NEWS
News from the Maine Elks AssociationIt’s Soccer Shoot Season
Sanford lodge Soccer Shoot winners with committee Co-Chairs ER Robert Shaw and Esteemed Lecturing Knight Marise Anagnost
Elks National Foundation Scholarship Applications are now Open
| The Maine Elks Association Scholarship Committee announces that the following scholarship applications are now available from the Elks National Foundation. Three types of education funding are available:
2023 Most Valuable Student Contest: 2023 Legacy Awards Contest: 2023 Emergency Grants: *Please See Guidelines for specific details and qualifications on each of the above listed scholarships opportunities. Also, please check with your local lodge Scholarship Coordinator for other possible scholarship awards offered through the Lodges. Additional information on the Elks Scholarship Programs and Emergency Education Grants can be found here on Elks.org: ENF Scholarship Programs (elks.org). We value our youth and support them in pursuing their Educational Endeavors! For questions or more information on the Scholarship Programs, contact State Scholarship Committee Director Lina Michaud at slaale@hotmail.com. |
MEA Calendar Winners for September 2022
MEA Ritual Report October 2022
| On October 23rd, Bruce Brunelle, Grand Lodge Ritual Committee member, will be in Maine to present a Ritual clinic. All areas of the ritual will be explored and discussed. The clinic will be in Sanford and will start at 9 am. Past Exalted Rulers and current Exalted Rulers are able to take the floor judges test for 1st approval. Any member of the order can take the word judges test and computer test for certification. Please download the Ritualistic Manual from the Grand Lodge website and review prior to the clinic. I strongly urge all Lodge ritual coaches, mentors or helpers attend this clinic to enhance their knowledge for assisting the lodge officers especially to those planning on competing in any of the contests this year.
This year’s state ritual contest will be held on February 26, 2023 at a lodge to be determined. In an effort to encourage more lodges to compete this year, the Maine Elks Ritual Committee will suspend any penalties, with the understanding that they will be assessed at any other competitions that the team would compete in. 87% of your score is based on your words and how you say them. If you have memorized your part, you are over the hardest step. So, plan now to compete for a chance to represent Maine in the National Contest in Minneapolis Minnesota in July 2023. It should be noted that should the first-place team is unable to attend the national contest the 2nd place team is eligible to represent Maine in the contest. Maine’s Eleven O’clock Toast and the Exalted Rulers charge to the Flag Contests will be held at the Waterville Lodge on March 12, 2023. Both contests are open to Exalted Rulers and Past Exalted Rulers the Highest score of each will represent Maine in the National Contests in Minneapolis. Please note that participation in these contests are worth points for your lodge in the All-American Lodge contest. Please make plans for Elks Memorial Day on December 4, 2022. Officers should review the Memorial Service Ritual (page 17 Rituals of Special Services 5116010 4/10/2018) and rehearse to make an impressive presentation for the families of the departed members. The ritual is one of the components of the supreme law of the Order and should be treated as such. Make sure all officers are using up to date rituals. All are available to download at the Ritual Committee’s area at Elks.org. They are pdf files that you can put on your phone, tablet, or computer to use for practice and markup electronically as you perfect your presentation. Your presentation to new members will make a lasting impression! Make sure it’s one you want to make; lasting gratification that they made the right choice by joining the Elks. The instructions for its presentation are included in the “Yellow” “Rituals of Local Lodges” ritual books #511500 dated 10/11/2017. Please take time to present it properly. You as officers are selling the product of Elkdom. |
Fraternal Committee Sharing Ideas
Greeting fellow Elks,
I have spent a while as the new Fraternal Committee Chairman trying to learn what the fraternal committee is all about. It turns out that there are several contests are under the purview of this committee. However, make no mistake it is not the contest committee. The reason the Fraternal Committee has these contests is to showcase how Elks exemplify our cardinal principals: Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity. In addition to showing the community what we do these contests provide the officers of the Lodge with a structure and ideas to better achieve our goals.
Last meeting, I spoke of the big contest, known as the All-American Lodge contest or Contest A. This contest, which originated in the early 80’s includes earning points for most of the contests, many other Lodge activities, and charitable work throughout the year. I always encourage E.R.s to use the All-American Lodge/Contest A form as a checklist throughout the year. Just as a reminder, get the completed form to your District Deputy by April 1, 2023, so that they can be forwarded to me and passed up the fraternal chain.
This October I want to share with an idea that we use at Houlton Lodge #835. It turns out that almost all schools, high schools included, have a student of the month program. It also turns out that the Elks have a student of the month program. The details of the program can be found at elks.org on the Grand Lodge Activities Committee page. What Houlton Lodge has done is to contact the principal of Houlton High School (HHS) and come to an agreement that we would sponsor the HHS student of the month program. We are just helping them utilize a program they run anyway and who better than the school itself to chose appropriate students. We provide the monthly certificates (available on elks.org) and small gift cards to each student chosen. As a Lodge we are getting our name and mission into the schools and hence out into the community. Its really a win-win situation for the Lodge and the school. During Youth Week in May, we also invite each student of the month to the Lodge for a complementary meal celebrating the accomplishments of the youth in our community. This gives you two items to check off on the All-American/Contest A, a youth week program and a student of the month program.
Thank you, and if you have any questions let me know. mihannigan@gmail.com
