Greetings Florida Elks,
Denise and I are truly humbled and honored to be your State President and First Lady for the 2024-2025 year. We are so very thankful for the support we have already received, and you can rest assured we will do our best to enhance and promote the programs and mission of the Florida State Elks Association.
My motto this year is “Exemplifying Elkdom”. This is not only my motto but also a call to action for all of us. We all started our journey into the Elks the same way, American citizens standing before the altar making a promise to uphold the tenets of Elkdom. To “Be just to your fellow man”, “To ever practice brotherly love”, “To be charitable to all mankind”. We are to remember “The faults of our Members we write upon the sand, their virtues upon the tablets of love and memory.” By living out these principles in our personal lives we are Exemplifying Elkdom. We begin within the confines of our local lodges doing our part to make them a warm, welcoming, and inviting place. The sense of belonging this will create will inevitably then spill over into our communities where others will see a difference and want what you have giving each of us the opportunity to share the great works of the Florida Elks.
Our membership is the lifeblood of our organization, and we will work hard with you to grow our membership and retain those we already have. Each lodge has a Membership Committee with a Chairperson and committee members. Please, as members, work with the committee, for membership should be the responsibility of us all. I will be working very closely with the State Membership Chair and Vice Chair throughout the year ensuring you all have the tools necessary for positive growth and retention.
We, as part of the Florida State Elks Association, are blessed with our two Major Projects. The Florida Elks’ Youth Camp and our Florida Elks’ Childrens Therapy Services. Our major projects make us the envy of the nation and all who contribute to the Harry-Anna Trust should feel a sense of pride and accomplishment for making a difference in the lives of the children we reach. If we do not do all we can to make this difference in the lives of these children and their families, then who will. In doing all you can you are Exemplifying Elkdom. We are going to have a strong focus again this year on our Sustaining Donors. As with membership we will be working closely with the Harry-Anna Chairperson, Lauren Dowd-Shedlock PER, and Vice Chair Jeff Rumler PDDGER. It is through what you do as members that make the difference. And in doing so you are living out my motto “Exemplifying Elkdom”.
Denise and I, along with VPAL Mike Chandler and Caroline, are looking forward to our visits to your Districts to be able to encourage the lodges in you Districts this coming year. Denise and I have traveled with the State Presidents the past two years as State Chaplain and then as VPAL and have made many friends within our great association and have seen the great thing you have all accomplished. In this new year we are excited to see everything you, the members of the Florida State Elks Association, are doing and look forward to an amazing year working beside you all.
May God Bless the veterans, first responders, the children, and all of you as we, throughout the year do our part in “Exemplifying Elkdom”