News Features
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
Our Military & Veterans
Deep Creek Elks use Beacon Grant to Treat Veterans to Ballgame
- Details
- Written by Deep Creek Elks
On June 26, Deep Creek Elks Lodge #2763 used part of an Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant to take several veterans from the Douglas Jacobson Veterans’ Nursing Home to a Minor League baseball game between the Charlotte Stone Crabs and the Fort Myers Miracle. Lunch was provided along with cold drinks on a hot day. Lodge members PDD Kay Neilley, Karen Rohm, Carol Aitchison, PER Tom McClain, Ken Bacon, Joe Szych and Michael Balunas attended and assisted the veterans with lunch and spent time with them. Local high school student Michael Balunas, who had been a member of the Young Marines, also attended. He spent his time retrieving foul balls which he presented to the veterans. Arrangements were made by Joe Szych, Lodge Veterans Services Chairman.
Sixth Veteran Receives Household Furnishings from Zephyrhills Lodge
- Details
- Written by Zephyrhills Elks
Zephyrhills Lodge donated household furnishings for Keith Dixon, the sixth veteran the lodge has helped after leaving the domiciliary to start a new life. Members Steve Czerneski, Richard Le Clair and PER Ken Fabiani picked up and delivered a bedroom dresser, sofa, two living room chairs, an office desk, three lamps, coffeemaker, toaster, panini maker, dishes, pots and pans, and other home comforts. The lodge also provided kitchen towels, dishcloths, bath towels, hand towels and washcloths. The best part of the day was when Dixon and his girlfriend saw the 43-inch flat screen television; they had smiles on their faces for ear to ear. A final surprise from the lodge was their donation of a 15-inch laptop so Dixon could continue his studies at home. Tears just filled his eyes with gratitude.
Zephyrhills Lodge members Steve Czerneski and PER Ken Fabiani, Veterans Chairman, deliver household furnishings provided by the lodge to Keith Dixon (center), a veteran moving into his new home after a stay at a domiciliary.
Tallahassee Elks Support Local Veterans
- Details
- Written by Tallahassee Elks
Tallahassee Elks Lodge #937 was an advertiser for and attended the fundraising concert for Honor Flight which flies veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials dedicated to their service. Country singer Billy Dean joined with renowned pianist Marvin Goldstein to entertain folks at the City of Tallahassee's outdoor amphitheater in Cascades Park. While park admission was free, donations were solicited, raising nearly $10,000 to help fund the Honor Flight trip from Tallahassee, Fla., to Washington, D.C., in May.
Tallahassee Lodge again this year participated in the North Florida Veterans Stand Down. Thanks to two Elks National Foundation grants, breakfast and lunch were provided May 17-18 at the local fairgrounds to all veterans in attendance. Lodge members were on hand to serve food, hand out T-shirts and thank veterans for their military service.
Tallahassee Lodge was invited by Lincoln High School Junior Naval Reserve to award a certificate and medal for Americanism to Cadet Petty Officer First Class Ethan Lustria for his achievements in its Naval Reserve program.
Perry Lodge Hosts Combat Marine Warriors
- Details
- Written by Perry Elks
Perry Elks Lodge #1851 had the honor of hosting the Combat Marine Warriors for its closing banquet March 9. The local Patriot Guard escorted warriors and guests from Tallahassee for their week of outdoor adventures supported by several charitable organizations, local businesses and several folks who are also members of the lodge. The Patriot Guard also lined the driveway entrance to the lodge with American flags.
Lake City Lodge Supports VA
- Details
- Written by Lake City Elks
Lake City Elks Lodge #893 maintains its support of the Lake City VA domiciliary, continuing to help with golf days on Tuesdays and bowling on the weekends. The lodge veterans’ representative also interacts with the VA hospital in town, visiting patients during their stay.
Punta Gorda Lodge Hosts Lunch for Veterans
- Details
- Written by Joann Sutton
The Veterans Committee of Punta Gorda Elks Lodge #2606 hosts monthly luncheons at the lodge for residents of Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans Home and serves chicken dinners to veterans residing at Veterans Village, a transitional housing program for homeless veterans in southwest Florida.
Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans Home residents arrive at Punta Gorda Lodge for lunch.
Veterans' Stand Down Hosted by Lake Okeechobee Elks
- Details
- Written by Lake Okeechobee Elks
In June, Lake Okeechobee Elks Lodge #2871 hosted the second of four veterans’ Stand Downs. There were 37 veterans who received nonperishables, backpacks with hygiene products, vouchers for perishables, new clothing and laundry services if needed.
St. Augustine Lodge uses Beacon Grant for Veterans Nursing Home Outdoor Project
- Details
- Written by Connie Sarnowski
St. Augustine Elks Lodge #829 used their $2,000 Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant at Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home in St. Augustine, Fla., to help build two concrete pads with covers. In addition, the lodge procured special personal and recreational items for residents without financial support. The pads were needed in the outdoor areas for residents who use wheelchairs to enjoy the outdoors especially around their pond. The pads will also allow family members to spend time with residents outdoors. The home currently serves 109 male and 11 female residents. Eleven Elks volunteered over 60 hours to complete this project April 5.
Pictured with donated items from St. Augustine Lodge for Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home are Richie Inman-Holmes, Lassen Veterans' Home Activities Representative, and Connie Sarnowski, Leading Knight.
Preparing to work on the concrete project are St. Augustine Lodge members Joe Pappillia, David Everhardt, Denelle Everhardt, Mike Barfoot, Judy Patrick, Tim Holt, Cindy Holt and Anna Stodolink. Not pictured are Connie Sarnowski, Andrew Patrick and Tom Lander.
Ocala Elks and Scouts Place Flags at Veterans' Graves
- Details
- Written by Tracy Stockel
On May 26, Ocala Elks Lodge #286 participated in the Flags for Fallen Veterans program at the national cemetery in Bushnell, Fla. Scout Troop 100 joined lodge members in placing flags at the graves of veterans. Pictured in the back row are Kim Nicholson, Vince Bonomo, C.J. Duplechin, Rod Duplechin, Ernestine Porter, Wayne Bettis, Lazaro Abuin, Glovanny Salvador, James Chapman, Trystin DeBase, Michael Bil, Noah Pitts, Larry Callaway, James Simons, Chris Chappell and Cary Ray. In the front row are Concendia Duplechin, Carol Watkins, Jen Bettis, Ryan Streb, Jules Ryan, Bonny Ryan, Braydon Mitchell, Barb Rogers and Pam Van Ness Kinard.
Zephyrhills Lodge Elks Crochet Afghans for Nursing Home Veterans
- Details
- Written by Diane Ellison
On June 5, Zephyrhills Lodge donated beautiful crocheted afghans and caps to Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes, Fla. The yarn was donated by members and the afghans were lovingly made by the Happy Hookers, a group of women from the housing community Highlands of Scotland Yard who are members of the lodge. Pictured are Johanna Snee, Activities Director, and PER Ken Fabiani, Veterans Committee Chairman.
Cape Coral Lodge Partners with HUD and VA to Help House Veterans
- Details
- Written by Richard Kampf, PER
Cape Coral Elks Lodge #2596 combined its Elks National Foundation Spotlight and Gratitude grants and is providing much-needed help to homeless veterans transitioning to permanent housing. The $4,000 is being used to provide bedding, blankets, flatware, dishes, bath towels, bath tissue, laundry detergent and kitchen utensils to veterans who are being placed into housing by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The lodge partnered with HUD and the Veteran Administration Hospital in Cape Coral, Fla., to identify veterans in need. In addition, Lodge members donated gently used furniture and clothing to the veterans to further help them in starting their new lives.
Vero Beach Lodge Receives Thank-you Letter from USAF Commander in Afghanistan
- Details
- Written by Vero Beach Elks
Rose Tufano, project leader of Vero Beach Lodge’s Cookies for Soldiers program, received the following email from Lt. Col. Robert B. Fore. He is the Commander of the United States Air Force’s 817th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron – a combat support unit located in Afghanistan.
Rose and Vero Beach Elks Lodge 1774 friends:
We received your box sent to the 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force located at Headquarters Resolute Support in Kabul and we thank you from the bottom of our heart. I would say keep sending them here because the mail room distributes them to different sections.
The country (USA) is focused on many strategic threats, and Afghanistan has been going on for so long that it just seems mundane. However, just to give you some insight on the progress here, the Afghan Army and Air Force are taking more and more ownership of their country. There are some real Afghan heroes and patriots fighting as hard for their country as we do — and often puts them and their family at great risk. It’s been a long road, and there’s still a long ways to go — but there are exciting signs that progress, though glacial, is being made.
We thank you for your thoughts and prayers. There is a direct tie to the great work the men and women are doing here to securing your safety back home. But you also have a direct tie to their resilience day in and day out, helping them stay focused and motivated.
A little bit about the 817th EASOS. We are the most diverse Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) in the world. We have Staff Weather Officers (SWO) scattered across Afghanistan which own/maintain 80% of the weather sensors in the country. Afghanistan, due to topography, has six very different weather systems which they have to interpret and provide weather forecasts to the many Attack and Airlift Helicopters and the Unmanned Intelligence assets in the country. This allows our Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Liaisons (ISRLO) to help the Army gather and develop target information. That information is passed to the pilots which are command and controlled by our Air Support Operations Center (ASOC). With all the different fighter aircraft provided by the USAF, USN and USMC, the ASOC makes sure the right aircraft gets to the right mission at the right time. Then finally, we have Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACS) who are on the ground observing the target area. They work directly with the pilots overhead to make sure the right bomb gets to the right target at the right time. As you can imagine, they have a very important job making sure that fast-moving jets and the bombs they drop are deconflicted from helicopters flying around and the friendly troops on the ground.
The 817th EASOS is involved in every level of tactical operations in Afghanistan. I’m a proud papa and wanted to give you a better idea of who we are and where your care package ended up.
Have a good one, and we love all our supporters. Little things make such a big difference here and we are eternally grateful.
Vr, LOVE
ROBERT B. FORE, Lt. Col., USAF