NEWS

The Elk Lodges of Maine really came through when it came to fundraising for the Elks National Foundation (ENF) which is also known as the Great Heart of Elkdom. This year, all 20 of Maine’s Lodges reached the Grand Exalted Ruler’s per-member goal of $4.80 by a significant margin. The State of Maine achieved a per-capita of $13.55, nearly three times the goal amount. This is $2.46 more in giving than last year. This will help bring more money into the state through grants and scholarship awards as for every $1 raised, the ENF will provide the State with $1.61 or a 61% return on the donations that have been invested by the Maine Elks members and Lodges.

Wells Elks Lodge #2738 Earns Top Spot in the Country in Per-Capita Donations

The smallest Lodge in the State of Maine is Wells Elks Lodge #2738, but they were a giant among Elk Lodges in the country, as they had the highest amount of money donated per member in the amount of $482.45. This was $153.83 more than the second place Lodge Sequin, Texas #1229. This was some great work by the Lodge and its members to raise this incredible amount of money for charity. Congratulations to the Wells Lodge and its members for showing that Elks Care–Elks Share.

Top ENF Chairs in the State of Maine

Raising a record amount of donations cannot be done without the hard working and dedicated ENF Chairmen in each Lodge. The ENF Chairs have their own contest for promoting the ENF, and for fundraising called the Chairman’s Challenge. This year, Mike Achorn of the Waterville Elks Lodge #905 earned top honors with 952 points out of a maximum of 1000 points that can be earned. This was 12th in the nation among ENF Chairmen. He was followed by Kathleen Cotterly of the Augusta Elks Lodge #964 who earned a total of 639 points.

The ENF Chairmen earn points through a number of fundraising development areas including: ENF Training, Ordering of Supplies, obtaining new donors, sustained donors, exceeding 15% membership support of the program, 2nd year donors, 3rd year donors, among other things. Information on the Chairman’s Challenge rules, and point determination can be found here: Elks National Foundation. Congratulations to all the ENF Chairmen in Maine for a successful year,and thank you for your hard work.

Maine Elk Lodges Receive $166,500 in Community Investment Grants

This past year, the Lodges of the Maine Elks Association applied for and received Community Investment Grants from the Elks National Foundation that are used to support the community as well as local charities. A total of $166,500 was received by 19 out of 20 Elk Lodges that participated in the program. The top recipient of in the Community Investment Grant Program (CIP) was the Augusta Elks Lodge #964 which received a total of $19,500 dollars from all five of the ENF grants in the program. These included the Freedom Grant, Impact Grant, Beacon Grant, Gratitude Grant, and Spotlight Grant. In addition to Augusta, a total of four other Lodges in the State received over $10,000 to give back to their community including the Lodges in Rockland, Presque Isle, Waterville, and Biddeford-Saco. Grants were used to support our veterans, youth, and partner with community organizations which serve their communities in a variety of ways. If you would like to learn more about what each Lodge has done to support their community through these grants, you can find their information here: CIP Grant History (elks.org)

Elks National Hoop Shoot Participation

The Elks National Foundation Free-Throw Contest is funded by the Elks National Foundation. This past year, a total of 16 out of 20 Elk Lodges held contests in their communities to provide youth between the ages of 8 through 13 with an opportunity to show their talent and basketball skills. A total of 258 youth participated in the program statewide with Presque Isle Lodge #1954 having the highest number of participants at thirty-five. To see your Lodge’s participation information in the program you can find out here: Hoop Shoot Participation Report (elks.org)

Maine Elks to Award Scholarships to Maine Seniors

This year, Maine will be awarding six High School Seniors with awards of $4,000 in scholarships in the Most Valuable Student Scholarship program. This amounts to a total of $24,000 to help fund college needs for deserving students. In addition, the State of Maine will also be providing District Awards in the amount of $2,000 each to six students, and one scholarship in the amount of $1,000 for each of the 20 Elk Lodge winners in the state for a total of $54,000 to students in Maine. The top six scholarship recipients will be presented awards at the Maine Elks Association State Convention in May. In addition, Maine will also be awarding four Legacy Awards to children and/or grandchildren of Maine Elks in the amount of $4,000 each or $16,000 to help fund their college education. All of these awards were made possible through donations to the Elks National Foundation. Maine Elks helping students reach their educational goals and showing that Elks Care–Elks Share.

With the Elks National Foundation doing so much for the people of Maine, we encourage you to consider giving to this worthy cause. You can make a tax-deductible contribution here: Online Giving (elks.org) or contact your Lodge’s ENF Chairman. For more information on the Elks National Foundation programs, you can check it out here: Elks National Foundation and on maineelks.org here: ENF COMMITTEE | Maine Elks Association. Let’s make 2023-2024 an even bigger year!