moving speeches by several Gold Star family members and members of the military.

Pictured are Steve Easton, Mandarin-St. Johns Lodge Exalted Ruler; Sam Runyon, Garden Club member; Renee Taylor, Elk spouse and Gold Star family member; Ed Weston, Green Cove Springs Lodge Exalted Ruler; Emily Hughson, volunteer and family member of Green Cove Springs Lodge member; Connie Sarnowski, St. Augustine Lodge Exalted Ruler; Joy Elrod, Green Cove Springs Lodge Inner Guard and Garden Club member; Olena Siranni Roberts, Garden Club member; Bill Watson III, Jacksonville Lodge Exalted Ruler; Al Williams, Green Cove Springs Lodge Leading Knight; Greg Hughson, PDD of Green Cove Springs Lodge;  Paul Orvosh, PDD, Mandarin-St. Johns Lodge Advisor; and Scott Wilson of Jacksonville Lodge, endorsed Northeast District Vice President.

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Written by Mary Lou Scribner, PER

While it continues to be a challenge to support and interact with veterans during the pandemic’s health restrictions, Brandon Lodge’s Veterans Chair, Robin Rutzke, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force, continues to come up with creative ways to put their Elks National Foundation Spotlight Grant to good use. On March 17, Rutzke along with Glenn Garvey, lodge member and veteran, and Sharon Hammersla, lodge member and Southwest Central District Vice President, visited Liberty Manor for Veterans in Tampa, Florida, with a plethora of goodwill and gifts. The lodge provided a picnic lunch of fried chicken, deli sandwiches, baked beans and a St. Patrick’s Day dessert. In addition, all picnic supplies were supplied including plates, plastic utensils, paper towels, cups and disinfecting wipes. The Veterans also enjoyed and appreciated the visit.

The lodge also provided Liberty Manor $700 in Walmart gift cards. The lodge hosts a monthly dinner for the veterans, but because of the continuing pandemic, the veterans are not able to attend. Connie Lindsay, founder and CEO of Liberty Manor, said the gift cards will be put to good use to purchase dinners for the veterans as needed. One veteran even put in his request for pizza for one of their movie nights. Additionally, the veterans were gifted an abundance of household items for the kitchen as well as bath towel sets. Rutzke said it’s the little things that are really appreciated by veterans and that it was touching to watch each veteran’s appreciation as they picked out their towel set. A lodge member made an anonymous donation of a case of cat food and a container of treats because one of the resident veterans, while struggling with cancer, has adopted a stray cat, which the house has adopted. This veteran was brought close to tears at the thoughtfulness of this gesture. Hammersla said that “our hearts were full.”

A total of $1,364 from the Spotlight Grant was used. While Elks don’t do this for recognition, CEO Lindsay did present the lodge with a certificate of appreciation. Pictured are Garvey, Hammersla and Rutzke with a vehicle full of gifts.

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Written by Diane Hendrick

On March 6, Fort Myers Elks Lodge #1288 held a chili cook-off fundraiser to benefit the Florida Elks’ Army of Hope. The contest raised $580. The membership voted at the March 17 meeting to add $520 from the charity account to the profits from the cook-off, and the Ladies of Elks contributed $500, making the total donation to the Army of Hope $1,600. This fund allows the Florida Elks to provide assistance to the families of military members in the state.