Greetings Florida Elks,

Caroline and I are honored to be your State President and First Lady for the 2025-2026 year. We look forward to traveling the State, visiting your Districts and Lodges, and meeting the dedicated Elks who make our Order the greatest Fraternal Order in this country.

My motto this year is ‘Florida Elks – Helping Hands- Changing Lives”.

As Florida Elks, we are committed to many charitable and community activities. My motto is “Helping Hands Changing Lives,” which has a dual purpose. Florida Elks are deeply committed to their communities. We actively engage in volunteer work, community service projects, and charitable initiatives. From food drives, blood donation campaigns, disaster relief efforts, to providing “Welcome Home Kits” for Veterans, the Elks’ “Helping Hands” make a significant impact at the local community level.

The Florida Elks invest in the future by supporting our youth. We provide scholarships, organize educational events, and promote character development among young people. Whether sponsoring local youth sports teams, hosting youth camps, providing therapy services, diagnosing Autism, or recognizing outstanding student achievements, the Florida Elks play a vital role in “Changing Lives” of young individuals.

Our biggest challenge this coming year is to increase our membership, which is the lifeblood of our organization. This starts with reducing lapsation.  We need to focus on retaining the members we already have. The FloridaElks.org and Elks.org website membership sections have various resources for your benefit. I will work with the State and Vice Chairs of the membership committee to accomplish this. I encourage our members to bring in at least one new member this year. Utilize our reimbursements for bus trips to our Florida Elks Youth Camp. Every Elk who has been to our camp returns and says that our camp is the catalyst that gets them involved in our charitable activities.

In addition to membership, we must continue supporting our Major Projects, including the Florida Elks Youth Camp, the Florida Elks Children's Therapy Services, and our newest initiative, Florida Elks for Autism. This support is made possible through donations to our Harry-Anna Trust Fund. I will work closely with the State Chairman for Harry-Anna, PDD Jeff Rumler, and Vice Chair PDD Tony Fratello to achieve our fundraising goals.

One of the simplest ways to contribute is through our Sustaining Donor Program. Signing up is easy, and these recurring donations will help ensure that our Major Projects remain the best in the nation.

We look forward to traveling this year with VPAL Jeff Muehlfeld, Francisca, and the rest of our team, visiting your districts and lodges and seeing how the Florida Elks – Helping Hands and Changing Lives benefit your communities.

Thank you, and may God bless you, our Veterans, Military, the Florida State Elks Association, and the United States of America.